Articles
Paris when it’s chilly and raining
What do you do in Paris when it's cold and rainy? You eat cassoulet! Cassoulet is a traditional meal from southwestern France made from beans and meat (usually sausage, pork and duck). It's a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs kind of food and was perfect for the wet day. So...
a BIG petit problème
I have a big problem with the word petit in French. Such a little word to cause me such grief. Somehow along my French language path I developed the bad habit of pronouncing it PETT-ee. And it's grating to French ears. That's IF they understand what I'm trying to say....
Batobus
The Batobus is a bus-boat in Paris. It's possible to hop on and hop off at any of 8 stops along the Seine. You purchase a day pass at any stop which allows you to get off and visit say, the Eiffel Tower, and then hop back on and ride down the Seine until another sight...
Café Dog
Waiting for his order at a café on rue des Abbesses. Begging dogs at a café. It's a dog's life in Paris!
A Little Paris Metro Secret
After walking ten miles a day in Paris, this is not what you want to see in the metro: Many visitors Don't realize how many staircases you have to navigate in the metro. Instead, search for this sign: Because it means you'll find this: A welcome sight after a long day...
‘effin Paris
Wherever you are right now, take a break from your day and visit Paris in this Lily Allen music video. I love the part where she flicks a guy off the arched bridge over Canal St. Martin. Caution: the lyrics are explicit, so don't listen around small children or at...
Êtes-vous une pagilleuse ou une rangeuse?
Theoretically, I love clean, minimalist, zen decor. However, it's only an aspirational state, one that is completely unattainable for me. Entropy rules my life. A clear surface, an empty wall, any unfilled space soon attracts objects. I continually fight this...
Oh my achin’ accent!
An article by medical writer Lauran Neergaard reviewed research on how children become bilingual so easily. She cited studies on the difficulty Japanese people have in distinguishing the "R" and "L" sounds in English, "rake" and "lake" sounding the same to their ears....
Sam – c’est moi!
Do you recognize this meal? You're right! It's Les oeufs verts au jambon. Ulysses Press (USA) has released a French language edition of the beloved book "Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Seuss. Foreign language children's books are a great way to learn a new...
Joke/Blague
What do you say to someone who is taking a 'stay-cation'? *scroll down* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "Non Voyage!"
Found French Again
It's so much easier to learn French when you're in France, surrounded by people speaking the language and seeing it on all the signs and newspapers. It seeps in without conscious awareness. But even here in the US it's possible to find French in everyday life just by...
Le Quotidien
French language books neglect a whole genre of everyday words. Sure, they cover le stylo and un réveil, but there are many articles of daily living that aren't mentioned at all. Today's word is Q-tip (or cotton swab if you are a stickler for generic): un coton tige or...
