Recent Activity

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  Pimsleur - French

  Tres bien Brian. Good luck. I should try too! Unfortunately I do not speak French.

  Posted 06 Mar 07

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  Paris in Winter

  I love Europe at Christmas. They really celebrate it well and you will be caught up in it all.

  I also recommend trying to get to a German Xmas market if you can. Also wonderful. We went to Cologne a few years ago. Freezing but lots of mulled wine, sausages, waffles and beautiful, beautiful Christmas decorations for sale. Singing. It was lovely. 

  Posted 13 Mar 07

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  Funny French Stories

  This is one of those stories which reinforces the French disdain for anything English and the rather lucky affection they have for all things Australian.

  We visited the beautiful village of Mersault (Burgundy region) last year. The region and the village are famous for wine production and the dark, fantastical "caves" (or cellars) full of labels that I had only previously seen on the top shelves in wine merchants.

  We had enjoyed a special "vin rouge" at a local restaurant and my father, an Aussie, and my husband, an Englishman, were seeking out the supplier, rumoured to be in the same town. They found the location, a modest stone house down a windy lane (true). A man came out to greet them, albeit begrudgingly. A stilted conversation had the man profess to speak "no English" and they thought they would leave empty-handed.

  Somehow they found out the man, a Parisien, was looking after the business for his brother who was on holiday. He then asked (in appalling English) where my father was from. "I'm a long way from home mate. I'm from Australia."

  Well. With that admission they were allowed in to the storage cellar, encouraged to partake in "de vins" (degustation), including the one they sought. They stayed for nearly two hours, shooting the breeze (this story so needed an Aussie cliche). 

  I think that's a gorgeous story. Probably because I am Australian! Not sure how someone from England would respond! I think for my husband and father it was their best memory of the trip.

  Posted 18 Jan 07

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  Places you have visited in France

  We also visited the Bourgogne and stayed in a renovated winegrowers cottage in Meursault. We arrived there after quite a long day travelling (delays at Lyon airport) and went to the local boulangerie and purchased what were to be our staples of the holiday (two kids - can't go past pain au chocolat,  a baguette or a fromage tarte). We all sat outside the local Hotel de Ville and enjoyed a picnic on the grass in the warm autumn sun. The tiles on the roof of the town hall are atypical for the region and quite beautiful. Here's a link to a pic.

  http://www.alamy.com/stock_photography/7/1/Mick+Rock/A0MDGM.html

  My four-year-old dubbed it "the place" and wanted to go there every day. I think the food had a lasting effect on him and for some reason gave him nostalgia for the Hotel de Ville. The Hotel-Dieu, part of the Hospices de Beaune, in Beaune (about 30 mins away) also has a beautiful and famous roof. This "palace for the poor" was set up by the Dukes of Burgundy. There was a famine and the rich were losing their workers and community to illness and starvation. It was set up in the 1400s - an act of charity and necessity.

  http://www.hospices-de-beaune.com/gb/hospices/historique.php

  The caves (cellars), Marché aux Vins, in the town are also worth a visit. It's nice to spend a day in Beaune, mooching around the shops and museums too. The "tourist train" was also good (especially for us as we have kids who love anything train-like). 

  The whole Burgundy region is gorgeous.

  Posted 18 Jan 07