Cinematic Adventures

Stop 4: Cannes (Luxurious lifestyles and champagne dreams)

The following day we set off on a day trip to Cannes, just weeks after the famed film festival. There we walked along the boardwalk, posed on the red carpet, and checked out side street shopping and waterfront souvenir shops. A train tour of the city (which became a staple of most of our travel destinations), provided for an entertaining afternoon as it winded up and down narrow, steep and winding streets, resting nose to nose with a second trolley train in the middle of the road. At a crossroads of sorts, we watched our fellow passengers and conductors disassemble the other train into its individual cars and components, bid adieu, and we were off and chugging toward the finale of our tour. A follow up walk along the main waterfront boulevard, and we were transformed into the lives of the rich and famous. Like St. Tropez, Cannes caters to the lavish lifestyle, with little luxury to spare.

Small boardwalk with famous handprints ~ Meg Ryan

Crossroads Train Tour

To round out our day in Cannes, we sat, dined and drank wine on an outside terrace, reminiscing about stories and opinions of old. A toast of champagne with a new friend completed our day of cinematic adventures and wine soaked dreams!

 

 

Seaside Cottage Condo & Tour

.... at around 1:30 am we finally arrived in Cavalaire at my Aunt's condo, with a rustic, cottage like feel… except that we could not see much of anything, and the heavy wooden creaky door leading into the hallway of condos set in front of a corn field, without lights or even the glow of the moon, proved way too creepy; and so we slept in the car until daybreak before settling into our Midi hideaway.

 

Later on; and not so well rested, we set out to explore Port Grimaud and St. Tropez!

Stop 2: Port Grimaud (a seaside town in Grimaud along the French Riviera)

 

Decked out in cute summer dresses, despite windy and cool temperatures, we walked along the port, admiring the boats, waterfront restaurants, and walking bridges crossing the water. We ducked into beachy shops and bought bags and dresses and other souvenirs, and took in the serene atmosphere of the Port aglow in the sunlight!

Stop 3: St. Tropez (playground to the Stars & discovery place of Brigitte Bardot)

A ritzy getaway with yacht lined boardwalks, winding streets of shopping, squares of Pétanque games, and side street artist studios. A place where tourists relax the day away buying art, maxing out credit cards, lounging on beaches and boats, and indulging in tarte tropézienne.

In St. Tropez, we spent the afternoon winding through the town directed by our self-guided walking tour, stopping to admire Provence inspired paintings and sculptures, getting caught in wind tunnelled archways along the water, shopping in petite shops with delicate fabrics and finds, and joining in the indulgence of a tarte tropézienne – slices of brioche held together with an ultra thick layer of pastry cream finished with a dusting of large sugar crystals!

Le Midi avec Tefta

Woo-hoo lucky me!! My first Canadian visitor to voyage into ma nouvelle vie en France was Tefta! Similar to my new journey in France, Tefta is one of my newest and newly dearest amie’s. We first met at work, during the first few days of complex, complicated and incredibly confusing training, and quickly connected over the low cubicle walls situated kitty-corner from one another. The days were filled with such memorable phrases as; “Google is my best friend.” ,“I am too much for you, right?” ,“Do you speak English?”, and the never-ending Chinese keyboard torture, “on-break” desk signs, lurking supervisors, and the harmonious click of our phones resting in their cradles.

So on May 31, 2011, I programmed my European GPS, filled up the Peugeot with essence, and began a mini road trip to the south of France!

Stop 1 – Marseille (aka the Detroit of France), where I met Tefta at the Marseille Provence Airport! From there we drove into the city and parked the Peugeot on a side street not far from the train station. We spent the day walking around and exploring the city centre, and ventured on a tourist train ride into the old city and the Notre-Dame de la Garde, overlooking the city and the port.

Gare de Marseille-Saint-Charles

Notre-Dame de la Garde

Notre-Dame de la Garde

View from atop the Notre-Dame de la Garde

Notre-Dame de la Garde

That night we sat out on a terrace and enjoyed dinner and wine overlooking the sea. And as the interconnectedness of the world continues to amaze, our model attractive waiter ‘Max’, asked where we were from? Not content with Canada or even Ontario, he asked what city we were from… only to find out that he was born in Windsor before moving to Quebec as a child. Max described Marseille as the Detroit of France and from the graffiti covered walls and numerous seedy side streets it was easy to understand why. All in all, Marseille is a charming historical city with a gorgeous seascape, filled with friendly and enchanting natives, and a touch of toughness.

 

We then set off for our southern home away from home in Cavalaire sur Mer, a quaint seaside town along the Mediterranean…