Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Reliving what seems like a century ago

Beautiful tan people from all over the world sitting on the bright sandy beaches with only bikini bottoms, speedos, or nothing at all. Welcome to life in the Cote d'Azur, also known as the South of France. In Roselyn's blog titled, Cannes Film Festival, May 2004, she relives the warm, sunny days when she ate good food, rubbed shoulders with celebrities, and walked the famed red carpet to attend a couple of screenings.

In May of 2004, representing Anthony's Grand Cellars as an invited guest of Baron Philippe de Rothschild Wines, Roselyn was able to attend the annual Cannes Film Festival. She stayed at the posh Martinez Hotel, on the same floor as actresses Kathleen Turner and Tilda Swinton, members of the Cannes Film Festival jury headed by the eccentric Quentin Tarantino.

Wining and dining at numerous restaurants and sitting out on the hotel's private beach area weren't the only things she got to do. She also was able to attend two film screenings (a French film by Emir Kusturica called Zivot Je Cudo [Life is a Miracle] and Shrek 2) and walk the famed, le tapis rouge, the red carpet with other celeb while being the center of attention of adoring fans and photographers.

Reading this blog made me remember when I was there in May of 2004, studying extensive french at the College International de Cannes. I took a bullet train with some of my classmates from Paris, where I studied for a semester (and where it rained the last couple of days I was there). Five hours and a bus ride later, I was in warm, sunny, beautiful Cannes.

It seemed like life there was all about laying on the beach, eating good food, sailing away, and partying with friends. Even the students at the college, who were all from different parts of the world, acted as if life in college was all about having fun. Tanned girls wearing bikinis played volleyball, while well toned (and surprise! tan) guys wearing nothing but shorts would sit outside flexing their muscles hoping for a girl to notice. This was the life.

Amidst the "Comment-allez vous?" and "Je suis fatigue/" of our 6/7 hour days, my friends and I attended Film a la Plage (screenings on the beach), befriended numerous Cannes-ians, lazed away our days on the beach drinking beer and smoking foreign brand cigarettes, and even had a few celebrity sightings (Cameron Diaz, Quentin Tarantino, Mike Myers just to name a few).

It was a wild time. Looking back now, it seems like ages ago. But for one moment, Roselyn's blog made me remember and took me out of the cold and fog, to a place of warmth and sunshine.

4 comments:

Gourmet Traveller said...

Glad to know that my post brought back some memories for you. Cannes and that whole cote d'azur crowd is one of a kind and unforgettable!

Anonymous said...

Hi, I'm thinking of going to the college in Cannes for a month to take up the intensive language course...what was it like there?? I'm 28 and wondered whether I'd be surrounded by people of a similar age? any advice (inc. accomadation) would be much appreciated :-)

Christina Kho said...

Hi, sorry this reply is extremely late. The campus is beautiful and is right across from the beach. You meet all kinds of people from different parts of the world; they were mostly early to mid 20s, but there were a handful that were older. The college has housing and it's fairly nice; each room has a sink and mirror, as well as two twin beds, two desks, and two cabinets with locks. It's a fairly big space for two people and is arranged in such that you have some privacy. On each floor there are two single toilets located on one end of the hallway and showers on the other end. I highly recommend studying there in May during the film festival; it is a great experience! If you have any more questions, feel free to ask. :)

Christina Kho said...
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