An Unordinary Life: Ile St. Marguerite

Ile St. Marguerite

Ile St. Marguerite, part of the island group known as the Lérins, lies directly off the coast of Cannes. Ile St. Marguerite is a nature reserve, no cars allowed, and is home to Fort Royal, a fortress dating back to 1635. Without realizing it, you may actually be familiar with a story related to this former prison, as it is none other than the site of captivity of the now famous prisoner known as "The Man in the Iron Mask." Apparently to this day, the true identity of that prisoner remains a mystery. Now a museum, passersby can walk directly into the very cell that held this poor soul, as did I. Contrary to my imagination which had him in a dark, dank basement dungeon, he actually had a sunny cell with a view of the sea—little consolation, however, for spending the rest of your life locked up with an iron mask to boot.

The rest of the island is hiking trails, but it's mostly flat, with little shade, and not much diversity of scenery. Thus I found the best part to simply be relaxing at the various beaches, swimming in the crystal turquoise waters of the Mediterranean, and taking in some food and wine afterward at one of the handful of establishments on the island that must take delivery of all their supplies by boat each day.