1. Every year, my friend Scotty and I (so dubbed because she is also called Emily and is from Scotland) spend a week in Cannes. When we tell people this, they absolutely get the wrong idea: while Cannes is best known for the way in which it caters to extravagant lifestyles, Scotty and I just like to take advantage of three things: the free public beach (perfect for tanning and reading in the daytime and picnics in the evenings), our favorite Irish pub, and one blowout meal at Astoux and Brun (which I’ll be telling you more about tomorrow). I mean, seriously – as far as dinner views go, it doesn’t get much better than this.
2. The closest we get to the ritzier hotels Cannes is known for is glimpsing them from the top of the ferris wheel in the old port. Along with weekend fireworks, this is one of two additions that Cannes makes in the summertime that we can actually afford to partake in. (It’s actually pretty reasonable, at only 5 euro for a ride!)
3. Most years, we tell ourselves we’ll swim out to this floating dock. Spoiler alert: we never have. (Mostly because teenage boys seem to stake their claim on it every morning).
4. The hotel where we stay is just below the Suquet – the serpentine road that leads up to the top of Cannes, where a belltower overlooks the city. It also leads to the language school where we met 10 (!) years ago and has tons of fine restaurants on it (though not our all-time fave).
5. Our hotel is also only a hop, skip, and a jump from the beautiful Forville Market. Here are some of the vendors setting up for the day. I snapped this shot on my 7am walk to the train station, where the TGV carried me back to rainy, grey Paris… *sigh*. Until next year, Cannes!