Before we started this trip I can't say that I had an overpowering urge to visit France. It's not that I was abhorred by the idea of visiting the country or anything like that; it just had simply never really been on my radar. Sure I would someday want to visit the Louvre simply to appease the art lover in me, but anything else regarding Paris didn't necessarily appeal to me. The Eiffel Tower? To me it was just a big structure made of metal that lit up at night. The Arc de Triomphe? It was simply a pretty ivory arch like structure. Notre Dame? Just another religious cathedral that I didn't feel like I necessarily needed to visit.

Outside of those things in Paris though I had to admit to myself that I didn't honestly know anything else about the country. Heck, until I just started scrolling through my laptop I realized that I didn't know anything about Cannes other than the existence of the film festival, and that's only because I heard the words strung together before. I didn't actually know what the festival itself consisted of, but the words film and festival strung together had me assuming it was a red carpet event where celebrities showed up formally dressed to experience a cinematic experience together.

Despite my lack of knowledge regarding Cannes before now I am finding myself hyped up by the news I just recently discovered, because apparently in Fort Royal on nearby Sainte-Marguerite Isle there is a cell that once harbored the real 'Man in the Iron Mask.' I honestly don't know much regarding the history of the true 'Man in the Iron Mask,' but the movie by the same name is my favorite Leonardo Di Caprio movie of all time which definitely helps me realize that the history does indeed intrigue me.

Originally, when I learned the temperature was 81°F (28°C) today, I was set to wear my Moschino dress that I had purchased while in Portofino. Then I realized how much walking we would probably be doing today. So instead I paired my Vans with my printed Dolce & Gabbana shorts and Pinko blue halter top. I didn't imagine I would need my actual sneakers today since it wasn't likely we would be doing any actual hiking. I didn't expect us to be climbing up steep elevations or navigating over rocky terrain after all.

When Yoongi and I arrive at breakfast the meal waiting for us literally looks like a sunny side up egg on toast. Feliċ informs me that it is called a Croque Madame. "It's a ham and cheese sandwich served with the egg on top."

"Oh, I think part of me expected crepes for some reason." I admitted out loud, hoping my utterance didn't come out as rude. I turn to look at Feliċ only to realize that I credited the wrong twin in my head for the information regarding our breakfast. It's Nikola beside me not Feliċ. Oops.

"I'm not sure for certain why they made the decision to serve this dish instead, but perhaps it had something to do with you having had the Italian version of a crepe already." Nikola explains to me.

I nod in response, because while I can't be certain this is the actual reason, the logic behind his thoughtful rationale definitely has merit.

"So, we never did finalize our plans for today last night before bed." Namjoon sets out to start our conversation.

"I know Daisy was excited about something she would like to do this morning. Why don't you tell them what you had discovered?" Yoongi speaks up for me and gives me a moment to explain myself.

I quickly talk about my favorite movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio. I give Jin a brief, sweet smile. He of course has heard all this before since we had briefly discussed it on our first date, and I happen to notice the way his eyes are shining as he reminisces about that special moment between the two of us. "I know that the story behind the movie itself is fiction, however I also know that the actual 'Man in the Iron Mask' is real. I admit to not knowing much regarding the historical details though. Only that no one knew his identity due to the mask, and he was moved often. Sainte-Marguerite Isle isn't far from here and there is a fort located on it that once housed the actual prisoner behind the history."

Namjoon nods. "Okay so let's double check that there isn't more to do while on that island first. Plan on that being our first excursion once we disembark."

We all immediately pull out our phones and Tae, after only a few minutes, shares what he found. "I found a blog a traveler posted, but outside of restaurants and mentioning a path to travel enclosed by Eucalyptus trees she doesn't really talk too much about what they really did there." He looks at it again. "I did find one thing interesting though. Apparently, Fort Royal, the one Daisy brought up, also houses a museum inside called Musée de la Mer, or in English Museum of the Sea."

I notice one of the producers behind the camera making a call, and I can only assume that he is setting up our transportation to the isle. It's not easy to ensure that there will be enough space for the eight of us, our security team, and the production team on an often used ferry. Not to mention, if we can get private transportation that will probably go over even better in the long run.

"I think we should also take a stroll along La Croisette. It shouldn't be far from the dock and has many inspiring views to take in." Jimin cuts in.

At first when I look up the information for myself I wonder if he is just wanting to shop again since the website I found discusses high end boutiques, but then my eyes trace past where it mentions something about a rose garden. I look past my phone as he grins sweetly over at me. I can't help my smile, but I do manage to shake my head at him as if to telegraph to him how impossible, yet adorable, he is.

Jin adds. "I think we should also visit Le Suquet. It's considered the old part of town. It also houses Notre-Dame de L'Espérance, a historical church." He pauses for a moment, and while he does that I do a quick translation of Notre Dame on my phone since I didn't expect there to be a church by the same name outside of the one in Paris. Turns out it means 'our lady' which definitely makes sense why there might be multiple churches of the same name in that regard. "I know we are getting a bit burnt out on churches, but I figured if it is already there and we still have time that it wouldn't be a bad place to visit."

Once we are done with breakfast Hobi pulls me aside for a moment. "Petal, I wanted to let you know that after supper I will probably have to disappear for a bit."

I can't stop the frown from appearing on my face. We were supposed to be spending the night together tonight. Did he forget? Did he make other plans?

He rubs at the wrinkle that appeared on my forehead and kisses the spot after my expression has smoothed out. "No reason to frown, Petal. I'm planning a surprise. After supper you should dress in something nice."

I'm not sure why but I find myself stunned by this announcement. Oh. So he's planning something special outside of simple spending the night with me. Huh, I wonder what that could be.

A half an hour later the ship docks and only minutes after that we are disembarking. I realize pretty fast that I might have to reevaluate my opinion regarding France. The immediate view is quite breathtaking, and I can't help but feel bad that internally I might have been giving France a bad rep. That doesn't mean, however, that I still don't think the tourist attractions I listed in Paris are overrated. I don't think anything will change my opinion in that regard. Aside from maybe actually seeing said attractions for myself. Perhaps, I will have to simply find places that many people overlook when it comes to Paris if we ever go in the future. Then I glance back at the stunning view before me. Between the mix of the beauty of spring and architecture I can't help but absorb and appreciate the aesthetics of both.

We only have to walk about five minutes before we come to another pier in the same harbor. There sits a ferry waiting to let us on board and take us over to the island. The boat trip isn't long and most of us are simply enjoying the breeze coming off the water and the view. Jk tries to get me to play Rose to his Jack in a replay of the epic "I'm flying" scene at the bow, but I vehemently decline. Jimin rushes to take my place, and I can't help but laugh at the pair's antics.

Namjoon is looking at something on his phone, and I imagine it has something to do with researching the true story of 'The Man in the Iron Mask.' He frowns which makes me think that he hasn't found too much himself, but any facts about the true history of it is better than nothing in my opinion.

Once we have reached the island we head directly to the fort. We stop outside the prison cell and Namjoon turns to me. "Daisy, before I share what I found out, why don't you first share the premise of the movie. I want to see how much coincides with the true history before sharing what I discovered."

I frown. "But, I don't want to spoil anything. I really want to watch it with everyone at some point in the near future."

"Just general information." Yoongi suggests.

I nod. "The movie takes place in the time of King Louis the 14th's rule over France. The 'Three Musketeers' are older than in their original story. A branch of the Musketeers with D'artagnan as their leader still serve beside the young King, and the other three original Musketeers are basically retired. The prisoner behind the iron mask was imprisoned really early on in the king's life. I don't know his exact age honestly off the top of my head. For reasons I don't want to say the original Musketeers, Porthos, Athos, and Aramis, decide to free the prisoner behind the iron mask."

Namjoon nods. "I found that the history did indeed spawn many stories and legends, so it is not surprising that it would inspire a movie. What you probably don't know is that the movie was inspired by a book by the same author who wrote the original story of The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas. I didn't look too far into it because I didn't want to spoil the movie for myself. The true history of the prisoner points at the actual identity of the prisoner potentially being someone named Eustache Dauger. Only thing known about this prisoner is that the letter included with the warrant for his arrest included instructions to keep his contact with others to a minimum and to threaten his life if he uttered a word outside of anything regarding his actual needs."

"Wow. Was there any reason given for his arrest?" I ask.

Namjoon shakes his head. "No, only theories of what he did or who he was. There have even been people musing over the possibility that the name released was a pseudonym." He goes on to list possible identities regarding the prisoner's occupations, but I find myself blinking at how much mystery truly surrounds this prisoner.

We then head to the actual part of the fort that holds the museum. It is interesting because it holds a lot of underwater as well as earthly archeological findings. I can only imagine divers discovering some of these historical treasures and the effort it would have taken to excavate them from the ocean floor.

We spend about two hours on the island. Deciding to take a short walk amongst the Eucalyptus forest that the blogger Tae had stumbled across mentioned. I've always loved the smell of the fragrance that eucalyptus lotions and candles emit so smelling the scent from the source is quite a different experience for me. After the walk through the forest we head back to the ferry so it can take us back to the mainland where we can decide where we should eat lunch at.

We stop at a restaurant called Il Viaggio. A cute little café street side restaurant with a brown awning above the door and windows. Luckily not many seats are taken yet and we are able to get a large table beside the picturesque window.

Namjoon and Yoongi both order a saffron and parmesan risotto served with bone marrow. Jimin orders the four cheese gnocchi, which I am going to have to make sure to sample myself. Jk orders the salmon steak. Jin orders grilled octopus, which I will have to try to look away from while he eats. Never had it and not willing to try it honestly with how creepy and other worldly it looks. Tae orders tagliatelle pasta served in a veal a porcini mushroom stew. Hobi orders tomato and cheese sauce gnocchi, which I plan on also stealing a bite of. I order a ravioli dish served with shrimp, asparagus, and lime zest.

Before we start our stroll along La Croisette Namjoon and Yoongi both point out a restaurant that is simply called Meat. I can't help but laugh mentally at my more carnivorous soulmates. "Fine, we will check that place out for supper before we head back to the ship."

The stroll along La Croisette is quite lovely. The architecture is most definitely beautiful, but even my soulmates aren't moved to stop at any of the boutiques along the way. I guess perhaps when it comes to fashion that they feel it unnecessary to shop for more after our large shopping expedition the other day. The rose garden we find is exquisite.

"I think it would be a shame if we didn't get photos taken with Daisy here." Jin announces.

"Ooh, I agree the roses will make a great backdrop for each of us to take a selfie with her here." Jk interjects immediately.

But of course it's Jimin who pulls me to his side and takes the first photo with him in front of the beautiful roses, once again reminding me of our first date at the rooftop cafe.

The photo opportunity truthfully probably takes longer than it should, but that's because while Jimin and I take selfie after selfie the others comically argue with each other about who will be next. I wasn't caring or focused on the order myself though, as long as they each had their opportunity. Besides, their way of resolving the argument was using their traditional go to of playing a game of rock, paper, scissors.

We head in the direction of Mont Chevalier toward where Le Suquet should be. I'm unsurprised by the pedestrian only quarter as we have come across a lot of these during our trips. The architecture here is definitely a stark difference to the more modern looking buildings that we walked away from.

We find ourselves in an area that has door to door gourmet food vendors. We stop inside a chocolatier shop that makes their own fudge. While I am not huge on chocolate myself, I do sample other types of fudge that appeal more to my tastebuds. I end up buying a gift box with peanut butter, divinity, and maple walnut flavors tucked inside.

We finally head up to the summit of Le Suquet and the church built on top of it, Notre-Dame de l'Espérance. The exterior almost reminds me more of a fort with the exclusion of some of the more stylistic windows. We climb up to the highest point on the roof and look out at the city beyond. I find myself quite charmed by the many orange roofs, giving the skyline a uniform look, and a nearby looking old clock tower that definitely gives me the impression of stepping back in time.

It takes us a while to walk back to the part of town that held the restaurant that Yoongi and Namjoon specifically wanted to eat at for supper. But, that means we all definitely have worked up an appetite once we get there.

We decide on prosciutto wrapped melon as an appetizer, and make sure to place at least three orders so everyone gets some since Tae himself has been known to eat a whole plate of melon on his own before. Jin orders the whole duck breast. Yoongi, unsurprisingly, orders the leg of lamb steak. Hobi, Tae, Jimin, Jk, Namjoon, and I all order the beef tenderloin. Because we are in France I make sure to order one of the desserts I have always wanted to try, crème brûlee. Hobi and Yoongi both order amaretto tiramisu. Tae orders profiteroles with vanilla chantilly ice cream and hot chocolate. Jk orders bananas flambéed with rum and vanilla chantilly ice cream, which I make him promise to share. Jin orders a slice of lemon meringue pie. Jimin and Namjoon both order chocolate mousse. After finishing my own dessert I find myself announcing, "I think crème brûlee is now my favorite dessert." I take a moment to try to scrape more from the ramekin with a spoon.

"What about ice cream, Petal?" Hobi asks.

I shake my head. "Ice cream doesn't count as dessert in my book. Ice cream is its own category. After all, I will readily eat ice cream pretty much any time of day. Dessert specifically comes at the end of a meal." I mentally add, unless you have a night where you either do meals out of order or go to a different restaurant for each course. I've read an article about those unique date ideas. I don't know if I am interested in either idea myself, hence why I am not mentioning them out loud.

With our bellies full to the point of feeling like they might burst we head back to the ship and plan on ending the night with the movie, "Man in the Iron Mask." All of them at first are genuinely surprised that it is my favorite Leonardo DiCaprio movie with how much of an ass King Louis the 14th is in the beginning. They change their tune about thirty minutes into the movie, and immediately understand when the major spoiler comes into play around that time. After it's over Hobi pulls me to the side. "I have to go prepare some stuff now. I'll be back in probably about an hour, give or take a few minutes."

I can't decide if I am excited or confused by his mysterious plans but I nod at him and kiss him goodbye. After he is gone I decide that if he is going to make extra effort for whatever he has planned tonight that I will as well. I tell everyone else goodnight and go back to my room in order to clean up and get ready for my night out with Hobi. 

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