Can you do the Cannes, Cannes?

So today was my first day in Cannes.  I came for the film festival or rather the festivities surrounding the film festival.   We landed at the Nice International Airport this morning and were picked up straight away by a friend, who whisked us away in a helicopter.  It was a gorgeous ride and we took lots of picks of us wearing our little headsets so we could talk and hear each other without shouting.  On our ride, we got an aerial view of the beautiful Mediterranean Sea, the Cote D’Azure and the white tents lining the beaches in preparation for parties to be attended. 

It was non-stop after that. We dropped off our lugagge at the hotel and our room wasn’t ready so we hit the road.  First off we ran some errands, but no driving here, we did it European style: we walked.  We got our extra camera memory sticks and phone cards then it was off to explore.

The Martinez hotel was the first stop. That’s supposedly where many celebrities stay.  Our host has a newly launched television show that was filming at the hotel on the terrace and it was gorgeous.  The show is called “Pure” and its all about luxury living. When we arrived at the terrace the show’s host Melissa was doing an interview with one of the most famous make-up artists in the world, Alexis Draler (or something like that, I had never heard of him.)   Meanwhile in the adjascent room there were make-up artists bustling away making up women for something… maybe upcoming interviews?

This hotel is so sought after that my cousin even coordinated an effort to get us access before I even arrived to Nice.  Her friend is working the festival and satying there, so my cousin -who happens to be visiting Nice right now, got an extra room key to give to me.   A family friend met me and my friend at the airport to give us the coveted “golden key.”  My cousin’s friend apparently stopped by the hotel and just sat in the lobby and within ten minutes had rubbed elbows with Penelope Cruz on her right, seen Harrison Ford pass by her right and gazed upon Angeline Jolie coming down the stairs (ok maybe I made up that last part.)

So we went to the hotel and hung out on the terrace, watched the yachts on the ocean, enjoyed the view, witnessed the “work” going on in such a gorgeous setting and sipped our freshly made esspresos.  On our way out we craned our necks about to see stars but didn’t find any.  We also went back later tonight for a drink but did not spot anyone.

Its funny though because we were not the only ones thinking we might see someone famous. People had literally lined up in masses along the sidewalk near the hotel all day (there were barriers to keep them out of the driveway) in the hopes of getting a glimpse of same famous people.

In between our frist trip to Le Martinez Hotel and our night cap there we had lunch at Niki Beach on the -well the beach, or right by it. We went for a walk in the sand and the pier, then walked around town some more. We didn’t get back to the hotel until 5 in the afternoon somehow.  It was fun but we were exhausted.

The part that made today different that any other day in Cannes any other time of year was basically the tents set up on some of the beaches, the throngs of people making their way down the sidewalks, and the billboards for movies that are all around town, or at least on the main street La Croisette.  Later today, or rather tonight, we also passed by the Palais de Festivals where all the films are being screened.  Hopelly we’ll get to see a screening there before we leave! 

 I took photos of all the events so at some point you can see some images to accompany the naration.