Champagne for Everyone!

It will 2012 in Paris in less than 7 hours!


Whatever shall I do for New Year's Eve? (if I were in Paris)
http://agenda.paris.fr/evenements/1503

Well for one thing, someone needs to get me there in the next 7 hours.  I even have something to wear! What are the chances of that happening? (even in Austin)

If you're stuck inside, no worries-watch the live webcam de la Tour Eiffel http://bit.ly/ruFtrX I shall be watching no matter where I am.

Russian dress in a  French setting while celebrating in Austin. How fun does this sound and why am I just hearing about it now?
The volk ('wolf' in Russian) is the core of this New Years Eve night at Justine's Brasserie. Everyone should come dressed formal, Russian, and opulent, while inside is your animal self, the rabid, wild wolf that comes out on New Years Eve and takes over.

Customs Here and There

Many parts of the US celebrate the new year by eating black-eyed peas, considered good luck in many cultures. Cabbage is another ‘good luck’ vegetable. Cabbage leaves are considered a sign of prosperity, being representative of paper currency. Let's not forget watching football all day; a popular custom indeed.

In France, they host a special New Year feast on New Year's Eve called le Réveillon de Saint-Sylvestre which consists of customary dishes like pancakes, foie gras (flavored duck or goose) and champagne. French believe this special dinner brings prosperity to the house.Combining these two cuisines sounds neither tasty nor prosperous.


New Years Day in France
New Year in France is better known as Jour des Étrennes (Day of Gift Giving). It is celebrated on January 1 (according to the Gregorian Calendar) with great pomp and show. Jour des Étrennes is one of the oldest festivals celebrated all over France. People are highly excited to bid goodbye to the old year and to welcome the coming year. The New Year holidays in France end on January 6 (l'Épiphanie), with the ceremonial cutting of a special type of festive cake called la galette des rois.


New Year in France is mostly a a private affair when people like to have dinner with their dear ones and/or enjoy une soirée dansante (ball). In South Western France, there is a tradition to attend the evening mass and participate in the torchlight procession heading towards the vineyards for mulled wine.


Celebrations
Alongwith partying hard, French love the tradition of gift-giving and take it quite seriously. They consider it more auspicious to present gifts on New Year than any other festival. They greet each other with cards, cakes and other goodies.  Interestingly, kissing under the mistletoe is a New Year's custom in France, rather than a Christmas custom as in other countries.


New Year Parade in Paris
One of the famous New Year parades take place in Paris. It is not to be missed 2-day festival. Thousands of performers - singers, dancers and entertainers steal the show. The parade marches through various streets. It mostly goes through Chantilly on 31st December and reach Trocadéro, under the Eiffel Tower on January 1.


Poisson d'avril
Poisson d' avril means April fish in French. When Charles IX, declared January 1 as the New Year's day, and those who did not follow it as New Year's day were called fools. People started playing pranks on them by sending fake party invitations and gifts. This day has become a part of fun and enjoyment for French children. Now-a-days even shops display pictures of chocolate fish. 


I don't have any profound statements to make about 2012. I shall continue my French studies, make new friends française, and plot et plan mon retour à Paris. Have a wonderful time tonight wherever you go, and une Bonne Année tout le monde!

Joyeux Noël!

Champs Elysées, Paris

A day late..

I couldn't get this posted yesterday due to laptop malfunction, too many people and hoards of presents being opened, put together, and tested. I hope everyone had a fabulous day. While waiting for the rest of the troops to arrive, I had both great-nephews in my lap showing them pictures and videos of Christmas in Paris. They were mesmerized. I was as well. Ice sculptures, snow, lights, décorations grandioses. We heard the French version of "Jingle Bells" - that was really fun!

My sister made me an Alpaca infinity scarf
 I love it!

Let's recap all things francaise I've seen, eaten or learned for the past few weeks:
Our last cours de français was the 17th. We learned several different ways to ask questions. This has involved writing many sentences and reading them as well. We still stutter and sputter when reading - quite humorous at times. We also reviewed when, where, what, which and how. It is imperative that I find un ami français to practice with and who will correct me. Ever think about how the English word "do" doesn't really have a meaning?  Same with "est-ce que"; its only purpose is to show that the sentence is a question.

I haven't eaten anything truly French since in Santa Fe last month. I have however sampled several les vins française. Délicieux!

Française factoid - The word “encore” is French for again, although the French themselves prefer to call bis after a particularly outstanding performance if they want to hear an encore. The alternating cheek kiss the French do when greeting each other is called "La bise or le bisou ".

I subscribed to the French Music Blog. I receive videos of artistes française to have a listen, possibly purchase, add to my Pandora station or Blip song list. I prefer Blip over Pandora.

This is one of the rare French songs that is slow enough to sing along to. Great pronunciation practice.
A “Classique” French Carol: “Petit papa Noël”


I could go on attaching pictures for hours, but I shan't. It's time to gather my gifts and head back home. 

2nd Street,  Austin - texasphototour.blogspot.com

Marchés de Noël, Paris

Armadillo Christmas Bazaar, Austin

Adieu Thanksgiving ~ Bienvenue Christmas!

Much to my sister's chagrin, I stayed home this Thanksgiving . Cats near and far (and in between) were counting me for their turkey dinner and I was happy to provide it to them. I enjoyed tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich, dining outside on the patio with the birds and squirrels imagining what I would be eating if in Paris. Since Thanksgiving is une fête américaine, I would think Parisians would be enjoying cuisine française as usual.

Those expats living in Paris can still enjoy this day of gluttony. Where to purchase all those American goodies? Where else but this fab grocery store (supermarche) called  Thanksgiving,  They have Canadian, British and Mexican favorites as well. Tres brilliant!


If like moi, you would rather go out for American fare, this place gets my vote. When living in Paris, it shall be a regular haunt. They take happy hours seriously.

Lizard Lounge

Moving on, today is Black Friday, another American "tradition". I have never participated in this shopping frenzy nor do I ever plan to. I don't enjoy shopping in general, much less shopping with all of humanity in my face. I have nothing else to say about it.


Now about ceiling fans 


We here in Austin know the importance of ceiling fans. I shudder to think about summer without one or four.

It all started when I asked my professeur de français if we could turn on the ceiling fan. It was quite warm in the classroom. Not only did I get a "non", but a fairly long speech on how much she and all french hate ceiling fans.

According to Madame Didnee, the French would never consider a ceiling fan in their home. I couldn't believe it, why on earth wouldn't you want a ceiling fan in warm weather? What is it about ceiling fans that repulse them so? Madame Didnee enlightened us.

The French find them downright ugly, and are none too keen on the shade that surrounds the light bulb either. Before you say anything, they don't care for the ones without light fixtures, as well. Remember, an unfurnished Paris apartment has nothing in it - at all. The French take decorating their home seriously, ceilings included. A monstrosity made of faux wood and tacky brass hardware attached to the ceiling sends chills up l'épine française.

Madame Didnee did, however, turn on the air conditioner.

Dig out the Christmas lights!                                   

Since I missed Thanksgiving at my sister's yesterday, I'm going to drive up tomorrow for leftovers and a quick visit. I shall also be bringing home my boxes of Christmas decor. No matter the funding situation, j'adore Christmas. Especially the lights. They make me feel both happy and sad at the same time. The blue lights are my favorite; I could gaze at them for hours. 

Soon I will be posting pictures of Christmas lights in Austin. In the meantime, let's see how Parisians get into the Christmas spirit . They even have a list of the illuminated streets in each district. Man, to be in Paris at Christmas...

What to do in Paris during the Christmas holidays?

des Champs Elysées - Crédits photo : Mairie de Paris/H. Garat

Ca glisse à l'Hôtel de Ville 

Bon week-end à tous!

Preparation and Discovery

A bit more time has passed than I intended since my last post. Excuses are the same; finger pain, etudie la francais, and pets to "sit". Perhaps a bit too much tv. I've also missed two French films - "Hedgehog" and "Gainsbourg". More are to be missed in the coming week since I'm heading to Santa Fe to visit mon à amis Elaine for 4 days! I am très excited. I wonder if I shall run across anything French while I'm there. Bet I do.

It appears my new iPhone is not going to arrive before departure - rats. I'll have to rely on Elaine for capturing the trip on film. Photography is one of her numerous talents. I plan to "encourage" Elaine to learn French so she can accompany me on my move to Paris. I'll need someone to help me with Genevieve during the journey and keep me from anxiousocity overload. Her communication skills are superb, she remains calm in the most stressful of  situations,and ideas flow through her brain like a raging river.

HUGE Paris discovery - Orgie de Nutella in le17e. Those French sure know how to do a brunch. Look how cute the restaurant is!

le Sans-Gene, 112 Rue Legendre, 75017 Paris, France

My two favorite brunch venues in Austin are Green Pastures and Moonshine. The Milk Punch at Green Pastures is the ultimate 1000 calorie beverage and the food is tres bonne. Moonshine is more affordable and has a a wider variety of tastiness on the menu. Have you noticed that the french words are missing their accents? I am most unamused that my laptop won't let me type them.

http://bit.ly/ufWwbN   Moonshine

http://binged.it/uUJNiI   Green Pastures

This is going to have to be a short post. Must take care of final preparations for my trip - pick up kitty litter and hiking boots.  I must also finish my homework de francais before class this evening. I'm getting much better at pronunciation  but if there are more than 4 words in a sentence, I sound like a robot just learning to speak.


Que faire à Paris ce week-end?

Paris Photo 2011

What to do in Austin this week-end?

Stephanie Miller's Sexy Liberal Comedy Tour

bon week-end!

Mary

les chats française

Madeline belly up - Italian Ice in foreground

I thought it was high time I introduced Genevieve and Madeline. They're not French, but actually chats americain with noms francais. Madeline is 6 years old, fat, likes everyone, and spends most of her time belly up.Genevieve is 5 years old, slim and trim, loves only me and scared of everyone else. She spends most of her time on me when she's not pulling push pins out of the wall. They are both black and white and sweet all over. Madeline is named after the main character (a little French girl) in the book Madeleine. Yes, I spell my Madeline's name without the second 'e" so folks know it's pronounced with a long "i".

Genevieve removing push pin

sweet Genevieve napping on me

Madeleine in the book was once rescued by a very clever dog whom she adopted, and named Saint. Genevieve - Patron Saint of Paris! I've always loved that name, so it was perfect for Madeline's new kitten friend.

5 week old Genevieve

Madeline was not nearly as thrilled as I with new baby Genevieve. In fact she hated her guts. An arduous year passed before they learned to live with each other.

considering coming out

luring Freddie with treats

And then there's Freddie. I inherited Freddie when I moved into my present south Austin abode.

Freddie is an outdoor cat; his idea not mine. I forced him indoors during last winter's ice & snow episode, and he freaked. He was inside two days, and after getting him out from under the dry sink, he couldn't wait to go back outside in the snow. I give up.

Genevieve enjoying some fresh air

I've decided that only Genevieve will make the move to Paris with me. Of course, I'll miss Madeline, but she is quite easy-going and will be happy living with my sister or my friend Nicole (much to her husband's dismay).  Genevieve, on the other hand, would be traumatized beyond belief if I tried to leave her with someone. I would never consider such a thing as I could not bear to be without her. I can just see her, sitting in the window of my Paris apartment taking in all the new sights and sounds.

You may have guessed that Genevieve is my favorite. I can't help it, she just is. I could go on and on about my kittehs, but I shan't bore the non-cat lovers any further.

Nombres Francais
Tonight is the last cours de francais of the first session. It has been fantastique. The second session starts next Saturday!
Last week we learned how to write out numbers. Let me give you an example:
387 = tois-cent-quatre-vingt-sept.  How wild is that? When numbers get up into the thousands and millions, it is crazy! I can spit out my phone number fairly well if I do say so myself.

Goings On
There are all kinds of fab things to do this weekend in Austin and in Paris. Here are just a few.

Austin:
Gypsy Picnic Trailer Food Festival
Austin Film Festival
Texas Book Fair

Paris:
Salon du Chocolat
Le Journal D'une Fille Perdue (The Diary of a Lost Girl)
Exposition (Faux du Logis)

Profiter du week-end!
                                         

Go the Other Way!

80's Skate Party

roller skating 80's style

Changing directions in the middle of a song, couple's only, and racing madly around and around...

When is the last time you slipped into a pair of roller skates? Not only did I lace up a pair for the first time in almost 30 years, but decked out in full-blown 80s attire to boot! My outfit was pretty tame compared to others, but still a tad out of my comfort level. Sorry I don't have pictures of me and my cohorts to share; most are not worthy (or just too embarrassing). It was way fun, and I didn't fall once! Oh yeah, skating rink food hasn't changed a bit - blech.

Check out this 80s makeup tutorial: http://bit.ly/o5paZQ


Friday Night Skating in Paris!

The weekly Pari Roller, which began in 1994, is probably the biggest weekly skating event in the world. The fun begins at 10:00 pm on Friday nights when weather permits. Traffic is stopped, and 150 Pari Roller marshals skate among the masses - they are the ones in the bright yellow shirts. The skate fest lasts three hours, with a break for wine or snacks, and concludes at 1:00 am. The route changes slightly from week to week but covers over 18.5 miles through central Paris and along the Seine. Pari Roller also pays for the Paris "Protection Civile" which follows the skaters in two ambulances, in case a skater topples over and needs medical assistance.

skating through Paris

Get this - You can also become a member of Pari Roller; the membership fee includes an insurance plan adapted to roller skating, which is valid 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, wherever you are in the world!

More from France

"Is it a sign that we are more under the influence of the US, or that we have reached a certain level of maturity when it comes to women's rights, it's hard to tell. The fact is, that French female activists are now demanding that the term Mademoiselle be removed from official papers and forms. They claim that there is no male equivalent,  and that there is no reason to make the distinction between single and married women. They have a point, don't they?" - Paris Daily Photo 

I talked with Sylviane, my French teacher, about this, and she agrees that it is unfair and ridiculous to make the distinction between single and married women. It would be such a shame to see Mademoiselle disappear (in my opinion). I think instead they should ditch Madame and keep Mademoiselle. It sounds so lovely and so French.

In class this week we dove into "negation". The ne and pas surrounding the verb making the sentence negative. You've heard this one:  Je ne sais pas = I don't know. Je ne crois pa = I don't think so.  Here's another example with a bit of a twist: Elle n'est pas français = She is not French. We also learned the days of the week (I already knew them), reviewed numbers a bit more, and danced around the dreaded genders of nouns. This gender business has got to be the MOST difficult thing about learning French. I shall master it if it's the last thing I do. Vive la France! We also conjugated the verbs étre and avoir.  I can't believe there are only two classes left - quelle poisse (what a bummer).

Pets of the Week

Spent the weekend with more cuties belonging to my coworker, Amie. Betty, Maple, Charlie, and Sue were all super sweet and we had a good time. I'm not sure you will be able to grasp the enormity of Betty, but believe me she takes up half of a king size bed if not more.  Maple, Charlie, Sue and myself bunched up on the other half. I believe she is a Mastiff-horse mix.

Sue chilling listen to the rain

Sue kitty and Betty

Maple and Betty

super sweet Charlie

Well, that just about covers my week. I leave you with another random phrase drôlede petit:  tenir la langue = to stick out one's tongue (at someone)


Bonne semaine!

Related articles

• French Feminists Want To Ban The Word 'Mademoiselle' (huffingtonpost.com)
• Outdoor Roller Skating Returns To New York At High Line Park (wcbsfm.radio.com)

Bon appétit!

Bonjour mes amis!

Just a quickie post for now; I seem to be short on time and energy of late. French numbers are my latest challenge. I'll wait until Saturday after class to get into more detail. I fear I shall have to limit my use of numbers while in Paris. I can however get my phone number out of my mouth semi smoothly. This is of utterly no use here.

Restaurant week in underway in Austin - yummm. Thank goodness there is a part II beginning on the 2nd when funding is more readily available. And get this, last Sunday was the final day of Tous Au Restaurant in Paris! Is that cool or what?

I am back home to stay for two weeks. September has been one busy month; only 7 days at home. However, I was in very good company.

 

the girls

Murray

Josie

       

Zoe

I'm a pumpkin head!

Avoir la tete comme une citrouille! As in "a head that feels swollen from information overload" (see previous post).


I'm not sure what possessed me to get myself into such a learning frenzy with dance lessons, les cours de français, new computer skills, all at the same time - what is this the 18th century? I do, however, draw the line at embroidery. It is no longer necessary to be "accomplished" these days in order to attract some upstart from a snooty family. Not that I care about attracting upstarts. Isn't it a shame this thirst for knowledge didn't hit me twenty years ago? I more than likely would have been living in Paris for years by now. 

The funny thing is, and not in a ha ha way, this quest  I've embarked upon has somehow exacerbated my self-consciousness issue. I am terrified when I have to speak in my french class, and I am so tense during dance lessons, muscle relaxers are needed for my back the following day. I must find a cure for this affliction, my progress is being impeded.


While I'm at it, can I lose this Texas accent in a week or two? Wonder if the Eliza Doolittle method would work. .http://bit.ly/piSLPi 

There is a bit of encouraging news this week: I am able to pronounce l'alphabet français assez bien. I found several french alphabet songs for children on YouTube, but this is my favorite. http://www.youtube.com/watch?

I learned some quite useful tips in class on Saturday. I shall share a few of them with you. Ever wonder what that little squiggle is under the letter C, that looks like 2/3 of a 5? This is une cedilla. It changes the pronunciation of the letter C from a hard sound to a soft sound, as in garçon and française. In addition, the soft C always comes before e and i. The hard C always comes before a, o, u. I found this to be a delightful bit of information.

We conjugated our first verbs, and oh mon Dieu, is that going to take a lot of practice. Let's look at how to conjugate the verb parler (speak). There are six words, five spellings, four of which sound exactly the same, the last letters of the other two are not pronounced. Seriously? I just realized that I'm going to have to recite these and others next week. A wave of nausea just came over me. Oh self-confidence, why hath thou forsaken me?

Here is what's happening in Austin and Paris this weekend.

The third day of ACL (Austin City Limits) music festival is still going strong. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er4vugx4n4o&feature=fvst

Que faire à Paris ce week-end? Heritage Days: discover Paris from a different angle - Pari... 



Consider yourself caught up. I shall leave you today with des phrases amusantes en français - bonne semaine!

Prendre son pied. =
Take his foot. (It was swell.)

Les carottes sont cuites. =
The carrots are cooked. (I've had it!)

C'est la finition des haricots. =
It's the finish of the green beans. (It's hopeless.)

Neighborhoods - Part II

I should have included these comparisons on the previous post. Maybe I just like looking at pictures. While on my photo walk; I realized, that I was making a scrapbook of places and memories in which I could look back upon when having a nostalgic episode (while living in Paris). Hopefully these episodes will be rare. I mustn't allow homesickness to interfere with my new life in Paris. There will be so many new memories to be made in Paris, the mere thought thrills me to no end.

You know the practice of adding "in bed" to the end of fortune cookie messages? I feel like I'm doing the same thing with "in Paris". Je ne peux pas l'aider.

Thank goodness for my new friends in Paris supplying me with fab photos. I say friends, even though I have never laid eyes on them. I met them electronically, and they are ever so friendly and most helpful. It will be so exciting to meet and get to know them. Won't it be fun the other way around when I'm living in Paris relying on my Austin peeps for photos?

Here we have a most significant comparison - the weather. What I wouldn't give to be in Paris NOW.

As much as I love Torchy's and Izzoz, imagining myself sitting at a typical Paris café makes me smile.

Torchy's Taco

Izzoz Tacos

parisdailyphoto.com - Eric Tenin

This church is right up the street from me, and man, can they belt out a tune! Their joyous voices can be heard two houses down.

Goodwill Baptist Church

And then there is cette belle église, Sainte Clotilde. Now that's what I call a comparison!

parisdailyphoto.com - Eric Tenin

                  Here we have different styles of graffiti. Quite different.

great photo op for tourists

Austin graffiti

parisdailyphoto.com - Eric Tenin

parisdailyphoto - Eric Tenin

I leave you with this little ditty 

Fun with French
Avoir la tete comme une citrouille = to have a pumpkin head, to have a migraine (or a head that feels swollen from information overload)  If you want to call someone a pumpkin head - tete de citrouille = head of pumpkin.

Remember en francais, the adjectives come after the noun (most of the time).

Neighborhoods

Walked outside to a cool and breezy morning and dashed back in to throw some clothes on, grab my camera and go for a walk. Had the best time taking pictures of my neighborhood. A bum offered to let me take his picture in a bathtub. What bathtub? I wasn't quite sure how to respond to that one. I was a bit hesitant to decline his offer since he was already drunk at 7:30 a.m.  I smiled, gave a cheerful "no thanks" and kept walking. I must say he could have greatly benefited from some soap and water.

"bathtub" man is seated

I hope both Austinites and Parisians will enjoy this short post. Yes, I have two Parisians following me and it thrills me to no end! Let me clarify that they are following my blog, but the other interpretation would be a bit thrilling as well. :-)

I have a few photographer friends and am trying to apply the tips they give me. I definitely need more practice, and a new camera would be a plus. I find that if I manage to get the entire subject in the frame, you can't make out what the sign says. In most cases, the signage is the best part!

how soon before they go broke?

great happy hour hang out

original location - my neighborhood

While giving Facebook a quick look, Soup Peddler's post caught my eye: "This is one of my favorite soups. Next to impossible to cook in the U.S. without access to the little "soupe de poisson" fish that make it to market in France. They were irresistible. Apart from anything else, you do not see them very often in this country. In the markets of France or Spain, though, a soup mix – lots of tiny fish, most of which, it has to be said, are good for little else – is commonplace."

Let's conclude with a comparison of sidewalk art in Austin and in Paris:

photo by me

paris daily photo - Eric Tenin