Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous-- not us! July 15, 2010

While this vacation seems to be costing less than we had budgeted, we will never have the money, or the lifestyle, that we saw today in Cannes-- and nor would we want to. This city is on a beautiful stretch of silky sandy beach and it is easy to see why the wealthy Brits chose it as their summer playground. Our pictures on Facebook show how some people choose to spend their excess money. Here you have a choice. You can squeeze your towel in between the hordes on the public beach, or you can rent a sun bed on a private beach, where you are also squeezed in. Rates vary from about $35 per bed to $260, depending on where it is situated. Front row beds are obviously more.

We joined in with the tourists and took a photo of me walking down the red carpet from the Palais des Festivals where the Cannes Film Festival is held every year in May. We also found the Hotel Carlton where the celebrities stay, did a walking tour of the city, and had a great lunch in the tiniest cafe. From there we went on to Antibes to see the Picasso Museum. It is housed in a stunning ancient chateau right on the Mediterranean. Picasso used this spot as his studio in 1946 and fifty of his originals are on display here. By this time, the heat and the crowds had done us in (temperatures are in the mid-30's every day) and we returned to the cottage to cook our own dinner and relax on the patio.

We have been pleasantly surprised to find that prices are not exorbitant here as we had been told. While diesel costs more and there are highway tolls to pay, our car is getting 45 mpg. The cost of restaurant meals and groceries is roughly the same as at home. Our accommodation expenses vary depending on the location-- higher in the big cities, of course, but here we are only paying about $90 per night for this cottage. Clothing also seems to be roughly on par. There are lots of sales on right now, as merchandisers try to get rid of their summer stock, just as they will be doing in the Mayfair Mall. Did I mention the cost of le vin et le biere? Cheap, cheap, cheap! This surprise is encouraging and makes our dream of a return here sooner than later a distinct possibility.