3 August - Locarno

(most of the photos from today until France are taken by others)

Once we got back to the hotel, I ditched the entourage to liberate Luciano. I had parked him in some weird building that apparently had some arrangement with the hotel. The fact that I simply walked past about 15 workmen with my luggage, got in my car, and drove off, led me to wonder how secure he really had been.

I swung by La Perla to get my stuff and buy some groceries. I wound up pulling up to the youth hostel in Locarno the same moment the students were spilling out of the bus. I don’t think they noticed I had gone and returned. Jaimey and I got the keys and helped them settle in.

Dinner was in the hostel. They had a nice cafeteria with lots of salad fixings, a hearty main dish, and some dessert. It was convenient and nutritious and free (well, included in the program price for the students.) Our group represented about one quarter of the hostel guests. Being high season and during the film festival, the hostel was full all the time.

Our rooms were quite Spartan with simple Ikea furniture and concrete floors. Some of the students, Jaimey and myself, had balconies. The others would get sea views in France. I liked the hostel because the food was good and free, the bed was better than the one in the La Perla studio, and the shower had pressure, again, unlike the one in the studio.

That night Jaimey and I had to pick up the festival passes so we made a tour of it and invited students to come if they want. 25 of 25 were waiting for us in the lobby. We pointed out the Rotunda and walked through old town to the Piazza Grande. The Rotunda is an open space below and in the middle of a huge traffic circle. Inside there are food booths, crafts, and bars. At night it got packed and this is where the students spent a good deal of time buying alcohol, which they couldn’t legally buy in the US. The Piazza Grande is filled with 8000 seats and a four-story screen – probably one of the largest in Europe, if not the world. Watching a film in the Piazza under the stars with 8000 people is an unforgettable experience – even if the film sucks. We showed the students the ferry landing and the train station – Jaimey’s ideas. I pointed out the chocolate store and best gelateria. You see now why I am critical to this program?

Our passes cost 300 CHF each, but allowed us access to every film and event. I was able to negotiate a group discount on Pardo neck pass holders. It’s hard to be tres chic in Locarno sans pardo neck pass holders. The pardo (leopard) is the prize and the festival mascot, the symbol of Locarno like the palm is the symbol of Cannes. Palme d’Or = Pardo d’Oro.