A perfect picnic spot on the île St. Marguerite
Just off the coast of Cannes, there are two little islands which are nothing but pure nature and wildlife, probably one of the few places around here that has not been overtaken with construction, hotels, and other commercial entities. The Îles de Lérins are made up of the île St.-Marguerite, and the île St-Honoré, although the former is much larger and therefore a more popular destination for locals and tourists alike. I didn’t know it before, but apparently the islands have quite a history. The earliest inhabitants date back to 600 AD, and more recently the island was used by the Germans as a strategical fortress during World War Two. There are various forts and even ovens for making cannon balls! Additionally, the “Man in the Iron Mask” was exiled to this very island.
Our ferry-boat leaving Cannes
We have been wanting to visit the islands for a long time, but for some reason never got around to doing it. Finally, yesterday being one of the last free days of the season, we jumped in the car and headed to Cannes. The traffic (of course, it being the peak of summer) was terrible, so we decided to park a bit outside of the center and walk down. It was boiling hot, with the sun beating down on the white sidewalks and reflecting off all the buildings. I regretted that I had not brought my little beach hat! There is a ferry service that goes from the port of Cannes, with a boat leaving approximately every 1/2 hour, but since we had so far to walk from our car, we unfortunately missed the 1:30 we had planned to take and ended up waiting another 25 minutes for the following one. (For info on the boat service, see http://www.trans-cote-azur.com/cannes-ile-sainte-marguerite.php)
Just another Super Yacht…
At precisely 2:09 (yes, it is still France where everything is usually 10 or more minutes late) we disembarked and were soon cruising out of the harbor. The waterway was pretty busy, with luxury yachts passing by small fishing boats and sailboats gliding between them. To our right was a massive Norwegian cruise ship, with at least 6 levels and an even a water park on the top! Another super yacht was anchored near by, with its helicopter perched atop. I sometimes wonder what in the world these people do to have boats like that. The trip was very pleasant, the cool sea breeze providing a nice break from the intense sun we endured while waiting at the pier. Less than fifteen minutes later, the engine slowed down and we saw the island approaching. It was nothing like the shore we had just left: just trees, forest, and…well that was pretty much all!
Busy waterways
We filed out of the boat via a very narrow dock and decided to buy some water bottles from the little snack station. There are just two of these on the entire island, and one proper restaurant (take care, though, it only serves lunch from 12-2!) and the rest is purely au naturelle. We decided to do the full tour of the island, which is about 8 km. There are many paths going through it, but we were ambitious enough to circumnavigate the entire thing so as not to miss anything. The first leg was mostly beaches, with young teenagers lounging about and other groups of families with many children. It was clearly the easiest place to get in the water, though I found it not as charming because it was facing inland towards Cannes and full of boat traffic. Curving around the tip, we encountered the other side of the island, which as I said was much preferable because it was facing the open sea. There was not really a beach, so to say, but chunky rocks making small inlets. Just behind the rocks were large forests, mostly of pine, which provided a nice shade compared to the hot stone path. We found many little niches which would be perfect for picnic-ing (or, as our friends like to say, “Piqui-niqui”), close enough to the water to swim, but with lots of shade and space for eating and resting.
Back to Nature
We took a short break to dip in the water, but did not stay long as we felt anxious about leaving the bag (containing iPhone and other somewhat valuable items) on the rocks unattended. I’m sure it would have been fine, but it’s always better to be safe. Cannes tends to have much more crime than Monaco, so I have to remember to be more on my guard when it comes to guarding my purse! Cool and refreshed from the water, we continued on our forced march, although I let my hair stay dripping wet so as to provide a bit of relief from the heat as we walked….and walked….and walked. OK, so 8 km is a bit farther than we had imagined.
This is an old cannon ball maker from WW2 when the Germans occupied the island
When we saw that we were exactly half way around the island, I noticed that we didn’t see as many people around. Then, we didn’t see hardly anyone for a good thirty minutes! I started to feel quite fatiguée, and our water had by this time run out. I kind of felt like we were in an episode of Lost, wandering through the forest with dwindling supplies. Finally we reached the other end, and as it curved around the sun went behind the trees. That, at least, was a relief. But the walk was by no means finished. How do we manage to always get ourselves into this situations? To make matters worse, it was nearing 5:00, and the last boat back to civilization was at 6:00! What if we didn’t make it in time? I started thinking about how we could hitchhike a super yacht or something. Slowly we progressed, but I felt my legs and feet starting to ache, made worse by my lack of proper walking shoes. Finally, we saw a sign that said 1 km to the port. Hurray! We thought we were home free, until we turned yet another corner and saw the massive hill that stood between us and our ride home. Why did it have to be at the very end? Of course, it’s always like that, when you are dead tired and almost there, it has to throw one last challenge in your face. I thought to myself, “On y va,” one last push. We huffed and puffed our way up the (mountain)/hill, and a last saw the port below us, and even better, the snack stand! I was parched and starving, not having had lunch. Thankfully we had some time left, so we ordered one sandwich to share, and a cappuccino. Cappuccino? You ask. Yes, why not! And it was surprisingly good for a kiosk stand, even giving me a porcelain cup and saucer with a real spoon.
Our beaten path…
Sated yet exhausted, we dragged ourselves to the boat and collapsed on to the seats at the front (in the shade). It was an incredible day, but I would hardly say it was a “restful” day off! I’m glad to say that now we have seen the entire island, we know exactly which spot to go to when we come back. It was a great new discovery, and as always I am amazed that we can continue to find new places even after living here for so long!
An old fortress from the war
