May 1st

It's the first of May - this means I've just got six weeks left.
Six weeks to enjoy this beautiful weather (well, most of the time) the work experience, and la vie cannoise! It also means I have less than six weeks to finish my Management Case, to look for a job and to start a new chapter of my life.
Wow, it has been going fast. I can't lie though, I'm counting down the days a bit. I'm just really excited to graduate and for summer I guess!
I've had a really quiet week, so not many updates to give you. I am excited about something but I can't tell you yet - it's a surprise, but just for a little while longer.. Curious? I can imagine!

In the next post, you'll know!

Bisous,

Anabel
xoxo

Cannes Shopping Festival

Yes, an entire post dedicated to this event... No, it's not that I attended every fashion show or cocktail that was in the programme but when you have VIP entrance to the Salvatore Ferragamo boutique AND you have the chance to view the Collection Printemps/Eté 2011 of Azzaro and Ferragamo in the Palais des Festivals you've got to mention it! What a girl's gotta do, a girl's gotta do...

The Cannes Shopping Festival started when Le Boyfriend insisted I stand in between the amazingly cool 'shopping bags' in front of the Palais des Festivals.
Then Sofie got hold of invites for drink and the fashion shows, for which I think I'll let the pictures do the talking. All this followed by a bottle of Vin Blanc and tapas at Le Carré d'Or... So fashionably fun!!

Azzaro

Ferragamo

Ferragamo²

Dreaming of the amazing Azzaro dresses, I'm off...

Bisous,

Anabel
xoxo

La Dolce Vita

And again : WOW, how April is flying by. It's nearly the end of the month and I hardly realised it. This is of course due to all the visits I'm getting and the apéro's I'm doing because of the sunny weather. And, not to forget, the schoolwork I'm (trying to be) doing.
A week ago two of my teachers came to visit, to do a halftime-evaluation. I didn't get a day (or hours) off but then I had lunch à la plage the next day with my friends and the teachers, so all was good. It was a lovely lunch and delicious wine. Oh, and my grades : also good! 28/30 - can't complain!
I had to fight for my 4 days off last weekend and Monday / Tuesday, but... I got them! And my amazing boyfriend came over during those days so we had ourselves a decadent mini-holiday. I loved every minute of it, except for maybe when we went shopping - our tastes differ quite a bit. No, I'm kidding, it was great spending time together.
We spent a day on the beach, which lead to Le Boyfriend being quite sunburnt. We visited Monaco; the old town and, of course, the Monte Carlo Casino followed by a glass of rosé at Café de Paris. We spent a day strolling through Cannes, shopping. And on top of that we enjoyed several apéro's and delicious meals and just each other's company!

Now it's the "Cannes Shopping Festival" so I really won't get a chance to be bored in the next few days. In May I have my mum's visit to look forward to (I so hope I get at least one day off) and the Festival de Cannes as well as a visit from two amazing friends. Ah, la vie en rose! And then, it's nearly over...

Now some more MC-Work!

Bisous,

Anabel
xoxo

Halfway!

Wow, I'm already halfway through my work placement in Cannes! How time flies!
I told myself April would be a month that's going to pass by like crazy and I can only confirm. We're the 10th now and I haven't had a single bored moment, not even at work thanks to MIPTV.
I started of the month with repos, followed by the lovely visit from La Meilleure Copine, all the way from La Belgique. It was lovely spending time together, on the beach, discovering Cannes and star-spotting. (We met Bruno Wyndaele, a Belgian Quiz Presentator. He spent the night in L'Hôtel and then we met him in the city too) We were lucky the weather was great (and still is, FYI) and we were able to see each other lots, even though I didn't have any days off.

The day Caroline left we were (I wasn't, but my colleagues were) surprised by a visit from two friends who did their work placement here this time last year. They missed the South so much they popped over for a short trip to Cannes. As they rented a car they picked me up after work and we had a lovely dinner together, catching up and gossiping. Such a great night!
The weather here is superb for the moment, which I'm loving. My days are consisting of La Plage, Apéro's and so on. Although I really really must start working on my Management Case urgently, as the first half has to be sent to our teachers by the 22nd of April. Oh my...

Well, I'm off to La Plage!

Bisous,

Anabel
xoxo

Survey

If I can steal 2 minutes of your time, please could you complete this survey?

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Merci beaucoup!

Bisous,

Anabel

Sortir & Sunburn & Shopping

Here I am, a glass of white wine at hand, a good tune in the background. I'm enjoying my last night all alone. Because tomorrow my roommates start arriving. In a way I think it may be nice, on the other hand I'm a bit sceptical, but let's stay positive! From what I've hear my 2 roommates will be Chinese girls, but of course more updates on this 'hot topic' soon.

I worked Le Matin today, and again tomorrow. Before that I had my repos, which was... sunny! There was sun the entire time and I made the most of it. On Tuesday I started off the day with a bit of shopping, tell me this handbag doesn't spell out "Anabel". I couldn't leave it.

After the shops, it was the sun's turn and I enjoyed a Kir on a terrace, followed by a very delicious Italian lunch with a friend. After lunch we set of to the beach where we placed ourselves on comfy duo-sunbeds. Later I was accompanied by another friend and we started of with some wine and continued to her flat for a home-made tapas meal.
The next day the sun was out early again, so after the necessary grocery shopping I set off to the beach to finish my book. I was there for a bit more than two hours and... I got a slight sunburn. Summer has started, I daresay. Following La Plage, I met two friends and we enjoyed cocktails during Happy Hour and a very giant pizza afterwards.

In the weekend, even though I had to work, I went out to Cannes. As I got there it was a bit rainy, but when we left the Irish Pub the rain had gotten a lot worse. What made it better was the fact that we managed to watch an Oscar-worthy fight on a yacht. The fight included : a half-naked man, drunk people, a violent girl... all in all, a situation I wish I could have filmed to share with you. The night out itself was fun, and I even managed to get the bus driver to drop me off at the door of the hotel. Le Depot is in the street of my hotel.

Bisous,

Anabel
xoxo

Perfume, Cocktails, Laundry and Lunch

As promised, here is my next post. Not at all such a long time after my previous one, so I'm pleased.
So yes, I played 'tourist' on Monday. I went to Grasse, where we had a lovely lunch in a very special restaurant. It was so delicious, it almost made me forget the (usually) bad food I get in L'hôtel. After a lovely, long lunch we set off to the MIP, Musée International de la Parfumerie. It was a modern museum where we learned more about how perfume is made. Following the MIP, we visited a Parfumerie, where they actually still make soap and perfume. Grasse, the city, is not special so apart from the perfume houses there is nothing much to see. I am glad I went there though.
To close of a nice day we went to Au Bureau in Cannes, it's a cosy pub where Happy Hour is between 5pm and 7pm. The four of us all had a yummy cocktail and bitings. Definitely going back there, and not just because the waiter asked us : "so you will come back... for me?" Um, suuuure, whatever you say!
My second day off was... rainy, really rainy. I got up and did some room-cleaning. This consisted of doing laundry, hoovering, changing the sheets on my bed. As well as separating the beds as I'm getting a roommate next week. This has me feeling curious and also hoping I will get along with her, because we are going to have to live together for 2,5 months... Gosh, I'm getting to old for this boarding school stuff. Been there, done that! But anyway, not judging nor complaining - we'll just have to wait and see.
Following the cleaning session, I went to Cannes (despite the rain). I had a lovely lunch with my friend and because the rain got worse, I went back to my room for a quiet evening filled with noisy skype-sessions. I can't complain about my 'repos'.
And now, just an hour before I go back to work. My shift this week is 12 till 20h45, lovely... NOT.

Till next time,

Bisous,

Anabel
xoxo

Cannes vs. Belgium

Oh my, I feel ashamed for not having written in so long. It has been busy though, kind of.
Actually I was home last week. I had to be in Belgium for a meeting, and I made it a visit to see La Famille and Le Boyfriend. But, wow, it was so hard to say goodbye again. It's not that I don't like it here, I love Cannes, but it's the 'being on your own in a random environment'-thing that I don't like so much. I did make some resolutions though, to visit more of the surrounding area and enjoy life. I'm here for 3 more months so I have to make the most of it.
When I got back, I immediately started working again - it was MIPIM here so the hotel was fully booked. It was fun welcoming so many Belgians, and even better, fellow "west-vloamingen".
Meanwhile the weather here is bad; rain and wind. And this while everyone back home gets to enjoy the sun. What is up? Cannes is meant to be the more tropical of the two!
Tomorrow, and the day after, I have my 'weekend' so hopefully the weather is nicer and I'll be able to be a tourist with classmates and enjoy some apéro's with friends.
I promise not to wait this long before posting again.

Bisous,

Anabel
xoxo

Missing Belgium, Meeting Belgians and Le Beach

I was hoping on having some super exciting news to be telling you, but it's been pretty quiet here. I'm in a bit of a mellow mood - just missing people and certain moments...
I keep having the evening shifts, which aren't my favourite but we have large groups of elderly tourists at the hotel and because they tend to ask for a lot of information, form complaints or just come for a chat it's useful being two at the reception.
So, Belgium still doesn't have a government - great record guys... But even so, I do miss it or at least home.
Last week I checked in a Belgian man. Doing the whole procedure in Dutch was nice for a change.
Me : "Donc, vous n'êtes pas français..."
Guest : "Non, je suis belge."
Me: "Ah mais moi aussi!"
Guest : "C'est vrai?"
Me : "Nederlands?"
Guest : "Ja, oef, ik doe hier zoveel moeite om frans te spreken."

I did have a few other meetings with fellow Belgians actually. On Sunday I had a "blind date" with two girls who study to be nurses and are also doing their internship in Cannes, in the hospital . I didn't really know what to expect but, with a glass of wine, we had a nice chat. I had to go back to work that day and the weather wasn't looking all that great so it was a short meeting, but definitely not the last.
On my day off, on Monday the weather was amazing and (I have to write this in capital letters or the effect will just not be the same) I WENT TO THE BEACH, IN MY BIKINI - may I remind you the date was February 21st!
On Tuesday the weather (it really is having it's moments) wasn't so great but I spent the afternoon with Une Amie from class; lunch, shopping, chatting and a Gossip Girl episode. All this followed by a Skype session with Le Boyfriend accompanied by a glass of wine! Good times.
And now work again, but at least it keeps me busy. Imagine, I've been here for about a month now, time does go fast...

Bisous,

Anabel
xoxo

48-hour holiday...

Last day off, and it's raining! Not. Cool.
I had planned to go to Cannes but with it raining non-stop there isn't really much fun about it. So, it's a day in. I've done the first bunch of laundry, my colours. Yes, I'm totally turning pro here. And in a bit I'm going to do the dark colours. I also want to do some more work on my management case, of which the official title has to be confirmed by Friday. Eeek!

The past few days were great, it was so much fun being with someone you know and feeling more 'on holiday'. Le Boyfriend and I discovered Rue d' Antibes, which is the main shopping street here in Cannes. Ok, there is also La Croisette, but let's just say the shops there are more for special (very special in fact) occasions.

We walked up to vieux Cannes, or Le Suquet, with cosy streets and restaurants and a beautiful view of the city.
We strolled on the beach, and along La Croisette and went to nice restaurants for delicious meals. All in all it was a short, but worth it, 48 hours in Cannes.

A bientôt!

Biz,

Anabel
xoxo

Happy me!

In case you were expecting another post on la vie Cannoise, I have to disappoint you. Although, why not a little bit of an update. I just got off work, I have Le Matin this week which means getting up at 6h15 and ready to rumble by 7h00. I've two more days to go. And then : weekend! Or should I say : four days off. And not just any four days, because Le Boyfriend is arriving on Saturday so I have tons to look forward to.
More exciting news though... I passed all my exams!!! I never have to write an exam again (unless, and there is just a miniscule chance, that I continue studying). And we're not counting my Management Case, hereafter known as Le MC, because that's not a proper exam. Ok, it's a huge (probably the biggest I've ever had to write) assignment and together with my internship it's the most important part of my degree, but I like it. The subject is something which interests me and I have a lot to say about, so I'm guessing that's a good start.

On another note, I hope dinner is yummy tonight. Because I've been deprived of good (or at least acceptable) food for a while now. Mmm, I better find some good and cosy restaurants to go to with Le Boyfriend this weekend then.

Till next time,
A bientôt!

Anabel
xoxo

La vie en rosé!

Ah, what a beautiful weather it has been the past few days! It immediately adds to a good mood. I mean, who doesn't love to wear their sunglasses, and enjoy several glasses of chilled wine on the beach?! Might I add, for your information, that it is currently February. Just saying...
On Friday I only had to start work at 15h15, and seeing the blue sky and rays of sunshine just before noon, I decided I needed to go outside. So, I went out and started walking towards the Port de Plaisance de Mandelieu - La Napoule. This town is also known as the capital of the mimosa. It was over half an hour walk, and as I was starting to feel hungry I found myself a table, outside of a nice little restaurant, facing the sun and the yachts. I even had to take of my jacket as it was too hot. After a pasta with salmon and a glass of white wine I walked back to start the last shift of the week, a very calm one at that. But at least it also gave me time to do research for my management case.
I have the weekend off, yes! Saturday was another day of splendid weather so a friend who is in Nice came over to visit La Croisette. Walking does make you feel thirsty, so we found ourselves a place on the beach to enjoy a bottle of rosé wine and a catch up. A bit later we were joined by another friend who just got off work, and again a bottle of rosé and chats were off the essence. The amazing apéro on the beach was followed by a lovely dinner in a cosy restaurant. Needless to say, the italian-style dinner was accompanied by, yes,  another glass of rosé.

Les filles @ Plage Royal, Cannes

To finish of the great weekend (and its only Sunday morning) Le Boyfriend has booked his tickets to come over next weekend! Total excitement!! I'd like to add, even though we decided we're not doing anything special for Valentine's Day, he is going to be here on the 14th and I'm already sure it'll be the best Valentine's Day ever!

A bientôt!

Et, à votre santé...

Anabel
xoxo

A new look and old friends...

Voila, the new workweek has started. But not without... a new uniform. Before I came here I was told to bring a "jupe noir et chemisier blanc", and so I did. I even went out and bought two new white shirts. But apparently La Directrice didn't like my skirt so she made the housekeeping ladies search for a uniform. I wouldn't really mind if it wasn't such a horrid uniform. From top to bottom I now stand at the reception desk wearing a pink, short-sleeved shirt, and a blue, baggy, woolen jacket on top of that. Then I have a dark grey skirt, which isn't too bad. And I finish my outfit of with black shoes. Thank God I brought heels, otherwise it would have been a complete disaster.

 But still : no complaints!

 I started off the week in a good mood because I spent Sunday afternoon with 2 friends from school. They're also in Cannes and they get to share an apartment. No wait, they prefer calling it their penthouse. It's cosy and it was really nice catching up and seeing some familiar faces. Of course this was accompanied by a glass of wine and bitings. I'm already looking forward to our next apéro....
Also the very long and uninterrupted Skype-session (trust me, it's rare that there are no connection problems) with Le Boyfriend a couple of hours before work helped to get me all set for the next few days of work!

A bientôt!

Bisous,

Ready for work...

Anabel
xoxo

And so...

You know, I wasn't going to... start a blog, I mean. Everyone does it, so why would I? Who would read it? We all have a Facebook account, don't we? And that's when I realised not everyone has Facebook. For example, I literally had to force Le Boyfriend to make one and even though I know he checks it, he is in no way active. And then you have Les Parents, I'm sure that they prefer reading a blog rather than browsing Facebook for status updates or new photo albums. Maybe, and this is just a little bit the case, I'm starting this blog because I was inspired by some other blogs and thought I'd accept the challenge of creating a blog that people look forward to seeing the next post from. This is the feeling I had when reading Paname, which my friend, who is doing her internship in Paris, is writing.

Why am I starting this blog now?
Wellllll, I just started an internship in Cannes, France. I am here until the 14th of June, working as a receptionist in a hotel in Cannes la Bocca, just outside Cannes. L'hôtel is to be found in the middle of an industrial zone so the location isn't great. But, no complaints, there is a bus stop just a few minutes walk from L'hôtel that takes me to Cannes Centre and la Croisette.
I visited la Croisette on Wednesday. Best day so far! The weather was lovely. I arrived and started to walk past ALL the amazing stores (Gucci, Fendi, and yes, Mum, even Anne Fontaine) that are all located next to each other, mouthwatering I assure you! Midway I had a coffee on a terras, outside (I know, how awesome) in the sun. I continued my tour until I started feeling hungry and went to McDo for lunch, again outside. I walked through the port where there are so many yachts, I nearly (but not really) got tired of seeing them. In short, I love Cannes.

La Croisette

Meanwhile, I've worked two days, the morning shift. I must say I do learn a lot here. At the moment L'hôtel is not busy at all so there is enough time for the other receptionists to explain everything to me clearly. Oooh, and I learned a new word - let me ask you first, to check if you would have known it :  "To staple sth." ... Uhuh, I had no clue, and apparently it's a word most interns don't actually know, or so I was told. It's "agrafer". And so far : new word of the day!

Now, it's the weekend. And I'm free. Only bad thing is that it's raining today. But, not to worry, they're predicting 10 to 15° from Monday onwards!
Tomorrow I'm planning to go to Cannes Centre to see some fellow classmates, exciting.

A bientôt!

Biz,

Anabel
xoxo