If there was one city on our Europe trip that I would consider the most interesting, Milan would be my pick. We got to experience the highest of highs, the lowest of lows, the thrills of surprise and the bitter taste of disappointment. Perhaps the most insightful aspect is that Milan, of all places, gave us unique glimpses into our different characters.
The story must start from our train ride from Monaco to Milan. The journey from Nice to the French Italian border was very pleasant. However, once we crossed into Italy, it was as if we had crossed a heavenly-worldly divide. During the stop in Ventimiglia, Segamatic needed to get tickets for the Italian leg of the trip. The conductor from whom we supposedly could buy tickets could not care less about us. Segamatic ended up running into the train station to buy his ticket. For a few tense moments, I was not sure if Segamatic would be able to make it back onto the train in time!
Despite being on the same train, the Italian railway system was remarkably rundown. From out of nowhere, the train became packed with people. Not to be class-biased, but it seemed like all the peasant families from the rural parts of Northern Italia decided to move to Milan today. That’s what it really felt like. From the paradise and comforts that was the French Riviera, this experience was a sharp contrast. Segamatic and I were soon relegated to these pull-down seats in the train’s tight hallway. My backpack became a major obstacle for anyone trying to pass, especially those who were pulling their worldly belongings down that corridor.
After quite an uncomfortable ride (I’m writing this off as part of the backpacking experience), we finally arrived into Milano Centrale. The air felt sticky as we stepped off the train. Everyone else rushed by with a sense of direction that in ensemble was more like a chaotic mess. I felt like a little boy visiting the big city for the first time. Just from her train station, Milan was truly a city. The train station sported some fancy modern Romanesque architecture, but I was a bit bummed by the constant construction in half the station. In retrospect, the construction has now become an integral part of my vivid imagery of Milan - a busy metropolis that is constantly moving and constantly evolving. In such places, there is always construction noises in the background.
From the train station, we took the subway to our hotel. The subway map reminded me of the tube in the sense that there seems to always be more than one way to get between any two stations. The subway system was showing signs of its age. However, we were pleasantly surprised by a musician on the train entertaining the crowds with his accordion. I always love these impromptu performances on subways – a raw sense of Milan’s vibrant culture.
Our hotel ended up being very interesting. Every guest had to fill out forms stating our nationality and passport information. Except for the person who made the reservations, I’ve never had to fill forms like this before. Our room was probably one of the biggest surprises on the entire trip. It was pretty much a bedroom conjoined with a bathroom with no wall separation! True Roman style! Good thing there was a real bathroom outside, otherwise, I’m not sure what BlueOrca would have done. The other quirky aspect was the plastic blinds covering the window. They looked like something to keep robbers out rather than light, though it does a wonderful job at both. The drawing mechanism was also quite primitive, but I guess it’s pretty effective.
We stumbled a bit getting out of the main gate of our hotel complex. You had to push a button on the side wall to unlock the gate. Seeing our difficulties with the door, a lady behind us pointed out the button. She then said one statement that epitomized Milan for me - “This is Milan.” It was the way she said it; her matter-of-fact tone really resonated with me, and made me see the city in a new light.
We took a stroll towards Duomo square, stopping by a small cafe restaurant for dinner. BlueOrca and Segamatic had to satisfy their Italian Pizza cravings, while I went with a lighter pasta dish. We found out while eating that pigeons were both slow and dumb. The early bird doesn’t always get the worm, especially if there’s a faster bird nearby.
We fed more pigeons at the piazza in front of Duomo. Lots of scalpers were handing out seeds to feed the pigeons. We each took our turn feeding some birds. Afterwards, these seed guys demanded some compensation for their goods and service. I was almost going to give them a Euro until I saw Orca starring down at her naggers. First time I witnessed the Don’t-mess-with-the-Orca look, and even I, felt a shiver down my spine.
Right off the Duomo piazza is an indoor promenade, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, which is lined with fancy shops and boutiques. There was also the most lavish McDonald’s I have ever visited. We spent the rest of the evening exploring other parts of downtown Milan. Geocaching does take you to places you won’t otherwise see or even thing of visiting. I saw a Banco d’Italia and snapped a picture for my coworkers. After searching futilely for a geocache in some windy street, we stumbled onto a National Geographic exhibit showcasing a variety of beautiful scenic shots. My favourite was a sunrise shot of the city at the base of Mount Vesuvius in Naples, Italy. Another memorable shot was a winter roof-top view of west Toronto! :)
Segamatic wanted to visit some parks in the area. It was a nice evening stroll through the peaceful neighbourhood. In our one and only find in Milan, we searched quite a bit in a slug and snail infested wall. Good thing BlueOrca had her wireless internet and was able to acquire a description of the cache container, because once she said it, I immediately knew that piece of “garbage” I had discarded was the cache itself! We finished off the first night with our first gelato – in what would become a daily ritual during our time in Italy. We also picked up a bag of sour oranges and a giant loaf of bread /cake that Segamatic and I struggled mightily hard to finish. While at Milan, I also picked up a bottle of my favourite red, the Barolo, which was only one of two selections to earn a Tochi-certified 11 / 10 from Wines.
Our plan for the next morning was Duomo Cathedral, Castello Sforzesco, Last Supper Chapel, and Lake Como. After getting up bright and early, we passed by a lively market on our way to the subway station. In a scene that I will always remember, Segamatic turned back towards me as we travelled up an escalator at the Duomo stop. “My wallet is gone”. I paused for a second to absorb what he had just said. “You’re kidding me. I hope you’re not serious.” I was totally expecting him to be kidding. With half a forced laugh, “It’s gone. I don’t have it anymore.” Two subway stops and we were down one wallet. It was hard to believe.
So here we were, standing in front of Duomo. All of us were carrying a mixed bag of emotions at the moment, but there was really only one proper thing for us to do. After a short debate filled with disappointment and frustration, we asked our way to an internet cafe for Segamatic to look up the contact information to report his credit and ID card losses. After that, we again, asked our way to the Police Station to file a report (in case Segamatic needed to claim insurance, etc). I couldn’t believe how hard it was to locate a police station in a foreign country. Fortunately, after finding the station, we only had to wait a short time before Segamatic filled out the paper work and we were back on our merry way. Segamatic definitely got the best souvenir of all – the police papers covered with half a dozen of different Milan cancellation stamps!
Duomo Cathedral was, without a doubt, my favourite church on the entire trip and one of the coolest I’ve ever visited. I usually have a hard time visiting churches (or any places of worship) for the sake of visiting them. Although I’m not a religious person by any means, I have on certain occasions felt the real collective power of worship in bringing inner peace. So whenever I visit places of worship, I would be cool with sitting there mediating or participating in religious ceremonies. However, I am typically uncomfortable going around taking pictures (*click click click*) and viewing these scared places as an attraction.
Duomo was different. Besides having such a cool name, I could not help but be amazed at the its architectural marvel. The inner sanctum is supported by these 45m gigantic pillars that are just wonders of the engineering achievement of the 14th century. It is, after all, the world’s largest Gothic cathedral.
In the past, Duomo was very dark inside. In order to support the spires and statues on its stone roof, the walls could not structurally afford as many stained glass windows as its other smaller, less intricate contemporaries. Unfortunately, with men’s ability to harness electricity, we now have spot lights illuminating the inside of Duomo. I would have loved to see Duomo in its natural lighting – perhaps a little creepy. These photos are probably two times brighter than the true lighting inside the hall.
The best part about Duomo has to be its roof. The ability to go up to the top terrace and view the spires up close is an added bonus! Only at the top do you realize how many and intricate some of these patterns are. It is as if the entire building is yearning and stretching for the sky.
The repeating patterns and geometric constellations are a dream for photographers too. The top terrace totally felt like I was walking through the setting of a Final Fantasy city. I wouldn’t have been surprised if an airship descended towards the cathedral at any moment.
After Duomo, we stopped at Castello Sforzesco. This castle used to be one of the fortified centers of Milan, where the Dukes resided. The castello is essentially a giant square barracks with a giant corner tower and keep just west of city center. The history was quite interesting, as in its storied past, the castle has been burnt, ransacked, demolished several times. Yet, it has been restored for cultural prosperity. It was quite cool that as I walked around the different quadrants of the castle, to imagine that back in the days of the knights and lords - this square in the keep would have housed the stables, the blacksmith would be housed in this other quarter in the back, and all the soldiers and guards would just be lounging around in the center (what is now the garden). BlueOrca and I acquired some new hairdos with the stone sculptures in the garden. We spotted a couple taking some wedding photos in the garden. The walls do make an interesting backdrop for these photos I guess.
The one time on this trip where earlier planning would have paid off was getting tickets to he Church and Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, which houses Da Vinci’s Last Supper mural. You literally have to book a month in advance in order to visit. Perhaps influenced by Da Vinci’s Code, it would have been quite cool to see the real painting in person. Apparently, during WWII, the church got bombed but somehow, as if by the grace of God, the wall with the Last Supper was the one of the few things left standing. We toured the church and confirmed that if you didn’t have tickets beforehand, it doesn’t matter that you travelled a million miles to Milan, you are not getting in. I tried to bribe one of the ladies at the entrance to get ONE ticket, so that BlueOrca could visit (and cheer her up in the process). I offered up to 75 Euros and that lady still denied me!! pfft. Anyway, we’ll catch the last supper next time (if ever). After some consoling, we took the train to Lake Como.
During this visit, we arrived into Lake Como from the south. Besides the shore line and a cool gelato shop, there wasn’t that much to see in this town. The skies were still gloomy, so that took away from some of the atmosphere. Instead of feeding the pigeons, BlueOrca started chasing them. I’m not sure what the Como variants ever did to BlueOrca.
We took a funicular (we are very familiar with these now) up to village of Brunate to get a better view of the Lake Como and walked around the quiet streets up above. When we got back to the take, we also witnessed a bunch of ducks ganging up on one in the lake. Yeah. We got pwned by the intercity train back to Milan. We ended up wasting a day of our Euro Pass AND having to fork out 30 odd Euros to cover the fare.
Lake Como was the most disappointing aspect of Milan for me. The last time I had visited, I came from Switzerland and visited the northern shores of this lake. That was one of highlights on that trip for me, as I was captivated by her most tranquil waters, picturesque shores and white peacocks. The visit this time was nothing too special. Maybe we should have done some water sports or taken a cruise on the lake.
We had dinner back in a southern district of Milan, Ascanio Sforza, a neighbourhood filled with more pubs and youths. Segamatic and I feasted on a mega large pizza and risotto (it has been a long day, to say the least). Also tried one of the two local beers – Birra Moretti. A light beer that I suspect I’m allergic to. I woke up the next morning with my hands all red. :|
Final morning in Milan, we stopped again at Duomo square so BlueOrca can feed pigeons yet again. She got caught this time by a little old lady on patrol. lol.
In retrospect, I had expected that Milan, being a fashion capital of the Western world, to be a really fancy and refreshing city. Heck, Milano is my favourite Pepperidge Farm cookies, so I had really high expectations. However, what I saw of Milan was totally different. The best way to describe my impression would be… if I visited Milan in the 18th century, the city would have been what I expected. Now, it’s like a busy metropolis from the 18th century with some 20th century furnishings. I won’t be at all surprised if I saw some homeless huddled around a fire inside a metal barrel under bridges. I also did not see too much of the fashion elements for which Milan is famous.
After leaving Milan with quite the negative impression, I was surprised to meet the most wonderful ambassadors of Milan in Trieste later on in the trip. During the walk to Miramare, I discovered the couple I met on the bus were visiting from Milano. All my ill-grievances that welled up inside just came spewing out. Instead of apologizing for my experiences, which I would have done if I were in their shoes, they laughed and said I had the true Milan experience. They went on telling me of other places to visit in the city, some of the cool festivals that the city hosts and where to find the more youthful crowd to have a good time. After chatting with them, I really wanted to visit the city once again, as I totally did not get to experience all there were to discover in Milan.
Milan gets a 3.5/5 on Tochi meter. Onward bound to Venice!
Nice is nice.
If I did not say this first, Kabitzin would. So it is better I got that out of the way.
Whenever someone mentions the Côte d'Azur, Nice is always the first city that jumps to mind. While other cities are perhaps more famous for their specialties, like Monaco for her casinos or Saint Tropez for her beaches, Nice is where everything started. The Brits turned Côte d'Azur into a resort area to escape the harsh UK winter and in the process made her famous. The Promenade des Anglais in Nice became the central hub for all these rich Britons.
To recap, after almost being stranded in Marseilles, BlueOrca and I arrived triumphantly into Nice onboard the French equivalent of the Greyhound. Our approach vector was from the west, traversing along Nice’s famed galet beaches. At one point, we came within 5m of a GZ (geocache) while sitting on the bus!
Our tour continued through Promenade des Anglais. I had really high expectations for the Promenade. From the pictures and descriptions of this place I’ve seen and heard, I pictured a wide boulevard teeming with people and life, against a backdrop of beautifully lit fountains, hotels, museums, music halls, opera houses, etc - a place filled with the pomp and flair of the British wealth. Well, when we drove by, there weren't that many people on the promenade, though the buildings lining both sides of the avenue were very beautiful.
The bus continued pass Promenade des Anglais and finally arrived at the terminal. This station was in a ghetto part of town. I was not sure if the ghettoness was due to the construction and the insufficient street lighting in that area, but this was not a particularly nice area. While making an unsuccessful sojourn down some non-descript street to grab a cache, we passed along the Musee d'Art Moderne et d'Art Contemporain and Central Library, which had some giant sculpture of a cube supported by a person's chin and neck – apparently a famous work titled La Tête au Carré by Sacha Sonso.
Hotels Hotels Hotels
Afterwards, we navigated through some residential areas to find our hotel. Speaking of hotels, we had a terrible time finding accommodations in Nice during trip planning – mainly due to Cannes Film Festival and Monaco Grand Prix. The prices jumped ten times normal values for this one weekend! No single place had any rooms available for the several days we were planning to be in Nice, so we had to select different hotels/hostels for different days. The pickings were so slim that I had originally booked a place with only one bed (for one), just to make sure we did have to sleep on the beach. BlueOrca somehow found this uber Hotel Verdun that offered a room for four for a reasonable price! Unfortunately, it had no vacancy on the first day and last day, so we stayed at Hotel Baccarat for the first night and Hotel Antares on the final night.
The hostels on this trip have been quite good, considering their costs. However, our first Nice stay at Hotel Baccarat was on a totally different level. We were lead into the back courtyard to a room we were sharing with other hostellers. The one key to the room was to be shared by all, which essentially meant that the door was unlocked the entire time. Perhaps influenced by my earlier visit to the Nice’s ghettos, I had thought this place was a bit run down. This was indeed confirmed the next morning when I woke up to find two cockroaches waiting for me in the bathroom sink. WTF. I have not seen cockroaches since … Hong Kong. Two smacks and flushes took care of these unexpected visitors.
To be fair, not all the residents of Nice were that unwelcoming. The next hotel turned out to be much better. The front desk person was super upbeat and friendly, one of those people who brings a smile to everyone’s faces. The Verdun room was much better than the Baccarat dump too. Probably one of the nicest places we stayed all trip (the top prize has to be our home in Venice).
Just to wrap up my review of the hotels, we stayed in Hotel Antares on the last night. If you remember from my Monaco post, we had gotten back from the city-state around 3am in the morning. We stumbled to our room, only to find that our beds were already occupied by others. WTF. Back down to the front desk, and they were kind enough to arrange another (private!) room for us. Slept really well that night, though BlueOrca, who took the top bunk, had to deal with the skylight. I also got an unpleasant towel in the face. :x The front desk person got yelled at by the manager as we checked out, after it was discovered we had occupied a new room. Poor bloke.
Nice Attractions
We had a full day dedicated to exploring Nice. Unfortunately, the morning was drizzling rain. We quickly swept through Place Masséna to head into the Old Nice. Place Masséna, at the intersection of the Avenue Jean Médecin and Avenue des Phocéens, is the central square of Nice and the heart of British influence. The area sports several fancy fountains, optical-illusion-like chequered floor patterns and coolest of all, glowing statues sitting on top of a high rod.
At this time, BlueOrca revealed her secret weapon, the musical umbrella. I was quite shocked when I first saw this umbrella. It’d definitely be stylish in Vienna, but …we’re in Nice! I guess if BlueOrca wore a Victorian dress, the umbrella could suit the neo-classic architecture/atmosphere of Nice too. ._.;
Vieille Ville of Nice consists of a triangular chunk of land filled with orange-topped 5-6 story buildings. It is bounded by the Promenade and beach to the south, Avenue des Phocéens to the north and Colline du Château to the East.
Our first stop was Eglise Saint François de Paule - a 17th church. The following picture shows all that there is to see.
We cut across the street and passed by one of the nicest buildings in Vieille Ville – the City Opera House (Théâtre municipal de l'Opéra). It would have been pretty neat to see an opera here.
One of the biggest attractions in Nice is her famous pebbles beaches. I missed my chance in Cannes a day earlier, so I'd come prepared to take a swim in the Mediterranean. However, with the rainy weather, I wasn't sure whether the sun would come out to dry my body afterwards. Walking around Nice in wet clothes would not do my cold any good, so I skipped. :( We strolled along the beach and took in the carefree breeze from the sea. BlueOrca took the chance to collect some nice looking pebbles for keepsakes. I personally do not collect rocks or stones from places – I was brought up with the belief that I should not disturb the 土地神. Not much of a reason, but it’s pretty amazing how well these beliefs stick.
I love the pebbles.
We were quite hungry so we stopped by a crêperie for some lunch. The sun had come out full blast, so we got a nice outdoor table to take in the vitamin D. I had some coconut, chocolate crêpes that was flambéed with Grand Marnier. It was so bright that neither the owner nor I could see the flame! After a few more clicks with his lighter, he declared the flaming completed. I totally missed it! Anyway, I remember from B. Lang that flambéing was first invented for crêpes, so I had great anticipation of the transformation in flavour. The crêpes was super good, though not having a with-vs-without comparison, it’s hard to tell how much the flaming improved the taste. :x
We were right by the Marché aux Fleurs (Flower Market), so it couldn’t hurt to check it out. Pretty much your typical market, cheese, flowers, crafts, lavender stuff and MEATS. We picked up some strawberries for the road - unfortunately, they were not as sweet as I was hoping.
Tour Belanda is a this giant tower leading up to Colline du Château, a giant park onto of a hill just to the east of Nice proper. From the top, you get some very spectacular views of Nice and her beaches. That first picture in this post was taken from this location. Unfortunately, as we found out later, the area is closed off during night time. No night shots of Nice.
The park has a bit of everything, and we took the time to explore. There were some old ruins of the various dwellings, warehouses and workshops – this was urban settlement from the Chateau de Nice until it was destroyed by the Seige of Cueno in 1691.
In the park, there was a rope pyramid built for little kids (and me). I was tempted to climb on but there were half a dozen kids playing already. BlueOrca gave the push and I scampered my way to the top. The kids all looked at me like “What the heck are you doing?!?” - with stares only the French can do. One of the most triumphant moments of my life!
On the east side, we also got a good view of the Nice harbour, known as Bassin du Commerce/Bassin Lympia. This is where all the yachts and cruises would dock. I had been wondering with the massive beach front, where ships were actually coming into Nice. It’s nice they have this bay tucked away behind the hill, shielded away from ruining the pristine beach environment on the other side. The square harbour actually reminded me of Marseille, though, of course, not quite as beautiful. :)
We made our way down the hill, on the way, passing by an interesting selection of passage ways and waterfalls. BlueOrca mentioned that there was a cemetery around here. As you guys can probably guess, I wasn’t too thrilled with the idea. We found the place, but unfortunately, we couldn’t get in. Cannot say I was too disappointed. :x
Descended into Old Nice via the Ménica Rondelly Stairs. Things were a lot livelier in the afternoon; much more people walking about enjoying their weekend day. Many of the boutique and food shops were bustling with traffic. It definitely feels a lot nicer walking around town filled with people, unlike the much quieter streets that greeted us this morning. In one particular square, there were people dancing to music and kids lining up to swing at some piñatas. So awesome! I should mention that there was a flatiron near that square too!
The best shop was this ice-cream store where you can buy a 15 scopes for 17.5 euros. I was taking a picture of the awesome ice-cream pricing sign when some guy DEMANDED that I show him the last picture I took. WTF. He apparently thought I was taking a picture of his male friend. I thought “Dude.. why would I even bother taking a picture of your guy?!?” And you are in a public place; there were probably a bunch of other tourists and surveillance cameras taking photos of you anyway. Of course, he was bigger than me, so I just feebly complied. :x
The one main attraction in the area we visited was Palais Lascaris, the former residence of the Lascaris-Vintimille family, now turned into free museum. We had quite a bit of trouble finding this museum, as we only knew the general vicinity. Finally located its non-descript entrance and discovered that the interior of the beautifully decorated residence had been restored to its splendour of the 18th century.
On the ground floor was a 18th century pharmacy that totally reminded me of the traditional Chinese herbal stores – it was lined with urns that resembled 百子櫃!!!
The upper floors Palais Lascaris showcased a lot of very unique musical instruments. It was a marvel seeing how varied and different the instruments of old were and getting a snapshot of the evolution of some of the more familiar tools we see today. It was also a pity that these instruments are now pretty much extinct and live in a museum. I’d love to be able to hear how some of these instruments sound.
As expected from a mansion built from this era, Palais Lascaris was inordinately decorated - from fancy ceiling and wall frescoes down to the carvings on the mouldings and trims. You would have never suspected such a luxurious mansion laid within from the outside. I guess this area must have been a particularly affluent part of Nice back in the days, and the Lascaris family was super rich!!
Afterwards, we made a pit stop back at the hotel. For some reason, we really wanted ice-cream. I realized today that whenever it’s hot outside, BlueOrca must eat something cold. We asked around for a supermarket, and somehow stumbled onto a frozen goods store. There was quite a selection of ice creams – after careful consideration of price and value (mainly price – we were broke), we picked up a pack of ice-cream bars.
We had to pick up Segamatic at the Nice airport later that evening. Nice transit system has a day pass for four Euros which allows you unlimited travel on its routes; the pass also makes a great souvenir card. We got confused by the two terminals and the multiple levels at Nice International, but in the end, Segamatic spotted us fairly quickly. We had awful luck introducing Segamatic to geocaching. 3 DNF’s in a row!!! (We made up for it in Monaco.)
We toyed with the idea of seeing Indiana Jones that night, but the show times didn’t work out. Good thing too, as we found out later that the showing would have been in French – it might have been as cryptic as the alien language for me. We had dinner back by the flower market area. The strip totally transformed at night and was bustling with fancy restaurants and many diners. Got to try out ratatouille, Niçoise sampler and rabbit. Back country game is one of the specialities of Provencal cuisine. :)
All-in-all, I have to say my Nice experience was nice, but not super. I came away with the distinct feeling that part of the Nice’s splendour that I’ve heard so much was more of a facade. If the weather cooperated and if the entire town were not in Monaco or Cannes during this time, then I'd probably enjoy Nice a lot more. 3.5 / 5.
Almost one year anniversary of the trip. Time flies. :(
Motivated by BlueOrca’s photos and my recent acquisition of a McLaren-Mercedes MP4-23 #22 1:18 diecast model ($$$), I finally sat down to finish up Monaco.
Monaco’s only geocache is Top of Monaco, although it is technically not within her borders. Situated near a paragliding platform at the top of a hill in France, you get a spectacular view overlooking the city-state. When I saw this cache listing, I knew we had to do it. BlueOrca had acquired the GPS track logs from GeoBear, another geocacher who had recently completed the hike up to the cache. From the track log, the hike didn’t seem too bad - about an 8km hike with a 600m change in elevation.
We bus-hopped from Jardin Exotique (#2 / #4) and eventually arrived at Saint Roman. The first part of the hike was stairs through some residential neighbourhoods - lots and lots of stairs. We had also passed into France and I didn’t even notice. A lot of stray cats were also scurrying along the drainage and walls, which made BlueOrca really happy. Once out of the residential neighbourhoods, the hike turned into dirt paths leading up to different road tiers running across the side of the hill.
The hike turned out to be longer than I expected. Despite setting off at a pretty good pace, every time I studied my GPSr, our progress was a lot slower than I’d expected. It was so demoralizing that I got fed up and put my GPSr away.
Initially, I thought some parts of GeoBear’s hike log were pretty stupid. For example, in one instance, instead of turning left, he made three right turns and did a mini loop. It was not until we got to that section that I realized we had to go through a tunnel, make three right turns in order to reach the trail leading over top of the tunnel. Ugh. GeoBear’s track logs were totally accurate – no shortcutting for us.
It started getting dark as we neared the summit. We ran into a local French resident, who was bewildered that we were scaling this thing at night. We assured him that we had brought flashlights and we’d be okay. :) BlueOrca raced on ahead, while I managed to steal Segamatic’s Canon gear at some point; I don’t know if he’ll let the same happen again with his 5D2 and TS collection. I left a tripod and some secret stone markers at the forks to guide those who followed.
BlueOrca found the geocache quickly enough and we got onto the paragliding platform for some photos. Actually, I didn’t realize the pad was used for paragliding at the time. The green artificial turf resembled the tee off at a driving range. It would have been cool to bring a golf club and get a picture of myself launching a golf ball towards the Monaco backdrop.
I spent some time setting up my tripod to take some night shots. (I’m not sure why I didn’t borrow Amos’s tripod). It was quite windy up at the top (imagine Bay Bridge caliber winds), and my tripod was unfortunately <Too Weak!>. With the slanted slope, I was worried my tripod would topple and pull a RC238. Stupid me also FORGOT to bring my external flash. I’d brought it on the trip just for this one occasion and I left it in Nice.
Ironically enough, I was being rushed to finish taking the photos quickly, so we won’t miss the train back to Nice. This didn’t help me at all as I did not properly set up and check my shots. I did not even get a chance to take a single photo of Cap-Martin. What a wasted opportunity. :(
We soon began our descent. Some geocachers are pretty hardcore in that they go night hiking without bringing a flashlight. We ended up sharing a single headlamp between the three of us. The sky and city lights just kept on getting better and better as we headed down. I manage to drop back a few times to take some photos, before catching up with the group. At least I got one photo that I’m happy with - Click Me To View Larger. :)
I had mentioned in previous posts that I had misplaced our 2L bottle of water somewhere in Monaco - teaches you a lesson about leaving important things with me. :( Anyway, the only water that we had left was whatever I had in my Nalgene, which wasn’t a lot. Feeling partly guilty and seeing that the others needed the water more than I did, I sacrificed my precious water supply for the greater good.
Segamatic knees started to hurt on the way down, so we eased the pace and took more breaks in between. We were also very hungry and had finished our water supply a long time ago. In a yet-another-stupid-thing of the night, I offered Segamatic a granola bar. He accepted the bait and we each took half. Lesson learned. Granola bars are NOT to be consumed when you are thirsty. It just sucks the remaining saliva from your mouth and tastes totally horrible. I cannot think of anything more disgusting that I’ve eaten in my life. Sorry Sega!
We had no idea what time the last train to Nice was leaving, though I was hoping that there will be late ones, given the Grand Prix. It soon became apparent that we were not going to make it back into Monaco by midnight. Segamatic was in quite a bit of pain from the hike; I was trying every trick in my bag to offer some motivation.
It is really tough to know what to say in such situations. We were only about halfway down the mountain. We talked about catching a taxi back to Monaco. In the end, I suggested we hike down to the next major street and look for a taxi there. I really hated myself for saying this at the time, because I knew that we had no chance at catching a cab. I guess it's my "Jack Bauer" decision - to resort to deception for something this serious, since there were no other alternatives. The lie did its trick and Segamatic willed himself to make the heroic hike to the street.
Once there, we sat around waiting for a taxi. After a while, as I had dearly hoped would happen, Segamatic realized the futile nature of our situation and we resumed our hike. I tried to distract the conversation to other topics (BUNNER and LLAMASERY) to make Segamatic feel better. Retracing the path we took to come up, we finally got back to Saint Roman.
We waited at the bus stop for a bit, hoping to catch a bus and/or flag down some taxis. Found out after a while that buses do not run this late on Sundays. Our taxi strategy failed just as spectacularly. The one taxi that had stopped refused to give us a lift when he found out we were going the train station (5-10 min drive). Bastard.
The city was eerily quiet, as we hardly saw anyone on the streets. I thought that was really unusual given the Grand Prix festivities this weekend. It was as if the hordes that amassed earlier in the day just disappeared into thin air. I mistook an elevator sign for WC. I didn’t even realize until we took the elevator and couldn’t find the washrooms. Not that I had much urge, as my body consumed most of my available fluids.
Our quest to catch the last train was superseded by our quest for water. We stopped in a few condos begging for water. Everyone suggested we head to the casino - lots of water there. I wonder if the casino will let us in, dressed and smelling as we were. We finally found a hotel clerk who offered a 500ml bottle for 3 Euros. We drained that bottle pretty quickly. :|
By the time we made our way to the train station and took the long escalator down to the terminal, guards were already clearing people out of the station. The last train to Nice had left at 11:50pm. We were several hours late. :( We begged them to allow us to grab some water from the vending machines before being escorted off the premises.
The first train runs at 6am, so I strongly considered finding a place to just chill for a few hours in Monaco. BlueOrca was adamant about taking a taxi back and Segamatic seemed a bit zoned out from the ordeal still. I couldn't really ask a girl to sleep out in the streets, so it was better that we tried to get back to our hostel in Nice. BlueOrca flagged down a really fancy Mercedes-Benz taxi. The drivers were now very willing to give us a ride… pfft. 130 Euros definitely buys service.
BlueOrca and Segamatic were passed out in the back. I tried mightily hard to stay awake, just in case the taxi driver decided to take us to some other Nice. This experience totally reminded me of trying not to doze off during a boring lecture after a few all-nighters (a nearly impossible task)! The highway from Monaco to Nice was really beautiful - four well-paved, well-lit lanes each way, passing through some really nice scenery. I didn't get a chance to admire the sights on the train ride into Monaco earlier. Once I saw the exit for Nice, my mind succumbed to my body urgings and I dozed off. When I woke up again, we were already back at Nice's train station. This ride may very well go down as the most luxurious international taxi trip I will ever take. :)
We had quite a Monaco experience and got to see some unique aspects of this city-state. I’d have to return one day to check out the more typical Monaco sights and definitely drive or get a ride through the Fairmont tunnel.
Monaco – 5/5.
Upon our return from Secteur Rocher, we took the bus up to Jardin Exotique de Monaco. The botanical garden was opened in 1933 and features a wide variety of cactuses. Before I get to the garden itself, one of the most impressive features is the spectacular views of Monaco the garden offers. You can see a good, almost aerial-like view, of Monaco. In the following photo, you see Beau Rivage, as well as the chicane and tunnel exit from the Formula 1 course!
Here's a shot of Secteur Rocher, with the Prince’s Palace featured prominently. We were just standing right on that rock an hour ago watching the race. :)
Jardin Exotique de Monaco is situated on the north-western cliff (what in Monaco isn’t on a hillside), consisting of several levels almost like a giant staircase. As you progress through the garden, you descend onto lower levels until you reach a cave at the very bottom.
I have never seen so many different cactuses concentrated in one place. Given the moderate climate of the region, they are not the type of plants I would have expected to find at a botanic garden here. I guess they are some of the most resilient plants in the world.
The variety of succulents on display was very impressive – ranging from tall and skinny cactuses to the round and fat ones. The latter totally reminded me of the spinning leevers from Zelda; I had to resist from taking out my great sword and performing a spin attack to slash them. :)
The landscaping of the garden was equally impressive. A complex interlock of pathways and bridges, there were multiple ways to get to the same spot. Some of the stairwells appeared to be carved out of the rock face. Some of the bridges were made of wood, but instead of normal wooden well-sawed planks and beams, the railing was sculpted to be curvy and twisty. No real pattern, except it looked like how a natural tree root or branch might grow. Quite the attention to details.
The other highlight of the garden was the observatory cave. We had to wait a bit for a guide (who only spoke in French) to take us down into the depths of Moria. The official site claims that the cave features many fine specimen of stalactites, stalagmites, curtains, columns, spaghetti-like helictites. You can google those terms yourselves to find out what they mean.
I decided to go with my 50mm f/1.8 lens for this cave. Given the low lighting, I needed as wide aperture as possible. Unfortunately, I had major difficulty with the narrower DOF. I still had to bump up the ISO, and sorely missed my 18mm and VR. There’s only so much room for you to manoeuvre in the narrow pathways within the caverns.
So yeah, they have nice metal railings that were elevated above the cavern floors. The walk starts of with a bunch of steps down. Near the entrance, we saw some excavation of animals, which proved that prehistoric humans were using the caves as a base station for their hunting. More steps leading down; overall, the descent was about 60m. Too bad not even my HCx could pick up the satellites to track the elevation changes. It would have been pretty cool to get a 3D mapping of our cavern exploration route.
So yeah, I didn’t really understand what our guide was saying; it took too much effort to try to translate, and after a while, I just decided to shoot photos and enjoy the sights. BlueOrca translated bits and pieces of the funny parts to us.
We got to touch some of the stalagmites that were close to the path. The texture was a glossy, hard (much more than I expected) and very smooth, though if you tap your fingers on it, they do feel a bit brittle. It’s really amazing that these things are continuing to grow. My favourites were when some of the columns – they appeared like a stalactite fused with a stalagmite.
After the approximately one hour tour, we returned above ground. I needed to retrieve my tripod, which had been confiscated earlier. :( We grabbed some gaufres by a vendor near the bus-stop. The guy only had two left, so we had to split the waffles. Nutella. mmmm :)
The bus came and we were off to the Top of Monaco. Till next time!
I’m going to skip ahead in my E08 recaps to discuss Monaco first. The Principality of Monaco is a small city-state off the Mediterranean Sea enclosed within the Côte d'Azur region of France.
Monaco is a 30 minute train ride from Nice, where we had spent the night. Got up early in the morning and discovered the massive line snaking around the train station. Dispatched BlueOrca to find Segamatic a ticket (very cool F1 racer ticket), though she had some problems trying to get back in line. :) The massive line actually flowed very quickly, because the stewards were just shovelling everyone into Monaco bound trains.
The Monaco train station is very unique. Entirely embedded underground into the hillside of the Principality, you feel like you are arriving at a subway stop more than a train station. Standing at one end of the station, it really feels like a warp portal, with the trail of lights spanning the length of the tube. As if you won't notice, cigarette ads and Formula 1 banners pop out at you at every possible location. :)
We came out of the station to the sounds of VOOOOOOM and drizzling rain. Scootering around were many folks sporting the paraphernalia of the various racing teams, half of them I swear, were the tifosi. Actually, at the time, the Ferrari clan were the ones I could recognize. I knew of only one other team, Renault, just because I was tasked to pick up a polo shirt. The streets were lined with many any vendors selling pricey Formula 1 goods. So this was what a Formula 1 Grand Prix was like.
We headed down to the L'Automobile Club de Monaco to pick up the tickets we had pre-ordered. Since this was our first Grand Prix, we opted for the cheapest seats: Secteur Rocher at the unbeatable price of 70 Euros each. The next level were K3 Grandstands going for 390 Euros. At 70 Euros, I must say the tickets themselves were VERY NICE. Holographic F1 logo with a McLaren. While researching before the trip, we found this video from Secteur Rocher of someone sitting in some tree on the hill. We joked about camping that tree for the race. :)
The race was due to start at 2pm and we wanted to check out as much of Monaco before the race. We headed up the Rock of Monaco (aka Rocher de Monaco, hence Secteur Rocher) towards the palace grounds. On the ramp up, it was amazing to observe the extent Formula 1 go to protect the prime viewing spots. Many of the good vantage from these “free” locations were boarded up to obstruct the view of the circuit. Still, many people were on their tippy toes and stretched out just to peer through the cracks.
We passed by the famous statue of François Grimaldi, who disguised himself as a Franciscan monk to sneak into Monaco’s Castle. He singlehandedly murdered the guard who greeted him at the gate, then along with his men, overtook the castle and thus began the Grimaldi rule of Monaco, which lasts till this day. The story and statue really captivated me; Grimaldi is dressed exactly what I’d imagine a legendary wizard from the Middle Ages to be like.
The main attraction on the Rock was Prince’s Palace of Monaco. We were hoping to take a tour of the facilities, but given it was the Grand Prix weekend, the palace was, as expected, closed. Who would want to give a tour when the world’s biggest motorsport event is being held outside? We were a bit muffled when we spotted a sign that said there won’t be a changing of the guards ceremony today. This ceremony was suppose to happen everyday! :(
I stepped across the chain railing to cut across to the other side. The guard immediately blew his whistle to warn me away. Poor guy. I bet that’s all he does every day; blowing his whistle at trespassing tourists. Grab some photos of Port of Fontvieille and probably the coolest car I saw up close on this Europe trip – an Aston Martin DB9. Fortunately, Segamatic was here to point out that this is the Bond car in Casino Royale. :)
We took a quick tour of the old Monaco, famous for her very narrow streets. Passed by pubs where people were already drinking and awaiting the start of the Grand Prix on the TV. We got some respite from the rain inside a small chapel. An interesting figure of Jesus (I think) lying on his back in a glass cabinet as if he was resting in a casket.
Got back to the Palace grounds around noon. Decided that it was time to camp our spot. It was then that we realized part of Secteur Rocher included the platform just outside the palace overlooking Monaco. I am forever grateful to the ticket guy for just checking our tickets and not ripping them.
We manage to find really good spots overlooking the circuit. Segamatic and I camped a bench, while BlueOrca somehow got right up to the guard wall. We dug into our crackers (BlueOrca picked up 3 of the same kind) and water.
I knew absolutely nothing about racing before coming to Monaco. While IndyCar races are held annually in Toronto, I’ve never paid much attention to them. Just never understood why people fancy fast cars doing hundreds of laps around the same circuit. Now that I know a tad more about Formula 1, I kind of wish I had visited Monaco Grand Prix with my newfound knowledge and appreciation of the sport. (I still don’t understand NASCAR though).
The Monaco Grand Prix circuit spans 3.340 km. From our vantage point, we could say about 40% of the track - from the start/finish line of sector 1 past turn 1 into the Beau Rivage ramp, and most of sector 3 from the long straight between turns 11 and 12 up though the piscine chicane. We were quite far away from the track; the photographer in me would have loved to be in the grandstands. However, this being my first ever grand prix, I consoled myself with the fact that I can see more of the track from the Rock than I would have in any grandstands.
Apartments, hotels and buildings lined the left (north) side of the track. All the balconies and rooftop terraces were jammed with people. We encouraged Segamatic to invest in one of those units, so that we would be closer to the action on our return visit to Monaco. One thing that I did not understand at the time was why there were so many cranes. They made an unwelcomed intrusion in my cityscape shots. I realized later that they were used to remove disabled vehicles from the track.
We caught the last bit of the Formula Renault 3.5. My first time seeing an open wheeled race car! So that’s what’s making all that noise! The cars were quite bunched up together, but all of them made it through the curves and chicanes with ease, even in these wet conditions. I wasn’t sure what this particular race was about, as the race ended almost as soon as we’d began watching.
It was a little amusing when I went through my pictures many weeks after the trip. I noticed the chassis of the cars in this picture were quite different than the 2008 Formula 1 cars. It took me a second to realize they were from the Formula Renault race. This was a difference I did not notice while at Monaco. Levelled up! :)
At 1pm, while we were bored out of our minds waiting for the race to start (bored enough to be shooting these giant seagulls ;-) ), two guards came of the palace to join the existing one in a mini changing of the guards ceremony. Now, Segamatic and I weren’t going to give up hard fought bench. Fortunately, with our 200mm zoom lenses, we were able to catch all the action. Three guards doesn’t really make much of a ceremony, but at least that’s one thing we can check off from our list of things to see.
As it got closer to 2pm, we could see a lot of activity happening on the grid. The grandstands quickly filled up with people and umbrellas. The rain also started to pick up. :( I kept on checkingat my watch waiting for 2pm. The cars lined up at the grid, their rear lights blinking in the rain. The 5 traffic lights went off and voom… the cars accelerated off. The flashing rain lights firing off like little rocket engines as the cars raced up towards Beau Rivage. That moment. The rain. The anticipation. The sounds. The cheers. The speed. The atmosphere. Forever etched into my memory.
A few moments later, the first of the race cars came back through the chicane. They were all coming through in single file and then returned to their place on the grid. Oro? The previous start must have been blotched. They were restarting the race. (DUH!) The lights went off again, and this time, the cars bunched up a lot more near the start, and really started to blast off.
Words really cannot describe what it’s like seeing a Formula 1 Grand Prix in person. To the uneducated like me, it was just cars doing 78 laps of the same circuit. I didn’t recognize any of the cars or drivers; I didn’t understand the fuelling and tyre strategies; I didn’t even know who were the top contenders. And yet, it was totally captivating to watch even in rain. I suspect it’s a combination of the adrenaline build up from the engine vooms and the awesome atmosphere of Monaco and the crowds.
There were crashes: Timo Glock of Toyota having a run with the railing, Nico Rosberg damaging his £10,000 front wing on the first lap. Several bigger ones happened at other parts of the tracks that we could not see. :( There were numerous punctures: Lewis Hamilton and Alonso both experiencing rear right tyre punctures. I didn’t notice Hamilton’s puncture at the time, but I’d imagine had I noticed it, I’d be exclaiming and laughing at his unfortunate fate. If I re-watched the race now, my shoe might be flying towards my TV. Anyway, despite all this fun stuff, it’s spectacular to watch these cars travel at such high speeds in these torrid conditions and yet, be able to main the finesse and control required to navigate the twists and turns of Monaco’s narrow streets. If I was the one racing, I won’t even be able to take the swimming pool at a quarter of the speed they were travelling at. Actually, I’d probably end up driving through the chicane, and if I gained any advantage, I’d gladly take the drive-through.
Others may claim otherwise, but these Formula 1 cars are the ultimate driving machines. 19000 rpms, 0 to 100mph in less than 4 seconds, superior aerodynamics and so much more. These are just beautiful machines. I should mention, the chassis of the car are made of carbon fibre (even the steering wheel is carbon fibre). This is the same stuff as my precious gitzo! L33T! XD
The rain was horrible on my camera. Raindrops kept on getting onto my filters, creating these blotches on my photos. Even after wiping it clean, it was only a matter of time before another set of drops built up. I also did not feel very comfortable having my lens wet, as much as I trust Nikon’s fine build quality. BlueOrca went ghetto style with the garbage bag around her camera. I also found out that my umbrella was woefully inadequate against these hurricane calibre winds. Many thanks to Segamatic for helping keep this umbrella in one piece. :|
After about an hour into the race, we decided to head out; we had a lot planned for the rest of the day in Monaco, and our schedule was super super tight. However, BlueOrca became quite adamant about taking more photos of the Grand Prix from different angles. In hindsight, had I known about the 2 hour limit and with my new appreciation of the sport, nothing could have made me leave the race early. Anyway, it was an eye-opening experience in many respects. :|
I had one final task to which I was entrusted – pick up a Renault Polo shirt for a coworker. Good thing I knew exactly what to get, so it was a very quick shopping trip. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the same luck with the race programme, as no one seemed to be selling them anymore after the race!! Somewhere along the way, I misplaced our big bottle of water; an act I would dearly regret later in the day.
Everyone’s first Grand Prix experience is always special. To have been able to attend it in Monaco, one of the triple crowns of motorsport, is an experience I’ll always remember. To cap things off, we found out from a bloke on the train that “Lewis Hamilton” won the Monaco Grand Prix. I had no idea who Lewis Hamilton was. The chap also had a 1:43 model of the Ferrari F2008. I was beating myself for not getting a proper souvenir, but then again, I would have probably picked up the F2008. Now that, would have been a waste of money. MP4-23 all the way!!
Monaco will forever be remembered as my introduction to the wonderful world of Formula 1. I cannot wait till my next Grand Prix experience. Fingers crossed for the Canadian GP in 2009!
To avoid any rigging inquiries by the stewards or backlash regarding certain cities having gained an unfair advantage, I hereby declare the entire Côte d'Azur, by definition, to be 5/5. Côte d'Azur, also referred to as the French Riviera, is arguably the most beautiful and one of the most posh regions of France. I have been told of countless wonders and stories of the French Riviera from various sources over the years, so this has always been one of my must-visit places in the world. Naturally, the many incarnations of E08 itinerary always included Côte d'Azur - guaranteed success! Our plans call for several days in this area, with the first stop in Cannes.
Now… the planning of this E08 trip has, at times, been frustrating. We originally had more people, but various conflicts in schedule forced some to bail out –.-; In the end, we had settled on these two weeks in May which overlaps with Victoria Day and Memorial Day long weekends. When it came time to book accommodations, I realized something was fishy when hostel/hotel prices were up to 10 times more expensive during these two weeks than any other time of the year. What we did not realize when we initially picked the dates is that our visit to Côte d'Azur coincides with two of the most celebrated spectacles in the world – the first of which is the famous Festival de Cannes.
We spent the night in Nice and took an early morning train into Cannes for a day trip. The scene at Nice’s station was a mess. We did not expect such a big crowd! BlueOrca was smart with our EuroPasses; we skipped the lines and jumped onto the next train to Cannes. 40 minute ride from Nice to Cannes.
Having grown up around another major film festival for the better part of my life and knowing how it transforms Toronto for two weeks every year, I was really curious what Cannes would be like. BlueOrca also hyped it up by telling me about a giant Indiana Jones façade adorning some building’s exterior.
The train station was only a few blocks away from the main pavilion of the 61st annual Festival de Cannes. Unfortunately, unlike TIFF, most of the festival’s viewings and activities were held in a private, secluded section of the water front. Only accredited film and media members were allowed in. Too bad I forgot to register myself as a reporter for Tochi Media Conglomerate. :(
What does one do at a film festival? Watch movies, see the stars, interact with well dressed people, ogle at all the fancy cars. :D We had to see at least one movie while at the film festival. Our first pick was Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which had came out two days prior. However, Indy was only being shown at a regular theatre, so we opted for the Festival-sanctioned Director’s Fortnight showing of independent films later in the evening.
We took a stroll along the water front promenade, Boulevard de la Croisette, to check out the beaches, booths, boutiques and palaces. We passed by a row of white roof huts (classic Cannes Film Festival icon) that showcased various countries and their films. I really love film festivals because you get to see films that are “non-Hollywood”. So few of these movies ever make it to mainstream theatres back home. Take Pan’s Labyrinth for example – Hollywood would never create such a film. It really is a pity that there is so much art and culture we are missing. Anyway, Cannes is an important showcase for such films, especially those of European origin.
This product of Ukraine was particularly interesting – Sappho – Love Without Limit. Where can you highlight and celebrate such a provocative, erotic film besides a film festival? What made it more amusing for me was that the subtitle resembled the second Umizaru movie Limit of Love.
We made a brief stop at the official boutique store, where BlueOrca picked up a t-shirt to wear at home and I brought the most expensive key chain of my life. There were many performers showing off their arts and crafts along the street. At various times, there were groups of people dancing to music coming out of a boom box. :P
It seems like there was a contingent of adoring fans outside every single hotel, waiting for their idols to come out. BlueOrca and I hung around for a few minutes, but didn't really see the point of wasting our time like this. Chances are, I won't even recognize the stars anyway - although, Harrison Ford was rumoured to be in town. XD We did manage to see a lot of nice cars - Lamborghinis, Ferraris, you name it, they have it. I've never seen so many different colour Ferraris in my life. Also got my first close up look of a Tesla. Too bad Segamatic was not here yet. lol.
The atmosphere here really epitomize the lifestyle of Côte d'Azur - definitely a place for the rich, lavish and carefree. If I ever become super rich, I’d love to get a yacht and sail into Cannes (and probably Monaco and Marseille too), dock and just party.
There were many giant billboards and decorations advertising the latest and upcoming films. Here is the one outside of Intercontinental Carlton that got BlueOrca all excited.
After a quick lunch, we explored a hill that rises above the western part of Cannes. There was a cache there with the longest log ever. Good thing I found it first, so BlueOrca had to roll it back. XD
From the hill, you get a pretty spectacular view of the city. We could see the pavilion and convention centre where the Festival was taking place. On the deck of the helicopter landing pad like building, someone famous must have been holding a press conference. From our super far vantage point, all we could see was a constellation of camera flashes going off every couple minutes. Too bad we didn’t have a super long telephoto. We raided the tail end of a wedding party at this restaurant near the top. All the guests went home with a bottle of wine. :P
There was some church at the top of the hill that we visited briefly. My memory is kind of fuzzy from this point on, as I started feeling the worst of my cold. I seem to get sick at least once on every trip. :( On our way back to downtown Cannes, we passed by a façade of the bus terminal that I particularly liked.
We decided to go through the shopping district (I think this is the first time on the trip where we’ve gone “shopping”. lol). Two of the memorable shops were a pirate candy store, where the loot was literally barrels full of candy and a souvenir shop where BlueOrca spotted an inflatable Orca (or whale, I still cannot tell the difference). BlueOrca was contemplating on starting a pin collection on her slingshot backpack, the first being the palm logo of the Festival. She debated for the better part of an hour – considering factors such as cost, usage, future and anything else you can think of. I was to the point where if she did not buy this darn pin, I would have brought it for her. We ended up heading back to the official festival boutique store where BlueOrca picked up her pin, while I got a postcard. After she paid for it, we found out it was not a pin. Good thing the cashier was kind enough to give BlueOrca a refund.
With some time left before our movie viewing at 7pm (had to get in line by 6pm), we decide to hit the beach. This is, by far, the liveliest beach on our entire trip. The sun had returned. My only problem was that my bathing suit was back in Nice. :( We just took off our shoes and went for a stroll along the water. BlueOrca drew her trademark logo and an unflattering (fatter than irl) version of Tappy in the sand. My attempt at an Orca ended up looking more like a dolphin (in my defense, Orcas are dolphins). I apparently missed some critical part in my design - a part that I still cannot remember. Footprints in the sand. :)
We had some quiches for dinner. Saw a few very spectacular sand sculptures that were nearly completion.
We brought these 7 euro tickets to watch the prestigious independent film guild known as Directors’ Fortnight. I do not think I have ever watched these so-called amateur films. Perhaps the closest would have been Blair Witch. From the program we were expecting to watch a 1hr 20min feature film, timed perfectly to give us some time to walk over to the beach to catch the late night outdoor movie at 9pm.
Everyone took their seats and the show started. This dude in an all white suit and a lady in a colourful dress took the stage and started explaining the mission and purpose of the Directors’ Fortnight. I was like.. wtf. ._.; The show then turned into an awards presentation, kind of like a mini Oscars. Tonight was apparently their closing night gala.
The experience of witnessing the awards presentation in person was quite unreal. You can sense in the atmosphere that this evening was very special for many in attendance. The winners were like any awards show, ranging from some really animated ones to some very humble ones. However, they were all very honoured with and proud of the awards and the guild. I totally felt like an outsider experiencing something truly special, something truly great. The colourful lady I’d mentioned earlier was an interpreter, translating from French to English and vice versa. She was the best part of the show. At various times, after a long speech by the speaker, she would summarize everything in one sentence, much to the pleasure of the crowd.
After the fun stuff was taken care of, the show transitioned to the feature films of the night. The short film was Benny Safdie’s The Acquaintance of a Lonely John. It was the life of one guy (John) as he goes about a day of his life. A little sloppy, John is pretty much the type of person you would not even notice on the street. However, his little actions and gestures of kindnesses are beautifully captured in the film. For example, arriving home one day, he finds a little bird trapped inside his air conditioner. Instead of dismantling his air conditioner to take care of the darn bird, he feeds it some seeds. While subbing in for a friend at a gas station, he accidentally overfills someone’s tank. He tries to make up for the extra with his own money. His friend also pulls a prank on him by “robbing” the gas station and he took it all in stride. The film, while only like 15 minutes long, makes one appreciate the small wonders and joys of the people and life around us.
The next film is the feature of the night entitled “The Pleasures of Being Robbed” by Josh Safdie, Benny’s brother. Story is about this girl, Eléonore, who goes about her life stealing miscellaneous things from people. Film starts of with this girl seeing another girl that she knows (the other girl doesn’t really know her). Eléonore gives her “friend” a hug and picks her purse. Similarly, she goes stealing some DVDs, some grapes, and a basket of baby kittens, the latter gets tossed onto her bed, to the joy and horror of BlueOrca. The weirdest part is that this girl isn’t stealing for money, greed, etc. There is really no reason given for her actions. She just does it. The description for the film states “A curious and lost Eléonore looks for something everywhere, even in the bags of strangers who find themselves sadly smiling only well after she's left their lives. They owe her their thanks.” Unfortunately, with the awards ceremony, we were running late, and the film at the beach was about to start. We decided to leave early, so I never figured out how the people ended up being better off after Eléonore pickpockets them. Even now, as I’m summarizing this, I’m aching to see the rest of the film.
So yeah, the closing night with the Directors’ Fortnight was a pretty cool film festival experience. However, we were heading off to the beach, where every night of the festival, the festival committee selects one film to show to the public on a giant projection screen by the beach. Woot. We were going to see an official film from the festival!
Before that though, we made a quick run to the train station to check the schedule for the last train to Nice. On the way, we saw a mini Hummer, which sounds like an oxymoron until you see one. We got back to the beach and found a good spot on the ledge.
So, why was the film we were watching black and white? We then realized this was a showing of a 1962 psycho-thriller What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? The Festival was not picking a film from this year’s film roster! Argh. Anyway, I would have never watched this film had it not been this festival. The movie was quite a nail biter. The plot is about a pair of sisters: Blanche, a former movie queen who was crippled to a wheelchair due to an accident and Jane, a former child star. Blanche is trapped in a house with her sister who is a little messed up in her head. Her successful childhood stardom which was overshadowed by her sister’s fame and her involvement in her sister’s accident led Jane to her sadistic torture of her crippled sister. Both a horror story and a thriller, I was pretty much glued to my seat the entire time. My favourite character was poor old Edwin. He was only trying to make a buck. In the scene where Jane shows Edwin her doll, that “WTF” look on his face was priceless.
Halfway through the show, fireworks went off out in the sea. It was such a pretty sight… how can one not love Cannes? :) Ironically, we had to leave before the movie finished in order to catch our train. I finished watching the rest of the movie on YouTube after the trip. The movie wraps itself up quite nicely. Many questions including the title of the film are answered. Glad the Festival stewards made a great choice. :)
We caught the last train back to Nice. A ticket officer on the train came awfully close to checking our Europass tickets, but never ended up getting to us. Got back into Nice after midnight and after a walk towards the Promenade, we checked into our Hotel. We’re exploring Nice the next day, so that means we can sleep in a bit!
This Cannes experience has been a most memorable one, to say the least. Even though we didn’t end up seeing any movie stars, Cannes gets a well deserved 5/5. I told you so. :P