I think I'm getting the hang of the wine culture in Paris. Wine is almost as essential to water at the table at restaurants and during dinners at our friends and family. It will take me a while to distinguish the key tastes according to which wine, grape....but at least I now know that there is much more than a Bordeaux and a Burgandy. And so we were in for a treat today at our French class when an Australian classmate did his talk on wine, more specifically he brought to class a bottle of Bordeaux and a bottle of Australian Shiraz along with disposable glasses. What better way to learn about wine and the vocabulary of wine in French than by a tasting itself! Surprisingly I preferred the Shiraz but so did our French teacher.
So the saying goes as you raise your glasses you must look each other in the eyes otherwise you will have 7 years of hum...bad bedroom activity.
Santé
Friday 23 January 2009
Wednesday 14 January 2009
2 Train Strikes in 2 days?
Yesterday afternoon as I was going through Saint Lazare station(by metro phew) I heard the announcement declaring that all the RER (suburban trains) had stopped operating.....so only later did I find out that a train driver had been assaulted by a passenger and the rest of the crew stood up in arms in show of support. I doubt that there were many as lucky as Xavier's dad whose boss sent for a chauffeur to drive him back to Paris from Rouen.
So I think 'going on strike' might be contagious because today the same thing happened in Marseille - yet another aggression and another awful day for commuters. So can someone tell me what the point is? and how is penalising passengers punishing the one person who committed the assault?
Talking about commuting, rush hour in the metro reminds me so much of London. The Parisian commuters could do well in the Olympic speed walking competition the way they tactfully weave through the slower ones through the station concourse and up and down the steps. And not a sigh of annoyance as we were all shoved into the metro compartment, ribs against ribs during a morning rush hour.
Happy Commuting!
So I think 'going on strike' might be contagious because today the same thing happened in Marseille - yet another aggression and another awful day for commuters. So can someone tell me what the point is? and how is penalising passengers punishing the one person who committed the assault?
Talking about commuting, rush hour in the metro reminds me so much of London. The Parisian commuters could do well in the Olympic speed walking competition the way they tactfully weave through the slower ones through the station concourse and up and down the steps. And not a sigh of annoyance as we were all shoved into the metro compartment, ribs against ribs during a morning rush hour.
Happy Commuting!
Wednesday 7 January 2009
Paris Cold, Paris Soldes
The Christmas sales in Paris officially begun today at 8am - from my personal knowledge Auckland, Montreal and of course London began their sales back in Nov - what better way is there to get the ecomony going. But I'm told that the sales in France are regulated.....ah I see...No suprises then, when I arrived Printemps Mode around 11am it was buzzing with women, their high heeled boots and big shiny handbags ready to fend off their bargains. I decided not to join the battle, plus my credit levels are a bit low in the recent months. Maybe I'll wait till I see 80% off!
It was -9 today in the morning, it's been extraordinarily cold for Paris oh and France during the recent weeks. I find it quite interesting to see every Parisian either complain about the weather and for some unfortunate enough to fall on the icy pavements. I guess they should live in Quebec at least one winter to practice. Put on layers and get some boots with grip!
I did a trial Vinysa yoga class last night - I opted for the advanced level only because I wanted to be led by the main teacher of the studio. It got my heart pumping but boy was it hard - I mean doing handstand after not practicing it for hum 6 months? Maybe I'll go for the Intermediate class next time plus brush up on my sanskrit names so I don't end up having to copy the other students again.
And to improve mon francais I will begin French classes on Monday! Bon Soir à tous!
It was -9 today in the morning, it's been extraordinarily cold for Paris oh and France during the recent weeks. I find it quite interesting to see every Parisian either complain about the weather and for some unfortunate enough to fall on the icy pavements. I guess they should live in Quebec at least one winter to practice. Put on layers and get some boots with grip!
I did a trial Vinysa yoga class last night - I opted for the advanced level only because I wanted to be led by the main teacher of the studio. It got my heart pumping but boy was it hard - I mean doing handstand after not practicing it for hum 6 months? Maybe I'll go for the Intermediate class next time plus brush up on my sanskrit names so I don't end up having to copy the other students again.
And to improve mon francais I will begin French classes on Monday! Bon Soir à tous!
Monday 5 January 2009
New Year, New City and New Blog
Dec 2008 seemed to have ended abruptly; we had our leaving party, said goodbye to our cartons before they were shipped, emptied out our lovely Montreal apartment, re-bid our fond farewells to our friends and off we were on a plane on the first of January to Paris. Bienvenue!
It's snowing in Montmartre where we are staying next to the infamous Moulin Rouge, in fact it's snowing like it's never snowed before in Paris, at least it's making the news. This is probably part of the acclimatisation plan from the -20 we had last week in Montreal. I will get out there today and see how the Parisians are coping with this weather phenomenon.
It's not like it's my first time in Paris but there are still a few things which shock me...like cars not stopping at zebra crossings, fare dodgers overtly leaping over the barriers in the Metro being ignored by the ticket seller as I do my best not to stare. On the other hand I've come to a city where the French language here is music to my ears, where it's the fashion capital of the world, where wine is drunken like water and where even frozen dishes(Picard) can be disguised as culinary masterpieces...etc etc
So it is the purpose of this blog that I share my experiences and news with you my friends! I also take this opportunity to wish you all a happy and healthy 2009!
It's snowing in Montmartre where we are staying next to the infamous Moulin Rouge, in fact it's snowing like it's never snowed before in Paris, at least it's making the news. This is probably part of the acclimatisation plan from the -20 we had last week in Montreal. I will get out there today and see how the Parisians are coping with this weather phenomenon.
It's not like it's my first time in Paris but there are still a few things which shock me...like cars not stopping at zebra crossings, fare dodgers overtly leaping over the barriers in the Metro being ignored by the ticket seller as I do my best not to stare. On the other hand I've come to a city where the French language here is music to my ears, where it's the fashion capital of the world, where wine is drunken like water and where even frozen dishes(Picard) can be disguised as culinary masterpieces...etc etc
So it is the purpose of this blog that I share my experiences and news with you my friends! I also take this opportunity to wish you all a happy and healthy 2009!
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