Friday, April 15, 2005 7:05 PM Today was the funeral of Prince Ranier and also my last day at Alpha-B Institute Lingistique. It was also kind of anti-climactic. After class, I had a nice lunch with Suzanne and then she gave me some very interesting literature about her island which is in between Sweden and Finland. We have been talking about Finland and America and it was very interesting to look at the pictures and read about where she lives. Her island is a 2.5 hour ferry ride from Stockholm. I knew little about Sweden and practically nothing about Finland but now I think I'd like to go there! Plus, Suzanne says we can stay with her - she can see the ocean from her balcony. Her island, whose name I will add later - right now it is buried in the bottom of my suitcase - Åland I think - with the little circle over the A - used to belong to Sweden and then during the early 20th century - I think during the Russian Revolution maybe - became a part of Finland - but the people always identified with Sweden - and spoke/speak Swedish. But then later, an agreement was reached so that it would continue to belong to Finland, but be autonomous and be able to make its own laws and be self governing. So, according to Suzanne - it continues to be very Swedish. It is one (the biggest) of thousands of islands between Sweden and Finland, most of which are uninhabited. In the pictures (where it is almost always summer), it looks very pretty. Evidently, many people (tourists) take cruises among the islands and/or rent cottages along the beaches and coast. I asked her my usual question - what do people do there and she said fishing and agriculture and also quite a few work on the ferries that go to all the islands and to Sweden and Finland. She teaches Swedish to immigrants/refugees from Iraq and Iran - Whoa! What a culture shock that must be - Iran to Finland! Wow - I just realized that this is the third Friday I've been in France! I bet (hope) Willie is going crazy - I know how I get when he is gone a week for those Educause things - perhaps he will appreciate me more when I get home! ;-) I also realized I haven't heard from Sarah - ff there were any problems, she was going to call - so I assume she will be joining me tomorrow morning! Earlier this evening, I joined Madame in watching the funeral of Prince Ranier - it was very solemn and (although I didn't understand much) evidently, the security was intense. They had pictures of helicopters, and soldiers and a battle ship patrolling the coast - I didn't know Monaco had an army - maybe they were French - I can't figure out why this would be such a big deal security-wise (Madame told me later that it was because there were so many heads of state - the Spanish King and lots of other European royalty I can't remember). Also, there was much discussion (which I didn't understand) of the succession - since Albert isn't married, I think Caroline's son (Andrea - who looks to be about 20 or so) will be next in line after Albert - but there was much discussion on the news - I think of all the possibilities. Death has been monopolizing the news since I have been here! When I got up this morning, Madame was braising endive - and tonight for dinner we began with tomatoes stuffed with crab with mayonnaise on top with hard cooked egg and white asparagus. It was lovely. Then we had ham stuffed with the endive - braised in the liquid with nutmeg and spices. It was very good - we watched the news - funerals and pope elections... Now, Madame just took Whiskey for walk and the phone rang - I hope it isn't Sarah! I will tell Madame when she gets home - and if it was, hope she left a message. Waiting...OK - she just got back and now she's talking to someone on the phone - so when she checked the message it must not have been Sarah. Good... So anyway, it was anti-climactic today because when school was over, I didn't really have anything to do - I feel like I've seen everything in Nice that I want to see (without Sarah - there are some museums - Chagal and Matisse - but I figure she'll want to see those) - and usually in the late afternoon, I do my homework and study - but today there was no homework - and it was too early to pack. So it was strange - I also wanted to check the weather (Meteo) to know what to wear tomorrow - rain and cold...through Monday - GRRRR!! Looks like it could be museums this weekend... Tomorrow, I will get up early again and pack - and Madame will take me to the train station to pick up the car around 9:00 - I sure hope things go well getting from the train station to the airport! 6:22:27 PM  |
Thursday, April 14, 2005 8:44 PM Wow - I can't believe it's Thursday already! Tomorrow is the last day of class and I will be sorry - over the last few days I have grown very comfortable here in Nice. There is lots to tell today - but first, I'm glad I don't have to drive tomorrow - Monaco will be closed most of the day for the funeral of Prince Ranier - including the highway through Monaco - so that all the "dignitaries" can get to the church and the service and the cemetery - the A8 is the major route along the cote d'Azur and it will be closed tomorrow for a long time! There will be major traffic problems in the morning going into Monaco and in the afternoon, going towards Italy. It was another perfect sunny day on the Cote d'Azur today. We continue to practice the imparfait - each evening, we have a dialog to write and each day we read our dialog and then Corrine discusses it with us and helps us make it better. We also have dialogs we read together (that she gives us) that contain lots of new vocabulary and language usage - it is very interesting. I was thinking that this would be a good method to use in my French class at home, but of course, it would never work because there are 5 people in my class here and between 30-40 in the class at DeAnza. After class, I went searching for a restaurant I saw last night in Rick Steve's guide to Provence - Les Viviers. It was about a block away from my school and it was very nice - probably the nicest restaurant I have been in since I have been here - very pretty and pas tres cher. Rick said to make a reservation, but he must be talking about summer because I didn't have any problem - I had the formule bistrot for 15 euros - which was Langoustines paetees epeautre et cepes - and Fraiseurs for dessert. I also had a quarter pitcher of rose and a coffee after the whole thing. It was very pleasant - I may go back again tomorrow! After lunch, I floated out on a cloud of rose - and just drifted around Nice - it is nice now that I know the city well, because I can just wander and not have to worry about getting lost. Today I found 3 bookstores - real bookstores - I haven't found any before! I looked at French cookbooks and travel books (they advise that it is safe to drink the water in California, but caution against crime). I got great postcards at several bookstores and also found a print store that had wonderful French cards similar to the ones I got 2 years ago in Orange that are now hanging in the dining room. I got several more to mount when I get home. I also got a book of French verb conjugations that evidently is de rigueur for all French schoolchildren. Madame has a copy that was her son's and I have been using it regularly - it is very helpful - and I think it will continue to be so. It also has explanations of all the tenses and exercises and examples - all in French of course. After I finished my homework, I started going through it and adding the definition of each verb - which will also be helpful(!). While I was walking home, it must have been the time to collect the mail, because suddenly, the streets were filled with little yellow cars with La Poste on the side - it was like an invasion of yellow bugs! I also scoped out the parking lot by the Musee Moderne - I have been thinking about where to park if Sarah wants to visit Nice when she gets here on Saturday - I hope we will be able to fit all the luggage into the trunk of the car - but I got the smallest car - so it could be tight - and it is not good to leave luggage or anything in your car here. In addition, it is REALLY hard to find a place to park. So yesterday, when I was at the museum, I noticed that they have a parking garage (I have only walked by it every day!!) - and it has security cameras and video surveillance! So today I checked out the prices and it is very reasonable - and it is in a very good location - central to lots of stuff - so I think that's where we'll go to park. I hope Sarah brings her walking shoes! Tonight, Madame had another wonderful dinner - I was wondering what she was making because it smelled so good - it turned out to be lapin - rabbit. She cooked it in wine with herbs and potatoes and onions and mushrooms. It was excellent and I don't know why more people don't eat it in the US (probably because they are cute and furry like the Easter bunny - but chicks are cute and furry and we eat chickens...). We had salad and then pave d'affinois and fruit for dessert. I took a picture of Madame with her lapin. Tomorrow I am having a goodbye lunch with Suzanne - she stays for another 2 weeks - there are lots of people here for 4 weeks - and lots more who come for much longer - I have met several who are here for 6 months. Wow! Tomorrow I also have to pack - which should be interesting. I have all my stuff next to the bed now in the bags each came in - now I have to figure out how to get it into my suitcase. It's not looking good for Sarah - who wants me to take stuff back to the US for her! 6:20:03 PM |
Wednesday, April 13, 20058:31 PM Today was sunny and warm again! It was a very pretty day with a brilliant blue sky and wonderful clouds this evening. I took several pictures of them but unfortunately, from my balcony, I have a pretty narrow view - so in most of the pictures, there are roofs and/or antennas in the way! I'll have to Photoshop them out! After class today, I got the pastis for Wiilie and also a bottle of what is supposedly the great wine from the Nicoise - called Bellet. I got a red - so perhaps we will have to have it with some Mediterranean food when I got home. I also got some perfume - finally - of the 2 kinds I brought, one was a sample and ran out almost instantly and the other had atomizer problems - so I have had no perfume at all on the trip - this isn't allowed in France (kind of like not having a water bottle in California) and I have been afraid of getting busted each day (!) - but now, finally, I have some - and it is new - I hope it isn't available in the US yet - so I can be tres chic! It is called Summer by Kenzo who also makes Flower - which is my favorite perfume and the number one best selling perfume in France (according to Sephora, who should know). I had lunch at an Italian restaurant in old Nice - La Table Alziari. It was a restaurant recommended by Rick Steves and also the restaurant associated with the olive oil Madame recommended as the best in Nice. But I didn't think the restaurant was so great - it was nice eating outside, but I got there late, so I was the only one except for the "patron" who spent the whole time pacing around. I got a braised veal dish - but the meat was very fatty - although the stuffing and the sautéed onions and vegetables were excellent. Afterwards, I walked to the Promenade des Arts and decided to go to the Museé Moderne. All (or many) of the art building are located along this one street called Promenade des Arts - including the theatre and several museums. The Musée Moderne has this HUGE sculpture outside of a neck and the bottom of a face with a block on top - it is pretty strange - especially since it's so big and you can't miss it! The museum is a wonderful building- with 3 (or maybe 4, I'm not sure) wings on each floor built around a big courtyard in the middle. It is full of modern art - many Americans are here including Andy Warhol, Robert Indiana, whose famous LOVE painting is here, Robert Rauchenberg and others. There is also work by Yves Klein, who (I don't know this for sure but I suspect) must be the inspiration (??) for the blue men in the Intel commercials. He has a whole wing devoted to him and there are lots of blue men and a whole swimming pool sized place surrounded by white walls filled with blue pigment - like sand at the beach - only blue -very compelling! There is also work by Niki de Saint Phalle, and American/French woman who does very bizarre stuff indeed. I also saw some interesting wrapped pieces and sketches by Christo - who did the recent installation in Central Park in New York - including one proposal to wrap all the trees on the Champs d'Lycee (not spelled right I don't think, but I can't find how to spell it). I suppose if one likes this type of "Modern Art", this would be a very good museum, but I found it got old quickly - especially when I compared it to the Musee Maeght. However, as I say, the building made up for it - the roof especially - there was this incredible staircase up to the top (which had a sculpture of The Queen (made entirely of plastic soda bottles) at the bottom which was pretty cool. Once you got out on to the roof, it was great! It must be one of the highest points in Nice and there are stairways that wander up and down all over the 4 sides of the open area in the middle - plus on one side is a garden with more art installations. There were great views of Nice, the mountains and the sea. As I was walking around, a workman (BTW, there was practically no one at the museum - and while I was on the roof I only saw a few other people) told me to be careful on the steps because they were working on some of them. And indeed, when I got to the other side, several steps were missing and I had to sort of clamber over them - this would never be allowed in the US - it reminded me of the narrow stairs and sheer drops in the castles in the Loire. Anyway, the garden installations were outstanding - and I spent quite a while doing self portraits in these mirror things with quotations on them to reflect the sky and surroundings - there were bridges in the garden, but instead of water under the bridges, there was crushed blue glass - it was very cool. The rooftop garden was refreshing, but I was tired from all the walking - luckily I got in at the student rate and also checked my pastis and wine (which were really heavy) in a locker - and when I retrieved them, I got a bonus - my euro had been returned in the change slot! So, I hiked home and this evening I've been writing postcards and doing homework practice on the Imperatif - which as usual, I can understand, read and write, but have problems speaking. Some friends from school asked if I would like to join them for dinner tomorrow night - they know a seafood place that's supposed to be good - (today they were having an argument over how to say mussels in English and had to interrupt a conversation I was having with someone else to check) - but I'm not sure about going - they all live close to the school and according to the bus map I have, there aren't any busses that go to where I live after 9:00pm - so I'm not sure about getting home - I'll have to see how it goes. They have been very strong about warning us not to walk around dark streets in Nice at night (no duh) - and at least 2 people I know have had wallets stolen so far - one in an Internet café and one at McDonalds - although why someone from Chezoslovakia would go to MacDonalds is beyond me - but interestingly in both cases, it was the guy who was ripped off, Anyway, I'm not excited about taking the bus home at 10:00 PM, so I'll have to see. Madame just informed me that the elevator is broken - (sounds like Paris!) - so I'd better get some sleep so I'm fresh for the hike in the morning. 6:19:05 PM |
Tuesday, April 12, 2005 9:00 pm Today was rainy and cloudy again. But I think tomorrow and Thursday are supposed to be sunny and warmer...class was good today - we continue to learn the imparfait. After class, I had a quick croque monsieur with Suzanne and Anja - but it wasn't very good - actually, it was really bad - white bread -yech! But it was only 2 euros so I guess I can't complain. Suzanne and Anja went back to class and I decided that today would be a shopping day - I just sort of walked along rue Victor Hugo towards the direction of the Cours Selaya where I wanted to get some soap and olive oil - but on the way it seemed like every shop had incredibly cute clothes - I wish Sarah was here - except we would probably spend a ton of money! I got a great scarf at Promod and then found a good perfume store that has tax free prices and also a "cave" with the Pastis that Willie likes and also some of the wine of the Nicoise area (and later I found the same Pastis in a tourist shop in the Cours Seyala for 10 euros more!) But today I was just looking for wine - I figured with the other stuff, it would be too much to carry - so I'll go back for that tomorrow. While I was wandering the streets, I saw a pet store with lots of puppies in the window - I watched for a while because they were so funny - there was a beagle and a poodle - the poodle had a long tail like the beagle and they were fighting over a ball. The beagle would pounce on the poodle and then bite its tail and pull on and shake it like Thisbe does! It was so funny. I went to the Molinard store and got some violette soap and also to the chocolate shop for several types for a tasting. Then, I got a can of olive oil from Arbuzi - which is supposed to be the best. On to another store where they had dish towels like I got in the Carpentras market 2 years ago - and then I found this fantastic shop that had amazing clothes - I got an incredible dress/coat that is so unlike anything I have seen at home! I will have to take Sarah there! I have also been checking out perfumes - Kenzo has a new one called Summer and I like it - I have stopped by Sephora several days now to try it and I think tomorrow I will probably buy some. Along with the wind and the pastis, that will probably be the last of the shopping (Willie says Yea!) unless there is something really great! I lugged all this stuff home and Madame gave me a promotional brochure from Caerfour- they are promoting the products of the Cote d'Azur - so I went back to the mall (just a block away) to check it out. I got another bottle of olive oil (from Aix) and some olives. I also got some great black pants that will be super with my new dress/coat from Le Ceil est Tombe! Madame had osso bucco for dinner with wine from Anjou - it was great! I am going to do a little reviewing now and then read before I go to sleep. I should also talk about Madame's garage. She keeps here car in the basement garage - which is really scary. The ceiling is about 5 feet high and to get out, one drives the car into this box-like thing which you have to open with a key. Then the car is turned off and a button (outside the car) is pushed. The box is an elevator that goes very slowly. When it gets to the street, one gets out again and pushes the button to open the door. Then the car is started and backed out and turned around and driven out to the street. The whole thing took about 10 minutes just for her car! I was a good thing it wasn't a busy morning! 6:18:25 PM |
Monday, April 11, 2005 8:55 PM Today was rainy, gray and cold. I hope it doesn't stay like this long! We began the second week of class with another review of the passé composee and then moved on to discuss the weather because it was so nasty. We learned how to say the sky is gray and cloudy, it rains, it snows, it rains a little bit, it's thundering, it's lightening, it's raining really hard and it's raining comme une vache qui pisse! :) Then we moved on to the imperatif. This is used for a past event that continues or happens habitually - like waves on the shore or bees buzzing, or to describe something. Different from passé composee. Also different endings to remember - I"ve been practicing the conjugations all afternoon and think I have a grasp on it. We'll continue tomorrow. After class, Suzanne and I had lunch (veal roast and gravy with scalloped potatoes) and had a nice discussion about Finland and America. Then we split up - she went shopping and I came home to study. Not a whole lot to report today - but it is nice to be learning new things - this imperatif will be useful when I get back to California (I hope!). One nice thing that I forgot about was this afternoon, Willie called me - it is nice to hear his voice - I wish he were here - although, as Suzanne remarked today at lunch, it is nice to have an opportunity to do things one one's own - if he were here, I probably wouldn't have met many of the students at the school or gotten to know them as well. I think there is a lot to be said for vacations alone - it gives one a sense of empowerment as one if forced to deal with events and happenings alone rather than relying on someone else. I'm glad Sarah is having this year in England and also this time to travel. Reading her emails about the various troubles and hassles and how she handled them makes me very proud of her and more certain that she can take care of herself. BTW, I saw when I looked at the uploaded weblog, that all the characters and accents did NOT make the trip to the blog server well. All the euro signs disappeared - so I guess I'll have to use character codes for them in the future. Also, Madame told me a story today about Italy - she said to be careful if we go because on the border there are small villages with markets and at the markets they have stuff like Hermes scarves for 10 euros. BUT, when you come back into France, evidently they are cracking down and if they find them, they confiscate them and fine whoever bought it! I was telling some students at the school about it today and they said, "Well, couldn't you just say you didn't know?" But I think most people know that Hermes scarves cost more than 10 eruos! Maybe the French should have Missoni sweaters for 15 euros! 6:17:08 PM |
Sunday, April 10, 2005 8:35 PM Not much to report today. It was sort of cool and rainy today - and we had a slow morning reading Nice Matin (the newspaper) about the lune de meil of Charles and Camilla. I did the wash at a French Laundromat - which was about as exciting as doing it in an American Laundromat. Then, I walked all the way to the Prominade des Anglais to find the Brasserie Queenie which offers free wireless access. I was there 3 hours writing email and uploading pictures and blog posts. I had a pizza and white wine, but I didn't even taste it practically because I was so busy writing and working - I also had an online chat with Sarah - and read all the emails I missed last Friday and saved them so I could read them again tonight. When I finished, the sky had cleared a bit and the Prominade was full of people - so I walked along enjoying the blue water. I met another student from Holland and we walked together for a while. There were skaters and bicyclists and kids on scooters and gobs of people - it was very nice. We separated at the chateau and I walked on around the harbor again. This time I walked down close to the boats. All the ones I walked by were huge - HUGE - and most were from England with a few from South Africa. The pentanque game was still going on in the park as I returned. Cyril has joined us for dinner and I have some studying to do before I go to bed. I did talk to Madame this morning about next Saturday when Sarah comes - and she is going to take me to the railroad station to get the car - that will be much easier - I won't have to drag my luggage all over. She also assured me that the trip to the airport will be easy - it is well marked (in French of course!) and there is no construction. I have looked at the map - and I think it will be ok. Tomorrow, another week of French begins. I hope my speaking improves this week! BTW, I have a new desktop picture of the view from the top of the chateau on my desktop - so I see Nice and the sea everytime I move from one application to another - lovely! 6:10:44 PM |
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