“Tu Tires ou tu Pointes?”: An Introduction to the Game of Pétanque (Part 2) Posted by mtaulier on Feb 24, 2014
In the last post, we took a quick look at the evolution of the game of pétanque and talked a little about its popularity and its appeal. Today, let’s take a moment to learn the basics of the game and how it is played. The aim of pétanque is to get as many of your…
“Tu Tires ou tu Pointes?”: An Introduction to the Game of Pétanque (Part 1) Posted by mtaulier on Feb 21, 2014
France, like most countries of the world, seems to have a fascination with le football (soccer). Football has legions of fans throughout France but there is another game that is nearly as popular and that appeals to people of all ages. Pétanque (pronounced pay-tonk), commonly referred to as le jeu de boules (the game of…
L’Amour est dans l’Air (Love is in the Air): The Origins of Valentine’s Day Posted by mtaulier on Feb 14, 2014
Today is Valentine’s Day and for people in many countries across the world, it can only mean one thing: l’Amour (Love). But how did le jour de Saint Valentin (St. Valentine’s day) come to be? To understand the origins of Valentine’s Day, we must travel back plusieurs siècles (several centuries) to the days of the…
À l’École!: Fournitures Scolaires (School Supplies) Posted by mtaulier on Feb 13, 2014
Try to recall, for a moment, your days in grammar school. What kinds of school supplies did you use? Pens and paper? Pencils and erasers? One of my favorite back-to-school memories was going shopping for new supplies for the new year. Although I never really enjoyed school in my younger years, getting shiny new supplies…
À l’École!: French and American Grade Levels Compared Posted by mtaulier on Feb 10, 2014
It seems like just yesterday I was beginning my first year of French school in the small town of Villeneuve-sur-Lot in the Lot-et-Garonne department of southwestern France. Jean Jaurès was l’école élémentaire publique (public elementary school) in my area and was named for the French socialist leader who lived in the early 20th century. The…
Le jour le plus froid au monde (The Coldest Day in the World) Posted by Hichem on Feb 3, 2014
Today’s post tells l’histoire (the story) of Little Jack, a boy born in l’Écosse (Scotland) on what is said to have been le jour le plus froid du monde (the coldest day in the world), nearly a century and a half ago. On that fateful day, baby Little Jack had his cœur gelé (heart frozen.) A mysterious midwife, called Docteur Madeleine, carefully replaced his heart with…
Comme Toi… (Like You…) Posted by mtaulier on Jan 31, 2014
Earlier this month, we looked at une chanson d’amour (a love song) written by French singer/songwriter Francis Cabrel called Je l’Aime à Mourir (I Love Her to Death). I hope you took the opportunity to seek out more of Cabrel’s work. There is plenty to choose from since this year will mark the 40th year…