Antibes: Part 1

This morning, I was awoken by a little brother rapping insistently on my door. "Michelle! Wake up and go running!"

Groooan. As I blearily got out of bed, I cursed the late night promise I'd made my brother, and pulled on the ancient running shoes I'd carried across the pond in my suitcase. I ran from our house along the Coastal Road into Antibes' Juan Les Pins (the equivalent of Antibes' boardwalk area.) I still maintain that an early morning run is one of the best ways to get to know a new city. Eventhough my run this morn was not exactly "early" (does 10 am count?), it was certainly beautiful. We'd driven along Coastal Road many times, but running along without your headphones wakes you up to all the little things - the smell of algae growing on stone, the sound of waves against boats, and the merry french chatter of women in their house gates. Men with fully gray facial hair cycle past in tightly worn spandex with a cherry "Bonjour!"

Yesterday, we drove to Cannes to catch the end of the Cannes Film Festival. After lunch at a restaurant on the beach, we wandered along the boardwalk and Rue d'Antibes (s shopping street, the equivalent of Rodeo Drive). Everyone is prettier here. Women with matchstick legs teeter around in hot shorts and heels that seem ankle-breaking. We made our way to the infamous red carpet, where crowds of other tourists and paparazzi milled around to try and get a glimpse of someone famous. Alack. No banana.

However, last night, amfAR hosted a party at the Hotel du Cap, a gorgeous beachside hotel down the road from the House. It was rumored that Russell Crowe and other starlets were to be in attendance, so after dinner we packed up extra sweaters and wandered down the road to see if we could catch a glimpse of the stars. Unfortunately, we missed their grand entrances. DANGIT. However, true to Kiki form, we made friends with the American Hollywood Press contingent and spent roughly 3 hours waiting around outside and gabbing with them.

Just when we were about to give up, waltzing out comes Michelle Rodriguez. The best part of this whole affair was that my mother - MY MOTHER - siddled over the barrier and snuck up beside Rodriguez for a picture. Our paparazzi friends went NUTS, and brother and I lost our marbles. God bless my mother. Of course, this turned out to be the high part of our night, and the rest of the evening was filled with beautiful posers trying to get into the party. Our paparazzi friends informed us that Russell Crowe, Kirstn Dunst, Paris Hilton, and Mike Jagger were inside somewhere ... but we were peons stuck outdoors.

The itinerary for today includes Monte Carlo and then San Remo, Italy.

More to come later!