A Long Way Down

This is going to have to be a quick update as we are having trouble finding any wi-fi action and places to upload material. So, WE ARE HERE - IN CANNES! Andy, Si and myself are sitting outside McDonald's using their wi-fi. It's pretty miserable weather but the inside of McDonald's is being ripped out so we have no choice but to sit and shiver under the heat lamps! Stupidly, I thought it would be glorious weather and only have flip flops for daywear.

The last 36 hours have been eventful for sure. We have all been knackered and at times tensions have run a little high. I've been drifting in and out of conciousness for the whole trip after a crazy week at work and not much sleep. Andy and Stuart have been amazing with their driving skills. The most I managed was a few laps of a service station car park, so full credit to them for getting us down here. The trip through the tunnel went smoothly, and, unlike last year, we didn't go via Dunkirk! We made pretty good progress, with a couple of stops. We had as four or five hour stop before Lyon in McDonald's which was really productive. Stuart got on with some editing for the first featured film whilst Andy and myself went on a quest for oil to fuel our journey. Carrefour was our saviour. We bought 6 five litre bottles and stocked up on wine and junk food for the remainder of the trip. On our way out, we saw a double rainbow - one of those little magic events that happens on adventures like this where you feel it has happened just for you. Much of the journey from then on focused on the artisitic differences of Stuart and Andy and how to document the trip - podcast of serious documentry. After nearly 24 hours on the road and only snatched hours of sleep it probably wasn't the best time for this kind of talk but again, this is one of those moments that happens and stands out.

Stuart amazingly pushed on until we were 100 miles shy of Cannes, by now 2am. We'd talked about staying in a forumla one but ended up kipping in the car park at a services (which was shut). Stuart got in the back of the van, and Andy and myself in the front, squashed uneasily under the steering wheel. Thanks to the fabulous neck pillows Sally (Andy's girlfriend) got for us, we woke up in a lot less pain than I had done a few hours earlier when I had nodded off unaided by the supporting pillow. This was the first time we had all stopped and slept properly and it was definitely much needed. We woke at 8ish, had some breakfast and got back on the road for the last leg to Cannes. It seems all a long time ago now.


Driving rain pretty much the whole way there but a relief to get to our caravan site. We're amongst lots of trees in a hilly area about 5 miles outside Cannes. Our caravan is delightful with a large decked area outside and a bbq and lots of pretty plants. There's a bunch of French film students on our site who have invited us for drinks with them. This afternoon we've been on the go, Stuart making another film, Andy and myself stocking up on food, and having just picked up Si in the manic traffic of Cannes, we are ready to head back, clean the van, get ready for the evening, drive back into Cannes and hope for a place on the Croisette. With the weather as it is, it looks like it will be a pretty quiet launch.

Cath x