Saturday, April 9, 2005 9:15 PM  Another lovely day. I slept well last night for one thing and I didn't have to get up early for another! It was nice to have a leisurely morning - and a long shower. Madame has a very nice shower and it was pleasant to enjoy it this morning and not feel like I have to rush so much!Someone must either be a fool or have just gotten married outside my window - there are a LOT of horns honking - now a moment of silence - now they have all started up again - maybe it is a winning soccer match...who knows - I'm just glad it isn't 2:00 am! After breakfast, I walked up to the bus station and met the rest of the group and we went on the bus to St. Paul de Vence. It took about an hour to get there and it was very pretty - along the Prominade des Anglais and then past the airport and through some little villages - as we climbed higher. I could see out the window over the hills and valleys -it was similar to the Povence we had seen 2 years ago, but more built up - instead of huge valleys with a few "mas" here and there - it was very crowded with houses. As we got higher, we could see St. Paul de Vence in the distance - there are other hills that have houses on them, but this one looks old - it has a big wall around it to fortify it and then all the building is inside the wall. There is other building of course, outside the wall, but it is the only walled village that I could see in the area.  We got there around noon and Caroline, our guide, took us on a brief tour - we walked uphill past the hard, bare area in front of the local café where every afternoon, the men (I've never seen any women, but Madame tells me there are some who play) play pantanque. We walked inside the walls and it was very pretty - lots of flowers, very narrow streets - and the day was beautiful.  The weather forecast was for cold and rain - but it turned out to be very warm and sunny - with a brilliant blue Caroline took us around the village, up to the top where we could see for miles.  I could see the Mediterranean sea and the valley around us, which was dotted with tres cher maisons - some of which had several swimming pools. In the cote d'Azur, swimming pools are not covered like they are in Florida, so it was very easy to see them shimmering in the sun. Also from the top, we could see the cemetery. We walked down and into it - and saw the grave of Marc Chagall. The tombs were interesting - above ground and lots of flowers, both real and also ceramic. It was a beautiful view.   We also saw the fountain of St. Paul de Vence.  It was very interesting because the fountain part had water in it one could drink and then behind it, was another set of fountains, lower down to the ground with non-potable water which flowed into a big basin. Caroline explained that in the old days, the ladies of the village would gather there to do their washing - the sides of the big basin were sloped so they could put their clothes there and then beat them with rocks. It was a wonderful place and I took lots of pictures of the fountain and the basins.  The town is typical - like other hill towns we have seen - narrow maze-like streets, but because this one is famous, the streets are lined with art galleries and tourist stuff - similar to the Cours Seyala, but more expensive. Soaps we looked at yesterday, were twice as expensive in St. Paul de Vence! We found a rooftop restaurant in the sun to have lunch - unfortunately, the food wasn't great - I had charcuterie -which was ok - but it was so hot, it was hard to enjoy it - I (and everyone else) had dressed for cold and rain, but it was hot and sunny - so we sweltered in the sun - many tables, including ours, didn't have an umbrella, and the Perrier was not cold...but it was pleasant to sit in the sun and look out at the rooftops. After lunch, I discovered that the rooftop restaurant was right on top of the fountain. Suzanne and I went into a gallery because I wanted to find a painting or print that would remind me of this part of France - and very near the restaurant we found a gallery that had a lovely print on the door of the fountain. We went in and the artist who did the print was there, so we talked to him for a while and we both bought one (o10 ) and he signed each one for us - it was very pleasant! We wandered around the town and I took tons of picture - I really like my digital camera - its is so liberating to be able to take zillions of pictures and then if they don't look good, just throw them away - until it was time to meet to go to the Maeght Museum. The Maeght Museau - St. Paul de Vence The walk there was quite steep (on the road) and then we took what was I think a shortcut straight up a rocky hill. The museum was incredible. I enjoyed it more than any other museum I have been to in Europe. The location was magnificent and the buildings and galleries had been placed with such care to emphasize the art - I have to take Sarah there! It was so cool to see - ** see ** sculpture and drawings I had studied in school - and especially in such a lovely setting. There were not many people there, which was great - and they let you take pictures which was amazing! It was full of wonderful, funny, thoughtful pieces and as I walked through, I could see how the artists, Miro, Braque, Matisse, Leger, Calder, Giacometti and others had influenced each other. The sculpture outside was unbelievable - there were fountains and gardens and incredible views - it was just amazing. I can't believe it isn't more well known - what a jewel. Here are some images from the museum and then the story continues...   "Self Portrait"     Unfortunately, we only had an hour at the museum - I told Caroline that in the future, I would suggest 1 hour in St. Paul de Vence and 3 hours at the museum, but there were clearly many in our party who weren't that impressed with it. Perhaps a choice - shopping or art??? After the museum, we hiked back down the hill to the bus - which was late - and extremely crowded. I headed for the only free seat I could find - which was in a group of 4 - 2 headed forward and 2 headed backward. I tried to get in to the one going backward, and it turned out that not only were the 3 other seats occupied but there was a huge dog on the floor taking up all available floor space. I pushed in anyway, because I was tired, but it was a very tight space - and the ride home was very uncomfortable - and hot - there was no air in the bus and the back really shook - the closer we got to Nice, the more I felt I had mal de mer...one good thing was that we went into the airport - which gave me a chance to check it out for next Saturday when I pick up Sarah. I think (I hope) it should be fairly easy - it isn't that big - there is parking close by - and there are only 3 arrival locations - all close together. So, if I can figure out the traffic signs and avoid the construction, I should be ok - plus I also have 45 minutes from the time I rent the car until her plane arrives. I think I should get to the car rental place (which is the train station) early - just in case. When we got back to the bus station, Suzanne suggested a coffee, but I was still feeling mal de mer, so I headed back home - it was almost 7:00 and I was pretty tired. The streets were filled with people - the young people on the tour today (and others as well from the school) were meeting tonight at 11:30 to go out partying - 11:30. Hummmm. It is now 9:53 - I would never make it! When I got home, Madame had another nice dinner - we started with crab and tomato salad with mayonnaise, followed by Crème de la Reine - a puff pastry filled with a cream, mushroom, meat filling with a Rosé from Provence. Then, we had cheese and fruit - while we watched the news about the clean up of Rome after the Pope's funeral and the wedding of Charles and Camilla - the English sure do have great hat makers! Tomorrow, I must do my laundry - there is no laundry in the building and Madame's washing machine is broken, so I have to go to a laundromat by the Post Office. After that, I'll walk to the Prominade des Anglais, where there is an Internet Café that gives 1 hour free wireless if you buy lunch. Then I can upload all this - I hope it's nice and sunny! The Mistral is blowing like crazy - the awnings are flapping outside - evidently, this is not normal - but it is expected to continue for a while. The weather forecasts have special part devoted to le vent - color coded for each particular area! And so, a fond farewell to St. Paul de Vence... 3:55:56 PM  |
Friday, April 8, 2005 6:57 PM Please work - ok Wow - I was just getting ready to write up what happened today and all of a sudden, my keyboard didn't work anymore. ARRGHH!! So, I did a restart and all appears to be well now. So... Today was a very good day! I went right to sleep last night and didn't wake up until the alarm clock went off this morning - it was great! The bus came a minute after I got to the bus stop and before class, the computers were on and I checked my mail -there were lots of messages from Sarah and Willie. I was just reading the one from Sarah about her adventures when Suzanne (from Finland) came up and asked if I was going on the trip to St. Paul de Vence tomorrow. I said yes and she asked why I wasn't at the meeting yesterday! ARRGHHH!! I didn't know about any meeting yesterday - so I quit in mid-message to go find out about the trip, figuring I would come back after class and continue with the messages. But things happened and I never got back to the computers and now here I am, on Friday night and I would love to be able to read the messages, but I can't. GRRR!! And I probably won't until Sunday at the earliest! Double GRRRR!! But anyway, it was a good day - we have to be at the bus station tomorrow at 10:45, which means I can sleep late (yea!). 10 people are going including Suzanne, who seems to be a kindred spirit as Anne would say, and I think it will be nice. Even nicer is that it is included in the fee I paid at Worldlink so I don't have to pay o20 like everyone else! Class was quite interesting today. Last night for homework, we had to write a description of a place we had been and use the passé compose as well as descriptions of the senses - smell, taste, hearing, etc. I spent a lot of time on mine and had to look up a LOT of words - I described the lavender seller's stand at the market in Orange 2 summers ago - I thought it was quite good - I included descriptions of the sunlight filtering through the curtain and the aroma and color of the lavender and the buzzing of the bees. So right away, first thing, Colleen (Madame la Prof) comes in and tells me to read mine out loud to the class! So I did and while she loved the images, she also talked about how I again used the imparfait instead of the passé compose - I didn't know - I just made it up in English and translated it to French - I don't have a clue what the imparfait is - then the next student read hers - and it was also very good - very evocative of Spain - she described Barcelona - and she did the same thing - used the imparfait. We went on around the class and each description was better than the last - it appears that we have a class of writers! We had lovely descriptions of Santorini, a museum and garden in Nice, a **poem" about music and dreams by a very young Swiss boy - it went on and on (there are 7 in my class). I was amazed at how creative the writing was - especially considering how young so many of the students are. It was also interesting how, during the critiques, where Colleen would explain the descriptive words and what they meant to anyone who didn't understand and also the verbs and how they should be conjugated, a couple of the boys were sort of squirming in their seats like they were bored - and maybe they were - but they were the same ones who produced the poem and another very lovely description. It was a wonderful moment - or actually series of moments. Oh, I forgot to mention, that almost all of the students used this imparfait instead of the passé compose - so at one point, I suggested to Madame La Prof that perhaps next week we should learn this imparfait thing- and she said it was next on the list - that's good news for me - since I already know (although not too well) the passé compose - I know it, but I don't know all the past participles - which one has to know to use it correctly. I plan to study them this weekend if I have time. After class, I met Suzanne and Daniella (Germany). Daneilla is having some problems with her host and is going to move - so Suzanne and I went to lunch - I had a very good lunch -fish with a cream basil sauce with snow peas and carrots - very good. We spent quite a while talking (in French) - Suzanne is very good, and speaks slowly - I learn a lot from her - and I feel comfortable blundering about and asking for help - and she doesn't wince when I mangle the language - she just listens and responds. After lunch, she suggested that we walk up to the bus station where we are supposed to meet tomorrow morning so we could check out the location - and if Galleries Lafayette was on the way (which of course it was), we should stop by there as well. So we did and it was a good thing because the bus station was NOT where they had circled on the map - and we had to ask several times before we found it and then we had to figure out which was the correct bus and where it would be tomorrow morning. It was a very good thing that we did this! Afterwards, to congratulate ourselves on a job well done, we went to the Cours Selaya (which was right across the street) because I had told her about the Tissues shop (Linen/dishes) which she is also interested in. So we went there and looked at dishes and tablecloths - they have this wonderful tagine (on sale too) that is magnificent - and I am working on a way to get it home. We ambled around the narrow streets of the Cours - and also found a really nice shop with French soaps and also the linen dish towels I have been looking for - so I wrote down the address so I can find it again - a good idea in the Cours Selaya - it is like a maze! Then, we had coffee at a café and watches les français. Today was kind of cool and rainy - not really rainy - drippy - but Nice was full of people - it seems everyone walks.  On the way home, I went by many, many boulangeries - each time one walks by, one gests a big whiff of yeast and fresh bread - mmmmmm, and there is a great fish market/restaurant on the Place Garabaldi that I love - they have baskets of sea urchins, oysters, crabs and mussels glistening on ice each time I go by - people stop as they pass by to have a plateful of mussels or oysters, which they eat standing up along the rue. It is tres français! Right next door is a vegetable market and today they had huge artichokes and also big baskets of asparagus - the usual green but also white! Yesterday they were o9/kilo but today they were o7.50/kilo. Still tres cher! It's so strange how easy it is to say "yesterday they were 9 kilo" in English, but to say the same thing in French, (past tense), I'd have to stop and think - heir, ils sont été 9 euro - it doesn't flow out....9:23 - I just got back from dinner - Madame outdid herself tonight. When I got home late this afternoon, she was putting together salmon en papiotte - salmon wrapped in foil. She had added olive oil, fresh fennel fronds, red pepper, lemon and spices and then baked it for about 20 minutes. When she opened the wrapping, the aroma was outstanding! We had bread and a nice chardonney with it and then cheese and kiwi for dessert. MMMM! There was something I was going to write about the French, but now I can't remember it - I'll have to add it later If I think of it. Meanwhile, I sure wish I had the emails from Willie and Sarah to read...Bonne Nuit. Wait - maybe this was it - I am wondering if the news at home is as filled with the Pope and the Prince and the Prince as it is here. Every channel is filled with stories about the Pope and all the millions of people (many so young - at least on TV) in Rome - it looks like a huge party - with major security, health and litter problems! Then there is the funeral for Prince Ranier - one of the women in my class was going to Monte Carlo this weekend and I asked her (jokingly) if she was going for the funeral - and then she realized that this might not be good weekend to be there - and in fact, in the paper this afternoon, in the ads, where there is information about concerts and plays, etc. in the various places near to Nice, all the ones for Monte Carlo had a big ANNEUE though them - cancelled. And then, there is the wedding of Charles and Camilla - nothing but bad luck. The headline said: "A desperate time for Charles and Camilla". It's pretty interesting how - I was going to say graphic but perhaps honest is a better word - how honest the reporting is in the paper - for instance, there was also an article about the Michael Jackson and they didn't mince words about what a witness reported today - I doubt if his details would be in any American newspaper. Likewise, on TV, they are much more causal about nudity - in all the ads for lotion and other beauty/health products, nudity is pretty common and unremarkable. Also, the postcards sold in Nice can be pretty revealing - not like the ones you see in Sarasota!! A very different society culturally. 3:54:34 PM |
Thursday, April 7, 2005 9:09 PM An excellent dinner with Madame! She prepared smoked trout with salad and French Bread with a nice white wine. Then, there was a carrot salad. The trout was wonderful - I asked her if she ever had it for breakfast with crème cheese, but she said that was not something that les Français had for breakfast. After the trout, she had 3 kinds of cheeses, brie, a firm white cheese from Italy and a marscapone that had layers of cheese, cream and gorgonzola - it was superb! We ended with strawberries that she enhances with a 5 spice mixture and sugar and pepper! MMMM - and this was after I told here that I would like a light dinner since I was going to have a large lunch today! It turns out that I was really lucky since the large lunch I was planning didn't work out - I was returning to a restaurant I was at the other day that was supposed to have veal marango with gnocchi but when I got there (at about 1:15) they were sold out - I couldn't believe it! I had ravioli bolognaise - which was pretty good, but it wasn't what I was psyched up for. But Madame's dinner made up for it. Another rough day at French class - I was really really tired this morning - it appears that the pattern is that I fall asleep just before the garbage trucks come around 1:30 am, then wake up to listen to them and all the noisy "motos" that seem to come out at 2:00 am and then, finally I go to sleep. It was really hard to get up this morning - I really wanted to just turn over and go back to sleep - but I didn't - but I was really tired and it seemed like Madame le Professor zeroed in on me as soon as she walked in - she asked me to initiate a dialog - and I just missed it completely - I couldn't even think of the word for we - nous - finally I just told her this wasn't a good morning for me (in English) and she slacked off a bit - later I managed to recover a bit - but it was so humiliating - luckily, a few other people also seem to have moments of disorientation - and I have a lot of empathy for them after this morning - (probably kids who have been out drinking until 3:00 am - at least they have an excuse.). I think it would be really nice if we had time in the morning for questions about the work from the day before - when I get home, I review and do the homework and I have lots of questions, but there is never an opportunity to ask them. She just comes in and starts right in with the new stuff. Today we discussed Prince Ranier's life. The Pope and Prince Ranier (and to some extent, Prince Charles - but only as his wedding relates to the Pope and Prince Ranier) are dominating the news. 4 million people are in Rome! Anyway, we used the passé composee to review his life.  After class, I escaped, feeling unFrench once again, and walked over to the Cours Seleya to my lunch - which also wasn't what I expected. But then, after lunch, I spent some time sitting on a bench on the Prominade d'Anglais looking at the sea. It is really pretty here - the weather is pleasant - today a fairly strong breeze and probably about 63 degrees - sunny with a few clouds. I can't believe how many French women wear scarves - it seems all of them! Anyway, then I walked along the front of the chateau and around to the harbor.  As in all French towns, there is a big monument carved into the rock of the hill that memorializes the war dead.  I also stopped at Florian - a confiserie that Madame told me about that she says has the best comfiture and chocolate in France - that's a pretty hot recommendation! When I went in, the shop was filled with about 35 kids who looked to be about 5 or 6 on a field trip. They were zooming around trying the comfiture, the chocolate, the... I have to stop writing this and comment about how loud it is outside - and it's not even time for the garbage - someone has been honking their horn for the last 15 minutes and there is a constant drone of motos like a go-kart track has just opened up the block and tons of people are talking! It is amazing! Even more amazing is that it does quite down around 10 or so - so when the garbage trucks come at 1:30 - it just shakes the rafters! Anyway, the kids were grabbing all the samples in sight - they were pretty cute - but it drives me crazy how competent they are at French at 5 - ARRGHH!! I wouldn't have wanted to be their teacher this afternoon after all that chocolate and jam (another good grammatical problem - I wouldn't have wanted to be). After they moved on, I tried some of the stuff - this shop raises their own fruit for the comfiture and all their products and everything is made by hand. The first thing I tried was candied violet - they were great! Then I tried the candied rose petals and verivain (verbena) - they have post cards with recipes and pictures by famous chefs in France who have used their products to create great food - so I got a mixture of rose, violets, verivain and other petals to use with fois gras (if they still have it when I get back to California). Then I tried the comfiture. The violette was outstanding - I knew I was going to get some but then I tried the rose - and it was even better and then I tried the jasmine - and it was unbelieveable! I think they may also supply the flavors for the ice cream at Place Rosette. I got a can of rose comfiture and 2 jars of jasmine and violette - as well as some chocolate and a bottle of violet essesnce to use in drinks (like Kir Royale). The only problem is the stuff weighs a ton! They also have another shop/factory very near where Sarah and I are staying - with a garden which has the trees and flowers they use - so I hope to visit that later when Sarah joins me. On the way out I tried one of the sort of jelly bean-like things I was offered when I came in - and it was great too - it is amazing how fresh all their stuff tasted - just like the real fruit or flower - not artificial. I have never been a jelly bean fan - but I may get some to bring home for Willie to try...mmmmmm.  On the way home , I passed a park where a bunch of old men were playing boules/pentanque so I took pictures of them. It was very French. This was the same park where this morning, waiting for the bus, I saw a woman with 5 little yapper dogs who pounced (the dogs, not the woman) on this really big dog that was walking through the park with its owner. The yappers were barking up a storm! The big dog brushed them off like flies and joined in with a huge foghorn bark. I was glad I wasn't trying to sleep - I don't know how anyone sleeps around here! You'd think I'd be used to noise with the highway outside our windows, but this is different noise. Also, while waiting for the bus this morning, I was surprised to see a big truck go by and I thought, "that looks like the cement trucks at home (fits right in!) along Foothill Boulevard" and sure enough, on the side of the truck it said Kaiser! Small world.BTW, we also watched some French TV show tonight and they had 2 (supposedly) American professional basketball players on - one of them looked like Danny Ferry and one looked sort of like Magic Johnson - but they both spoke French like they were born here. ARRHHH!! I told Madame that I thought it was not possible that American basketball players could speak French like they were speaking unless they were native because most American professional basketball players can barely speak English - but she (who could understand what they were saying) said that they really were American. 3:52:37 PM |
Wednesday, April 6, 2005 8:43 PM April has been a bad month so far for Europe. Since I've been here, there has been practically nothing on the news except the Pope and today he was joined by Prince Ranier. Plus, unlucky Prince Charles has had to postpone his wedding to Camilla because of all the funereal. At least it gives us something interesting to talk about during dinner. The images of all the zillions of people in Rome (300,000 tents) are amazing - they are selling T-shirts for the Pope's funeral! Last night, the garbage trucks came again at 2:00 am - I guess I'm just going to have to be resigned to it - perhaps because of lack of sleep today was not a great day - although the bus ride turned out to be great! Not far from Madame's house, only 1o30, quick (15 minutes) and easy. But the class today was a review of stuff I've already had (although, to be fair, it was probably covered in more detail than in my DeAnza classes). One of the students told me to look in the book we got yesterday to see what was going to be covered and it looks to me like I am in a class that is a review of stuff I have already had - perhaps next week I will get moved to a higher level class - but the problem is that, for whatever reason, I am having major problems speaking. I seem to understand quite well and can write and read pretty well, but there seems to be a major disconnect between the brain and the mouth. It was very discouraging today - I had lunch with Suzanne (from Finland) and she was just chattering away and I sounded like someone 2 weeks into French 1 - it is really frustrating - I was very discouraged today after class and the thought of walking all the way home and doing homework didn't help - so I decided to just resign myself to never begin able to speak French - maybe it's enough just to understand and read and write. It's also weird how long it can take to explain stuff - because there is no English, there has to be a long conversation to try to explain what a term or concept means - with acting and drawing (by Professor Colleen) and much discussion. Once, one of the students just blurted out, "do you mean XXXX" in English and she said yes, and everyone instantly understood - but that was the only time. On the way home today, I went slower and tried to focus on being in France and enjoying the scenery - it is very Italian here - the Nicoise were presented with a choice in the 1860's - they could join France or Italy - and they chose France because it was more stable - but the town is very Italian. I took another walk through the Cours Selaya because there were a couple shops that had nice posters of towns and activities in the Cote d'Azur - I found one that has a picture of a Cooper on the beach in Nice that I got and I also went to a linen store that was having a sale on lovely French pottery - the kind they have at Cover Story in Los Altos - so I got a mug - they have a wonderful tagine that is quite reasonable, but I have to figure out a way to get it home....but I have some time to think about it! I decided that tomorrow after class, I will walk back towards the beach and have lunch at the same restaurant I went to earlier this week and then walk around the chateau to the harbor - it looked very pretty from the top of the chateau. Then, Madame told me about a chocolate shop that she says has the best chocolates and comfitures in Nice, and that is reasonable - so I will check that out too - it will be a nice walk after a big lunch and that will be good. Finally, on the way home, Madame also told me there was an Internet café before the bus stop, so I'll look for that too and see if they will let me connect my computer so I can upload some of this to my blog. Then, I guess I'll go home and do homework. I wonder if other students are feeling discouraged, although many of them seem to know each other (the young ones) or perhaps they have just made friendships quickly - anyway, it would seem to me that there must be some similarities in the learning process people go through when they are immersed in a language - and I think it would be good if those were pointed out - perhaps what I'm feeling is normal - but I don't know that - so I just assume that everyone else is doing fine and chattering away and I'm just dumb. It seems to me that knowing what to expect, knowing what the average person experiences would be very helpful. Perhaps I'll suggest this on my evaluation. One woman from Germany told me today she was (unhappily) surprised that there were so many kids here on their breaks (like Sarah's) - perhaps things are also different if more of the students are older. Maybe the garbage trucks will be on vacation tomorrow (actually tonight)...I hope... 3:51:51 PM |
Tuesday, April 5, 2005 8:56 pm The first day of classes... There was one poor guy who sat in our class all morning before he realized that he was in the wrong room - and that's why he couldn't understand anything. He was 29 but looked about 19 and was a doctor -but he was in France to take photographs and learn French. He found his class after the break. But I felt for him because the class was pretty intense. Most of the stuff that the teacher - Colleen?? - said I could understand, and when I couldn't, she was good at explaining - in French of course - but there were a lot of verbs and vocabulary I didn't know. In the classes at DeAnza, things are carefully presented in the book- and verbs and prepositions, etc. are carefully controlled - probably so we don't get overwhelmed - which I am. Some stuff I knew, and I feel like I can understand quite well - at least n class, but when it comes to talking, I am like a mute. I had lunch with a woman from Czechoslovakia - Lenka - she is studying French and English - so our common language was French - because she didn't know much English - the conversation did not sparkle - it was slow and halting - although both of us did take some time to laugh at the situation...here we were in a pretty nice outdoor café, having pizza (great) for me and spaghetti (for her), struggling to converse. After class and lunch, I walked home (the walk this morning took 45 minutes - I am undecided tomorrow whether to try a different route or take the bus - both are fraught with terror - the bus especially since I don't know where the stop is - I mean I know it's rue Victor Hugo and avenue Jean Medicin - but Jean Medicin is completely torn up and the street signs are sparse - so I'm not sure where to get off. But I should probably try it since it might rain and then I'd have to take the bus - and if I don't know where to get off, I'm up the creek... I spent the whole afternoon reviewing the class materials today and doing the homework for tomorrow. There is so much new stuff - and it is really hard to remember it all. I sat next to a woman from Germany who has been at the school for a week and I asked her how she was doing and she said she knew very little when she came - but she did quite well in the class - so maybe there is hope. This weekend, a trip is planned to St. Paul de Vence - Rick Steves says it's the most visited town in France - the most famous hill town on the Riviera - but not many people are here now, so it should be fun - plus we are also going to the Foundation Maeght - which is a private museum for modern Mediterranean aert like Picasso, Braque, Caldor, Miro and Chagall. It is 20 euros - which seems reasonable - and it should be fun! Tonight, Madame's grandson Cyril was here. He is 3 and he is really cute. At 3 he can speak better French than I'll ever be able to - which is certainly discouraging. However, he did like the Scharfenberger chocolate I brought - he ate up half of it in no time! I'm going to review a bit more now and then get some sleep - they collected the garbage again last night at 2:00 am - the French must be more patient than Americans - which reminds me - when another guy in my class introduced himself today as an American - Madame was all over him - American could mean North or South American - so he had to be specific - putting him/us in our place in the world. So we are North Americans from des Etats-Unis... 3:51:07 PM |
Monday, April 4, 2005 6:10 Quelle jour!  Madame took me to school this morning in the Nice traffic- which was pretty intense because several of the major highways through town are totally torn up so all the traffic has been re-routed. I could probably have walked just as quickly - but it was nice for her to take me so I could be sure I was going to the correct place.We were divided up into groups and each group had a member of the school give an overview of school and basic info - totally in French - it was a good thing I had read all the stuff about the school before (in English) because it was mostly the same but it was easier to understand having read it in English before! Then we had the test - which was not easy - in fact, I was pretty discouraged). Although, as Samantha said, if we got all the questions right, we shouldn't be there. But I didn't have to worry about that - I'd be glad if I got 10% of them right! I was feeling pretty good last night, but this test certainly put me in my place! There was also an oral part and when she asked what I wanted to learn, I had to use English to explain I need to know I could be, I should have, I would go, I might, and other conjugations - it's amazing how little of grammar I know and more amazing how much more I become aware of my own English grammar as I learn more about French grammar. I think I could have done much better (that's a good example of some tense that I don't know in French but should - could have done), if I would have taken (there's another one) the test right after French 2 last winter - but c'est la vie - I'll probably be in with the beginners. ARRGHH!! There was a break for lunch so I had a panini at a café and then stood in line at the post office for 30 minutes to try to get some stamps - but there were only 2 clerks and the line was out the door - some things are the same in France and the US - I never did get the stamps because I had to be back for the tour of Nice at 1:15. There are lots of young people at the school and a good number of pas jeune people like me - many are there for their work - they come for several weeks to learn the language for use in business. Some of the students are there during their school breaks (like Sarah's) to improve their languages for tests they must take in their subjects. Many are from Germany, quite a few from England - English seems to be the common language everyone can speak but most people try to speak in French and use English when they ran out of French (which was good for me!) It also seemed to me that most of them had a much better command of the language and vocabulary than I did - which is depressing or maybe it says something about our educational system that I can get an A in French 1 and French 2 and still be at a very low level...AND all these people speak English REALLY well - especially the Germans! At 1:30., we took off on the tour - I'm going to have to get our guide to mark the map because the way she took us was much more attractive than the way I've been going - her way went right by the Chanel boutique! She whipped us through the Cours Saleya - I was glad it wasn't the first time I was seeing it, because it was more like a race through the streets than a tour. As we went along, she would stop periodically to give us some info on where we were and about the history of Nice - all in French. But I could understand most of it - not each word, but I got the general idea. She guided us up to the stairs and we hiked up (again) to the chateau - but this was a different direction than I went yesterday - past a huge waterfall - it was quite warm and we could see some swimmers at the beach - more than yesterday. We walked all through the park and back down the stairs and back into the Cours Saleya to the Place Rosetti, where we were going to see a church but unfortunately, there was a triple funeral going on - so we had ice cream instead. Our guide told us that the ice cream at the Place Rosetti was the best in Nice. I had violette and it was really good - I met several women around my age and spent the afternoon after the tour with 2 - one from Frankfort Germany and the other from Finland. We shared tastes of ice cream and the rose was also very good - this place has all kinds of strange flavors like lavender and cactus and tomato - I will need to back and try several more... It was interesting to walk around with these women because they both spoke better than me, but unlike the French, they spoke slowly, and listening to them, even though I wouldn't have been able to say what they said, I could understand it. On Mondays in the Cours Saleya, there is a brocante market and we walked through it looking at all the stuff and talking to each other in French - it was extremely cool - we remarked several times how exciting it was to be speaking and understanding! Most of what I said was pretty elementary, but at least I could get something out - and it was cool because often, at one time or another, all of us would ask how to say some word - or ask if the way we were saying something was correct - it was great for me because Suzanne, the woman from Finland, was really good and she often used the passé compose, and the more I heard it, the easier it was to understand it and remember the correct verb form and then try to use it. It was also neat because sometimes we would use English and then start up again in French - I felt very cosmopolitan! We had coffee at a café near the opera and then, as it was almost 6:00, headed back home. We each live in different directions - Daniella lived with a family near the airport - quite far, and Suzanne lives sort of in the middle, and I live more to the east. However, I am getting to be pretty familiar with the layout of the city, which makes sense since I have spent the last 3 days walking all over it), so I was able to get home pretty quickly - and I also discovered several shops that I had walked by on Sunday and later thought would be neat to go back to - but at the time I had no idea where they were because the Cours Saleya is like a maze of tiny narrow streets in no pattern - but now, I know where the tissues (linen) store is that had the great cups on sale and also the spice store - but it was closed today - dommage! So tomorrow, the real classes begin - it will be interesting to see the method used - I hope it's quick! I also hope they give us a book so I can study and look up the various verb forms.   It's interesting to imagine the kind of construction that's happening here in the US. I think it would never happen - they are building this tram system - an above ground rail - and it's as if El Camino Real and El Monte (or Bee Ridge and Bahia Vista for the Florida folks) were completely dug up and unavailable to cars - and it won't be done until 2007! There is dust and dirt everywhere and all the stores along these roads have construction stuff right up to their doors - they must be going crazy! But it will be great when it's done! It would be a great thing to have in California (or Florida), but I can't imagine people being patient enough to get through it.When we were having coffee this afternoon, I was also thinking about how each of us had a different English accent - Daniela's was German and Suzanne's was very interesting - it was very formal - sort of like the English you hear in English period movies - and mine is American. I found each of their accents charming - it was the same today when occasionally, our guide would speak English to make sure we understood (for instance when she was cautioning the kids to stay in groups at night and watch their drinks in bars) - her English with a French accent was so cute - I wonder if, when I speak French, if anyone finds my accent charming or cute...seems like a stretch! 3:27:50 PM |
Sunday, April 3, 2005 Must remember to download the pictures...maybe I better do that now, except it's so comfortable here on the bed - and I didn't get to sleep until about 4:00 am last night...it's 5:22 now, and once again, I don't know how I'm going to make it until dinner - I hope this is the last of the jet lag... I'm feeling very pleased with how I have been able (in the last day) to begin to put long strings of thought together in my mind (in French I mean). Last night, when I was unable to sleep, my mind was busy having a conversation in French - after 2 days of being surrounded by it, I think my brain may be having cognitive dissonance - I was definitely thinking in French last night - but maybe it was delirium caused by lack of sleep. Anyway, it is nice to be able to complete a relatively complex thought in French - it would be even nicer if I could speak the thought - but so far, this only happens in my mind. As soon as another person is involved, I revert back to an apparent IQ of 20. It is so frustrating - today at the chateau, I asked this couple if they would take a picture of me and I used the totally wrong form of prendre - they were nice enough not to point it out to me - but when I realized it, it was so aggravating because I know how to say it - if I have time to think about it -but in a rapid fire situation (like life), sigh....but tomorrow the lessons start, so maybe things will improve - I am optimistic.  Much better food today - last night Madame told me about 2 restaurants near the Cours Saleya, and since the lunch yesterday was not great, I thought I'd give them a try. Le Pub (I made sure it wasn't more English food - but why would a French restaurant be called Le Pub) (** see note) is just down from the markets, on the same street with the olive oil store and the soap store - but it took me quite a while to find it - meanwhile I was walking by zillions of people in town for the market and to have lunch in the sun - the day was gorgeous! All the restaurants along the market were packed with peopleI think lots of tourists - Italian, German, British but lots of French too - almost all the English I heard (and I didn't hear a lot) was not American English. Anyway, as it got later and later, I was getting hungrier and hungrier and sure that when I found the place it would be packed too, but at last I found it and I got a table - I had walked right by it - it's kind of a low key kind of place - but the food was super! It was full of "real" French people and the big screen tv was turned to live coverage of the Pope lying in state - big news here. Before I even had time to look at the menu, my waiter recommended the plat - which was o12.30 - he said it was really good, (which Madame had already indicated), so, without even looking at the menu, I ordered it. It was Pojarski de Veau Princesse avec Gratin de Brocolis et des carrots et pomme de terre roti. It was great! He brought out a big au gratin pan with it all arranged inside, served it up and left the rest for seconds - the sauce was wonderful - actually, everything was wonderful! He also left me the list of Plat de jours for April - and I was really sorry I hadn't gotten it earlier because yesterday they had Magret de Canard au Poivre Vert avec pommes croquettes et petits pois - mmmmm! It's really too bad it's so far from my school - but if I don't stay for afternoon classes, I could probably make it in time - too bad Willie isn't here because next Wednesday, they are having Rognons de Veau!!  After lunch, I went back through the market to find a spice store I had bumbled into earlier - they have lots of herbs and spices - so I'll have to take Sarah there when she gets here since she needs more. Once again, the vendors were cleaning up and leaving - so I'll have to try to get there earlier so I can get the full effect - tomorrow is an antiques (brocante) market - but I also have class - so I'll have to miss it for now...Since I had had such a hearty lunch, I decided that a walk up to the chateau would be a good idea - the day was beautiful - warm and a light breeze - so I walked up by the ponchettes (the flat buildings that house the Cours Saleya), up to the steps  up to the chateau. I took a lot of pictures on the way up and I just imported them into iMovie and they came out really well! I am very pleased.  The trip up took a while - it's a high cliff and there are a lot of steps (you can see them if you look carefully at the picture) - but I took lots of pictures along the way - the beach was really pretty and from that high, you couldn't tell that it was so rocky - and the rocks certainly didn't stop the bunches of people who were laying on them - and they are not little rocks either. The vegetation  appears to be almost the same as California - I recognized most of the plants. The view from the chateau from_chateau goes here was outstanding - there weren't a lot of people when I was there  - so I got some really nice pictures.  On the other side of the "hill", is the port - so I was also able to take pictures of that part - there was a huge cruise ship getting ready to go to Corsica - and I could also see the area where Madame's apartment is located.On the top of the chateau is a huge park and it was filled with families having picnics and kids with soccer balls (le football) playing. There was also an archeological area where ruins  from the Greeks had been excavated - which was very cool. I wandered around the park for a while and then took the zillion stairs back down and walked along the Prominade des Anglais - named for the English who came to Nice and financed the building of the hotels and path along the beach. Next, I decided to walk over to my school so I would know how to get there tomorrow - which I later figured out was a bad idea because it was a long way - and I had already walked a loooooonnnnggg way at the chateau - but by the time I realized it, it was too late. Plus, there is so much construction (trouveau) in Nice, it is easy to get lost - which I did, which added to the length of the trip! Finally, I found the school, which was sort of anticlimactic - since it was closed and I had the long walk back to Madame's apartment! Arrgghh!! Mes pieds et mes jambes sont fatiqué!!But, now I'm home and resting as I write this - I just downloaded all the pictures and put them into a slide show with music by Edith Piaf and showed Madame - she was impressed! She said she used a typewriter for 30 years and didn't want anything to do with computers! We're having dinner soon and then, I hope I'm asleep by 9:00 so I'll be fresh for the big day tomorrow! ** The actual name of the restaurant is Le Pub Opera - because it's next to the Opera! 3:24:17 PM |
Saturday, April 2, 2005 8:42 Pas anglais tout jour!! It was a strange night last night - I went to bed right after dinner (which evidently is normal for Madame) - but woke up around 2:00 because 1) they were collecting the garbage all over this area including all the glass and heavy metal items) and 2) there were really strange noises out on the balcony. At first I thought Whiskey (Madame's chien) was outside rustling around - but it wasn't that - I didn't find out until this morning that it was the wind (le vent) blowing like crazy! The balconies have sort of an awning-type material threaded through the posts and the wind was blowing it and making very strange noises. I was awake and asleep the rest of the night on and off, but didn't really wake/get up until 9:00 even though I had the alarm set for 7:30. I have to admit that I was kind of hesitant to get up because I couldn't figure out what I was going to do all day.  After breakfast (croissants and coffee), I took a shower (Madame has a very nice shower) and planned the route and tried to figure out where to go - around 12:30, Madame had to leave and she offered to take me to the Hotel Negresco (pictured yesterday with the big round pink roof) and let me out there. She may have offered to do this earlier, but I am not sure - often she says things to me and I don't have a clue what she is saying - or maybe I'll pick up a word or 2, but the rest is lost...anyway, we took off and I had plans to walk along the Prominade d'Anglais, goes here but the wind was blowing 90 miles/hour so that didn't last long! It was really pretty - the water was very blue - but the waves were really crashing and my earrings were horizontal instead of vertical, so I figured this was not a good day to do the walk. I headed inland to the Cours Saleya, which is where the flower and other markets are and also the old town of Nice. I passed a number of big hotels and interesting looking restaurants on the Prominade d'Anglais, and thought about going in for a coffee but I hadn't been out that long, so I tried the steps by the Opera goes here which lead up to this terrace that goes along the Cours Saleya on the roofs -which is supposed to be a great view and also which is usually closed- I think for either security or safety reasons), but for some reason which I have been unable to translate, it is open this weekend - something is going on this weekend - but I can't quite figure out what it is...each night on TV, we see updates about it - btw, it appears that the TV accompanies our dinner - last night I was freaked, but actually it is probably a good idea because it gives us something to talk about and helps me (sort of) learn new words and just get a feel for the language. So we hear a lot about the Pope and Prince Ranier who are evidently dying.Anyway, when I got up on the roof / terrace, the wind was blowing even harder, and I was afraid I was going to be blown off, so I headed back down and went further inland a few blocks to the market. As markets go, it wasn't very good I didn't think - on the other hand, many of the merchants were closing up because it was about 1:15 - but I thought the Carpentras market or the one in Orange or Isle sur le Sorgue were much better - it also wasn't very big - but it was out of the wind and on each side were lots of restaurants - and lots of tourists- Madame Thao always told us never to eat in a restaurant that has English translations because they will be tourist traps - but all these places (along with the ones along the Promindade d"Anglais, had not only English but Italian, Spanish, Japanese, German - you name it translations on the menus. I walked around for quite a while trying to find a more "authentic" restaurant, but eventually I figured I better pick on of the touristy ones because it was getting late (for lunch). So, because this is a seafood kind of area, I chose Le Quai which was right in front of the flower market. It was full of French people which I figured was a good sign and amazingly, no one was smoking. I had salad nicoise to begin, followed by moules et frites and crème caramel for dessert. It was çomme çi comme ça but it was interesting to listen to all the French flying around. After lunch, I walked all around the old town of Nice which has very narrow streets that are filled with tourist stuff - spices, yellow pottery with olives, yellow and blue tablecloths, napkins, baby clothes, etc. in wild provencal patterns, olive oil, soap, crickets - which I think are called cicadas here - each shop has sound effects so when you walk in it's like hearing them all cricking away - didn't exactly get me into a shopping frame of mind - also, a little yellow and blue goes a looooong way - but there were gobs of people there buying it up- lots of Brits. There was one area that had some interesting stuff that I may go back to - there was the Molinard Perfume shop, which had some really nice soaps, and several olive oil companies with big tanks where they draw off as much oil as you want and a wine shop that had some interesting wines - so I might go back there -but most of the market was a maze of narrow streets with the same junky tourist stuff. I was undecided about what to do as the afternoon progressed, and though about trying to find my school, but I got kind of lost and then thought about going to the castle, which is this huge hilly area on the coast which used to have a castle, but now is a park, but I figured the wind would probably blow me off - and as I was thinking all this, I realized, after seeing several familiar shops and streets that I was walking in circles - and that it was after 5:00 so I decided to head back. Except that I couldn't figure out where I was - and in the old town, the streets aren't listed on the map because there are so many of them and they are all so narrow - luckily, when I looked up, I saw a bunch of trees so I figured I was near the castle and that if I headed away from it, eventually, I would come to a street on the map - which is what happened. Interestingly, a big centre commercial (mall) is just down the street from where I am staying, and I knew already that there was a Pimke there, so I stopped to check it out. It was not too big as malls go but they had great shops - I got a great black leather purse that I can fit my computer in for 9 euros and will probably go back for a trés jolie pink leather purse that I also saw - I can't wait until Sarah gets here - she will love it! There were lots of other shops, especially shoe shops that had GREAT shoes - and a huge Calfour which was packed with people buying groceries - I mean packed!! Madame said later (I think) that many people get paid at the beginning of the month and so they were stocking up. I also stopped at Sephora to get a new bath scrunchy (1 euro) and try out a new Kenzo fragrance called Summer that I really like. It also turns out that the perfume I brought (a small bottle of Jessica McClintock) has suffered atomizer failure - so I need some anyway... After I got home, I tried to explain my day to Madame, with limited success, and we watched TV - the pope continues to dominates the news and newspapers. But, excitingly, we did see the program Sarah and I watched at Christmas in Paris called C'est quoi ce jeu? It is a very bizarre game show with 3 contestants who wear funny costumes and get weeded out as the game goes on - the host asks a series of questions that have to be answered very quickly - one series had names - Jacques or Claude and the contestant had to answer the correct name when a last name was given - like Chiraq. Another was a series of statements and the contestant had to answer vrai or faux - it went very quickly and I probably would never watch anything like that at home, but it was good for practicing French because I had to translate the question and figure out the answer - I think I got about 2 right - but I've only been here 2 days. Madame must think I am a complete dunce - but when I listen to conversations, I am getting better at hearing individual words - but it goes very fast - I could also use a few more verb tenses - I think the conditional will be very helpful. Dinner was charcuterie with cornichons and sun dried tomatoes, followed by croissant avec frommage et jambon, a cheese course and strawberries for dessert. I hope I sleep better tonight and I also hope they don't collect the garbage again at 1:00 am! 3:23:46 PM |
 Friday April 1, 2005 7:01 am or 5:01 pm (depending...) Trying to stay awake. Dinner is between 7:30 - 8:30. It's 5:01 pm in Nice now - I don't know if I'm going to make it. Here's what happened so far... Willie took me to the San Francisco airport and once again we waited forever in line to check in - although not as long as the last time thank God! We got a quick bite to go and then said goodbye and I went through security and on to the gate (after checking the price on Hermes scarves in the duty free shop ($300). The flight to Frankfort was full, of Germans - very white and blond. It was interesting to hear German - I haven't heard so much since I was in Germany in 1976 - couldn't figure it out then, still can't. The plane was old - no in-seat screens which was a real disappointment because that meant I couldn't track the flight -which took 10 hours btw. Also, the video projector in the cabin I was in didn't work either - so no movies - it was a long 10 hours. I read a book and got about 2 hours of sleep. They gave us vouchers to fill out because of the video problems - evidently we will get extra miles or $$ off a future ticket - which is great for me because I probably wouldn't have watched the movies anyway - Princess Diaries 2?? Hummmm.. Anyway, there was an altercation (in hissing German) right across the aisle from me - one woman put her seat back and the one behind her went ballistic - just went crazy about how she just could not deal with it - this went on and one and several flight attendants were called - she got her way - the woman in front was more gracious than I would have been. After that, the flight was pretty dull since there were no movies, no graphic to tell me where I was and no window to look out of. One interesting thing was that just as everyone was settling down to sleep, (around 10:00 pm), it started to get light outside. By 11:00, it was full daylight, hard to sleep and at midnight, they served breakfast. We got in to Frankfort shortly after that. My rolling carry-on worked just fine and I rolled through passport control and through miles of airport to get to the gate for Nice. We went through the gate check in and down the stairs to a bus - which bussed us way out to the runway where the plane was. It was sunny and warm and bright - and the plane (Luftansa - probably spelled wrong) was much bigger and nicer than the United plane. I sat next to a woman from Frankfort who spoke to me in German - and I was so tired I couldn't thin what to do or say - so I said Bitte, which now that I think of it, was pretty good, since I don't know German - but she thought I didn't hear what she said and repeated it - so I told her I didn't speak German (no duh) and she started right up in English. It turned out she taught English and French to high school students. She was going to Nice for the weekend, It stayed sunny as we flew over Germany but clouded up as we flew over the Alps - and then got very cloudy the closer to le Mer we got - I was getting worried but then once we got to the sea, the clouds broke and as we flew in along the coast, it was bright and sunny. We flew along Antibes and then into Nice and there are palm trees and red roofs everywhere. It looks sort of like Santa Barbara with the mountains in the background and the road along the coast - but also like Florida. The architecture is very Italian - since it was Italian until the mid 1800's.  I was wondering who would be meeting me and it turned out to be my hostess, Madame Girardin, who was holding up my note that I had sent her last week. She reminded me of Aunt Rita. We went out to the parking lot and as we drove along the Prominade d'Anglais through Nice, she talked (in French), non-stop about what we were seeing. She doesn't speak English (so she said), which will be good for me as I will learn more, but it is also frustrating! We are each armed with a French/English dictionary at all times! My room is small but nice - I have a balcony and I can see other Italianate buildings out my window with plants. Madame Girardin told me that ochre is the color of Nice and there is an ochre building right across the street (not in this picture - actually, the building is not as attractive as some others). We talked for a while and she showed me Nice sight-seeing stuff and then suggested that I should "repose" for a while. So I unpacked and laid down and almost drifted off several times - which would probably be a bad idea especially since I have my contacts in...so I decided to write down some first impressions while they are still fresh - and then Willie called and now Madame just returned from taking Whiskey (her dog) for a walk. I have reset the clock on my computer to French time. Now all I have to do is stay awake until dinner.2:29:04 PM |
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