Archive for December, 2014
4 Surprising Sights in Paris That Most Tourists Don’t Know About Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Dec 15, 2014
Even after living there several years and returning every summer, Paris continues to surprise me. Just this past summer, we took my son – obsessed with les animaux – to the Bois de Vincennes, where there is a small working farm that uses organic techniques (les techniques biologiques), as well as an educational petting zoo…
La Fête des Lumières à Lyon Posted by Josh Dougherty on Dec 11, 2014
For 4 days each December, la ville de Lyon s’allume (the city of Lyon lights up) with a spectacular show of lights, lasers, and music. Called La Fête des Lumières (The Festival of Light), Lyon welcomes about 4 million people each year to see it. Sounds like an awful lot of visitors for some lights…
French Around The World: La Francophonie Posted by John Bauer on Dec 10, 2014
It may sound strange, but one of the coolest things about learning French has nothing to do with France. The French language is the fifth most spoken in the world and opens doors to many countries and cultures beyond l’hexagone (The Hexagon, common term for France). The community of francophones has even formed…
Have You Ever Spoken French…in Reverse? Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Dec 8, 2014
Back when I was just becoming familiar with the language, I would sometimes go out with Parisian friends to a bar or brasserie and listen while they spoke amongst themselves. I’d be feeling somewhat proud about the advances I’d taken in French and knew that I could have a pretty comprehensive conversation. But, listening to…
Recette pour un très bon cassoulet Posted by Josh Dougherty on Dec 7, 2014
Well, it’s cold out, and nothing quite warms me up better than a good cassoulet. Qu’est-ce que c’est (what’s that?)? You’ll find plenty of variations, but a good cassoulet is always a slow-cooked white bean and meat stew. It’s a pretty heavy (assez bourratif) dish, and it’s generally served at lunchtime. Attention: ce n’est pas…
Louise Attaque: J’t’emmène Au Vent Posted by John Bauer on Dec 3, 2014
Rock and roll isn’t always the type of music you think of when you think of France, but le rock français (French rock) is a real thing and it’s not something to be skipped over. Similar to elsewhere in the world, there was a bit of an explosion of alternative rock in the 90s in…
5 Things you Need to Know About Shopping in France Posted by Elizabeth Schmermund on Dec 1, 2014
In honor of this Cyber Monday and recent Black Friday, here are some important facts and terms to make your shopping trip in France easy and stress-free. Unlike in the United States, sales in France are state-run. That means that companies don’t regulate their own storewide sales to get rid of old inventory before the…