I’m excited to share a new perk exclusively for My Travel Shoes subscribers - and it’s one I know many of you will love.
My Travel Shoes subscribers now receive Corporate Rewards with SoftMoc, a premier Canadian-owned shoe retailer with 135 locations from coast to coast, plus an excellent online shop.
Why This Partnership - Find Travel Shoes
I sometimes receive emails from readers asking, “Where are the shoes?” Well, now I have an answer for you.
I’m sure you know that the right shoes can make or break a trip. Comfortable airport walks, long sightseeing days, stylish evenings out - great footwear matters more than we sometimes realize.
That’s why I’m so happy to offer you exclusive discounts and special promotions on a wide range of brands at SoftMoc. Whether you’re searching for dependable travel shoes, everyday comfort, or something a little more stylish, SoftMoc has options for every step of your journey.
What You’ll Get as a Subscriber - Discounts on Travel Shoes
As a My Travel Shoes subscriber, you can:
Access exclusive corporate rewards
Shop in-store or online
Earn points with every purchase and redeem them for additional savings
Enjoy trusted brands and styles that balance comfort, function, and style
How to Access Your Rewards
Getting started is easy and registration is free. Once you become a My Travel Shoes subscriber, you'll receive a link to your corporate rewards.
Click the Corporate Rewards link
Create your account or log in
Select “Corporate Rewards”
Click “Generate Code” and start shopping
A Small Thank You from Me
This partnership is simply my way of saying thank you for visiting my site, reading my stories, and being part of the My Travel Shoes community. Sharing travel experiences and stories is a creative journey, and I truly appreciate your support along the way.
If you have a favourite shoe (that's available at Softmoc, please share it in the comments below! My current favourite is the Claire 01 sneaker from Josef Siebel (They took all the favourite features from their marquee sneaker, Caren 01, and improved them. More padding, more comfort and a little more width.) I'm on my 3rd pair (and bought a back-up 4th pair)
If you spend any time on the Côte d’Azur, there’s a good chance someone will insist that you must try a Pan Bagnat. And honestly, they’re right. This humble-looking sandwich is one of Nice’s most iconic foods, a portable burst of Provençal sunshine that tells the whole story of the region’s flavors in every messy, olive-oil-dripping bite.
The origins of the Pan Bagnat go back centuries, to a time when workers, fishermen, and families needed something hearty, affordable, and nourishing to take with them throughout the day. Its name literally means “bathed bread,” which gives you a hint of what’s coming: this is not a delicate sandwich. It’s a Mediterranean power move with simple ingredients, bold flavors, and absolutely no fear of olive oil. In fact, the sandwich was basically invented to use up day-old bread by soaking it in oil until it softened again. Nothing wasted. Everything delicious.
When we visited in January, I arrived with the Pan Bagnat already on my must-try list. We tasted a few from the local patisserie in Villefranche, but the one that stayed with me was from Ma Première Boulangerie in La Turbie. It was everything I’d hoped for: bright, salty, and generously soaked in olive oil. We ate them on our outings - from the coastal trail at Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat to the hilltop village of Sainte-Agnès, each bite perfectly matching the Mediterranean views around us.
Lunch break during a hike on the Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat Coastal Path
Coastal Hiking Path along the Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat Peninsula: a popular walking route with stunning sea views and access to various beaches and coves.
Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat Hiking Trail
Hidden Cove along the Hiking Trail on Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
Sentire Littoral - Coastal Walking Path Along the Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat Peninsula
Villefranche-su-Mer from Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat Coastal Trail
At its core, a Pan Bagnat is essentially the salade niçoise turned into a sandwich, but the real ones, the ones you get at markets or tiny boulangeries in Nice, are a bit more rustic and far more opinionated than the tourist-friendly versions. A proper one starts with a round pain de campagne or a small boule. The bread gets sliced horizontally and generously drizzled with high-quality olive oil. No butter. No mayonnaise. Olive oil is the heart and soul of the whole thing.
Then comes the filling, which feels like a greatest-hits playlist of southern French ingredients: ripe tomatoes, boiled eggs, raw onion sliced whisper-thin, anchovies or tuna (sometimes both, and locals have very strong opinions about which is “correct”), Niçoise olives, radishes, basil, and crisp green peppers. Everything is seasoned simply - salt, pepper, olive oil, and then the sandwich is allowed to rest so all the flavors sink into the bread. The result is a beautiful, controlled chaos of juicy vegetables, salty punchy fish, and rich oil-soaked bread that somehow manages to be both refreshing and deeply satisfying.
Visually, it’s not trying to win any beauty pageants. It’s chunky, colorful, and slightly messy, the kind of sandwich whose fillings try to sneak out the sides as soon as you pick it up. But that’s part of its charm. When you unwrap it and see the bright reds, greens, and yellows peeking through the olive oil-kissed bread, you immediately know you’re in for something good.
Taste-wise, a Pan Bagnat is bright, bold, and confidently Mediterranean. The tomatoes bring sweetness, the olives bring brine, the eggs add creaminess, and the anchovies and tuna deliver that savory hit that keeps everything grounded. Every bite is layered and complex, and somehow the olive oil ties the whole thing together like a citrusy, herbal ribbon. It’s the kind of sandwich that feels like a small meal and a small vacation at the same time.
In Nice, it’s wildly popular. You’ll see it in bakeries, markets, beach snack stands (not in January, unfortunately) and even at home picnics in parks or at the port. Locals eat it for lunch, hikers take it on the trails, and food lovers hunt down the “best” one (which is a slightly hopeless exercise because everyone in Nice insists their favorite spot is the true original).
So why try it? Honestly, because it captures the spirit of Nice so well. It’s unfussy, sun-drenched, and incredibly flavourful. It’s one of the few dishes that genuinely tastes like the landscape it comes from; the sea, the gardens, and the olive groves. It’s also wonderfully portable. You can grab one, wander through Vieux Nice, sit by the water, and just let the whole Mediterranean mood wash over you.
In a city famous for glamour, the Pan Bagnet is refreshingly real. It’s proof that sometimes the most unforgettable food is the simplest. And once you’ve had a good one, you’ll never look at “just a sandwich” the same way again.
Picnic Lunch in Sainte-Agnes
Sainte-Agnes: Picturesque medieval village 800 meters above the Mediterranean Sea, the highest village in the area, with views of Menton and Italy in the background
Spectacular View from Sainte-Agnes: Pan Bagnat (from Ma Premiere Boulangerie in La Turbie)
Sainte-Agnes
Create Your Own Pan Bagnat Experience
Here's a Pan Bagnat recipe from the cookbook, Le Sud, by Rebekah Peppler. The gorgeous photography and engaging stories will transport you to the south of France.
If you’ve ever dreamed of walking the red carpet in Cannes, let me tell you a secret: you don’t need a designer gown or a starring role in the next big blockbuster. You just need a pair of comfortable shoes, a bib number, and a willingness to climb an astonishing number
of stairs.
That’s how, weeks into our winter trip on the Côte d’Azur, I found myself doing something very new: participating in the 2025 Cannes Urban Trail, an annual running/walking event that winds through the city’s most iconic and historic sites.
Map: Cannes Urban Trail 9 km Walk
Cannes sits on the Mediterranean coast, roughly halfway between Monaco and Saint-Tropez, with 15 km of shoreline, including 7.6 km of sandy beaches.
Video Credit: Cannes Urban Trail
Was I a marathon runner?
Absolutely not.
Did I register before leaving Canada?
Yes. I wasn’t sure how much walking my beau and I might do together on this trip (life happens, things change).
Did I imagine that signing up - my first time ever wearing a runner’s bib - might be a fun way to see the city and maybe meet a few people?
Sure.
But not a single event volunteer spoke English. So, I settled for smiling enthusiastically, pretending I knew exactly what was going on, and clutching my event shirt like a souvenir of success.
Welcome to Cannes… urban-trail style.
Why I Signed Up
Before arriving in France, I researched hiking clubs. I wanted a way to explore Cannes on my own, and that’s when I stumbled across the Cannes Urban Trail. It takes place every January and offers options for everyone - from a hardcore 27 km run to a 1.4 km kids’ race.
While I’ve often fantasized about running a marathon, being built like a runner doesn’t automatically qualify me to be one. So, I chose the 9 km walk: proudly untimed, mercifully low-pressure, and conveniently absent from any official results board.
Honestly, that’s a blessing. Had I been brave (or foolish) enough to join the 9 km Run, I would’ve finished… second last. And only because the very last person probably stopped for snacks (handed out by volunteers along the route).
Race(?) Day
We were staying in Villefranche-sur-Mer, so I set an early alarm, woke to a glowing Mediterranean sunrise, grabbed a quick breakfast, and we drove 45 minutes along the A8 toward Cannes. No traffic. No parking issues. Was this a miracle?
With time to spare, naturally, we stopped for a cappuccino and croissant.
Cannes, France
Registration was near the iconic Palais des Festivals. With my bib and T-shirt in hand, I joined hundreds of participants gathered on the beach. The pre-event atmosphere buzzed with cold Mediterranean wind, deep golden sand, rolling waves, and that anticipatory excitement that always feels bigger than the event itself.
I felt the adrenaline of a marathon runner - despite wearing nothing but my favourite walking shoes - and layers, including a bulky puffer vest under my t-shirt.
Eventually, the walkers were summoned, and off we went.
Douglas immediately set out in search of the perfect restaurant terrace on Rue Félix Faure to do what he does best: people-watch and soak up the sun. Win-win.
Cannes Urban Trail Registration
Cannes: A Tourist Route… If Your Guide Loves Sand and Stairs
The course, as it turns out, was not designed by someone fond of flat sidewalks.
Our route went something like this:
soft, deep, energy-sapping sand
a sidewalk stroll past a row of shiny yachts - Esplanade Pantiero
more sandy beach - Plage du Midi (so much deep sand!)
an uphill climb - with sand in my shoes
many, many stairs
through a building (the library - I was tempted to stop and browse)
more uphill
a rocky trail through the woods
down another set of stairs
through Le Suquet, Cannes’ historic neighbourhood
and finally, back toward the legendary Palais des Festivals
Cannes Urban Trail 9 km Walk
And all along the way, runners from longer distances breezed past me as though gravity did not apply to them.
I attempted conversation with fellow walkers, but no one spoke English. At times I wondered if someone had secretly added a scavenger-hunt component.
Where students from around the world come to perfect their French. I briefly imagined how much smoother this trip might be if I enrolled. Registration is open year-round ...
Villa Rothschild
Built in 1881, now a public media library. Elegant. Grand. Did I stop to browse?No, this was a serious event, and I had sand in my socks.
Notre-Dame-d’Espérance
A 16th-century Gothic-Renaissance gem perched high on a hill with panoramic views over town and sea. Worth every uphill breath.
Hôtel de Ville (City Hall)
A Beaux-Arts beauty once known as the Hôtel des Anges. I snapped a mental photo - too focused on not tripping to take an actual one.
My Red-Carpet Moment
The finish line was anything but ordinary.
As we approached the Palais des Festivals, home of the famous Cannes Film Festival, I suddenly saw the red carpet. The red carpet. The one celebrities climb in gowns worth more than my car.
I was giddy.
I power-walked (ran?) up the steps, entered the iconic Louis Lumière Auditorium, busted out some (mental-only) dance moves across the stage, then dashed back outside and down the red carpet, through a giant Christmas tree (décor, not real), across ANOTHER red carpet, and under an inflatable FINISH arch.
Time: 1.5 hours
Snack stops: Zero. (The last-place 9 km Runner probably enjoyed a few.)
I collected my wooden medal, feeling ridiculously pleased with myself.
Douglas, of course, had missed my triumphant finish while enjoying his espresso. Naturally.
So, I called him, he returned, and, because I knew he’d want photos, I repeated the entire red-carpet routine again.
Oscar-winning performance?
Probably.
Palais des Festivals
Palais des Festivals
Finish Line - Cannes Urban Trail
Why It Felt Special
I’d never joined an event like this while travelling, and I’d certainly never worn a runner’s bib, which promptly earned me a new nickname from Douglas: "3047".
I walked up and down stairs built for glamorous people. And I loved every moment.Not because it was easy, but because it was new.
As it turned out, we did a ton of walking on this trip and explored several towns in the region, including Cannes. We’d even done a bike tour three weeks earlier. I could have easily skipped the Urban Trail event, but I’m so glad I didn’t.
Travel, at its best, nudges us out of our comfort zone.
It invites us to learn, explore, stretch (sometimes literally, as my calves will attest). The Cannes Urban Trail let me see the city in a way I never would have otherwise - past beaches and through iconic buildings, through forests and historic plazas, over hills and into neighbourhoods where Saturday-morning café patios are their own kind of culture.
It reminded me that you don’t have to be an athlete to try something new. You just need curiosity… and, ideally, good insoles.
Final Thoughts
Would I do it again?
In a heartbeat.
The event was wonderfully organized, scenic, somewhat challenging, and unlike any “tour” I’ve ever taken. For a mere 19 euros, I got to play, briefly, at being both a marathoner and a Cannes star, and I even received official photos afterward.
If you ever find yourself in Cannes in January, check out the Cannes Urban Trail. Or next time you’re travelling, dare yourself to sign up for something unfamiliar - a walk, a workshop, a class… maybe even a trail event with sand, stairs, wind, and a red-carpet finale.
