A Photo Tip To Travelers

There's a tip that you all should know before you fly to France. I can not stress this enough. You are most likely to be spending several thousand dollars on your trip. Invest $200 or more on a good digital camera. Why? I run a photo lab and can tell you that I have seen a lot of photos taken in Europe from film that come out darker & grainier than they should be, because they went through an airport Xray. With a digital camera, you can take thousands of pictures (the memory cards these day are very cheap) the photos won't get ruin by the airports. The folks at the airport will tell you film does not get ruined. THEY LIE! You do not want to arrive back home with dark & murky photos of your most treasured vacation. I guarantee you that if you spend $200 or more on a digital camera, you will get fantastic memories of your trip. PLEASE don't use film.

Must See Film - To Catch A Thief

If you can't make it to the French Riviera then watch this film.



To Catch a Thief is a 1955 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Jessie Royce Landis and John Williams. The movie is set on the French Riviera, and was based on the 1952 novel of the same name by David Dodge. The screenplay was written by John Michael Hayes. The film is a blend of intrigue, romance, and humor.


The American expatriate hero John Robie (Cary Grant), living in France, is a former cat burglar who is falsely accuse of a string of robberies on the French Riviera, and has to find out who is committing the thefts before he is caught himself. Grace Kelly is the heroine who is on a quest to 'catch' him - first as the burglar, and then as a husband. The infamous MacGuffin in this Hitchcock film is the identity of the thief.

I am a great fan of Hitchcock, and this film is one his more entertaining outings, taking place on the French Rivera. A lot of fun to watch.

Lesson # 11 - Let Me Introduce...

A phrase you will need to know when you are introducing yourself & your family to others:

Je vous présente.... (zhuh voo pray zahnt) - I would like to introduce to you...
C'est ...(say) -This is...

mon ami (mohn ah mee) my friend (refering to a male)
mon amie (mon ah mee) my friend (refering to a female)

You will notice they both sound the same, only spelled differently.

ma famille (mah fah meel) - my family
mon père (mohn pehr) - my father
ma mère (mah mehr) - my mother
mon frère (mohn frehr) - my brother
ma sœur (mah sir) - my sister
mon fils (mohn fee) - my son
ma fille (mah feel) - my daughter
mon copain (mohn coh pain) - my boyfriend
ma copine (mah coh peen) - my girlfriend
mon mari (mohn mah ree) - my husband
ma femme (mah fehm) - my wife

More numbers:
41 - quarante et un (kah rahnt ay uhn), 42- quarante-deux (kah rahnt doo), 43- quarante-trois (kah rahnt twah), 44- quarante-quatre (kah rahnt kaht truh), 45- quarante-cinq (kah rahnt sank)

Lesson #12 on 9/12

Le Métro - The Paris Subway System

Parisians are proud of their subway system. With more than a century of history, the system is vast, effective, and well-managed. If you can imagine that 6 million passengers are transported by the subway system every day, you can understand what a powerful network it is. It is said that from any location in downtown Paris there is a subway station not farther than 500 meters from you.

The subway is, in fact, two systems in one. The Metro has 14 lines (numbered 1 through 14), and runs in downtown Paris. The RER has 5 lines (lettered A through E), and runs through both downtown and the suburbs.

There are several ticketing options available for those using public transit: individual tickets, the "Paris Visite" pass, the "Carte Orange" pass, or the "Mobilis" pass. Of all these kinds of tickets, you will be interested in Carte Orange and Mobilis most likely. They allow for unlinited riding wihtin certain areas for a certain time period (1 -3 days)

I have not included a map of the system as you will be able to find them almost anywhere in the city.

Quick Phrase of the Day - I Would Like 2 Baguettes

Obviously if you are in France you will have to know this phrase. If you don't learn this, don't even bother going to France :)

Je voudrais deux* baguettes s’il vous plaît (zhuh voo dray dew bah get) - I would like 2 baguettes

*If you are like me 2 baguettes might not be enough. Substitute any number instead of "deux" that you would like.

Vocabulary word of the day:
la chambre à coucher (lah shahm bruh ah koo shay) - the bedroom

French-Style Pizza Bites Pissaladière

French-Style Pizza Bites Pissaladière
by the Editors of Easy Home Cooking Magazine
French-Style Pizza Bites (Pissaladière)
Yield: Makes about 24 servings (2 diamonds per serving)

Aside from the fact that I love bread & cheeses, one of my favorite foods has always been Pizza. Well I stumbled upon this french recipe for this meal.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into strips
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup pitted black olives, cut into thin wedges
1 can (10 ounces) refrigerated pizza crust dough
3/4 cup (3 ounces) finely shredded Swiss or Gruyère cheese


Preparation:
1. Position oven rack to lowest position. Preheat oven to 425°F. Grease large baking sheet.
2. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat until hot. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cook and stir 5 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in olives; remove from heat.
3. Pat dough into 16X12-inch rectangle on prepared baking sheet. Arrange vegetables over dough; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 10 minutes. Loosen crust from baking sheet; slide crust onto oven rack. Bake 3 to 5 minutes or until golden brown.
4. Slide baking sheet back under crust to remove crust from rack. Transfer to cutting board. Cut dough crosswise into eight 1-3/4-inch-wide strips. Cut dough diagonally into ten 2-inch-wide strips, making diamond pieces. Serve immediately.

Quick Phrase of the Day - I Am Lost

Hopefully you won't have say this phrase"

Je me suis perdu (zhuh meh swiss per doo) - I am lost.

Vocabulary word of the day:

un médecin (uhn may deh sin) - a doctor
J'ai besoin d'un médecin (zhay beh swan duhn may deh sin) - I need a doctor

Lesson #10 - Okay Today Is .....

mon anniversaire (mohn ahn nee vehr sair) - My Birthday

J'ai cinquante-six ans aujourd'hui (zhay sank kant seece ahn oh zhoor doo ee) - I am 56 years old today.

Je suis né le six, septembre, mille neuf cent cinquante-deux (zhuh swee nay luh seece sehp tahm bruh mill newf sahnt sank kant due) - I was born on the 6th of September, 1952

J'aime les cadeaux ( zhem lay cah doh) - I like gifts :)

Ok now that you have put up with my very narcissitic lesson today, our regular lesson will be on 9/9

The Mona Lisa

O.K. there are two main things I have to do if I go to Paris. One is obviously go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, and two, is to see the Mona Lisa. I have to admit even though I'm an abstract artist, and prefer modern art to that of let's say Rennaissance art, my favorite piece of artwork in the world is the Mona Lisa. I have read in many art magazines, that art historians do not really consider it to be that great. But it is definately the one painting that people all over the world want to see. 

I always read about this work of art growing up, but it wasn't until I was in my 20's that i found out the painting is actually pretty small. It is 30" in high by 20 7/8".

One of the most famous art robberies in history:

It was called the biggest art heist in history, in 1911- An employee of the museum left with the Mona Lisa hidden under his house painters smock. Vincenzo Peruggia noticing a large number of Italian paintings in the French national collection, assumed they were stolen by Napoleon. He wanted to pilfer the Mona Lisa and return to Italy because he thought it was the most beautiful. It was not returned until 1913 when he attempted to sell it to a collector.

Early on the morning of August 21st, 1911, a workman, Vincenzo Peruggia found himself alone in the Salon Carre at the Louvre. He left unnoticed with the Mona Lisa under his house painter smock.

Eduardo de Valfierno, an Argentine con man put Peruggia up to stealing the painting. He hired an art forger who made six copies of the stolen painting and sold it to unscrupulous collectors who thought they were getting the real thing. The deal made the equivalent of 67 million today for him. Peruggia kept it stored in the false bottom of a trunk until he naively offered it for sale to a Florence art dealer and was caught.

Mona Lisa is now protected by a formidable railing, bulletproof glass and will have her own room at the Louvre.

L'Hamburger - The Invasion Of Paris

Je voudrais un hamburger (zhuh voo dray uhn ahm burger)
Well I've been reading a lot about how hamburgers are popping up all over Paris. While I'm looking forward to eating the bread & cheeses of France (I could live on those 2 items alone), it's nice to know that they have burgers there if I want one, as I am not an adventurous eater, unlike my girlfriend who enjoys all types of food & is not afraid to try anything new.




Here is an excerp from an article in the International Herald Tribune by Jane Sigel:





Beginning a few years ago but picking up momentum in the past nine months, hamburgers and cheeseburgers have invaded the city. Anywhere tourists are likely to go this summer — in St.-Germain cafes, in fashion-world hangouts, even in restaurants run by three-star chefs — they are likely to find a juicy beef patty, almost invariably on a sesame seed bun. "It has the taste of the forbidden, the illicit — the subversive, even," said Hélène Samuel, a restaurant consultant here. "Eating with your hands, it's pure regression. Naturally, everyone wants it." But as French chefs have embraced the quintessentially American food, they have also made it their own, incorporating Gallic flourishes like cornichons, fleur de sel and fresh thyme. These attempts to translate the burger, or maybe even improve it, strongly suggest that it is here to stay. "It's not just a fad," said Frédérick Grasser-Hermé, who, as consulting chef at the Champs-Élysées boîte Black Calvados, developed a burger made with wagyu beef and seasoned with what she calls a black ketchup of blackberries and black currants. "It's more than that. The burger has become gastronomic." Some of the most celebrated chefs in the city have taken up the challenge. Yannick Alléno, who earned a third Michelin star in 2007 for his precise, rarefied cuisine at Le Meurice, serves a thick, succulent hamburger at his casual restaurant, Le Dali. Alléno's baker, Frédéric Lalos, a winner of one of the country's fiercest cooking competitions, makes the buns. With smoked bacon, lettuce, dill pickles, mustard, mayonnaise and fries, the burger at Le Dali costs 35 euros, about $56.IT is not as if hamburgers were unknown in Paris. American restaurants here like Joe Allen have long served them. Grasser-Hermé ate her first in 1961 at the American Legion, 11 years before McDonald's unveiled its golden arches in France. But with few exceptions the local burgers were flat, overcooked and shunned even by American expatriates. HOW did the dripping, juicy hamburger come to be one of the signature dishes of Paris? For one thing, expatriate French chefs reinventing American classics in the United States made it safe for their countrymen to try it back home.

Mon Dieu! A $56 burger? I think I'll stick to my baguettes, my cheeses, & my croissants!

Quick Phrase of the Day - Non Smoking

Here's a phrase you will want to learn if you are a non smoker:

Nous voudrions une table dans la non-fumeur (noo voo dree yohn oon tah bluh dahn lah nahn few mure) - I would like a table in the non smoking section.

Vocabulary word of the day:

La porte (lah port) - the door

French Coffees

From what I have read, coffee is different in France. While I am not a coffee drinker, I do like an occaisional frappaccino. So if & when I go to Paris I will experiment & try several types of coffee to see if I like them.

Café (kah fay) is plain coffee with nothing added, but is stronger because it is brewed like espresso.
Café au lait (kah fay oh lay) is a very popular French coffee style. In France, this is simply coffee with steamed milk, and it is terrific.
Café crème (kah fay krehm) is coffee served in a large cup with hot cream.
Café Décafféiné (kah fay day kah fah nay) is obviously, decaffeinated coffee. You will still need to tell them you want milk or cream with your coffee.
Café Noisette (kah fay nwah zett) is espresso with a tiny bit of cream in it. It is called "noisette," which is French for hazelnut, because of the dark color.
Café Americain (kah fay ah mehr ree kan) is regular coffee similar to traditional American coffee. (Why would anyone drink this in Paris???
Café Léger (kah fay lay zhay) is espresso with double the water.
Chocolat chaud - (shaw koh lah show) - hot chocolate

Arrondissements of Paris

The city of Paris is divided into twenty arrondissements municipaux, more simply referred to as arrondissements (ah rohn deece seh mahn).

We will describe each arrondissement starting with the 1st arrondissement. The 1st arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements (administrative districts) of the capital city of France. Situated principally on the right bank of the River Seine, it also includes the west end of the Île de la Cité. The arrondissement is one of the oldest in Paris, the Île de la Cité having been the heart of the city of Lutetia, conquered by the Romans in 52 BC, while some parts on the right bank (including Les Halles included) date back to the early Middle Ages. It is the least populated of the city's arrondissements and one of the smallest by area, a significant part of which is occupied by the Louvre Museum and the Tuileries Gardens. Much of the remainder of the arrondissement is dedicated to business and administration.

Quick Phrase of the Day - Can You Help Me?

A phrase you will need when your in France:

pouvez-vous m'aider (poo vay voo may day) - Can you help me?

pouvez-vous nous aider (poo vay voo nooze ay day) - Can you help us?


Vocabulary word of the day:
un ascenseur (uhn ah sahn sure) - an elevator

Trailer For A French Film

I thought I had seen most French films, but I somehow missed this one. Hmmm.

In honor of this video, an extra word for the day...beignet (bay nyeh) - doughnut

Lesson #9 - Food Items You Should Know

I am going to start mixing in some food items you will need to know:

du beurre (duh burr) - some butter
une bière (oon bee yehr) -a beer (accent over 1st e)
une boisson (oon bwah sohn) - a drink
des frites (day freet) - some french fries
l’ail (lah ee) - garlic
du sel (doo sell) - some salt
du poivre (doo pwah vruh) - some pepper

More numbers:
36 - trente-six (trahnt seece), 37 - trente sept (trahnt set), 38 - trente-huit (trahnt wheat), 39 - trent neuf (trahnt nuff) 40 - quarante (kah rahnt)

Lesson # 9 will be on 9/6

The Palace of Fontainebleau

The Palace of Fontainebleau, located 34.5 miles from the center of Paris, is one of the largest French royal châteaux. The palace as it is today is the work of many French monarchs. The building is arranged around a series of courtyards. The city of Fontainebleau has grown up around the remainder of the Forest of Fontainebleau, a former royal hunting park.

The Fontainebleau forest outside of the castle is one of the largest French forests with its 25 000 hectares, 50 km (about 35 miles) south of Paris by the A6 freeway, is a favorite of Parisian alpinists, who can train there on weekends. Its rocky hills (above) make it the perfect training ground before going for real to the Alps in the summer. The Fontainebleau forest is as well a favorite destination for everyone wanting to escape the hustle of Paris for a day. The beautiful old oak and pine trees, the Seine river near-by make it one of the most beautiful French forests. The Fontainebleau forest and castle are a very pleasant combination, if you want to take a rest from Paris for a day.

Henri Matisse

Henri Matisse

Another of the modern artists that I admire for hus use of colors & shapes in his paintings.

Henri Matisse (31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French artist, known for his use of colour and his fluid, brilliant and original draughtsmanship. As a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but principally as a painter, Matisse is one of the best-known artists of the 20th century. His mastery of the expressive language of colour and drawing, displayed in a body of work spanning over a half-century, won him recognition as a leading figure in modern art."Blue Nudes" (1952)

Click here to go to a good website to see about Henri Matisse

Chess In Paris

I have read that a lot of cafes have games going on a lot. As an avid chess player (though not a good one) I look forward to playing a game with some of the locals. When I used to live in NYC, I would often get hustled by the great players that used to play in Washington Square park in

Greenich Village. I hope to find the same atmosphere in Paris.

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Quick Phrase of the Day - How Do You Say That In French?

Something you might have to ask someone:

Comment dites-vous cela en français? (koh mohn deet voo sell ah on frahn say) - How do you say that in French?

Repeat this phrase & write it down all day long till you know it by heart.


Vocabulary word of the day:
le train (luh trahn) - the train
Je prends le train (zhuh prahnd luh trahn) - I am taking the train