We're back from our very relaxing vacation in the south of France, and we were greeted to more sunny skies (finally!) in Paris when we got back. Pictures here.
We rented a car in lieu of taking the train this time so that we could drive around the coast, including a few towns in Spain as well. The rest of the pictures are from Bastille Day which was as fun as we anticipated it would be. The French celebrate their national holiday pretty much the same way we do on the 4th of July, except that instead of barbecues and those delicious American flag cakes, the firefighters host parties at all the stations in Paris both the night before Bastille Day and the day itself. I thought this was very cool yet at the same time somewhat unsettling as well. If there's one time of year when firefighters should be on alert it's probably that time of year when tons of citizens buy a bunch of fireworks to set off in their tiny apartment balconies, only to be rescued in case of fire by a crew of drunk and/or hungover firefighters.
Speaking of fireworks, in Paris the city sets off fireworks at the Eiffel Tower (of course) as well as various other locations around different arrondissements--we went to the Eiffel Tower show (of course), and saw a pretty spectacular display which was choreographed to music. Apparently the theme this year was "cinema" and they blasted music from some of the most famous movies during the show--the most popular among the crowd were the Star Wars, James Bond and Amélie theme songs.
Anyway it was all very fun, although we definitely missed the 4th of July parties. There's just nothing quite like em.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
A Vacation from a Vacation
Sadly Paris has been seeing a lot of rain of late, with only more rain in sight for the next week. So, John and I decided to take a small vacation to the sunny Mediterranean coast for a little while. The Cote d'Azur (Nice and Monaco) is always a mess of tourists, so we have headed down to the western side of the coast at Argeles-sur-mer. We didn't bring the cord that connects to the computer, so we can't post pictures until we get back to Paris, but it's all sunny blue skies, aqua blue water, and Pyrenees Mountains for us for the next few days. We get back to Paris just in time for Bastille Day on the 14th, at which point it's supposed to be back to blue skies.
Tomorrow we're going to venture down into Spain to see some of their beaches. Argeles-sur-mer kind of reminds us of Santa Cruz in a way, except to John's chagrin there aren't any waves suitable for surfing. On the other hand, most of the women sunbathe topless so that may make up for the lack of waves. Otherwise it's a pretty beachy town, very laid back with lots of crepe and ice cream stands (in lieu of hot dog stands), and some outdoor beach cafes.
We'll post pics when we get back to Paris!
Tomorrow we're going to venture down into Spain to see some of their beaches. Argeles-sur-mer kind of reminds us of Santa Cruz in a way, except to John's chagrin there aren't any waves suitable for surfing. On the other hand, most of the women sunbathe topless so that may make up for the lack of waves. Otherwise it's a pretty beachy town, very laid back with lots of crepe and ice cream stands (in lieu of hot dog stands), and some outdoor beach cafes.
We'll post pics when we get back to Paris!
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Assorted Paris Pictures
Just wanted to post some pictures of our Paris site-seeing over the past month. Some of the places are the Picasso Museum, Notre Dame, Versailles, and Place des Vosges.
Pictures
Pictures
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
French "American Idol"
American Idol first started when I was in college, but I never watched a single minute of it until just before John and I left for France in February. After a few weeks, both John and I found it to be a very nice guilty pleasure, but sadly we had to leave the country before most of the contestants had been eliminated. Once we got to Paris, however, we found that we could pick up where we left off...except with all French contestants and judges, including a much more likable host than Ryan Seacrest. Even the female judge had the Paula Abdul vibe going on as she danced and clapped to almost everyone's songs (except without being drunk). The French version of American Idol, "Nouvelle Star," was clearly just as entertaining as the American version, and I quickly latched on to both my favorite contestant as well as my most hated, Julien.
I couldn't stand this guy from the start. I honestly thought, after watching him for the first time, that he would be kicked off immediately--surely no one could put up with this sort of thing on a weekly basis:
(WARNING: this is hideous)
I mean it wasn't just the fact that Johnny-Shouts-A-Lot made a point to scream his guts out for any and every song, or that he wears WannaBe rocker outfits that he's just way too skinny to pull off, and even the beret in his hair I can kind of understand, but when he sang "Smells Like Teen Spirit" in jazz style I just wanted to rip my ears off--and man, you should have seen the looks on the judges faces.
And yet, inexplicably, Julien won. I don't see how, it's like some joke that I am not in on. I mean jesus christ, look what he did to The Kinks! (You probably shouldn't look.)
Whatever...at least it won't be my airwaves that I'll have to listen to him screech on when he starts making albums in a few months. By then I'll be safely back in the US where I can hear...some equally disastrous American Idols on the radio. So much for that theory.
I couldn't stand this guy from the start. I honestly thought, after watching him for the first time, that he would be kicked off immediately--surely no one could put up with this sort of thing on a weekly basis:
(WARNING: this is hideous)
I mean it wasn't just the fact that Johnny-Shouts-A-Lot made a point to scream his guts out for any and every song, or that he wears WannaBe rocker outfits that he's just way too skinny to pull off, and even the beret in his hair I can kind of understand, but when he sang "Smells Like Teen Spirit" in jazz style I just wanted to rip my ears off--and man, you should have seen the looks on the judges faces.
And yet, inexplicably, Julien won. I don't see how, it's like some joke that I am not in on. I mean jesus christ, look what he did to The Kinks! (You probably shouldn't look.)
Whatever...at least it won't be my airwaves that I'll have to listen to him screech on when he starts making albums in a few months. By then I'll be safely back in the US where I can hear...some equally disastrous American Idols on the radio. So much for that theory.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Week with Don and Karen
Ilia's parents just spent a week with us in France. Arriving Saturday, we spent the next day site-seeing in Paris with the help of a river bus and saw the Champs Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, Ile de San Louis, and Jardin des plantes.
On Monday we went up the Effiel Tower and then drove north to Amiens. There we were supposed to see the night illumination of the church facade, but it turned out that we were a few days too early (it starts on June 15th). We still had a nice evening in the town's canal district.
On Tuesday we drove into Normandy, stopping first to refresh our history knowledge at a WW2 museum in Caen. Afterwards we arrived at our hotel located just behind Omaha Beach. We spent the afternoon walking up the beach and checking out remains of old German bunkers.
Wednesday morning began with the American cemetery, which is moving and immaculate. In the afternoon, we visited an impressive collection of war leftovers at a private museum near Omaha Beach. It had just about everything except the soldiers themselves. I was blown away by the landing craft on display outside - images of these crafts are what come to mind when I think of D-Day.
On Thursday we drove to Mont Saint Michel, stopping on the way to see the German cemetery (much more modest than the American), the Bayeux tapestry and the chuch where a paratrooper got hung up on the night before D-Day (he survived). The church now has some paratroopers in its stained glass honoring the troops that liberated the city. There is also a dummy still hanging on the roof.
Mont Saint Michel is an amazing city built on a steep little hill in a shallow bay; originally it was just the abbey on top. The tide comes in fast here, and the mud turns into bay in less than 45 minutes. We had to see it to believe it. Buses pull out of the lower parking lot with water practically on the tires!
On Friday we drove back to Paris and had a nice dinner at Chez Paul, a lively place near the bastille.
It was a great trip, we saw a lot and had fun doing it. We spoke a lot about the war during meals, and I think we are all itching to see/read more on the subject.
Here are the pictures!
On Monday we went up the Effiel Tower and then drove north to Amiens. There we were supposed to see the night illumination of the church facade, but it turned out that we were a few days too early (it starts on June 15th). We still had a nice evening in the town's canal district.
On Tuesday we drove into Normandy, stopping first to refresh our history knowledge at a WW2 museum in Caen. Afterwards we arrived at our hotel located just behind Omaha Beach. We spent the afternoon walking up the beach and checking out remains of old German bunkers.
Wednesday morning began with the American cemetery, which is moving and immaculate. In the afternoon, we visited an impressive collection of war leftovers at a private museum near Omaha Beach. It had just about everything except the soldiers themselves. I was blown away by the landing craft on display outside - images of these crafts are what come to mind when I think of D-Day.
On Thursday we drove to Mont Saint Michel, stopping on the way to see the German cemetery (much more modest than the American), the Bayeux tapestry and the chuch where a paratrooper got hung up on the night before D-Day (he survived). The church now has some paratroopers in its stained glass honoring the troops that liberated the city. There is also a dummy still hanging on the roof.
Mont Saint Michel is an amazing city built on a steep little hill in a shallow bay; originally it was just the abbey on top. The tide comes in fast here, and the mud turns into bay in less than 45 minutes. We had to see it to believe it. Buses pull out of the lower parking lot with water practically on the tires!
On Friday we drove back to Paris and had a nice dinner at Chez Paul, a lively place near the bastille.
It was a great trip, we saw a lot and had fun doing it. We spoke a lot about the war during meals, and I think we are all itching to see/read more on the subject.
Here are the pictures!
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Torture By Museums & Misunderstanding the French Language 2
John and I have been busy diligently dragging ourselves to various museums this week, among them the Rodin and Picasso museums. We've set a goal for ourselves to see one museum or tourist attraction per day, and seeing as how Paris seems to be the king of art cities, we certainly have had our days filled.
We've also been running in the Luxembourg Garden, which has proved to be a very pleasant way to churn through two miles. Since we are without jobs or a schedule of any kind, we don't usually have to contend with weaving through the crowds of people like we do on Saturdays when everyone comes out to run or meander through the park.
Otherwise, we've found a very small and neighborhoody bar just behind the Saint Sulpice church which features an all-French crowd and therefore the perfect place for us to practice our French. We made a few friends who then showed us an even smaller and more locals-only bar where no one spoke any English at all--I think it was the first time since we'd been in Paris where we actually couldn't speak any English to the bartender. We had a really good time except for this one rather embarrassing exchange I had with a French guy:
Me: Alors, as-tu habité à Paris depuis tu étais petit?
So have you lived in Paris since you were a kid?
French Guy: Ouais, je suis né ici.
Yeah I was born here.
Me: C'est vraiment génial, je suis envie de toi!
That's really cool, I'm jealous of you! (or so I thought I said)
French Guy: (giving me a really strange look)......quoi?
.....what?
John: What did you just say?
Me: (hesitantly repeats)
John: (laughing) You just told that guy you want him! "Envie" means "desire" not "envy".
Me: Oh...uh oh...
I wish my French misunderstanding had been more along the lines of the gateau/cat incident. Luckily we cleared the matter up, but it just goes to show that you better be sure of the meaning before just carelessly tossing around words that you've heard on tv!
We've also been running in the Luxembourg Garden, which has proved to be a very pleasant way to churn through two miles. Since we are without jobs or a schedule of any kind, we don't usually have to contend with weaving through the crowds of people like we do on Saturdays when everyone comes out to run or meander through the park.
Otherwise, we've found a very small and neighborhoody bar just behind the Saint Sulpice church which features an all-French crowd and therefore the perfect place for us to practice our French. We made a few friends who then showed us an even smaller and more locals-only bar where no one spoke any English at all--I think it was the first time since we'd been in Paris where we actually couldn't speak any English to the bartender. We had a really good time except for this one rather embarrassing exchange I had with a French guy:
Me: Alors, as-tu habité à Paris depuis tu étais petit?
So have you lived in Paris since you were a kid?
French Guy: Ouais, je suis né ici.
Yeah I was born here.
Me: C'est vraiment génial, je suis envie de toi!
That's really cool, I'm jealous of you! (or so I thought I said)
French Guy: (giving me a really strange look)......quoi?
.....what?
John: What did you just say?
Me: (hesitantly repeats)
John: (laughing) You just told that guy you want him! "Envie" means "desire" not "envy".
Me: Oh...uh oh...
I wish my French misunderstanding had been more along the lines of the gateau/cat incident. Luckily we cleared the matter up, but it just goes to show that you better be sure of the meaning before just carelessly tossing around words that you've heard on tv!
Monday, June 4, 2007
The Metro Bunny
I don't know why, but I just love this little hapless metro bunny:
"Do not put your hands or cute little bunny paws on the door: you risk getting pinched very hard."
"Do not put your hands or cute little bunny paws on the door: you risk getting pinched very hard."
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Americans Redeemed
In the interest of exploring the 6th arrondissement, John and I have started venturing out to some local restaurants recommended by the French guidebook that we bought. Tonight we tried a fairly decent place, which seemed pretty empty when we first walked in but was teeming with a mostly-French crowd after about 9pm. What made this particular dining experience interesting for us was the very polite, middle aged American couple sitting at the table next to us. John and I covertly monitored them throughout their dinner, and they neither yelled "HEY GARCON!!!" across the restaurant to get the waiter's attention, nor did they loudly complain about their meal/wine/menu choice, etc... And then to top it off, the wife actually spoke to the waiter in what seemed to me to be fluent French! Compared to the last American couple that we had encountered, this pair was single-handedly redeeming our countrymen. I simply had to know what part of the States these well-mannered people came from, and it turned out that they were from Florida with the wife being a retired high school French teacher (of all things). We chatted for a few minutes as they paid their bill, and John and I even got a small teacherly admonishment from the wife for not speaking French to each other during our meal as practice. I just kept thinking that it was so nice that there were some Americans who can come to a foreign country and not completely disgrace the rest of the U.S. by acting like belligerent wackjobs.
....which actually kind of sucks for Canada, because something tells me they don't walk around telling everyone they're Canadian.
....which actually kind of sucks for Canada, because something tells me they don't walk around telling everyone they're Canadian.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Monaco
Last Saturday we zipped down to Nice via the TGV. This was the first time we got to ride the famous high speed train, and I must say it is a nice way to travel. That you can get from Paris to Marseille in 3 hours is impressive, and probably not much slower than an airplane after taking into account all the boarding/unboarding/security hassles.
Anyway, we spent Saturday afternoon and evening in a very touristy Nice where we ate some good italian pizza. The next morning we woke up early to take the 20 min train to Monaco for the famous Grand Prix, only to find that fans were already lined up at the station! The wait wasn't actually too bad, and we were able to get all the way to the city and through the crowded streets up to our hillside section. The view was pretty good considering the relative cheapness of the tickets. However, parts of the pathways were crowded and a squeeze to get through, and the better viewing spots were pretty competitive. Having to guard our position the whole time was the main downside to this area. We didn't mind the fact that we were standing for the whole race and a few hours before (exceptional, considering that my back starts hurting 5 minutes into an art museum visit!).
The most memorable part of this event is the atmosphere. Normally you watch auto racing at an expansive track out in the middle of nowhere. Monaco could not be more different, situated on the side of a mountain which descends into the sea. The city barely has room for a train station; most of it is carved into the mountain side. The last picture in the set below gives you an idea of this unique setting: mountain side, city high rises, grand stands, harbor full of yachts.
The people themselves are also interesting, some looking like regular sport fans while others practically ready to attend a wedding (suits, dresses, high heels). Fancy parties abound during race weekend!
Pictures: Paris, Nice, and Monaco
Anyway, we spent Saturday afternoon and evening in a very touristy Nice where we ate some good italian pizza. The next morning we woke up early to take the 20 min train to Monaco for the famous Grand Prix, only to find that fans were already lined up at the station! The wait wasn't actually too bad, and we were able to get all the way to the city and through the crowded streets up to our hillside section. The view was pretty good considering the relative cheapness of the tickets. However, parts of the pathways were crowded and a squeeze to get through, and the better viewing spots were pretty competitive. Having to guard our position the whole time was the main downside to this area. We didn't mind the fact that we were standing for the whole race and a few hours before (exceptional, considering that my back starts hurting 5 minutes into an art museum visit!).
The most memorable part of this event is the atmosphere. Normally you watch auto racing at an expansive track out in the middle of nowhere. Monaco could not be more different, situated on the side of a mountain which descends into the sea. The city barely has room for a train station; most of it is carved into the mountain side. The last picture in the set below gives you an idea of this unique setting: mountain side, city high rises, grand stands, harbor full of yachts.
The people themselves are also interesting, some looking like regular sport fans while others practically ready to attend a wedding (suits, dresses, high heels). Fancy parties abound during race weekend!
Pictures: Paris, Nice, and Monaco
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Heading South
After a week and a half in our new Paris apartment, we are heading to the south of France for Sunday's formula 1 race in Monaco. We will probably get back here on Monday.
In the mean time, we've been taking in the Paris sights bit by bit. Highlights have been the Sacre-coeur and Ile Saint Louis, for the view from the former and the surprisingly mellow atmosphere of the latter. Lowlights have been the Notre Dame and the Musee d'Orsay, for the crowds of the former (we actually gave up on it, will go back in the morning at some point) and the disorderliness of the latter (let's just say I'm not the world's biggest art buff, and enjoying it doesn't get any easier if I have to constantly look at a map to figure out where I am and what I'm seeing. The Louvre may be bigger, but I don't think its floorplan will be as difficult to navigate as the Orsay).
In other news, we have started running for the first time since arriving in France. After trying out some of the river quais, which are cobblestone and bad for the joints, we have settled on Luxembourg Gardens as the best place to run in our area (people run on the outer perimeter). This, in conjunction with our daily stair climbing, should help us combat two months worth of sloth and gluttony.
I'll post pics when we get back from the South!
In the mean time, we've been taking in the Paris sights bit by bit. Highlights have been the Sacre-coeur and Ile Saint Louis, for the view from the former and the surprisingly mellow atmosphere of the latter. Lowlights have been the Notre Dame and the Musee d'Orsay, for the crowds of the former (we actually gave up on it, will go back in the morning at some point) and the disorderliness of the latter (let's just say I'm not the world's biggest art buff, and enjoying it doesn't get any easier if I have to constantly look at a map to figure out where I am and what I'm seeing. The Louvre may be bigger, but I don't think its floorplan will be as difficult to navigate as the Orsay).
In other news, we have started running for the first time since arriving in France. After trying out some of the river quais, which are cobblestone and bad for the joints, we have settled on Luxembourg Gardens as the best place to run in our area (people run on the outer perimeter). This, in conjunction with our daily stair climbing, should help us combat two months worth of sloth and gluttony.
I'll post pics when we get back from the South!
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Paris, First Impressions
John and I have been living in Paris for about a week now, and we're just starting to think of our new apartment as home. We've already made a few forays into various parts of the city, including an art museum (!) (but more on that later), and we manged to find a theater that shows "version originale" for the bigger blockbusters like Spiderman 3 and Pirates of the Caribbean, so we can still enjoy most of the American movies in their original English. After Pablo told us about watching the latest Bond movie in French, we decided that we would be better off seeing big movies in English and save the French for actual French movies--all Pablo had to say to convince us of this was: "Je m'appelle Bond, James Bond." Yikes.
Our neighborhood is very nice and bustling with people, cafe's and brasseries, and despite the persistent cloudy/rainy weather we're enjoying ourselves quite a bit. I don't feel like we've really had a chance to explore our neighborhood quite yet, but tomorrow we'll be hitting up one of our local bars to watch the Champion's League final (soccer), and on Thursday we're going to go out to a restaurant and maybe a club afterward. After that, we're off to Monaco for the weekend for the Grand Prix, which both John and I are really looking forward to!
My only complaint with Paris so far is that everyone speaks English, and I mean everyone. I had to rather stubbornly continue speaking French to a lady who sold me ice cream today, so my new goal is to get so good at French in the next few months to the point where I am not immediately identifiable as an English speaker. Sometimes the locals respond to our French with pleasant surprise and are happy to engage us in French, and yet others seem like they don't want to bother waiting for me to conjugate a verb correctly in the conditional tense. I feel like I must be in the middle somewhere because sometimes I get a compliment that my French is quite good, and then other times they respond in English after the first sentence. While I am extremely thrilled to finally be in Paris, I do miss Montpellier in the sense that knowing English was the exception rather than the rule.
Pics from our week's excursions coming at the end of the week, but I thought for now I'd show you exactly where our apartment is on the map:
75 Rue de Rennes
Our neighborhood is very nice and bustling with people, cafe's and brasseries, and despite the persistent cloudy/rainy weather we're enjoying ourselves quite a bit. I don't feel like we've really had a chance to explore our neighborhood quite yet, but tomorrow we'll be hitting up one of our local bars to watch the Champion's League final (soccer), and on Thursday we're going to go out to a restaurant and maybe a club afterward. After that, we're off to Monaco for the weekend for the Grand Prix, which both John and I are really looking forward to!
My only complaint with Paris so far is that everyone speaks English, and I mean everyone. I had to rather stubbornly continue speaking French to a lady who sold me ice cream today, so my new goal is to get so good at French in the next few months to the point where I am not immediately identifiable as an English speaker. Sometimes the locals respond to our French with pleasant surprise and are happy to engage us in French, and yet others seem like they don't want to bother waiting for me to conjugate a verb correctly in the conditional tense. I feel like I must be in the middle somewhere because sometimes I get a compliment that my French is quite good, and then other times they respond in English after the first sentence. While I am extremely thrilled to finally be in Paris, I do miss Montpellier in the sense that knowing English was the exception rather than the rule.
Pics from our week's excursions coming at the end of the week, but I thought for now I'd show you exactly where our apartment is on the map:
75 Rue de Rennes
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Apartment Pics
Yesterday we walked from the Louvre to the Arch de Triumph, checking out the Tuileries and the Champs Elysees en route. It turned out that we weren't the only ones who had this idea because streets and gardens were packed. Later on we went to a soccer game, the last home game of the year for the Paris team - we were kind of lucky, if they were away we probably would not have been able to go to a real game during this trip. I must also add that TV does not prepare you for how loud the crowd gets at these games. We were both pretty sure that it was louder than an indoor basketball game, even though the stadium is outside and football sized...
In the mean time,
apartment pictures
and
yesterday's walk and the game
In the mean time,
apartment pictures
and
yesterday's walk and the game
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Moving into Paris
Sorry for the long gap between posts - we've been on the road for two weeks and pretty much haven't had internet access. Anyways, our two most recent visitors (grandma and ellie) are homeward bound and we have just moved into a petite apartment in the '6th'. For those who know Paris, we are on rue de Rennes just south of the Saint Sulpice church. I'll post some pics very soon.
Summary of our travels since the last post:
- The burgundy canal, which effectively links the Atlantic to the Mediterranean.
- Another Le Corbusier church (better than the last one!).
- The lion of Belfort, designed by Bartholdi, who also did the Statue of Liberty. This is carved into a cliff overlooking the city of Belfort. We also saw the smaller version of lady liberty, standing in a round about outside of Colmar.
- Several petite villages in the Alsace region, all of which have wine tasting (the region is known for its whites).
- Strasbourg
- Piper-Hiedsieck champagne making tour
- Epernay cathedral, including the smiling angel on the outside
- Moet & Chandon, the maker of Dom Perignon.
Here are the pics!
Summary of our travels since the last post:
- The burgundy canal, which effectively links the Atlantic to the Mediterranean.
- Another Le Corbusier church (better than the last one!).
- The lion of Belfort, designed by Bartholdi, who also did the Statue of Liberty. This is carved into a cliff overlooking the city of Belfort. We also saw the smaller version of lady liberty, standing in a round about outside of Colmar.
- Several petite villages in the Alsace region, all of which have wine tasting (the region is known for its whites).
- Strasbourg
- Piper-Hiedsieck champagne making tour
- Epernay cathedral, including the smiling angel on the outside
- Moet & Chandon, the maker of Dom Perignon.
Here are the pics!
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Traveling Through Wine Country
Sorry for the delay in posting, we've been traveling through wine country and haven't had much access to the internet. During our first day in Burgundy, we toured the entire stretch of vineyards in the region, and by the end of the day had tasted more than 26 wines at four different vineyards. Including the wine we drank with dinner and lunch, we drank about two bottles of wine per person. Both Gramma and Ellie didn't seem to have any trouble staying sober after the 26th wine, but even by the 15th wine I felt like I needed a few shots of RedBull to stay awake. Thankfully John didn't have to drive that day, as we had our own personal tour guide from the region to show us around.
Pictures for each day:
Day 1: We drove to Albi to visit a fortified church, and then to Millau to see the highest bridge/viaduct in the world,
Day 2: We drove through the Gorge du Tarn, then to Le Puy to see the church on top of the volcano, and then to Firminy to see Corbusier's modern church. We all agreed it was disappointing--the shape looked like an upside-down sinking ship, and the interior like freeway concrete. Amazingly it's reputed to become the 8th wonder of the modern world, so we think the 9th will have to be the overpass by the San Francisco airport.
Day 3: Visited a Rhone Valley vineyard, Guigal, which we enjoyed for the assembly line of bottles (video will be posted soon). From there we drove to Vienne to see the ruins of the old Roman city (pics of the Temple of Augustus and the theater).
Day 4: This would have been a beautiful drive and panoramic view along the mountains of the Rhone if not for the clouds and rain--the cloud cover was at 2,000 feet and we were up at 2,050.
Day 5: We drove to the old Roman city of Lyon--the cathedral with beautiful mosaics and the ruins of the old theater. Then we were off to the outskirts of Lyon to see the Henri Malartre Automobile Museum with the largest collection of classic French cars and motorcycles from the 1890's to the 1960's.
Day 6: The vineyards of Burgundy where John and I tried and failed to stay sober over the course of the day. But I'm happy to say that we now know a LOT about wines from Burgundy.
Tomorrow we're off to see another of Corbusier's modern architectural churches...I only hope it's better than his last one. After that we've still got the vineyards of Champagne to tour, so hopefully our massive tasting in Burgundy will have improved John and my tolerance for alcohol!
Pictures for each day:
Day 1: We drove to Albi to visit a fortified church, and then to Millau to see the highest bridge/viaduct in the world,
Day 2: We drove through the Gorge du Tarn, then to Le Puy to see the church on top of the volcano, and then to Firminy to see Corbusier's modern church. We all agreed it was disappointing--the shape looked like an upside-down sinking ship, and the interior like freeway concrete. Amazingly it's reputed to become the 8th wonder of the modern world, so we think the 9th will have to be the overpass by the San Francisco airport.
Day 3: Visited a Rhone Valley vineyard, Guigal, which we enjoyed for the assembly line of bottles (video will be posted soon). From there we drove to Vienne to see the ruins of the old Roman city (pics of the Temple of Augustus and the theater).
Day 4: This would have been a beautiful drive and panoramic view along the mountains of the Rhone if not for the clouds and rain--the cloud cover was at 2,000 feet and we were up at 2,050.
Day 5: We drove to the old Roman city of Lyon--the cathedral with beautiful mosaics and the ruins of the old theater. Then we were off to the outskirts of Lyon to see the Henri Malartre Automobile Museum with the largest collection of classic French cars and motorcycles from the 1890's to the 1960's.
Day 6: The vineyards of Burgundy where John and I tried and failed to stay sober over the course of the day. But I'm happy to say that we now know a LOT about wines from Burgundy.
Tomorrow we're off to see another of Corbusier's modern architectural churches...I only hope it's better than his last one. After that we've still got the vineyards of Champagne to tour, so hopefully our massive tasting in Burgundy will have improved John and my tolerance for alcohol!
Monday, April 30, 2007
Dining Out
So last week was our last week of school, and John and I only have a few more days left in Montpellier before we head off to meet Grandma and Ellie for a few weeks of travel through Burgundy and Champagne. Both of us had gotten to the point in our studies where we were starting to get a little bored with the classes, so I think that we are leaving at just the right time. We're at the point where we're comfortable communicating with french speakers, and in my class at least, we were starting to delve into some more advanced grammar studies which, while useful, were about as interesting as studying English grammar back in high school.
We had dinner with some friends the other night, which was notable for the shockingly obnoxious American couple that was sitting at an adjacent table. I felt extremely sorry for the waiter, who showed an exhorbitant amount of patience with these people who kept intermittently calling him "garcon" in order to get his attention and then yelling loudly about the food or the wine or whatever. I wanted to tell the waiter that he shouldn't get a bad impression about Americans based on this couple's behavior, which would be considered just as obnoxiously rude in an American restaurant, but before I had the chance, the husband swiveled around in his chair in order to engage our table in some conversation about what we had decided to order for dinner. After talking to them for a few minutes I realized that they were actually perfectly nice people, surprisingly well travelled, and very pleasant to talk to. I was trying to figure out why they were acting like such arrogant pricks a mere 5 minutes ago, when the husband asked me:
"So what's a good tip around here? We're totally clueless about this stuff."
Bingo. Clueless. I wonder if a lot of Americans give the rest of us a bad reputation as being arrogant and obnoxious simply because they're clueless. This couple was clearly very nice and obviously didn't intend to be rude, they just had no idea that they were offending the waiter and annoying everyone else around them by calling so much attention to themselves. I mean if something is considered rude in your country, it's probably not a good idea to do it in another country. After I told them how much to leave for the tip, I thought about also mentioning that they also shouldn't yell "garcon" across a restaurant in order to get the waiter, when the husband said:
"So what state do you live in? We're from Michigan but we tell everyone that we're Canadian."
....I guess it won't be Americans who end up with a bad reputation after all.
We had dinner with some friends the other night, which was notable for the shockingly obnoxious American couple that was sitting at an adjacent table. I felt extremely sorry for the waiter, who showed an exhorbitant amount of patience with these people who kept intermittently calling him "garcon" in order to get his attention and then yelling loudly about the food or the wine or whatever. I wanted to tell the waiter that he shouldn't get a bad impression about Americans based on this couple's behavior, which would be considered just as obnoxiously rude in an American restaurant, but before I had the chance, the husband swiveled around in his chair in order to engage our table in some conversation about what we had decided to order for dinner. After talking to them for a few minutes I realized that they were actually perfectly nice people, surprisingly well travelled, and very pleasant to talk to. I was trying to figure out why they were acting like such arrogant pricks a mere 5 minutes ago, when the husband asked me:
"So what's a good tip around here? We're totally clueless about this stuff."
Bingo. Clueless. I wonder if a lot of Americans give the rest of us a bad reputation as being arrogant and obnoxious simply because they're clueless. This couple was clearly very nice and obviously didn't intend to be rude, they just had no idea that they were offending the waiter and annoying everyone else around them by calling so much attention to themselves. I mean if something is considered rude in your country, it's probably not a good idea to do it in another country. After I told them how much to leave for the tip, I thought about also mentioning that they also shouldn't yell "garcon" across a restaurant in order to get the waiter, when the husband said:
"So what state do you live in? We're from Michigan but we tell everyone that we're Canadian."
....I guess it won't be Americans who end up with a bad reputation after all.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Sete, Arles, and Marseille
Busy travel weekend! On Saturday, Janet, Ilia, and I explored the small seaside city of Sete which is a 30 minute train ride from Montpellier. The guide book called this city the Venice of Languedoc because of the canals that run through the city (coincidentally, there is another similarity in that there is significant italian heritage among the population). Anyways, the highlights were the old port, great seafood, views from atop the hill, and one of the most interesting and scenic cemeteries I've ever seen.
Sete Pictures Here
On Sunday, we spent the morning and early afternoon in Arles. Unfortunately we didn't have time to see the museums, so we focused on the outdoor ruins like the roman coliseum, bath houses, theater, and mausoleum. However, what stole the show here was the preferred morning (10 am) drink among the elder ladies:
We then caught an afternoon train to Marseille, where we had just enough time to see the old port, ruins of the even older port, city wall, church, and some incredibly sketchy streets before the sun set. Janet took the shuttle to the airport, and Ilia and I took the train back home.
Alres and Marseille Picture Here
Sete Pictures Here
On Sunday, we spent the morning and early afternoon in Arles. Unfortunately we didn't have time to see the museums, so we focused on the outdoor ruins like the roman coliseum, bath houses, theater, and mausoleum. However, what stole the show here was the preferred morning (10 am) drink among the elder ladies:
We then caught an afternoon train to Marseille, where we had just enough time to see the old port, ruins of the even older port, city wall, church, and some incredibly sketchy streets before the sun set. Janet took the shuttle to the airport, and Ilia and I took the train back home.
Alres and Marseille Picture Here
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
A Different Perspective
Not a day goes by in France without hearing news about the United States. In the newspapers and on the tv, John and I are constantly hearing about the latest political, social, and other miscellaneous happenings in our country, which is why I am no longer surprised when someone from France or Sweden or even Lichtenstein (sp?) knows the names and political leanings of many of our politicians, including the current batch of presidential candidates. It's especially embarrassing for me at times, because aside from knowing who Jacques Chirac is, I can't even tell you the name of one of the 13 presidential candidates in France even though their elections are coming up this Sunday. It always feels a bit strange when someone from another country has a knowledgeable political discussion with me about America, especially when I can't speak much to the politics of other countries other than in a general sense. It gets even worse when one is corrected in front of the entire class by an Italian student on a random tidbit of American history, which happened to me just the other day. Regardless, it is quite obvious that the world, whether they love the US or hate it, is interested in what is happening in our country, which is yet one of many differences that I've discovered while living in France.
In so many other ways I am constantly reminded about how truly unique the US is in the world, from the most minor differences like the 30hr workweek vs the 40+ hr workweek to the entirely different ways in which we Americans think and value what's important in life. Much of the time these little cultural differences come as pleasant reminders of the great things about our country, sometimes funny and sometimes very ordinary, they often make me think that we have it pretty great in America. But then on your way to class one the morning you see the horror at Virginia Tech splashed all over the newspapers, and you can't help but think, why does this happen so much in the US? The reaction in France has seemed to be one of great sympathy for our country right now, apart from the horror at the thought that someone could commit such an atrocity. In reading the French newspapers concerning the tragedy I noticed that they kept using the English terms "mass murder" and "school shootings" in lieu of using a similar phrase in French. Is it that they simply don't have the words for such atrocities, or are they so common in the US as to be better known around the world by their English names?
Whatever the case, it seems to be a problem of the human condition that we have not yet been able to solve. Our hearts and thoughts are with the families and the students at Virginia Tech, and not just John's and mine, but from what I've encountered thus far, the hearts and thoughts of everyone in France as well.
In so many other ways I am constantly reminded about how truly unique the US is in the world, from the most minor differences like the 30hr workweek vs the 40+ hr workweek to the entirely different ways in which we Americans think and value what's important in life. Much of the time these little cultural differences come as pleasant reminders of the great things about our country, sometimes funny and sometimes very ordinary, they often make me think that we have it pretty great in America. But then on your way to class one the morning you see the horror at Virginia Tech splashed all over the newspapers, and you can't help but think, why does this happen so much in the US? The reaction in France has seemed to be one of great sympathy for our country right now, apart from the horror at the thought that someone could commit such an atrocity. In reading the French newspapers concerning the tragedy I noticed that they kept using the English terms "mass murder" and "school shootings" in lieu of using a similar phrase in French. Is it that they simply don't have the words for such atrocities, or are they so common in the US as to be better known around the world by their English names?
Whatever the case, it seems to be a problem of the human condition that we have not yet been able to solve. Our hearts and thoughts are with the families and the students at Virginia Tech, and not just John's and mine, but from what I've encountered thus far, the hearts and thoughts of everyone in France as well.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Pictures from travels
We rented a car this past weekend with Jan and Janet visiting. We were able to see several towns in the vicinity here, including Avignon, Sete, Marssaillan, Pont du Gard, Aiges Mortes, St Marie de la mer, St Guilem la desert (which was amazing).
Unfortunately, the weather was not the greatest while we were at the beach, but by Sunday it was all sun!
Here are the pics!
Unfortunately, the weather was not the greatest while we were at the beach, but by Sunday it was all sun!
Here are the pics!
Monday, April 16, 2007
Miscellaneous Adventures
Unfortunately our internet connection at the Intermarche, which has thus far been our most reliable source, suddenly stopped working last week for whatever reason and has just now finally come back on. Regardless, we spent our time with John's mom in Montpellier, eating at some fabulous restaurants with all kinds of interesting French dishes. You know that you're in France when your idea of "eating light" after three days of rich food becomes something like a steak slathered in goat cheese. Janet arrived this weekend as well, and we spent some time exploring Provence (pictures coming soon).
We also had dinner with Jean-Jacque and Josienne at a very very very nice restaurant, where I had one of my top 5 best meals. I don't know what it is about the french, but they sure can make just about anything taste pretty good, even pigs' feet which was my first course. I've also had the pleasure of eating kangaroo, which was fun for the sheer novelty alone, although it didn't really have much taste which I guess means it tasted kind of like chicken.
I've finally gotten to the point in French where I no longer dread speaking to French people, which I used to avoid at times. That might be thanks to my new teacher, who I think must miss the days when she could strike students with a yardstick (or meter stick over here I suppose) when we give the wrong answer. Given the added pressure to say things correctly lest I incur her wrath, I've become much more conscientious when speaking. But it's mostly just nice to finally be able to understand people when they talk to me (especially Jean Jacque, who, it turns out, did not kill two Algerians but was the intended victim--whew!)
Everything has been going pretty well lately, the guy from whom we buy our crepes every day knows us pretty well by now and doesn't need to ask us which kind of crepe we want anymore. We've also gotten accustomed to eating one baguette per day, so we feel more and more assimilated to life in Montpellier. I'm definitely getting excited for Paris, but I get a little sad when I realize that we're only going to be living here for another two weeks. I know I could easily spend several years here, six months is just not enough time!
Anyway we have much more to say after not posting for a week or so, but for now I have to go write a report for class tomorrow. John, as usual, has no homework (I don't know how he always manages to get into classes which don't give homework).
We also had dinner with Jean-Jacque and Josienne at a very very very nice restaurant, where I had one of my top 5 best meals. I don't know what it is about the french, but they sure can make just about anything taste pretty good, even pigs' feet which was my first course. I've also had the pleasure of eating kangaroo, which was fun for the sheer novelty alone, although it didn't really have much taste which I guess means it tasted kind of like chicken.
I've finally gotten to the point in French where I no longer dread speaking to French people, which I used to avoid at times. That might be thanks to my new teacher, who I think must miss the days when she could strike students with a yardstick (or meter stick over here I suppose) when we give the wrong answer. Given the added pressure to say things correctly lest I incur her wrath, I've become much more conscientious when speaking. But it's mostly just nice to finally be able to understand people when they talk to me (especially Jean Jacque, who, it turns out, did not kill two Algerians but was the intended victim--whew!)
Everything has been going pretty well lately, the guy from whom we buy our crepes every day knows us pretty well by now and doesn't need to ask us which kind of crepe we want anymore. We've also gotten accustomed to eating one baguette per day, so we feel more and more assimilated to life in Montpellier. I'm definitely getting excited for Paris, but I get a little sad when I realize that we're only going to be living here for another two weeks. I know I could easily spend several years here, six months is just not enough time!
Anyway we have much more to say after not posting for a week or so, but for now I have to go write a report for class tomorrow. John, as usual, has no homework (I don't know how he always manages to get into classes which don't give homework).
Monday, April 9, 2007
Cote D'Azur
We've just returned from a fun weekend in Cannes where we stayed with Geoff. On Friday, we caught a train after school that put is in Cannes just before 7. That night we had dinner in a small town called Mougins, a short drive inland from Cannes. The food was outstanding, we tried a local specialty of fish soup served with bread, garlic mayonnaise and parmasian cheese. After that we hit up a very fun club back in Cannes located in a marina.
Saturday was spent catching rays at the local pool and down by the ocean - Geoff's place is in a small cliffy enclosure in a town called Theoule, west of Cannes. The included pictures will do the place more justice than any description!
Saturday night we went back into Cannes for another night of dinner and drinks. It was fun seeing the town by night - The famous hotels like the Majestic (parts of the movie Ronin were filmed there!) as well as the Cannes Film Festival building and its famous red carpet staircase. Sunday morning we had to get up early to get back to Monpellier, where my mom was due to arrive early in the afternoon. She made it, and we were able to walk around town and have dinner at a Crepe place before passing out!
Pictures
Geoff and Mr. Hsu, thanks again for a lovely weekend!
Saturday was spent catching rays at the local pool and down by the ocean - Geoff's place is in a small cliffy enclosure in a town called Theoule, west of Cannes. The included pictures will do the place more justice than any description!
Saturday night we went back into Cannes for another night of dinner and drinks. It was fun seeing the town by night - The famous hotels like the Majestic (parts of the movie Ronin were filmed there!) as well as the Cannes Film Festival building and its famous red carpet staircase. Sunday morning we had to get up early to get back to Monpellier, where my mom was due to arrive early in the afternoon. She made it, and we were able to walk around town and have dinner at a Crepe place before passing out!
Pictures
Geoff and Mr. Hsu, thanks again for a lovely weekend!
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Montpellier wins 2-1!
Last Friday night we went to our first european soccer game. The local team in Montpellier plays in the 2nd division, which is one tier below the top flight known as Ligue 1. Most americans would be quick to associate the 2nd division w/ the minor leagues of baseball, but I think a better analogy would be a smaller D1 NCAA basketball conference. In other words, the fans are as enthusiastic about their team as those of any Lique 1 team, although less of them come to the stadium while their team is not in the top tier (the best three teams in the 2nd division go into Ligue 1 the following season, and the bottom three from Ligue 1 drop down).
The staduim, which was probably built with Ligue 1 in mind, had enough vacant seats to remind us of a Monday night A's game in May. There was nonetheless a group of 50 or so die hards seated behind the goalie who raucously sang for the entire game. Big soccer teams (like those in Milan or London) have thousands of these singing fans, so it was quite funny to see such a small group.
It's also worth noting that this Ligue 2 game, with all of 4 thousand spectateurs, had as many scalpers as a 25,000 person NBA game. They were at least three times as pushy as well, accosting people while attempting to undercut 5 euro tickets by a whopping euro. We had to use the ol' "I no speak french" routine to ward them off (sadly, they still didn't give up).
Friday, March 30, 2007
An Unfortunate Translation
One insult that we have in American English is to call someone a "douchebag," which comes from the fact that a douche in the United States is a feminine hygiene product. Unfortunately the word "doucher" is also the French verb for "to bathe," but I find that I never feel entirely comfortable using that verb as a description of something I do every day.
So I suppose it's incredibly immature, but we Americans always have to suppress a giggle when someone says during a class discussion about daily activities, "D'abord, je me douche." (Literal translation: First, I take a shower. Yet somehow that's not quite what I picture in my head!). Even more funny when a guy says it.
So I suppose it's incredibly immature, but we Americans always have to suppress a giggle when someone says during a class discussion about daily activities, "D'abord, je me douche." (Literal translation: First, I take a shower. Yet somehow that's not quite what I picture in my head!). Even more funny when a guy says it.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Email is down
Unfortunately, our gmail accounts have been (and still are) inaccessible for the past 3 days, so if anyone has been trying to contact us, that is why we have not yet responded.
In the meantime, there isn't too much to report here. We've both been studying quite a bit lately, although Ilia a bit more than me. Ilia is moving up to a higher level next week, and I may do so as well (she is already at a higher level, so we would still be in different classes). Ilia really likes her current teacher, and is jealous that I may get her next week. Although, I think that teacher gives too much homework -- Ilia spent quite a while yesterday working on an oral presentation, and she has quizzes every morning. I like my free time approach where I can read about stuff I like (i.e. le foot).
All in all, we are actually making really good progress right now. I finally feel like I can communicate most basic ideas, and hold a real conversation.
In the meantime, there isn't too much to report here. We've both been studying quite a bit lately, although Ilia a bit more than me. Ilia is moving up to a higher level next week, and I may do so as well (she is already at a higher level, so we would still be in different classes). Ilia really likes her current teacher, and is jealous that I may get her next week. Although, I think that teacher gives too much homework -- Ilia spent quite a while yesterday working on an oral presentation, and she has quizzes every morning. I like my free time approach where I can read about stuff I like (i.e. le foot).
All in all, we are actually making really good progress right now. I finally feel like I can communicate most basic ideas, and hold a real conversation.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Buffy la Executrice du Vampire
I think we might have found the very best method possible for improving my comprehension--episodes of Buffy en francais. Since I practically know every episode word for word (in English of course), it's been very beneficial to watch the same episodes in French, which helps me get a better sense for how the French would say the same kinds of ideas. It's definitely not a word for word translation, but I'm starting to get an idea as to how people talk in certain situations--mostly those among the main characters of course. I doubt that it's really going to help me very much to know how one might interact with a vampire or an Incan mummy brought back to life.
We've also started renting the Star Wars movies and watching them in French as well, which has been equally helpful for both John and I. Interestingly enough, the dialogue in the first three prequels is actually less painful to hear in French than in English, perhaps because when they translated it to French they did so in a way that didn't sound completely forced and ridiculous (esp the scene in Sith: "It's only because I'm so in love with you." "No, no, it's only because I'm so in love with you!") Even the voice guy who did Jar Jar Binks wasn't nearly as annoying as the English version, which goes a long way toward making the first prequel much easier to watch. Actually the most impressive thing was that either James Earl Jones can speak a little French, or the French voice guy they found for Vader's voice in Sith is the French equivalent of James Earl Jones.
On a side note, French cell phones apparently don't automatically adjust to daylight savings time like American phones do, which John and I found out the hard way when we arrived to school this morning thinking we were right on time, when we were actually an hour late.
Que la force soit avec toi (May the force be with you).
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Misc. stuff
Yesterday I finally found a free, downloadable french dictionary. For the mac. Here is the link for reference sake:
http://mac.softpedia.com/progDownload/MDict-Download-21370.html
Since we don't have internet at home, we are forced to use a real dictionary to look up words during our daily newspaper read. This tends to get extremely tedious for a beginner. The ability to have the laptop open, type in a word, and get an immediate definition is priceless. In addition, you can type in a french OR an english word, and it will give you the correct direction of translation. I think I may use this application even when I have internet, since it is lightning fast!
In other non-news, we've started using our kitchen a bit more now. We have been trying some of the great french produce, and so far it has been up to expectation. In particular, we liked the tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, and shallots. Also, the mache lettuce is very easy to find - not always the case in the states.
We need to start trying some of the fruits too!
http://mac.softpedia.com/progDownload/MDict-Download-21370.html
Since we don't have internet at home, we are forced to use a real dictionary to look up words during our daily newspaper read. This tends to get extremely tedious for a beginner. The ability to have the laptop open, type in a word, and get an immediate definition is priceless. In addition, you can type in a french OR an english word, and it will give you the correct direction of translation. I think I may use this application even when I have internet, since it is lightning fast!
In other non-news, we've started using our kitchen a bit more now. We have been trying some of the great french produce, and so far it has been up to expectation. In particular, we liked the tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, and shallots. Also, the mache lettuce is very easy to find - not always the case in the states.
We need to start trying some of the fruits too!
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Misunderstanding the French Language #1
Store Clerk: "Si vous achetez un gateau, le deuxieme est gratuit, et si vous achetez trois patisseries, la quatrieme est aussi gratuite."
What John thought: "There was a cat that touched all these pastries, so they're kind of gross but you can have them for free if you want."
Ilia: "Merci, mais nous voudrions juste une patisserie si'il vous plait."
John: "What was she saying about a cat?"
Ilia: "A cat...?"
John: "She was saying something about a gateau..."
Ilia: "Gateau means 'cake' not 'cat.'"
Actual translation: "If you buy one cake the second is free, and if you buy three pastries, the fourth is also free."
What John thought: "There was a cat that touched all these pastries, so they're kind of gross but you can have them for free if you want."
Ilia: "Merci, mais nous voudrions juste une patisserie si'il vous plait."
John: "What was she saying about a cat?"
Ilia: "A cat...?"
John: "She was saying something about a gateau..."
Ilia: "Gateau means 'cake' not 'cat.'"
Actual translation: "If you buy one cake the second is free, and if you buy three pastries, the fourth is also free."
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
More Pictures
I've finally got some more pictures up. There are some of us eating, sites in Montpellier, trip to the beach, nightlife, and more!
More Photos
More Photos
Soccer on the Beach
One of the big downsides of this language program is that students are constantly coming and going--some stay for a year, some for just a few months, and many just for a few weeks. So you make friends with all these people, and every week one or two of them take off back to their home country. It's really sad to say goodbye because you may never see this person again, after having had such a good time with him/her for the past several weeks. Such was the case with Benno, the first student whom we met when we got here, who had to return to Germany on Saturday. His last full day was Friday, and we made sure that it was a fun one.
After classes, we all headed off to the beach, which is only a half hour trip by tram and then bus. The water is way too cold to swim in during this time of year, but unlike the bay area water it actually heats up to a pleasant degree later in the summer. We were just getting ready to play some 4 on 4 soccer, when these random french guys (in really, really, ridiculously tight shorts) showed up and wanted to play as well. It turned out to be a pretty good game aside from the death shells which were scattered around the beach and caused a few minor injuries here and there. All in all in was pretty good exercise, because aside from walking absolutely everywhere we haven't been doing any real exercising. After the game we all sat on the beach drinking a few beers.
That night we all had dinner at a french (of course) restaurant in town. I had my "maigret du canard" which I've been dying to eat since we got here. Although to my complete dismay, they didn't have any creme brulee, and neither has any other restaurant that we've been to in France. I wonder if it's actually more common in the US than in France--I really hope not! After several hours at various clubs, we finally said goodbye at 4am, and then proceeded to sleep our entire Saturday away. It was definitely very sad saying goodbye to Benno, and I really hope that at some point in the future we'll have an opportunity to see him again. I am really glad that John and I are staying here for two months, but it is going to be hard saying goodbye to people all the time. Anyway, so long Benno, you will definitely be missed around here.
After classes, we all headed off to the beach, which is only a half hour trip by tram and then bus. The water is way too cold to swim in during this time of year, but unlike the bay area water it actually heats up to a pleasant degree later in the summer. We were just getting ready to play some 4 on 4 soccer, when these random french guys (in really, really, ridiculously tight shorts) showed up and wanted to play as well. It turned out to be a pretty good game aside from the death shells which were scattered around the beach and caused a few minor injuries here and there. All in all in was pretty good exercise, because aside from walking absolutely everywhere we haven't been doing any real exercising. After the game we all sat on the beach drinking a few beers.
That night we all had dinner at a french (of course) restaurant in town. I had my "maigret du canard" which I've been dying to eat since we got here. Although to my complete dismay, they didn't have any creme brulee, and neither has any other restaurant that we've been to in France. I wonder if it's actually more common in the US than in France--I really hope not! After several hours at various clubs, we finally said goodbye at 4am, and then proceeded to sleep our entire Saturday away. It was definitely very sad saying goodbye to Benno, and I really hope that at some point in the future we'll have an opportunity to see him again. I am really glad that John and I are staying here for two months, but it is going to be hard saying goodbye to people all the time. Anyway, so long Benno, you will definitely be missed around here.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Pub Soccer
Last night we went to an Irish pub to watch some soccer. PSG, the team from Paris, was playing in a european tournament and the most obvious place to watch a game over here is at pubs. Most of the games are on premium channels, so you can't really avoid the smokey bar thing if you want to watch soccer. It's funny how almost every city in europe has an Irish pub - although people appreciate this particular ubiquity, unlike mcdonalds!
Anyhow, it is friday afternoon, class is out, and we are going to the beach! We will definitely post pics soon, from last week and this coming weekend.
-- One last thing: there is pretty much no way for us to watch march madness... however I suppose not much has changed for Stanford, as we managed to give up 46 points in the first half of our defeat yesterday.
Anyhow, it is friday afternoon, class is out, and we are going to the beach! We will definitely post pics soon, from last week and this coming weekend.
-- One last thing: there is pretty much no way for us to watch march madness... however I suppose not much has changed for Stanford, as we managed to give up 46 points in the first half of our defeat yesterday.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
All the way up to 30 degrees!
I think if you want to learn a foreign language, total submersion is definitely the way to go. I can't recall actually enjoying studying french in school as much as I am right now, what with the vibrant social nightlife among the other students, and the learning of all these French customs (both the good and the bad), along with being on what feels like an extremely extended vacation--I'm almost starting to think that we should have planned to stay in Montpellier for the entire 6 months. One thing that I've finally gotten used to is the 24-hour clock that they use over here, although I haven't gotten used to the whole celcius thing yet. Everytime someone enthusiastically talks about it getting up to the 30's I want to look at them like they're crazy or something. 30 degrees sounds pretty freakin cold to me, but it corresponds to something "really hot" in fahrenheit. I don't even want to get started on kilos vs. pounds, etc... No clue there.
One adjustment that both John and I have easily picked up, however, is the legality of drinking beers in the street. We're loving this total lack of an open container law, although the first night John walked out of our apartment with a beer I was certain he was going to be arrested (he wasn't).
Our french is getting much better, we can now almost have simple conversations with each other, and there's much less "uhhh....uhhhh..." going on when we speak. My instructor has taken to calling me "La Dictionaire," which is good from the standpoint that I'm getting better at French, but I'm not sure I like being the goody-two-shoes of the class.
One adjustment that both John and I have easily picked up, however, is the legality of drinking beers in the street. We're loving this total lack of an open container law, although the first night John walked out of our apartment with a beer I was certain he was going to be arrested (he wasn't).
Our french is getting much better, we can now almost have simple conversations with each other, and there's much less "uhhh....uhhhh..." going on when we speak. My instructor has taken to calling me "La Dictionaire," which is good from the standpoint that I'm getting better at French, but I'm not sure I like being the goody-two-shoes of the class.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Verbs in Python
The French language has 46 irregular verbs. For some reason I think this number is much higher than in Italian and Spanish, but I could be wrong. Regardless, I asked my teacher why so many seemingly important verbs (i.e. to be, to go, to have, etc.) are irregular, and his answer was that irregularity was caused by verbs being used all them time.
A light came on in my head - perhaps the irregular verbs, the ones beginners tend to avoid, are the best verbs to start with since they are the most commonly used -- normally I would want to stick to the easily conjugatable 'regular' verbs, and handle the exceptions later on. Realizing that French has 46 irregular verbs, I figured this would be a chance to use my ability to talk to computers to improve my ability to talk to French people. The following code snippet is part of my quiz program which should invoke a smile in all those python lovers out there (non-techies: python is a programming language):
verbEndings = [
['ais', 'ais', 'ait', 'ions', 'iez', 'aient'], # imparfait
['ai', 'as', 'a', 'ons', 'ez', 'ont'], # future
['ais', 'ais', 'ait', 'ions', 'iez', 'aient'], # conditional
['e','es','e','ions', 'iez', 'ent'], # subj
['sse', 'sses', 't', 'ssions', 'ssiez', 'ssent'], # imparfait subj
]
verbData = {
'avoir':
[
'to have',
['ai', 'as', 'a', 'avons', 'avez', 'ont'],
['eu', 'avoir'],
'av',
'aur',
'eur',
['aie', 'aies', 'ait', 'ayons', 'ayez', 'aient'],
'eu',
],
'etre':
[
'to be',
['suis', 'es', 'est', 'sommes', 'etes', 'sont'],
['ete', 'avoir'],
'et',
'ser',
'ser',
['sois', 'sois', 'soit', 'soyons', 'soyez', 'soient'],
'fu',
],
...
I've actually stemmed all 46 irregular verbs, which the program can conjugate into:
- present
- past participle
- imperfect
- future
- conditional
- present subjunctive
- imperfect subjunctive
I just realized that I left out the imperative tense. I had assumed this was a clone of the subjunctive, but I should have known better. Sigh, more work to do.
A light came on in my head - perhaps the irregular verbs, the ones beginners tend to avoid, are the best verbs to start with since they are the most commonly used -- normally I would want to stick to the easily conjugatable 'regular' verbs, and handle the exceptions later on. Realizing that French has 46 irregular verbs, I figured this would be a chance to use my ability to talk to computers to improve my ability to talk to French people. The following code snippet is part of my quiz program which should invoke a smile in all those python lovers out there (non-techies: python is a programming language):
verbEndings = [
['ais', 'ais', 'ait', 'ions', 'iez', 'aient'], # imparfait
['ai', 'as', 'a', 'ons', 'ez', 'ont'], # future
['ais', 'ais', 'ait', 'ions', 'iez', 'aient'], # conditional
['e','es','e','ions', 'iez', 'ent'], # subj
['sse', 'sses', 't', 'ssions', 'ssiez', 'ssent'], # imparfait subj
]
verbData = {
'avoir':
[
'to have',
['ai', 'as', 'a', 'avons', 'avez', 'ont'],
['eu', 'avoir'],
'av',
'aur',
'eur',
['aie', 'aies', 'ait', 'ayons', 'ayez', 'aient'],
'eu',
],
'etre':
[
'to be',
['suis', 'es', 'est', 'sommes', 'etes', 'sont'],
['ete', 'avoir'],
'et',
'ser',
'ser',
['sois', 'sois', 'soit', 'soyons', 'soyez', 'soient'],
'fu',
],
...
I've actually stemmed all 46 irregular verbs, which the program can conjugate into:
- present
- past participle
- imperfect
- future
- conditional
- present subjunctive
- imperfect subjunctive
I just realized that I left out the imperative tense. I had assumed this was a clone of the subjunctive, but I should have known better. Sigh, more work to do.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Internet
Life is hard without it. Right now, our only access to the internet is:
a) at the school
b) internet cafe
c) real cafe
The school is the best setup. They have a wireless network in the building with a very guessable password that they tell you. We are now eating our lunches in an empty classroom so we can check email and blog regularly. On weekends (and friday afternoons unfortunately) we are forced to venture elsewhere for internet -- I was wondering if we could just hover outside the closed school building, but our friend Benno said he tried that and it didn't work. This brings us to the next best option, the internet cafe. At 1 euro per hour, it's actually a pretty good deal. However, there our 2 major problems:
1) The French keyboard. Terrible. You have to use the shift key to type a period. M is somewhere weird, so you find 2 exceptions in typing '.com'
2) There's no way I am going to log into a bank account on a public computer. Bad Idea.
The third option is actually quite nice, albeit expensive. Many cafes in public squares offer internet access for their patrons. Downside is that you have to buy a drink, which is at least 3 euros. Not a bad thing if you were going to go cafe-ing regardless, but in terms of internet alone it is expensive.
a) at the school
b) internet cafe
c) real cafe
The school is the best setup. They have a wireless network in the building with a very guessable password that they tell you. We are now eating our lunches in an empty classroom so we can check email and blog regularly. On weekends (and friday afternoons unfortunately) we are forced to venture elsewhere for internet -- I was wondering if we could just hover outside the closed school building, but our friend Benno said he tried that and it didn't work. This brings us to the next best option, the internet cafe. At 1 euro per hour, it's actually a pretty good deal. However, there our 2 major problems:
1) The French keyboard. Terrible. You have to use the shift key to type a period. M is somewhere weird, so you find 2 exceptions in typing '.com'
2) There's no way I am going to log into a bank account on a public computer. Bad Idea.
The third option is actually quite nice, albeit expensive. Many cafes in public squares offer internet access for their patrons. Downside is that you have to buy a drink, which is at least 3 euros. Not a bad thing if you were going to go cafe-ing regardless, but in terms of internet alone it is expensive.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Les SDF
One of the problems we've been encountering in Montpellier over this past week has been the constant need to watch the ground when we walk down the street in order to avoid stepping in the many piles of dog poo (or as the French refer to it, "les dejections canines" which sounds much more civilized). Apparently there is a 100 Euro fine if the police catch you failing to clean up after your dog, so I have been wondering why there could possibly be so much poo all over the streets if there is such a hefty fine.
The other thing that I have noticed in Montpellier is that for a city of such small size, there is a disproportionately large number of homeless people, especially compared to San Francisco which has no shortage of homeless. The difference is that SF has about just under a milion inhabitants, whereas Montpellier has somewhere around 240,000 people. I think without exception, every single homeless person that I have seen in Montpellier has been accompanied by a dog and sometimes several dogs. Given the large number of homeless people (or the SDF--personnes Sans Domicile Fixe as the French refer to them--in the US we call them BUMS), who obviously cannot pay a 100 Euro fine when the police see them with their dog droppings, it finally dawned on me that all the poo in the streets is from all the SDF dogs.
Apparently the reason there are so many SDF in Montpellier is because it is the only city in the south of France to have a law that if someone has a dog with them, they cannot be arrested. Dogs cannot be left unattended, so all of the SDF get dogs (and subsequently leave their poo in the street) so that they can carry drugs or whatever without fear of being arrested by the police. In essence, Montpellier has all the bums from Nice, Marseille, Toulouse, etc... so needless to say there is quite a lot of dog poo that one has to watch out for.
Many cities in Europe have had this same law in the past, but few still have it. John commented that he recalled seeing many dogs with bums in Italy (esp. of the rotweiller looking type), even though they probably don't have this law. Even though this law no longer exists (except in Montpellier), many European bums still own dogs as it has now become part of their "culture."
Anyway, I'm just wondering how long it is going to be before I accidentally step in a big pile of "merde."
The other thing that I have noticed in Montpellier is that for a city of such small size, there is a disproportionately large number of homeless people, especially compared to San Francisco which has no shortage of homeless. The difference is that SF has about just under a milion inhabitants, whereas Montpellier has somewhere around 240,000 people. I think without exception, every single homeless person that I have seen in Montpellier has been accompanied by a dog and sometimes several dogs. Given the large number of homeless people (or the SDF--personnes Sans Domicile Fixe as the French refer to them--in the US we call them BUMS), who obviously cannot pay a 100 Euro fine when the police see them with their dog droppings, it finally dawned on me that all the poo in the streets is from all the SDF dogs.
Apparently the reason there are so many SDF in Montpellier is because it is the only city in the south of France to have a law that if someone has a dog with them, they cannot be arrested. Dogs cannot be left unattended, so all of the SDF get dogs (and subsequently leave their poo in the street) so that they can carry drugs or whatever without fear of being arrested by the police. In essence, Montpellier has all the bums from Nice, Marseille, Toulouse, etc... so needless to say there is quite a lot of dog poo that one has to watch out for.
Many cities in Europe have had this same law in the past, but few still have it. John commented that he recalled seeing many dogs with bums in Italy (esp. of the rotweiller looking type), even though they probably don't have this law. Even though this law no longer exists (except in Montpellier), many European bums still own dogs as it has now become part of their "culture."
Anyway, I'm just wondering how long it is going to be before I accidentally step in a big pile of "merde."
Friday, March 9, 2007
Working the Brain
We didn't have much to add on Thursday, just the usual school and such, which has been sucking out most of our energy lately. The early phase of learning a new language is very demanding and you have to think hard to say just about anything. Neither of us are anti social, but it can be quite annoying when another student tries to speak to us in French during one of our breaks--it's kind of like someone walks up to you and politely asks, "Hey, what's the square root of 655?" You literally feel physically exhausted after these lessons sometimes.
Trying to fit in with our 20-year old friends, we did go to another house party last night, although came home before midnight this time. There's definitely a group forming here of german, mexican, swedish, italian, and swiss. At one point in the night it was literally a cacaphony of english, spanish, italian, german, and swedish echoing through this tiny apartment. Ironic that no french could be heard, despite the fact that we're all here to learn it.
On the food front, we're pretty much eating stuff from grocery stores and haven't hit any restaurants yet. Perhaps this weekend would be a good time!
Trying to fit in with our 20-year old friends, we did go to another house party last night, although came home before midnight this time. There's definitely a group forming here of german, mexican, swedish, italian, and swiss. At one point in the night it was literally a cacaphony of english, spanish, italian, german, and swedish echoing through this tiny apartment. Ironic that no french could be heard, despite the fact that we're all here to learn it.
On the food front, we're pretty much eating stuff from grocery stores and haven't hit any restaurants yet. Perhaps this weekend would be a good time!
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Avec le Smile
We started off last night with dinner at Josienne's, where we were treated to an authentic home cooked French meal. I still have a lot of trouble understanding Jean-Jacque, but John impressed everyone with his ability to string together several complete sentences as opposed to absolutely nothing two days ago.
One of my homework assignments earlier this week was to list three cultural differences between the US and France, and I think after going to the Australian bar last night I should have enough material to complete my assignment and then some. John and I were expecting the Austrialian bar to be full of Austrialians, but apparently it's just the theme of the place. We definitely felt extremely American, as it was evident that our "going out" clothes were not nearly as chic as the European styles--more so in John's case, as it seems that he will have to start buying clothes two sizes smaller in order to fit in properly. Other than the clothes, however, we almost could have been in any American bar circa 1970/1980. Apparently music from the 70's and 80's is very popular over here--and going out on a Tuesday night is very popular over here as well considering how packed this place got. I was very impressed, actually, that everyone can go out until 2am on a Tuesday night. I guess Montpellier really is a college town! I found it amusing that we went from 70's/80's music to contemporary American rap, to classic American rock, and then to some pretty hard core techno. The bar was closed out to Frank Sinatra's New York, New York, and by 3am we were finally back at our apartment.
More Photos Here
John had some misgivings about the men's bathroom, however:
Don't get too close to that wall!
Also, if anyone is interested, you can dress up like a superhero and come to the Australian bar on March 14... avec le smile (with a smile):
One of my homework assignments earlier this week was to list three cultural differences between the US and France, and I think after going to the Australian bar last night I should have enough material to complete my assignment and then some. John and I were expecting the Austrialian bar to be full of Austrialians, but apparently it's just the theme of the place. We definitely felt extremely American, as it was evident that our "going out" clothes were not nearly as chic as the European styles--more so in John's case, as it seems that he will have to start buying clothes two sizes smaller in order to fit in properly. Other than the clothes, however, we almost could have been in any American bar circa 1970/1980. Apparently music from the 70's and 80's is very popular over here--and going out on a Tuesday night is very popular over here as well considering how packed this place got. I was very impressed, actually, that everyone can go out until 2am on a Tuesday night. I guess Montpellier really is a college town! I found it amusing that we went from 70's/80's music to contemporary American rap, to classic American rock, and then to some pretty hard core techno. The bar was closed out to Frank Sinatra's New York, New York, and by 3am we were finally back at our apartment.
More Photos Here
John had some misgivings about the men's bathroom, however:
Don't get too close to that wall!
Also, if anyone is interested, you can dress up like a superhero and come to the Australian bar on March 14... avec le smile (with a smile):
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Pictures up
We've posted some pictures of our apartment as well as some from the city center.
Apartment
City
Tonight we are having dinner at Josienne's house with Jean-Jacque and Benno. Afterwards we are going to some australian bar with a bunch of other students, where we will hopefully see some champions league soccer.
Our french is getting better, enough so that we can now understand our teachers, although buying our cell phone yesterday proved to be quite a challenge, involving a lot of pointing and "pardon?". It is difficult because French has a lot of words that are strung together for phonetic reasons, and it takes some time to get used to decoding these continuous sounds into individual words.
Apartment
City
Tonight we are having dinner at Josienne's house with Jean-Jacque and Benno. Afterwards we are going to some australian bar with a bunch of other students, where we will hopefully see some champions league soccer.
Our french is getting better, enough so that we can now understand our teachers, although buying our cell phone yesterday proved to be quite a challenge, involving a lot of pointing and "pardon?". It is difficult because French has a lot of words that are strung together for phonetic reasons, and it takes some time to get used to decoding these continuous sounds into individual words.
Monday, March 5, 2007
Fresh Eggs and Choc'n Crisp
Last night we got to know our landlords, Mr. Martorell and Josienne, as well as another ILP student Benoh (sp??) from Germany. Mr. Martorell doesn't speak any English at all, so most of our conversations with him consist of rapid-fire French followed by us nodding our heads as though we understand. In fact, in one of our first conversations with him, we were able to divine that he is from Algeria but has lived in Montpellier since 1993--we're not sure if he left because two Algerians tried to kill him or whether he killed two Algerians. We like the former better. Anyway, he brought us fresh eggs in the morning from some chickens that he keeps, although we have no idea where he keeps these chickens. Either way, this morning we ate Choc'n Crisp cereal instead. We also bought our first bottle of French wine, for a mere 4 euros. It's from the Languedoc region, which is where Montpellier is.
Our first class went well--John and I are in different levels but both of our classes are very small. He only has one other student in his class, so he gets a lot of one on one time with his instructor. I have five other students in my level, and we all seem to understand about 50% of what our instructor says as the class is entirely in French, but both John and I were pleased with our first day and feel that the classes are going to be extremely beneficial. We've made friends with a group of students from several different levels and several different countries. I guess not surprisingly they all speak English, so we haven't been conversing with them in French so far. Although since English is the only common language among all of us, I suppose it's the easiest to use for everyone. We all ate lunch together at the University cafeteria (the real university, not ILP), which is only 5 euros but the food was not as exquisite as I had imagined all French food to be. Still, it was fun to see a french college lunch.
So far John has been finding the pronunciation and the adjoining of certain words to be a major obstacle for both speaking and comprehension, but I think he is doing better than he thinks. He can read French pretty well, and I don't think it will take him long to figure out the pronunciation once he gets used to it after a few weeks. Starting next week, we're going to try to speak to each other only in French as much as possible (but we'll keep blogging in English).
John is going to set up a slideshow online for us to post all our pictures, so tomorrow after class we will post a link to that.
A bientot!
Arrival in Montpellier
Ilia and I with our new landlords (Josienne and Jean-Jacque) and a german student.Posting from the school where we have finally found a wireless internet connection.
More after class.
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