Friday 4/20/2012

We visited the French Riviera in Cannes France!  

Boy did our backpacks and Keen sandals look SO out of place - hey that's all we have! :) As you can see, I had to pose on the red carpet of the Cannes Film Festival that starts on May 1 .

Beautiful city, it was very windy (note scarf) but sunny and we did change into CLEAN FRESH clothes! The added bonus.....I know you all know what a sweet husband, best friend and amazing travel partner I have in Mike but look at this.....as a surprise to his Princess (yes he calls me that) he booked us a one night stay on Friday at the JW Marriott Cannes France saying that the Palais Stephanie (in which it was named after Princess Stephanie of nearby Monaco) was fitting for his Princess....are you gagging yet? Heeheeheehee! Probably if Mike admitted it to me, he just wanted a comfy bed, nice sheets and towels and a bit of luxury after all the hostels and sobes's we have been in and out of this trip. It really was amazing! We were upgraded to an amazing room overlooking the French Riviera and both actually treated like a King and Queen! Wow, the luxury after backpacking was incredible. They didn't even smirk at us walking in with our backpacks. I am sure if not for Mike's status they would have turned us away looking (and yes maybe smelling) like we did . 

 
Getting there had its stories. We left Corniglia Italy (CinquenTerra) by train, had a 90 minute connector layover in Genova Italy. Mike ended his Italy visit with one last birra, yes at 9:30 AM, time of day doesn't matter over here!! I decided if he can have beer for breakfast then I can have my last Italian gelato at 10:00 AM so actually we both had a gelato before boarding the next train to Ventimiglia Italy. 

We missed our connector in Ventimiglia by 3 minutes. Our train was delayed getting in and we ran but just missed it. These train stations are huge, with many platforms so you have to see just which one is your next train and then goooooooo fast but this time we missed it. And it is just a bit hard to run with our backpacks on. We saw that we could take another train in about an hour so no problem. This gave me time to go find a toilet as the ones on the train are pretty gross to say the least. And did you know at all these train and bus stations you have to pay an attendant working at the toilet area to use the facilities . We are going to add up all the Euros, Kunas, CZK Korunas, etc...that we have spent on toilet use this past month. I am sure enough for Mike to have another beer somewhere and me some gelato too. Oh and paying does not guarantee clean bathrooms or even toilet paper! 
 

I waited in the long endless line of the woman's "toilette". It was a real industrial type facility. Tall concrete walls with concrete walls between the stalls too. The doors were solid and went from floor to about 8 feet up. A good strong clink of the lock and I was in. But no toilet paper! Deal with it. Time to exit and the door would not unlock, really I tried every which way but I could not get OUT! Soon some ladies speaking many different languages were all trying to help get me out. I had no way to crawl under as the door was flush to the floor and nothing to stand on to go up and over as the walls were slick. I was starting to panic a bit, yes I am very claustrophobic! My strong and sturdy Keen sandals were helping me kick at the door . I now heard some male employees trying to help. I was kicking and using some very strong bad English words to help them understand that I wanted out....NOW! I was making headway as the door was bowing out with each kick. The men on the outside were using some tool on the door handle, next thing I know as I am kicking one last time the door flies open and there is many sets of eyes, both male and female, young and old, looking at me. I calmly walk out saying thank you. I have decided I really did do a good deed. Just where else would all these non-English speaking people, including children, ever be able to learn so many English cuss words especially said with such expression and flare as they just heard. I can hear them all now, practicing what they heard coming out of my mouth even if they do not know what they are saying! Hey in my next life maybe I can be an English tutor :) 


So I get back to Mike as he is "hugging a tree" . That is our term for the one of us that stays put with the two backpacks as the other goes to do what ever they need to do. I ask if he wondered where I was for that long. Nope, just thought the line must have been long or I was off taking pictures of something. No worries about me (geez thanks sweetheart). Mike did say he noticed a lot of people and activity going in a rush down the hallway to the toilets but he just thought they all needed to go pee at the same time! 


We caught the train to Nice. Waived hello to Prince Rainier in the tiny little country of Monaco and the very fancy city of Monte Carlo. Finally arrived in Nice, our first French town. After all my exercise trying to remodel the Ventimiglia Italy train station woman's bathroom I so deserved a real French Crepe. So we found a cute little cafe and spent a ridiculous amount of Euro's (yep the French Riviera is just a bit more expensive then all our other countries we have visited the past few weeks ....put all together) on two yummy sweet crepes, Mikes first French bierre and me a really good cappuccino! Love the rewards after a workout :) 


Off we went on our side trip to Cannes where Mike surprised me with our Marriott stay. It was wonderful. Off the main expensive de Le Croisette Boulevard where our hotel was located to a cute side street for a nice French dinner with a very patient young man waiting on us Americans that have NEVER learned a bit of French. We had fun with him and he and the staff had a good laugh on us! 

Yep, more memories were made and though it was fun to indulge in the French Riviera and be Monsieur & Madame Hartman, I would take our simple backpacking and exploring the "backroads" the way we do anytime over that lifestyle....but I won't ever turn down a surprise from Mike if he forces another one on me just in case it makes me a Princess for a couple of days again :)