Tag Archives: Cannes

Summer’s Twilight

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Yesterday I was invited to the Carlton Beach restaurant by a client for lunch. Very nice. Probably the nicest beach restaurant in Cannes. It has been a few years since I last was last there. Lovely place and the kitchen is pretty good.

It is also the best place to watch the summer fireworks. In Cannes and many other towns along the French Riviera, they have a fireworks competition throughout the summer. The Carlton is dead centre of the event in Cannes and going there for dinner and the fireworks is a grand experience.

It does require some planning though, as parking is a nightmare and there is always crowds of people. When my parents lived here, we’d drive the car down early in the day and park it in a nearby garage, then return home by cab. In the evening we’d get a lift with friends or the domaine’s guardian back down. After the event we’d often stay and luxuriate at the restaurant, while the crowds and traffic dissipated.

These days I don’t live far by foot from the Croisette, so it is often a nice walk with Baka to the sea side. Sometimes he and I would go at the end of the Sunday afternoon and walk along for a bit and then stop in a café for a glass of wine and maybe a light snack.

Last night though was the last fireworks in Cannes for the summer and I did not attend. Opted to stay home after the large lunch I had had earlier. Also Baka probably wouldn’t enjoy the boom boom of the huge speakers playing music as the fireworks go boom boom in time. And last night must have been a grand show as the boom boom of the fireworks seemed to be exceptionally loud, even from my apartment and seemed to go on for a whole hour.

Alas with the last of the fireworks come soon the signs of summer’s end; cooler nights and breezes, the departure of the tourists (yeah), the return of kids to school (boo if you’re a kid, yeah if you’re a parent), the return of daily life in the streets. The south of France doesn’t have a distinct change of seasons like Canada and northern climates, with autumn colours and fall of the leaves. Summer here just fades into winter, as the sunset into night.

Silence

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I live in Cannes, home of the famous Cannes Film Festival. Outside of all the glamour and hype that is Cannes, the residents typically find it a more of a bother, at least I do.

The population of Cannes, around 70000, is said to triple during the festival. So you can imagine that all the hotels, bars, restaurants, clubs, shops, etc. get a huge boost from the extra influx of people. But it also means lots of traffic problems as most of the Croisette is reduced from four to two lanes to make room for all the pavilions and horde of people looking to catch glimpses of celebrities. Parking becomes a nightmare, even in my neighbourhood, as attendees, shop employees, and tourists hunt for a spot and are willing to walk 20 to 30 minutes to the Palias de Festival. For myself, I try to avoid using my car so as not to lose my street side spot. There have been times when residents of my building, including myself, have had to park a kilometre further up the street, which is a real pain if you have groceries or equipment to bring in.

Probably what is more interesting about the Film Festival is not so much what happens during the day, but what goes on by night. The festival tends to be a week and a half of hob nobbing in bars, clubs, and exclusive parties by film industry notables, promoters, writers, actors, gossip mongers, and vile paparazzi. Even I went out clubbing on Saturday to be part of that collective energy, only to finally sleep after about 27 hours awake.

Many parties and special events have live music that carry on late into the night. You can hear the music from private parties hosted at luxury homes carry through the night in and around the hills of Cannes. Wonderful fun if you are invited, but difficult if you’re trying to sleep and have to work the next day.

My impression though of the festival this year appears to be a little more peaceful as I’ve not heard the typical late night buzz of past years, possibly due to the changing weather, possibly the authorities taking a harder line. Either way, I’m happier for it.

Yesterday’s late evening walk with Baka was particularly notable I thought, partly because of the full moon that could be seen shining above the thick dense clouds that appeared to be threatening to come in from the sea, but because of the silence; no cars or scooters, no one on the balconies of apartments, no music or sounds from open windows. Just a lovely moment of calm.