tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90873823189386169562024-03-17T20:03:35.773-07:00France Travel IdeasIdeas for things to see and do in FranceUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087382318938616956.post-34671286317803834812012-05-15T07:28:00.000-07:002012-05-15T07:28:46.290-07:00Degas and the nude exhibition at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris
An exhibition that is well worth going to! Drawing nudes is the basis of any artistic training. A walk around this exhibition will really make you think, lots of drawings and paintings of women getting out of the bath and combing their hair.
The show is at the Musee d'Orsay and is only on until 1st July so there is not much time left if you haven't already seen it. Metro stop is Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087382318938616956.post-68780000077458584152012-04-22T14:32:00.000-07:002012-04-22T14:32:57.011-07:00Modigliani exhibition in Paris
An absorbing collection of works of art, including portraits, nudes, drawings and sculptures are on display at the Pinacotheque gallery in Paris.
The works were owned by French art collector Jonas Netter and also on display are letters between Netter and artists such as Modigliani and Chaim Soutine.
The remarkable exhibition also includes work by Valadon and Kisling. All were artists made Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087382318938616956.post-37049927320336678362012-03-25T08:17:00.000-07:002012-03-25T08:17:52.354-07:00The guillotine and Place de la Concorde in ParisPlace de la Concorde was originally named Place Louis XV after the king at the time, and a statue of the king stood in the square. However a few years later during the revolution the statue was torn down and the square was renamed Place de la Revolution.
The guillotine was installed and public executions abounded, including the beheading of Marie-Antoinette and King Louis 16th.
During the reign Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087382318938616956.post-19385895224583386702012-03-03T09:22:00.000-08:002012-07-02T06:41:25.110-07:00Food and wine in the Vaucluse, Provence.The Vaucluse department of Provence is known for its fine wines and fantastic Provencal foods. The three main wine appelations are the Cotes du Rhone, (named after the river) the AOC Luberon (named after the area) and the AOC Ventoux (named after the mountain.)
The sunny, warm climate makes it the perfect place to grow specialist grapes for wine making.
For those interested in wine, which is Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087382318938616956.post-31288852541567992622012-01-02T06:05:00.001-08:002012-03-04T15:52:09.958-08:00King Louis XVI of France.
Louis XVI aged 20.
Louis Auguste was born in the Palace of Versailles in Paris on 23 August 1754. At the age of 15 he married a very young Marie Antoinette, who was just 14. He became king in 1774.
Distinctive Louis XVI style furniture, known as neo classical, became very popular during the king's reign.
A Louis XVI chair, which is in the Metropolitan Museum of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087382318938616956.post-83692078065531336462011-12-28T09:11:00.002-08:002012-05-10T04:59:34.640-07:00The Red Rock village of Roussillon.
Built from ochre rich rock dug from the surrounding area Roussillon seems to glow from the top of a hill in the Luberon area of Provence. The brightly coloured local earth and rock has been put to many uses over the centuries. The Romans used it in pottery glazes and the bright yellows, reds and oranges were used as dyes in the textile industry for hundreds of years until the 1930s.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087382318938616956.post-69194743945493619802011-12-21T16:39:00.000-08:002016-05-31T02:24:23.489-07:00Truffaut's Les 400 Coups - one of the best films of all time
Les Quatres Cents Coups was an important New Wave film, released in 1959 by Francois Truffaut. Literally translated the title means the four hundred blows, but in French the term means raising hell. The film centres around 12 year old Antoine Doinell, who lives in Paris with Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087382318938616956.post-86995611927166651072011-12-20T16:58:00.000-08:002011-12-20T16:58:24.735-08:00Christmas Markets in France
Christmas Market in Strasbourg.
It's not too late to go to a Christmas market in France. Food, drink, lots of beautiful and original gifts to chose from, music and of course lights! Below is a list of a selection of Christmas markets with dates.
Amiens 25 Nov to 24 Dec.Avignon 1 Dec to 30 Dec.Arras 2 Nov to 24 Dec.Bethune 27 Nov to 31 Dec.Caen 26 Nov to 24 Dec.Lille - 19 Nov to 24 Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087382318938616956.post-32277811678635985942011-12-06T14:59:00.000-08:002011-12-07T03:50:36.705-08:00The Eiffel TowerWhat one thing do people most associate with France and in particular Paris? No not frogs legs or garlic - the Eiffel Tower. The 1,063 foot iron tower stands majestically in the Champs de Mer in the 4th arrondissement and can be seen from virtually all over the city. At night you are reminded of its presence by a sweeping light beam which rotates from the tower around into the far reaches of the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087382318938616956.post-7940962248107265292011-11-24T02:45:00.000-08:002011-11-24T02:49:24.891-08:00I think therefore I amPenser - to think.
je pense
tu penses
il/elles pense
nous pensons
vous pensez
ils/elles pensent
The verb penser is a regular "er" verb. I think, you think, etc, etc.
The Thinker by Auguste Rodin.
Frenchman August Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087382318938616956.post-4565611177779547182011-11-23T09:17:00.000-08:002011-11-23T09:23:49.937-08:00The verb êtreêtre - to be
je suistu esil/elle estnous sommesvous êtesils/elles sont
The present tense of the verb être - to be. I am, you are, etc, etc. It really helps if you know the most commonly used verbs, helps when you are trying to speak French thatUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087382318938616956.post-5633940744206167142011-11-02T05:38:00.000-07:002011-11-02T05:38:58.832-07:00People First Not FinancePEOPLE are out on the streets in Nice this week, making peaceful protests against banks for causing financial and economic crisis.
The protests come a few days before a meeting of finance ministers and banking big-wigs of the G20 nations in nearby Cannes. One protester made the point that the so called leaders of nations don't really care about the people, but only about the financial world.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087382318938616956.post-39749633854692766852011-09-12T02:07:00.000-07:002011-09-12T02:09:45.629-07:00Going to see the Mona Lisa at the Louvre
Mona Lisa - possibly the most famous painting in the world
The Louvre is the largest art museum in the world and if you spent a minute looking at every painting it would take you four months to get round! So it's best to do a little bit at a time. There is usually a queue outside to get in, especially at peak holiday times. The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci is normally surrounded by a mob of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087382318938616956.post-40360380746432167342011-08-11T08:50:00.000-07:002011-08-11T08:55:13.192-07:00The Paris Metro
The metro is a very good way to travel around Paris. It is simple to use. Once you know the station you need to get to you need to find out which line number it is on. But it is extremely important that you work out which direction you need to travel in. You need to look on the map to find the last destination that the train you want is going to. So if for example you are at the Gare du Nord andUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087382318938616956.post-43874115918867212322011-07-14T02:27:00.000-07:002011-07-14T02:27:48.115-07:00Bastille Day! The Storming of the Bastille - July 14th
"Prise de la Bastille" (the taking of the Bastille.) 1789, by Jean-Pierre-Louis-Laurent Houel.
The Bastille was a fortress built in the 14th century as part of the defenses of Paris, but it was later turned into a very uncomfortable prison. It held political and religious prisoners and writers. It was also well known for locking up people who had had a lettre de cachet served against them.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087382318938616956.post-50282057203814452392011-07-07T09:51:00.000-07:002011-07-07T10:02:27.739-07:00French Food: Moules Marinieres and Moules et FritesThe French take food very seriously. In other words you can usually find really fantastic food in most cafes, restaurants and brasserries.
A very popular and common dish served all over the place is Moules Marinieres. This is the shellfish mussels, cooked in white wine, or sometimes cider, with onions, garlic, cream and a variety of herbs such as parsley, thyme and bay leaves.
Moules marinieresUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087382318938616956.post-29878660788739460452011-06-30T14:17:00.000-07:002011-07-05T14:18:28.558-07:00Frenchman Tsonga knocks Federer out of WimbledonTennis history was made yesterday when Frenchman Tsonga beat six times Wimbledon champion on Centre Court.In a pre match interview Tsonga had said what happens when you chase a chicken? It runs away. What happens when you chase a lion? It roars and chases you and he said he was a lion. Oh no no we all thought this is Federer the unbeatable at Wimbleon, but Jo-Wilfried showed he is a lion!A Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087382318938616956.post-81847817560147284192011-06-14T09:59:00.000-07:002011-06-15T04:42:01.177-07:00Camping in FranceA mobile home holiday in France is an affordable way to take the whole family away for a few weeks of sun and fun. Even during the school holidays it won't break the bank and if you cross the channel by ferry or tunnel you'll have your own car with you, giving you the freedom to literally go where you want.
Many camp sites in France provide a combination of space for tents, caravans and tourers Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087382318938616956.post-68560546643180713842011-05-21T15:07:00.000-07:002011-05-22T12:20:51.428-07:00Tennis - The French Open at Roland Garros in ParisThe top names in tennis have arrived in Paris for the French Open this week. The tournament, held at Roland Garros, is a major grand slam event and the most important clay tournament in the tennis calendar.
Although the clay surface can lead to long rallies the tennis at Roland Garros is highly entertaining. In fact long back of the court to and fro's can be just as thrilling as serve and volley,Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087382318938616956.post-62020859311844226882011-05-19T17:02:00.000-07:002011-05-21T16:10:55.150-07:00Who is at the Cannes Film Festival this year?
Cannes. Photo by Gilbertus
The Hollywood stars have descended on Cannes again this week for the annualUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087382318938616956.post-12965908736804662012011-05-17T07:05:00.000-07:002011-05-22T04:26:42.244-07:00Isle sur la Sorgue - antiques heaven and a mini Venice.Set on an island between branches of the River Sorgue, Isle sur la Sorgue is interwoven with canals and has a refreshing air about it. It is also the place to go if you want antiques as the town has the largest concentration of antique shops in France outside Paris.
Water wheels around the town were once used in the silk industry and in the wool, rug, and dying industries. Paper making was also Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087382318938616956.post-42100903739271719152011-05-09T09:49:00.000-07:002011-05-22T04:27:05.420-07:00La Fontaine de Vaucluse, the largest spring in France.The Fontaine de Vaucluse is the name of a pretty little village where you will also find the source of the River Sorgue. From the village it is a short pleasant walk along the side of the river to the natural spring, which is hidden deep underground. Surrounded by cliffs standing hundreds of metres tall, a pool of water fills the cavern at the bottom. Depending on the time of year the pool is Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087382318938616956.post-6751060122137258162011-05-06T02:17:00.001-07:002012-05-10T06:34:48.727-07:00The Luberon: village of stone huts where shepherds lived.Le Village des Bories - just outside Gordes on the D2.
This reconstructed village of dry stone huts is fascinating to visit. It is thought that bories were used as dwellings in Provence as long ago as the Bronze Age.
The one you can visit outside Gordes dates back to the 1600s. Buildings differ slightly and labels say what each was used for. As you wander round you get a sense of what it must Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087382318938616956.post-82215114276945217072011-05-05T08:12:00.000-07:002011-05-05T08:17:53.546-07:00Helping to offset carbon emissions by planting trees...The average blog emits eight pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere per year, so although the internet saves paper it isn't as clean as all that, with all the electricity it uses.
The average tree takes eleven pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere per year. Hence a conservation group is planting a tree for every site which displays their logo - which says this website is carbon Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087382318938616956.post-69478087359278195322011-05-01T13:32:00.000-07:002011-05-21T16:12:25.491-07:00La Ciotat: The first moving picture show.The arrival of a train at La Ciotat station - L'arrivee d'un train en gare a La Ciotat.
Auguste and Louis Lumiere showed one of the first moving picture films to an astonished audience in La Ciotat in 1895. The short film showed the Toulon-Marseille train pulling into La Ciotat station.
You can watch it here, it's only 56 seconds long. A very impressive film, considering when itUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0