1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 385 Look! Our King has arrived!

The dinner before the evening revelry was a buffet. Perhaps because the flower battle in the afternoon was too lively, the guests had lost interest in the seafood feast and gathered in small groups to drink and chat about business deals or gossip that could cause a major earthquake in Provence.

The group from Lourmarin naturally had nothing important to talk about; their minds were already on the most important part of the Nice Carnival, the parade of floats, which was about to begin.

"What's the difference between the floats in the evening and those in the afternoon?" asked a young British artist who was attending the event today.

The Gold series of events sparked her interest in Provence, leading her to choose to stay.

For her, everything in Nice was new and unknown, and she could ask dozens of questions a day.

The others got tired of answering and disappeared, but kind-hearted Zoe patiently continued to answer her questions:
"The afternoon floats are made of thousands of fresh flowers, while the evening floats, although also called floats, have nothing to do with flowers. They are giant puppets several meters tall made by artists using paper, linen, and waterproof paint, which present political figures, cultural celebrities, or social phenomena in a humorous and satirical way. This is the most fundamental reason why the Nice Carnival is different from the other two major carnivals."

"It's satirical?" The Englishman suddenly realized. "This year's carnival theme is 'The King's Carnival,' so the next segment is going to satirize those kings?"

“Isn’t it ironic?” Cotillard shrugged with a laugh. “That’s precisely why it’s been in the spotlight this year.”

Before the dinner, the organizer's leader gave a brief speech, saying that the number of visitors to this year's Nice Carnival had reached a new high, and tourists from all over the world were eager to see how the French would express this theme.

It is well known that the French love their king and politics the most!

Vivian let out an excited scream:
"Look, our Joker King is here!"

As night fell, a giant mascot was propelled into Place Masséna by mechanical equipment.

He was greeted by a sky full of balloons and screams from the crowd—the King of France had finally witnessed the moment when he was loved by his people!
Unlike the afternoon's parade, where the audience, no matter how excited, wouldn't crowd into the middle of the road, everyone rushed onto the road this time, with giant puppets moving above their heads.

This is the real carnival!
The British artist was stunned by the sight before her, especially when the puppet moved in front of her.

The banquet hall is on the third floor of the hotel, but the highest point of the dolls is even taller than them, creating a visually terrifying feeling of giant monsters brushing past you. Megalocyphobia awakens at this moment!
Of course, the sense of horror is gradually diluted by the humorous design style and the singing and dancing crowds in the parade, but overall it is still very impressive.

The British artist continued to ask Zoe:

"Wow, this is so realistic! You just said these puppets were made by artists? How long would it take to make such a big puppet?"

“It’s not as complicated as you think,” Zoe recalled. “Simple dolls can be made in a little over three weeks, while more complex ones take four to five weeks.”

"So fast?" This time it was Ronan who spoke.

This time was much shorter than he had anticipated. Based on the speed of selecting the girls, he thought it would take at least two months to make one doll.

Zoe said confidently:

“Since 1954, the parade floats and puppets have been made by the ‘Nice Carnival Workshop’, a very mature workshop that only makes giant floats and puppets. Every year they come to my university to recruit new members. After joining the workshop, everyone works together every day and has long since developed a tacit understanding. Three weeks is the ‘newcomer’ period. If the old employees in the workshop cooperate, they may be able to complete one in half a month.”

"Besides taking on jobs for the Nice Carnival, can this workshop take on other jobs?" Ronan was misled by the name 'Nice Carnival Workshop', assuming that they only took on carnival activities.

“No,” Zoe said with an exaggerated expression. “That might have been the case at the beginning, but such a unique workshop is in high demand, especially for high-end custom-made or cultural events that require a long time. I have a classmate who works in this workshop, and she even went to the United States this year.”

"You went to America?" the British artist asked in surprise.

Zoe wasn't entirely sure what her classmate was doing in America; she only had a general idea.

"It looks like some kind of theme park."

“Impressive.” The ‘Nice Carnival Workshop’ reminded Ronan of his ‘Lourmaran Craft Cooperative’.

His goal is to find a unique feature and perfect it, and then expand beyond Lourmarin, beyond Provence, and even beyond Europe.

I should go out and see more of the world in the future. Broadening my horizons will also broaden my thinking.

Ronan wanted to chat with Batty for a bit, but Batty was currently mesmerized by the new dolls that had appeared on the street.

Ronan shook his head helplessly.

That's terrifying! Are people really that obsessed with female dolls?
The flower-themed event took place in the afternoon, with a similarly lively atmosphere both upstairs and downstairs. However, by evening, the atmosphere downstairs was much more exciting than upstairs, with balloons flying and ribbons waving around, and adults and children alike were having a blast.

Seeing that the day's activities were coming to an end and that some people couldn't resist going downstairs to join the real carnival, Ronan and Zoe and other acquaintances left the hotel and went out onto the street to experience the most exciting moments of the Nice Carnival up close.

Artists experience greater emotional fluctuations than normal people; they are happier when they are happy and more despondent when they are disappointed, and everything tends to be more extreme.

And this is the moment when they are extremely excited and happy.

"I'm not creating tomorrow afternoon!" Barty raised his hands, looking like he was heading into a nightclub. "I'm going to meet some new girls!" There's a whole afternoon of free time tomorrow, and the artists plan to use the easels, brushes, and other tools they brought during that time.

But after attending today's carnival, they changed their minds.

With sunshine, beaches, and the sea right in front of you, who would want to work!
"I'm going to the Nice Museum, so many museums!" Marini let loose, swaying to the crowd and music. "I'll also call Gabriel and ask him to join me for this crazy event next year."

Paulette also temporarily put down her pen and said expectantly:

"I want to rent a bicycle and ride along the French Riviera for a long, long time, until I find the most beautiful spot, and shout to the sea: 'Someone will definitely love my story!'"

At this moment, Cotillard revealed her rock 'n' roll girl nature, tossing her hair and shouting wildly:

"I'm going to meet a man in Nice and live a life more decadent and luxurious than these kings!"

Zoe and Ronan asked each other in unison:
What are we going to do?

They weren't planning on working tomorrow afternoon anyway.

The atmosphere has been built up like this. Are we going to do something crazy?
The next morning, I had an interview arranged by Michelin magazine.

This was probably the most work-like activity of the entire trip to Nice; the rest of the official itinerary was no different from a tourist trip.

To make a good impression on the officials and Michelin magazine, the artists from Lourmarin were very enthusiastic during the interviews. They could answer three questions for every one question asked, and some even created hilarious sketches of memorable scenes from yesterday's carnival.

Lunch was again provided by Michelin Magazine, and after lunch, the afternoon's free time, which everyone was most looking forward to, began.

"Where are you going?" Cotillard asked Zoe and Ronan.

Although everyone will be free to do their own thing soon, their agents still need to know each person's schedule; that's what professionalism is all about.

To be honest, the young couple had a happy life, good financial conditions, and successful careers. There was nothing in their minds that the carnival had suddenly inspired them to do. They just wanted to have a peaceful half-day in Nice.

“Take Ronan to the beach to see the scenery,” Zoe said, pointing in a direction.

"That's all?" Cotillard asked, disappointed.

“This is what we’ve always wanted to do.” Ronan took Zoe’s hand and reminded the artists around them, “Be careful, we’re heading back to Lourmaran early tomorrow morning.”

"Understood." Everyone parted ways at the restaurant.

Nice's city center stretches along the coastline, making it easy to reach the sea from almost anywhere. Zoe pulled Ronan towards the ocean, smiling as she said:
“You’re just as worried as Cotillard now. How many times have you said ‘be careful, we have to go back to Lourmaran early tomorrow morning’ this morning? Actually, everyone had so much fun, we could have stayed another day or gone back a little later tomorrow.”

Ronan said vaguely:

"The temperature is too low this season to go swimming in the sea. There's no point in staying an extra day. We can come again when the weather gets warmer and we can swim."

Zoe pouted and said:

"But this time someone reimbursed my travel and accommodation expenses. When will such a good thing happen again?"

During the interview just now, Ronan saw Cherno.

Cherno isn't here today as a tour guide, but rather as an editor to report on the Nice Carnival.

When the two met, the artists from Cherno-Quarrumalan were very cooperative and proactive, asking Ronan if he could invite them to any other suitable events later.

Cerno is the editor of the Coast magazine responsible for the Gold Coast area. In such an important tourist city as Nice, there must be a lot of activities after April, so there will be opportunities to come again.

After explaining this reason to Zoe, she excitedly shook Ronan's arm twice:
"Really, that would be awesome!"

Zoe really likes Nice, Ronan thought to himself.

They visited many cities in Provence together, and this was the first time Zoe had shown 'reluctance' and 'anticipation'.

Nice also holds special significance for Ronan, as its rosé wine atmosphere is the best in Provence.

When Provençal people think of rosé wine, they picture sunshine, beaches, and beautiful women.

"Come on, take me to see the beaches and the sea in Nice." Ronan pulled Zoe closer to him.

(End of this chapter)