{"id":33775,"date":"2021-05-25T05:30:24","date_gmt":"2021-05-25T03:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/?p=33775"},"modified":"2021-05-23T22:36:15","modified_gmt":"2021-05-23T20:36:15","slug":"opening-up-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/opening-up-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Opening up … again"},"content":{"rendered":"
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France is opening up … again. Photo by Louis<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0from\u00a0Pexels<\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Just over a year ago, I wrote a post called Opening Up<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While it already felt long, we were really still in the early days of Covid, and France was coming off of their first significant confinement<\/strong><\/a> and trying to get back to normal.<\/p>\n

Twelve months … and multiple re-confinements and a few\u00a0couvre-feux<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>later … France is opening up … again.<\/p>\n

“Terrasso-th\u00e9rapie”<\/h3>\n

After\u00a0l’ap\u00e9rue<\/strong><\/a>, here comes la terrasso-th\u00e9rapie<\/strong>!1<\/a><\/sup>A play on ‘La thalassoth\u00e9rapie<\/a>‘<\/em> which is popular in France and refers to any therapeutic treatment based on the sea and products from the ocean. Saltwater baths, seaweed wraps, etc. are very popular options in thalasso<\/em> centers around France.<\/span><\/p>\n

Famous for their terraces (and\u00a0 for caf\u00e9 culture), restaurants, bistros, and caf\u00e9s across France welcomed people back mercredi 19 mai pour retrouver “la joie et la convivialit\u00e9 d’un moment en terrasse<\/a>“<\/strong>.2<\/a><\/sup>Wednesday May 19, for <\/em>(lit. to find again, to meet<\/em>) the joys and conviviality of a moment on the terrace. <\/em>Click here<\/a> for video.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Guardian has some great pictures here<\/a>. Pour yourself a glass of ros\u00e9 … or my favorite, a little Pastis<\/a> … sit back, and relax!<\/p>\n

Train de nuit<\/h3>\n

It used to be common for people to get around Europe on overnight trains. Ces trains-couchettes<\/strong> allowed passengers to doze off in one city and wake up the next day 100’s of miles away in another city or even country. In my youth I took the night train from Paris to the French Alps for a ski trip, to Spain for a school trip, and to Austria for the Sound of Music Tour. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

Just a few years ago though, it looked like France and the SNCF might be done with their\u00a0trains de nuit.\u00a0<\/strong>Budget issues, old trains, and “la concurrence des avions\u00a0<\/a>low<\/a><\/em> cost<\/em><\/a><\/strong>“3<\/a><\/sup>competition from budget airlines<\/em><\/span> made this magical mode of transportation less attractive for the government and passengers alike<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But once again you can savor the\u00a0“slow life<\/em>, prend son temps[, et] retrouve[r] le go\u00fbt du voyage<\/a>“<\/strong>4<\/a><\/sup>take your time, and rediscover a taste for travel<\/em><\/span> on the Paris-Nice just like the\u00a0Premier ministre<\/strong>5<\/a><\/sup>Prime Minister<\/em><\/span> did this week<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Des Chats sur les Champs<\/h3>\n

Parisians (and the French in general) love their cats<\/a>. So its no surprise to\u00a0croiser<\/strong>6<\/a><\/sup>come across, meet<\/em><\/span> a few\u00a0en se baladant \u00e0 Paris<\/b>7<\/a><\/sup>when wandering around Paris<\/em><\/span>. But since March 3rd of this year (and running through\u00a0le 9 juin<\/strong>8<\/a><\/sup>June 9<\/em><\/span>, a different sort of chat<\/strong> has graced the jardins<\/strong>9<\/a><\/sup>gardens<\/em><\/span> along the Champs-Elys\u00e9es<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Belgian\u00a0auteur de B.D. et sculpture<\/strong>10<\/a><\/sup>comic book author and sculpter<\/em><\/span> Philippe Geluck<\/a> has created 20\u00a0sculptures en bronze<\/strong>11<\/a><\/sup>bronze sculptures<\/em><\/span> representing his famous\u00a0personnage de<\/b> B.D<\/strong>12<\/a><\/sup>comic book character<\/em><\/span>.<\/p>\n

There’s a nice\u00a0reportage<\/strong>13<\/a><\/sup>news report<\/em><\/span> from GEO here<\/a> if you’d like to learn more.<\/p>\n

Have you had a chance to check out the Dictionnaire des Francophones<\/a>? It – and the accompanying app<\/a> – are a great way to discover the richness of the French language as it is used around the world. Now the DGLF<\/a> and CAVILAM-Alliance Fran\u00e7aise and leplaisirdapprendre.com<\/a> have created a series of worksheet\/activities to take your exploration to the next level. Designed for teachers, les fiches <\/strong><\/a>can be used by anyone who wants some guided practice.<\/div>\n