Really French

France is a strange country?

France is a very strange country... the French are a real mixture of cultures who have been coming and going throughout the centuries. Full of cliches. In the north it rains, in the south it is hot. In the west they drink, in the east they are unfriendly. And each region and department of France is very different. Parisians are not like Burundians who are not like Alsaciens.The mentality, dress and cuisine are not of the same flavour. Even more, neighboring towns and villages are different. In the countryside a village will still retain a dialect/slang "patois" which is meaningless a few miles away. A street will be named after…

Become Fluent in French

French Art News

This month is quite busy for Art lovers. A big deal about the robber in Paris on Thursday 1 May 2010 including works by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Georges Braque, Amedeo Modigliani and Fernand Leger. There is also the opening of the "annex" of the Centre Pompidou in the city of Metz. Many of you know the Centre Pompidou for its unique style and architecture (by Sébastien Loste,). The building is basically inside out with all the piping and tubes visible from the exterior and bright colours. However, many of you have never heard of the wonderful town called Metz, which is on the border with Germany in the Lorraine…

Sporting Weekend

So we know have the final outcome of the football season ! Many will be happy, whilst others do not really care of course. So Marseilles are the champions and they have been having a great party at the port in the city center. There is also Auxerre and Lyon who have qualified for the European stages. The big loser is Bordeaux who failed to qualify. We also have been told that Laurent Blanc (currently the manager of Bordeaux), will become the manager of the French national football team no matter what happens at the world cup, he will be replacing the controversial Raymond Domenech. For motor racing fans, there…

Le Printemps

In France we are still waiting for the real spring time (Printemps) to arrive. The temperatures are low and some of the ski stations have had snow falls ! However the flowers and blossoms are here, the gardeners trying to sow the seeds at the right moment. We have had a few days of great sunshine and have been able to take advantage of the beaches, a few moments to think of something else and not the "La Crises". We all know we will have to work even more years to pay the huge costs of the pensions "La Retraite", so taking advantage of great weather is a way to…