Cannes You Feel It?!

If you can picture a small beach town, set on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea that appears like a cross between Beverly Hills and the quaintest European village-then you're probably envisioning Cannes. We couldn't completely comprehend any of this until taking our first stroll through this amazing little city early Sunday morning. We began the day enjoying pain au chocolat with brunch at the College. Having had several meals in the cafeteria, we quickly surmised that weekend brunch will be a meal we look forward to all week.

Despite the rain we decided to expand our knowledge of Cannes by doing some good old fashioned exploring. The winding streets of this delicate city took us past shops, hotels and eateries. Being rainy and a Sunday everything was closed and there was hardly anyone in site. We felt like we had been submerged in a fantasyland and were the only ones on the planet to enjoy it. We were so relieved to have our first view of the plage (beach) and saw that there was a place to park our yachts for the spring. Phew! We thought we would have to put them in storage. But seriously - nothing reminds you of your place in the world like standing next to a boat worth several millions.

Feeling a bit more at home, we found ourselves atop the stairs of the famous Palais des Festivals. After completely freaking out for a minute, we took a moment of silence to "feel the magic" as we called it. The view from up there is something we would definitely love to get used to. The pair of us cannot wait to see this area completely transform in May for the film festival.

Our stroll took us through the stores along La Croissette. That's the famous beachfront with posh stores and restaurants. We tried to guess where we think Brad, Angelina, George and Leo will hang out during the festival and plan to set up a tight perimeter in the months to come. We then visited a local street market & purchased some yellow and purple tulips for our room because it seemed like the most romantic, European thing to do at the time. We tested our french with the flower vendor but quickly realized that we have a lot to learn (she was extremely nice about it though!)

Following the beach back towards campus we took a moment to scream unabashedly into the sea. It was the most natural way to express our emotions at the time! The rest of the day was spent in a brief orientation meeting with our AIFS group and enjoying a welcome drink with fellow students.

Today, Monday, started off with a bang - FRENCH LANGUAGE PLACEMENT TESTS. There is no greater experience than taking a test to remind you that you don't comprehend the native tongue of the land you're living in for four months. We receive our test results tomorrow when we meet our teachers to begin 15hrs/week of intensive language study. Wish us luck!

Needing to get some necessities for our room, etc. we visited the local Monoprix-which can only be described as a cross between a Target and a supermarket. We also purchased our French cell phones (so e-mail us if you absolutely need our numbers because we don't have many minutes as of yet!) Also, Tara's camera broke so we located the local equivalent of a Best Buy, called FNAC. More to come on the status of the camera.

Tomorrow begins our classes, which is both a relief and a bit nerve wracking. The sooner we start to learn the language the more interaction we will have with locals; however, no matter where you are in the world - school is school and the thought of 9AM class is never fun.

As always, thanks for tuning in. Lot's more to come - including the debut of our video blog. It's going to be great so you won't want to miss it. Don't forget to comment or write:

twogirls.onecannes@gmail.com

Best wishes,
MoffTar

**This week's shout out is dedicated to our friend Sommer Hogan. Cannes is fabulous and classy - just like you. We eagerly await the day when we encounter this infamous Calvin Klein store and will be sure to fill you in when we do. Ooh La La!