Cannes Do

As a bit of an introduction for those of you who haven't seen me for a few weeks/months, one of my most favorite new words/concepts is the "do", as in a noteworthy or interesting event. I like the idea of going to a do, having a do, watching a do, etc. So...

I have been in Nice in the south of France for a few days now, and it has been quite lovely (except for the actual getting here part where I was told mid-transit that the french railway workers were striking and that the train I needed to take would not be going to Nice that day. Thankfully I managed but it was a ridiculous and frustrating sort of day). Having been to California and Mexico at this time of the year, I realize that my genetics are just not made for that kind of sunshine. This sun, much much MUCH farther north is better for me. I've been outside for most of the last two days and not a part of me is sunburned! A miracle I can tell you

Today I decided to take the train to Cannes, about an hour away from Nice. The main thing that Cannes if famous for, of course, is the film festival, and fate would just so have it that the film festival is going on right now! I got off the train in Cannes and walked to the water, I started seeing more and more signs of the festival taking place until suddenly I turned a corner and thought to myself, this IS a do! Everything in the town was there to remind you that a world famous and important movie festival was going on. All the lampposts said "Cannes 62nd film Festival" and most of the restaurants had some sort of movie memorobilia displayed . There were also red carpets everywhere, different sizes and shapes for different venues, but all heavily guarded and off limits. Along the boardwalk, on the hotels facing the ocean were huge advertisments for some of the bigger films showing. On one corner was a giant robot for the new Transformers movie, and covering the whole front of one hotel was a snow-covered Christmas wonderland for a new version of a Christmas Carol starring Jim Carrey coming out this winter.

As for the boardwalk at Cannes, I can't say if it is usually this busy or strange, but it was certainly full of tourists and locals and by far the best/weirdest street performer I have ever witnessed. I think we've all seen the living statue street performers who paint themselves some metalic color and then stand very still and occasionally dance around or something when an audience member gives them money. Well, imagine that concept, expect replace metalic statue with a man dressed as Mozart and painted white, add in really terrible muzak playing from a boom box, and most importantly, add in a white and a black cat. This Mozart statue man stood on a pedestal, holding the two very docile cats and slightly dancing to the music as tourists took pictures of him. Sometimes he would put one of the cats on his hat where it would appear to fall asleep and he would give the other cat stuffed animals to hold, and once, very cleverly indeed, he had the cat hold the box for people to put money in. I have never seen cats so calm for so long--I think he may have drugged them. I watched this occur for a good 10 minutes, but if I had stayed much longer he probably would have noticed me and insisted I pay him for his performance.

Though I saw no celebrities and was discovered by no bigshot movie producers, Cannes truly was a do. I've had a delightful time in the south of France, but tomorrow morning I hop a train to Paris where I shall meet again with my dear friend Katie Davis, where adventures shall be had, wine shall be drunk, crepes shall be eaten and sights shall be seen. Au revoir