A bunch of my colleagues leave for Cannes tomorrow for the festival that takes over every inch of the small southern French city that rests on the shores of the Mediterranean. The crowds, as seen in the photo above, can become overwhelming.
I went last year but won't be attending this time around, which is absolutely OK. Lots of stuff to do at work here in the office and as glamorous as it sounds, spending 12 days at the fest is an exhaustive experience.
Since we put out a paper every day, you're stuck in the office for 12 hours --usually 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. -- with a skeleton staff: four editors, two designers and a small handful of reporters. And that's all you have to put out a 100-page paper during the first few days of the festival. As the fest winds down, the papers get smaller as well.
After work, many of us go to dinner together, and dinner in Cannes for parties of four or more never runs less than 2 hours. So by the time you settle back in at your apartment -- it's more cost effective to rent apartments than stay in hotels -- you don't get to bed before 1 or 2 a.m., depending on how many bars and latenight spots you want to hit up.
Then get up at 8-ish and start the cycle all over again. For 10 straight days. It's a great experience, but wearing nonetheless.
So to my friends heading over there during the next few days: safe journeys, get as much rest as possible, and be sure to see at least one movie… if you can squeeze it in.
No comments:
Post a Comment