Google Art Project Saturday, Feb 5 2011

Hope you are having a happy Saturday – or as happy as it can be with this awful weather!  I’m making the best of it studying my French.

I just discovered this amazing art project Google came up with called just that, Art Project.  From the convenience of your home, you can go inside some of the world’s most famous museums and galleries, allowing you to explore and appreciate paintings and all works of art from around the world.  Some of the artwork has been photographed in great detail allowing you to get closer than you would be allowed to if you were in the museums and galleries themselves.

Of course I looked throughThe Palace of Versailles, and it’s difficult to describe the beauty of these paintings.  A few of my favorites are  The Coronation of the Emperor and Empress – you can see the details of all the faces.  I found one pair of eyes that is not looking at the crown – see if you can.  My other favorite is the painting of a young Bonaparte Crossing the Grand Saint-Bernard Pass – the vibrant colors, his commanding gaze, the beautiful horse and of course, the man in uniform – who doesn’t love that!

I’d rather be strolling through the galleries in person, but hey…this is the next best thing!  Thank you Google!

Je vous souhaite à tous un bon weekend, malgré ce temps de chien !!!  (I wish you all a good weekend, despite this “dog weather” (French expression=very bad weather)).

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La Chandeleur, Fête de la Lumière (Candlemas) Wednesday, Feb 2 2011

I am ashamed to say – being raised Catholic, and still a practicing Catholic (I do go to church on some Sundays!)  I’ve never heard of the holiday, Candlemas!!

The Catholic holiday of Candlemas, observed on February 2, is a feast to commemorate the purification of the Virgin Mary and the presentation of baby Jesus in the temple.  According to the Mosaic Law (Old Testament) a mother who had given birth to a man-child was considered “unclean” for seven days; and she was required to remain thirty-three days “in the blood of her purification”, which I think means in hiding and out of public eye.  So forty days after the birth of Christ, Mary introduced baby Jesus into “the house of God”.

I remember hearing old wive’s tales about women “en los cuarenta dias” (in their 40 days), not allowed to leave their homes or wash their hair!  I remember thinking “what’s the hair have to do with anything?”  Latin’s do enjoy making things so much more dramatic!  After the birth of my babies, I washed plenty and probably did more than I should have done in those first 40 days. However, I do recall taking them to church for a blessing after 40 days – so I was partially following tradition and didn’t even know it!

In France, this holiday is called la Chandeleur, Fête de la Lumière, (Festival of Light) or jour des crêpes (day of crêpes).  Why not? Any excuse to eat crepes and have a party, right? Chandeleur is a traditional mid-winter celebration.  Like our Groundhog Day – it’s a day for predicting the future!  You are invited to hold a coin in one hand (your writing hand) and a with your other hand flip the crêpe pan into the air. If you manage to catch the crêpe in the pan, your family will have good fortune for the rest of the year!

I’m flippin’ crêpes tonight at Bistro Rollin in Pelham, NY – I can use all the luck I can get!

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French Tartines Saturday, Jan 29 2011

I was introduced to French Tartines by Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, my favorite FoodNetwork cook and the author of my favorite cookbook, “Barefoot In Paris”, bien sur! (of course!)

Tartines are thin crust, open-faced sandwiches made with fresh, simple ingredients.  Nothing like those masses of glob between two huge buns we devour here!  Nope – the French do everything, tres chic et vraiment délicieux”! (very stylish and truly delicious!)  Look at how easy to make>>

I make them at home and we love them! In the video Ina talks about a bread bakery in Paris called, Poilâne, where she buys  French sourdough bread to make her own Tartines.   Well, you can’t imagine my excitement when I discovered, Tartinery (!!) a NYC French bistro in Nolita, with a complete Tartine concept.   And take a guess, where do you think they import their bread from??  Yes!  The well-renowed Poilane country bread from St Germain-des-Pres in Paris. It seems to me life always comes full circle.  Go to Tartinery if your’re in the neighborhood – it’s an adorable and fun place.  And I promise you will fall in love with French Tartines!

Fodor’s Travel asked Ina, “What do you love about Paris”, her response:

“Everyday things in Paris are wonderful.  It’s walking down a tree-lined street; going to the parks, the street markets, and the places to buy bread; sitting out at a café; going to the museums; or just taking a walk along the Seine. It’s just an incredible city.”

My response?  What’s there not to love?

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Patting Myself On The Back! Friday, Jan 21 2011

A must share – so excited!  Took a free on-line placement test for French @ Baruch College, Continuing & Professional Studies and scored Level 3!! Pas mal!! (not bad!)  I don’t plan on enrolling in French courses, but I wanted to get a sense of where I am.  I definitely can read and understand French very well – and that’s so encouraging.  A shout out to my Alex for sending me the link.  She took the placement test in Spanish and scored a 4+.  I’ll get there soon enough!

It’s great to take a day off to just do what I love all day - am going to force myself to do this often.  It’s been a happy day.

A bientot, mes amis.

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Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien…No, I Regret Nothing At All Friday, Jan 21 2011

I am sure you guys have heard of Edith Piaf – or as the French nicknamed  her, ”La Môme Piaf” (The Little Sparrow). Born in Paris in 1915, Edith became an international singer and one of France’s immortal icons.  Her music depicted ballads of her life’s struggles and humble beginning.  Piaf’s life was a constant battle to sing and survive, to live and love. Raised in her grandmother’s brothel, she was discovered in 1935 by nightclub owner Louis Leplee, who persuaded her to sing despite her extreme nervousness.

A biopic of her  life was released in 2007,  “La Vie en Rose” (literally, Life In Pink, and the same name of her signature song).  It won five Césars, including one for Best Actress.  Marion Cotillard, who played the role of Edith, won an Academy Award for her performance, marking the first time an Oscar had been awarded for a French language role.

It also became the first French film to win more than one Oscar; the other for best Makeup.  Marion was completely transformed to look like Edith – the resemblance is right on.

Marion also plays the role of Leonardo DiCaprio’s deceased wife in the science-fiction flick “Inception” (2010). One of the songs played in this film was Edith Piaf’s “Je ne regrette rien” – my favorite of all her songs!  I thought it was quite an honor for Marion to be in this film and have this particular song chosen as background music.  It’s Edith’s version of Sinatra’s “I did it my way” – the lyrics and melody are very strong and empowering.

Check it and sing along with the lyrics I’ve translated below – it’s become my anthem!  Je ne retrette rien!

Paroles: Michel Vaucaire, Musique: Charles Dumont, enr. 10 novembre 1960

Non, rien de rien - No, nothing at all

Non, je ne regrette rien - No, I don’t regret anything at all

Ni le bien qu’on m’a fait - Nor the good that was given me

Ni le mal, Tout ca m’est bien egal - Nor the evil, They’re all the same

Non, rien de rien - No, nothing at all

Non, je ne regrette rien - I don’t regret anything at all

C’est paye, balaye, oublie - It’s all paid for, wiped out, and forgotten

Je me fous du passe - And I don’t care for what’s gone by

Avec mes souvenirs - With my memories

J’ai allume le feu - I’ve lit a fire

Mes chagrins, mes plaisirs - My sorrows, my pleasures

Je n’ai plus besoin d’eux - I don’t need them anymore

Balayes mes amours - My romances wiped out

Avec leurs tremolos - With the tremblings they braught

Balayes pour toujours - Wiped out forever

Je repars a zero - I set out once more from zero

Non, rien de rien - No, nothing at all

Non, je ne regrette rien - I don’t regret anything at all

Ni le bien qu’on m’a fait - Nor the good that was given me

ni le mal, Tout ca m’est bien egal - Nor the evil. They’re all the same

Non, rien de rien - No, nothing at all

Non, je ne regrette rien - I don’t regret anything at all

Car ma vie - Because my life

Car mes joies - Because my joys

Aujourd’hui - Today

Ca commence avec toi…It all begins with you!

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Les Parapluies de Cherburg Saturday, Jan 15 2011

OMG – if you are a sick romantic, as I am, run and order this movie on Netflix now!

I missed watching it with my French meetup last month, but I was told it’s a MUST see…I concur!!  ”The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” (1964), a Franco/German musical by Jacques Demy, starring Catherine Deneuve (Genevieve) and Nino Castelnuovo Guy) , tells the story of  two young lovers from Cherburg whose lives are separated by war (French/Algerian War – 1954-1962).  The movie is an operetta in that songs as well as dialogue advance the action – this makes the French very easy to follow and understand.  I was completely mesmerized by the orchestral score of simple but sincere rhythms and tunes that permeate the soul.  You will watch it just to listen to the music over and over again.

The music was written by Michel Legrand.  I have to tell you, I’ve watched it three times today and can’t stop singing the beautiful love theme, it’s heart wrenching!!  This one is definitely on my list of must haves!  I hope you love it as much as I do.

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Films, Films and more Films! Wednesday, Jan 12 2011

I can’t get enough of French flicks.

I just heard about a new way of sharing the love of French cinema on the internet:  The French Film Epidemic by Myfrenchfilmfestival.com.  You get to vote for your favorite film and possibly win a trip to Paris!  I’m in!  It runs January 14th through the 29th and you get to watch all the films from your laptop.

Twenty films will be in competition – 10 feature films and 10 shorts – all accessible in ten languages.  The winning feature film will run in Air France flights starting April 1^st for 9 months! I am going to catch as many as I can and of course vote and state my opinion – maybe I’ll be the lucky one to win a trip…on ne sait pas! (ya never know!)

Join in the fun – it’s too cold to get out to the movie theatre, and i’s not like there’s much out there to see!  You can send me your thoughts and comments to share.  Here’s a trailer of one film I think I’m going to like…”La Famille Wolberg”

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Day 11 – 354 to go! Tuesday, Jan 11 2011

I’m alive and well.  Long day at work yesterday.  I did get to practice some French on my drive to and from work, however.  My drive is 62 miles one way, so I have 2 hours and 10 minutes a day to listen to spoken French.  I have the French Berlitz beginner and intermediate CDs which are great because I get to ECOUTEZ ET REPETEZ!  I listen to the dialogues and repeat them at the sound of the tone.  It is easier to understand because the speed of the dialogue is much slower than natural speak.

When I got home today I went straight for grammar for about an hour – studied three chapters.  It’s a good refresher for me to go back and try to get the basics so that I can build on it.  Sometimes I do get so frustrated when I see things I know but just can’t remember what it means and then have to grab the dictionary, but I will continue to press on.  I finally finished “Je T’amerai Toujours” – I read the rhyme over and over again hoping I’m pronouncing it correctly!

Je t’aimerai toujours (I will love you forever)

La nuit comme le jour, (night as day)

Et tant que je vivrai, (and as long as I’m living)

Tu seras mon bebe (my baby you’ll be)

Ok, maybe too childish, but I learned some vocabulary:

tendrement (tenderly), doucement (gently), agenouiller (to kneel) demenager (to move)

I forgot to mention in my previous posts that I am reading Julia Child’s book, “My Life In France”.  It’s delicious and delightful, and a true homage to la belle France.  In this memoir, Julia recounts her love affair with tout le chose francais (everything French).  As I read I can feel the reverence, admiration and respect she develops for a culture that was completely unknown to her.  Why can’t more Americans be like that!  There’s a whole world out there people!

“I tried to hold on to my impressions,” she writes, “but it was hopeless, as if I were trying to hold on to a dream. No matter. France was my spiritual homeland: it had become part of me, and I a part of it..”

 

Just call me Julia…a demain!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Victor Hugo – We Live, We Talk Sunday, Jan 9 2011

Listening and reading Victor Hugo today – this is a beautiful poem titled “On Vit, on Parle” (We Live, We Talk).  It’s a good way to practice my vocabulary and listen to correct pronunciation.  It’s translated so you can follow this very simple but poignant poem about the quick passing of life.  La Vie…elle passera tres vit!  (life goes by very fast!)

Click on the link above so you can also hear it spoken. Let me know what you think.  Enjoy!

On vit, on parle, on a le ciel et les nuages

We live, we talk, we have the sky and the clouds

Sur la tête ; on se plaît aux livres des vieux sages ;

On the head; we enjoy the books of the old wise men

On lit Virgile et Dante ; on va joyeusement

We read Virgil and Dante; we go joyfully

En voiture publique à quelque endroit charmant,

By public car to some charming place

En riant aux éclats de l’auberge et du gîte ;

Laughing out loud in the hostel and the shelter;

Le regard d’une femme en passant vous agite ;

The look of a woman passing by shakes you up

On aime, on est aimé, bonheur qui manque aux rois !

We love, we are loved, happiness that Kings lack!

On écoute le chant des oiseaux dans les bois

We listen to the birds chirping in the woods

Le matin, on s’éveille, et toute une famille

In the morning, we wake up, and a whole family

Vous embrasse, une mère, une soeur, une fille !

Kisses you, a mother, a sister, a daughter!

On déjeune en lisant son journal. Tout le jour

We have breakfast while reading the newspaper. The whole day

On mêle à sa pensée espoir, travail, amour;

We mix out thoughts with hope, work, love;

La vie arrive avec ses passions troublées;

Life arrives with its toubled passions

On jette sa parole aux sombres assemblées;

We throw our word to the dark assemblies

Devant le but qu’on veut et le sort qui vous prend,

In front of the goal that we want, and the destiny that takes you,

On se sent faible et fort, on est petit et grand ;

We feel weak and strong, we are small and big

On est flot dans la foule, âme dans la tempête;

We’re a flood in the crowd, soul in the tempest

Tout vient et passe ; on est en deuil, on est en fête ;

Everything comes and goes by; we are on mourning, we’re celebrating;

On arrive, on recule, on lutte avec effort… –

We arrive, we move back, we struggle with efforts

Puis, le vaste et profond silence de la mort !

Then, the vast and deep silence of death!

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New Year’s in Paris Saturday, Jan 8 2011

Hmm…doesn’t seem like I missed much this year! What is up w/no fireworks?? Check it out via lonleyplanet.com, Natalie Tran is traveling the world and spent New Year’s in Paris…what she considered a FAIL!  Click here to view>>

 

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