Dinner in Cannes

Cannes is lovely at night.  

The buildings are also lovely during the day, but at night they shine like beautiful little beacons in the darkness.  The whole area is so incredibly wealthy, but unlike other parts of the Cote d'Azur, the buildings in Cannes exude the same image of wealth and opulence.  They all have such a classic facade that is in line with what you would expect of high class French architecture.  Walking through the streets at night, you feel that this is an elegant place and that everything in it is in good taste and refined.

The bright white of the buildings with the blackened backdrop also gives them all a look which is incredibly dramatic.  From certain angles, they almost look like the backdrops to the stage of a musical or a play.  Maybe it's life imitating art or vice versa?

We caught up with Maya on the promenade and walked towards the hill leading up to the old fort.  I remembered that there was a long street leading up the hill full of restaurants, but I couldn't quite remember where it was.  We walked around for a little bit and we found the street.  It looked just like I remembered, but the location was more to the right of where I thought it was.  It turns out that my memories of Cannes and its streets were not as perfect as I had thought!

The small street Rue Saint-Antoine is best described as "quaint".  It is narrow and lined on both sides by small restaurants and cafes.  Tables and chairs are pushed up against the walls of the buildings for patrons to sit and to look out into the street.  When you picture a stereotypical little French street, you would be imagining a street like this.  A man playing an accordion on the street would have completed this cliched image, but you can't always expect everything.

After dinner, we walked back to the main part of Cannes.  My friend Marine lives in Cannes and we were able to catch up for a drink.  It's been a long time since we worked together at Cirque du Soleil.  It almost seems like a different life now.

The last time I visited Cannes, I was staying a few streets back in a small hotel.  Marine had taken me for dinner up the same street we had just eaten at.  It was nice to be able to retrace some of the steps I had previously taken.  There was a sense of familiarity to Cannes that made it feel more welcoming and comfortable.