un nouveau portable

Bonjour tout le monde!
Today I had to say goodbye to my Droid 3.  Somehow it had gotten "wet", although I didn't drop it into water or anything.  Evidently, all it takes is some moisture, like taking it into the bathroom while taking a shower or stuff like that.  I tried to keep it as long as possible; methods I used to do that were so funny, and I am not going to say them here because I am sort of embarrassed.  Circumstances prevent me from upgrading at this moment, so I had to go with something that we had here - now I feel good about not getting rid of all our unused technology!
Therefore, my "new" phone (or portable in French), is a Droid 2.  I have spent most of my day finding and installing apps that I had on the 3.  Most of them work (Pinterest and Instragram, ouais!), but I can't download Skype because I no longer have a reverse camera.  Sigh.  I also seem to have lost some photos from the old device, but since I have Dropbox (also newly downloaded on the new/old Droid), I think that I can find those also.  Also good - a longer life battery.  I no longer have to take my charger with me at all times and constantly look for a plug.
The biggest thing?  The time that I spent on the phone this morning activating the new/old portable, and the time it has taken to get the apps that I now seem not to be able to live without, then remember the passwords so that I can make them work.  Fortunately, I managed to take the passwords off the Droid 3 password keeper before its final breaths.
So, technology has made our lives easier, but sometimes just sucks your time into some sort of technology black hole.
A plus tard...

Cinque Terre

I am so excited that this summer I will be visiting Cinque Terre.  It is a series of five villages on the Italian Coast.  According to the Lonley Planet, "Strung along 18km of serrated cliffs between Levanto and La Spezia, the Cinque Terre is one of Italy’s treasures. These five higgledy-piggledy villages – Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore – are cut off by mountains choked with olive groves and dry-stone-walled vineyards, where farmers have eked out a living over the centuries."
The villages are linked by walking paths and trains, although I understand that now there is a very windy and narrow road.  They are part of the Cinque Terre National Park, and the whole thing is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, because of the terracing that  the villagers have done over the hundreds of years to make a livelyhood.
I hear that the area is really cool, and I can't wait to visit it for myself, walk the paths (or maybe take the train) and take some nice photos to show here on my blog.
If you have been to Cinque Terre, what do you think -what is the best thing to do, how did you visit the towns?  Let us know!
Ciao for now!

French Film Frestival

Bonjour tout le monde!
This week starts a fabulous film festival in Los Angeles - City of Lights, City of Angels (COLCOA).  All week, there will be some awesome films shown at the DGA theater, and several will have Q&A sessions afterwards with people essential to the film.  Also, there are 3 screenings for students and teachers of the film Jappeloup, which was just released on March 13.  Yours truly, along with Emmanuelle Remy-Riley created an activity packet for teachers to use after the screening.  So, if you are a French teacher, try to get your kids to the screening!  If you're a francophile, check out the website and go see a film!
http://www.colcoa.org

Poisson d'avril!

Bonjour tout le monde!

It's April 1st, and that can mean only one thing - it's April Fool's Day.  There are many explanations for this day, and here is one.  In France, the day is called "poisson d'avril", and the joke is played by attaching paper fish to the backs of people, or on other things.  Of course, there were many jokes played today, did anyone fall for "Google Nose"?  Here is one joke, from the Paris Tourisme website

The Eiffel Tower is being dismantled!

On bouffe?

Bonjour tout le monde!
I was doing some research for my ladies who are going to France.  One of them is a vegetarian, and if you have ever traveled outside of the US, it is often hard to find places that offer vegetarian meals.  My husband, fortunately, does eat fish, so we can visit most restaurants without problems.
What does one do, though, when you want a decent meal and baguette et fromage doesn't do it anymore?  I found this website: http://www.happycow.net/europe/france/paris/  that has a list of vegetarian restaurants plus commentary.

If you want the quintessential Parisian eating experience, try the Bouillon Chartier.  It is located in the 9th arrondissement (near the Opera house). To get to the restaurant, you have to go through a door and walk across a courtyard before entering the restaurant.  Be prepared to share a table if there are a lot of people - we Americans sometimes find that a bit strange.  Even if you do, don't worry about having to converse...
http://www.bouillon-chartier.com/


Bon appetit!

Pope François 1

Bonjour tout le monde!

a beautiful house in the city of Avignon

The recent election of Pope Francis 1 (or in French, François 1er) made me think of the town of Avignon.  From 1348 until 1791, Avignon was the seat of the Papacy.  Seven popes (including a Benedict) lived in the Palais des Papes, situated inside the walls of the city. I have visited the palace several times; the first time, I was very disappointed, because the palace was pretty much empty and we just wandered around from room to room.  However, since then they have done a ton to the site, and now there are furnishings in many rooms, plus you can learn about the place from your self guided earphones!
Besides the Palais, also in Avignon is the famous Pont d'Avignon, site of the famous song.  Half of the bride washed away about 400 years ago, but you can walk on what is left, and even dance if you want to!
What I love about Avignon is the town's beauty, all the history, and the gorgeous Rhone river where you can find the bridge.  There are beautiful "places" everywhere in town, and you can shop to your heart's content.  I bought one of my favorite tablecloths here!  Since it is in the heart of Provence, everything provençal can be found in town.

the Pont is on the left

la neige à Paris!

Bonjour tout le monde!

It is March, but don't tell the weather.  It snowed in Northern Europe last night and today, pretty much bringing everything to a halt.  Even the Eurostar wasn't running, and it pretty much runs all the time.  When I was a student in Paris (back in the dark ages of the 70's), it snowed, but quickly changed to very dirty slush. Ugh.  However, in November of 2005, it snowed, just a couple of inches.  Enough to make everything white, but not enough to bring all to a halt.  In Versailles, people got a kick out of being the first to walk in the beautiful white snow and building a bonhomme de neige.  I will have to look for my old snowy photos, but to keep you until then, here is a photo of my favorite Canal St. Martin looking pretty with a coat of snow today (courtesy of the Huffington Post).