It has been pretty rainy here the past two days. But since it's not everyday you get to be in France, we decided to try our best to make the most of it!
Yesterday after class, Lacey, Sam and I went into Antibes to explore. Our first stop was the Picasso Museum built into an old fort on a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean. The pieces on the walls were almost as beautiful as the view from the windows, and it felt comforting to be in rooms filled with art, a subject I admittedly know more about than advertising. But hopefully that will change next week! After touring the Museu Picasso d'Antibol, we noticed that the rain had let up and decided to explore. We walked along the narrow, winding, cobblestone streets of Antibes and stopped in an English bookstore, where I bought The Sun Also Rises because I've never read it and it seemed fitting to while in Europe. We had a cappuccino and a crepe at a small cafe, then found a small gluten free restaurant for same called Chez Helen. The owner, Hellen, runs the cafe by herself and lives nearby with her husband and 3 year old daughter. She told us she moved to France to speak French, fell in love with a Frenchman, and never left. We wandered around a little while longer and stopped in a few shops before heading back to Juan-les-Pins. That evening, we went to dinner on our street and watched the first half of the France vs. Albania football game, then moved to a bar to watch the exciting ending with the rest of our big group. The entire town seemed to be gathered in the street outside several restaurants and bars all watching. France scored twice at the very end and it was very exciting. It was very cool to be in France, watching football with die hard French fans, and seeing them win big like that. We stayed out afterwards and talked for a long time with some Australians and a guy from London. Everyone was relieved to find other people there who spoke English!
Today in class we talked about some of the different agencies that would be at the festival and how to approach and network with all these important, creative people. It got me very excited! Of course I'm trilled to get to see the pieces submitted for awards but I'm also so excited to get a change to talk to all these amazing and talented people who run this hugely influential industry. All the ads we've watched in class have really moved me. Some of the ideas are so innovative it blows my mind. I was especially impressed with the Volvo Superbowl "ad" that we watched yesterday. I'd love to be a part of a team that comes up with stuff like this.
This afternoon I went on a long walk by myself down the beach. It was nice to have a little alone time to clear my head and get myself mentally prepared for the next week which is sure to be overwhelming and exhausting in the best ways possible. I met an Italian father and his young son on the beach on my way home. They didn't speak any English, and I don't speak any Italian, but we stood there for 5 minutes trying to communicate nonetheless. The language barrier is very apparent here, but its interesting that sometimes it doesn't seem to really matter. People are still people and it's easier than I thought to convey thoughts with smiles and gestures. Not speaking the language or having any real access to a phone for help has forced me to talk less and listen more. If for no other reason than this, I think everyone should travel at least once to be pushed out of their comfort zone and learn to get creative when communicating. Tonight we are going to try out a Thai restaurant around the corner!
The scenery here still surprises me with its beauty. I'm not sure I've ever been anywhere quite as beautiful! I could definitely go on walks with a view like this everyday. I'm hoping tomorrow the sun will come back out and we can do something fun outside!
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