Cannes and Ile Sainte Marguerite, France

Amy spent Saturday with friends, all wanting to maximize their time together before leaving France and scattering across the globe. Kathleen and I hopped on a train and headed east to the Riviera resort town of Cannes, about 20 miles away. The city dates back to the 2nd century BC, and is known internationally as the host of the Cannes Film Festival each May. The festival’s origins date back to 1938, when the event was created to compete with the Venice Film Festival, which had developed a fascist bias under Benito Mussolini. Today, the event draws more than 40,000 film industry professionals and more than 200,000 total visitors to this community of 75,000. Map link: Cannes, France

At the busy waterfront, which was preparing for the Cannes Yachting Festival, we ran (I actually limped) to catch the ferry to Île Saint Margeurite, which lies a mile offshore. The largest of the Lérins group, the island is best known as the home of Fort Royal, built in 1617 and converted to a prison in 1685. Its most famous inmate was the Man in the Iron Mask, an anonymous prisoner who was held for 11 years in a special wing out of view. Under orders from King Louis XIV, his identity was never revealed, and guards were directed to immediately kill him if the mask were removed. The mystery has been the subject of great historical interest, and the story was romanticized in Alexandre Dumas’ 1847 version, which included the legendary Three Musketeers and inspired at least four movies. The Man in the Iron Mask spent a total of 34 years in four French prisons, including the Bastille in Paris, where died in 1703. Map link: Ile Sainte Marguerite

Back in Nice, we ate a late dinner in with Amy, then went out for gelato and took a stroll through Old Town, staying up until midnight. 

Bonus Question: What is heliotropism? (answer at end of post)

The Palais des Festival et des Congrès,
home of the Cannes Film Festival 

View of Cannes from Iles Sainte Marguerite

Fort Royal

Greek amphorae recovered from local shipwrecks

The prison cell of the Man in the Iron Mask

Old Town Nice at night

Bonus Question Answer: Heliotropism is the biological process where plants turn from east to west during the day to follow the sun and maximize photosynthesis. At night, an internal circadian clock twists the stems back so plants face east again the next morning.