There is something I could not miss in that place...
Les vaches de Normandie!
Showing posts with label France. Show all posts
Showing posts with label France. Show all posts
Friday, October 13, 2006
A week-end in Normandie
I had a chance to appreciate the splendor of the beaches of Normandie; ignoring danger of being blown away into the ocean, I took some pictures.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Le Vendredi...
... Le jour préféré des français, il me semble, et une occasion spéciale pour offrir un petit déjeuner à tous les gens de l'entreprise où je travaille (sympa!). Le vendredi est une occasion qui ne se rate pas: demain, c'est le weekend! C'est bien connu que les français n'aiment pas travailler, et c'est un petit charme que j'apprécie plus particulièrement le vendredi. Pourtant, j'aime bien travailler, mais le vendredi soir je pars à la mer pour tout le weekend, loin de tout, loin de la chaleur étouffante de Paris. Et de toute façon, il faut savoir qu'en France, les mois de juillet/août sont les mois où les effectifs des entreprises se trouvent fortement réduits à cause des départs en vacances. Tout le monde va dans les maisons de campagne chez papy-mamy, profiter du soleil, des apéros à la terrasse et des dîners en famille qui durent des heures...Et nous, pauvres étudiants-stagiaires, on reste à Paris. D'ailleurs, Paris se vide de façon impressionnante l'été. Il ne reste que des touristes ou des carriéristes qui bossent 14h par jour et donc ne sortent pas de leurs bureaux, ou alors des gens qui restent là pendant que leurs collègues sont en vacances et ils attendent patiemment leur tour. Avec tout ça, je ne comprends toujours pas comment ça ses fait que le métro est plein à craquer le matin! C'est assez insupportable, surtout quand il fait chaud comme en ce moment, mais heureusement encore que j'habite à 2 stations de mon boulot, sinon, mon destin serait d'être étouffée dans un wagons de métro où je ne pourrait bouger parce qu'il y a trop de monde et où je ne pourrait respirer parce que je suis pas assez grande pour sortir ma tête au dessus de la foule transpirante. Mmm...Je vais arrêter là la description des petites joies du matin parisien pour en revenir à...
Et bien, parlons Paris. Je ne connais pas assez bien cette ville pour l'instant, mais je vais l'apprendre très vite (cf. notamment mon boulot! lol). Pour l'instant, j'ai quelques bouts d'image par ci par là qui vont et qui viennent:
Des gens dans les terrasses des cafés, qui regardent les passants et qui aiment être vus par eux, tout en faisant l'air d'être très occupés par leurs discussions... Le parisien, ça adore boire ou manger en plein milieu de la rue, et plus il y a de gens qui font pareil, mieux c'est! Ceux qui disent que les parisiens ne s'aiment pas, n'ont qu'à regarder avec quel plaisir ils savourent leurs Perriers - salade complète à 3 cm à peine des tables voisines!
Des foules qui se promènent sur les Champs Elysées, à toute heure de la journée et de la nuit, et, toutes les secondes, les touristes qui se mettent au milieu de la rue pour prendre une photo de l'Arc ou des Champs pour les archives familiaux... La sortie du RER sur les Champs, lieu de rencontre du quartier.
Le bazar (pour pas dire pire) sur la route du rond point de l'Etoile. Dès qu'on arrête de stresser quand on passe par là, on est déjà un peu parisien!
Les palmiers faisant ombre sur les terrasses (avec piscine? ah le rêve!) sur les toits, aperçus d'un bas des plus belles rue parisiennes...
Des amoureux de tous les pays qui flânent le long des quais et aiment leur jeunesse et beauté, leur chance d'être là, et bien sûr Paris...
Des familles qui fuient Paris le vendredi soir pour aller en Normandie/ à Paris plage/ à Versailles ou Yvelines "bien profiter de leur weekend"
Des voituries des restos place de l'Etoile qui attendent des clients en dicutant oisivement et qui ne laissent pas passer inaperçue aucune jolie fille (elles ne manquent pas dans le quartier d'ailleurs!)
Des groupes de jeunes cadres dynamiques qui sortent du boulot tôt le soir pour aller faire un "corporate pique-nique" sur le champs de Mars...
Une mère de famille sportive et dynamique qui rentre du tennis le matin avant d'aller travailler à Neuilly
Des jeunes cools un peu hippies qui s'assemblent les soirs sur le pont des arts autour des bougies et bouteilles de vin rouge ou autre...
Et bien, parlons Paris. Je ne connais pas assez bien cette ville pour l'instant, mais je vais l'apprendre très vite (cf. notamment mon boulot! lol). Pour l'instant, j'ai quelques bouts d'image par ci par là qui vont et qui viennent:
Des gens dans les terrasses des cafés, qui regardent les passants et qui aiment être vus par eux, tout en faisant l'air d'être très occupés par leurs discussions... Le parisien, ça adore boire ou manger en plein milieu de la rue, et plus il y a de gens qui font pareil, mieux c'est! Ceux qui disent que les parisiens ne s'aiment pas, n'ont qu'à regarder avec quel plaisir ils savourent leurs Perriers - salade complète à 3 cm à peine des tables voisines!
Des foules qui se promènent sur les Champs Elysées, à toute heure de la journée et de la nuit, et, toutes les secondes, les touristes qui se mettent au milieu de la rue pour prendre une photo de l'Arc ou des Champs pour les archives familiaux... La sortie du RER sur les Champs, lieu de rencontre du quartier.
Le bazar (pour pas dire pire) sur la route du rond point de l'Etoile. Dès qu'on arrête de stresser quand on passe par là, on est déjà un peu parisien!
Les palmiers faisant ombre sur les terrasses (avec piscine? ah le rêve!) sur les toits, aperçus d'un bas des plus belles rue parisiennes...
Des amoureux de tous les pays qui flânent le long des quais et aiment leur jeunesse et beauté, leur chance d'être là, et bien sûr Paris...
Des familles qui fuient Paris le vendredi soir pour aller en Normandie/ à Paris plage/ à Versailles ou Yvelines "bien profiter de leur weekend"
Des voituries des restos place de l'Etoile qui attendent des clients en dicutant oisivement et qui ne laissent pas passer inaperçue aucune jolie fille (elles ne manquent pas dans le quartier d'ailleurs!)
Des groupes de jeunes cadres dynamiques qui sortent du boulot tôt le soir pour aller faire un "corporate pique-nique" sur le champs de Mars...
Une mère de famille sportive et dynamique qui rentre du tennis le matin avant d'aller travailler à Neuilly
Des jeunes cools un peu hippies qui s'assemblent les soirs sur le pont des arts autour des bougies et bouteilles de vin rouge ou autre...
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Blois, Chambord, Chevernay
Few weeks ago I went to see some of the châteaux de la Loire with a friend . We stayed in Blois, small town on the Loire, that I like so much, except maybe its weather which was rainy and chilly, but we did have some sun to take pictures ;-). My friend discovered château de Blois which I really like, it's different from the others and it's well preserved and restored inside.
And there is a nice view from the back wall of the château on la Loire and the old part of the town, with its old cathedral, red roofs and this peaceful river, so famous for it's castles!
We took a bus tour to Chambord and Chevernay the next day. I've seen Chambord before, it's impressive, especially its Middle Age size and donjon, but it's yet not fine enough in decoration and interior details... Its huge defense walls somehow remind me of Carcassonne.
On the other hand, Chevernay is pretty much like a really nice summer house, I wouldn't mind spending my vacation there ;-) It's elegant and rich inside with precious paintings and antique furniture. One can visit almost all of it, which is quite rare for this kind of castles, so I fully appreciated it by exploring every corner of it!
And there is a nice view from the back wall of the château on la Loire and the old part of the town, with its old cathedral, red roofs and this peaceful river, so famous for it's castles!
We took a bus tour to Chambord and Chevernay the next day. I've seen Chambord before, it's impressive, especially its Middle Age size and donjon, but it's yet not fine enough in decoration and interior details... Its huge defense walls somehow remind me of Carcassonne.
On the other hand, Chevernay is pretty much like a really nice summer house, I wouldn't mind spending my vacation there ;-) It's elegant and rich inside with precious paintings and antique furniture. One can visit almost all of it, which is quite rare for this kind of castles, so I fully appreciated it by exploring every corner of it!
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Friday, January 13, 2006
Have I stayed too long in China?!? 2 of 2
It’s already my second week in Paris after a year-and-a-half break in China, but I still:
- Look around stupidly way too many times before crossing the street, and when a car is approaching, wait until it gets close and look at the driver a few seconds to see whether he lets me go or not. Must be really annoying for the drivers here, but in China you die if you don’t do that!
- Keep noticing that French girls ALL wear scarves!! And the bigger the scarf, the better! Sometimes they wear HUGE super warm scarves and small thin open shoes… Ridiculous
- Miss chopsticks and Chinese food…Yes I do!
- But also enjoying real European food SO much, even a simple sandwich tastes so good here!
- Feel SO short! In China, it was just perfect, but here people are considerably taller, so I feel so small. “Then again, you ARE very small…” (who knows where this quote is from?)
And the last thing: every day in Paris, I can’t help admiring this city, it’s just amazingly beautiful. One of the things to do in this life is definitely come to Paris at least once!
- Look around stupidly way too many times before crossing the street, and when a car is approaching, wait until it gets close and look at the driver a few seconds to see whether he lets me go or not. Must be really annoying for the drivers here, but in China you die if you don’t do that!
- Keep noticing that French girls ALL wear scarves!! And the bigger the scarf, the better! Sometimes they wear HUGE super warm scarves and small thin open shoes… Ridiculous
- Miss chopsticks and Chinese food…Yes I do!
- But also enjoying real European food SO much, even a simple sandwich tastes so good here!
- Feel SO short! In China, it was just perfect, but here people are considerably taller, so I feel so small. “Then again, you ARE very small…” (who knows where this quote is from?)
And the last thing: every day in Paris, I can’t help admiring this city, it’s just amazingly beautiful. One of the things to do in this life is definitely come to Paris at least once!
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Un peu de France à Pékin...
International: café français, tenu par les coréens, au coeur du quartier universitaire à Pékin...
International: French café, opened by Coreans, in the heart of the University district in Beijing...
Have I stayed too long in China?!? 1 of 2
I think it’s been too long I lived in China…why do I say so? Well, because now I’m back to Paris and some stuff keeps happening to me that says that I’m not quite used to living here yet!
So, it’s been definitely too long I was in China, because:
- Every time I automatically convert Euros to RMB and every time it’s more than 100 RMB (which happens like 100 times a day, especially in the supermarkets) I can’t help thinking “Wow, that’s expensive!”
- When I took the bus at the airport, I automatically rushed in without waiting for everybody to get out, because in China, if you wait, you never get in! And so people got angry and of coarse made a loud comment “Il faut laisser passer les gens d’abord!” (“You must let people go out first!”)…French complain… A LOT! Everybody knows that…
- I can’t believe streets are so empty; there are NO people in France!
- Everybody speaks French all the time and I understand everything people say! lol
- …where are all the bikes?...
- Nobody drinks hot water, even in restaurants; they only have cold water… And how come I don’t have a water machine in my room?!?
- People TALK! Yes, they do, and a lot, and ALL THE TIME! The first days, I had a feeling that French never talk at home, so they need to express themselves once outside… in China, you never talk to strangers. In France, you always talk, otherwise you are considered impolite! Quite a few times I was confused when people addressed me in the street with a “bonjour!”, I didn’t know what to say, lol! Have to get used all over again to say hello-thank you-good bye-have a nice day/weekend/afternoon to everybody. French are SO polite!...
- There are NO taxis here…and public transport is so expensive. The time when I could afford taking a taxi ten times a day is well gone…sniff!
- Apartments are so small!
- It rains all the time
- People are all dressed the same, and they only wear dark colours! However, they definitely have more style than the Chinese (no offence, it’s just so different!)
- People use perfumes! I didn’t notice it before, but when you go down the street, you can feel that every person going by has a different perfume. Conclusion: they don’t use perfume in China!
- I almost never need cash here, all payments are by credit card and cheques
- The food tastes SO good! I spend hours choosing yoghurts, ice creams and … stinky cheese of coarse, I missed it SO much!!
- Restaurants are closed in the afternoon…
- And everything is closed on Sunday!
- More than that, you must have a one-year visa now to buy a mobile phone with a one-year “abonnement”! So I can’t have one for at least three weeks, because when you come here, you only have a 3-month visa and you have to apply for the long one at the “préfecture”, which takes a while… Great! It’s no good to be phoneless…
(to be continued, there is a lot more to say about being back to Paris after a year and a half in 中国!)
So, it’s been definitely too long I was in China, because:
- Every time I automatically convert Euros to RMB and every time it’s more than 100 RMB (which happens like 100 times a day, especially in the supermarkets) I can’t help thinking “Wow, that’s expensive!”
- When I took the bus at the airport, I automatically rushed in without waiting for everybody to get out, because in China, if you wait, you never get in! And so people got angry and of coarse made a loud comment “Il faut laisser passer les gens d’abord!” (“You must let people go out first!”)…French complain… A LOT! Everybody knows that…
- I can’t believe streets are so empty; there are NO people in France!
- Everybody speaks French all the time and I understand everything people say! lol
- …where are all the bikes?...
- Nobody drinks hot water, even in restaurants; they only have cold water… And how come I don’t have a water machine in my room?!?
- People TALK! Yes, they do, and a lot, and ALL THE TIME! The first days, I had a feeling that French never talk at home, so they need to express themselves once outside… in China, you never talk to strangers. In France, you always talk, otherwise you are considered impolite! Quite a few times I was confused when people addressed me in the street with a “bonjour!”, I didn’t know what to say, lol! Have to get used all over again to say hello-thank you-good bye-have a nice day/weekend/afternoon to everybody. French are SO polite!...
- There are NO taxis here…and public transport is so expensive. The time when I could afford taking a taxi ten times a day is well gone…sniff!
- Apartments are so small!
- It rains all the time
- People are all dressed the same, and they only wear dark colours! However, they definitely have more style than the Chinese (no offence, it’s just so different!)
- People use perfumes! I didn’t notice it before, but when you go down the street, you can feel that every person going by has a different perfume. Conclusion: they don’t use perfume in China!
- I almost never need cash here, all payments are by credit card and cheques
- The food tastes SO good! I spend hours choosing yoghurts, ice creams and … stinky cheese of coarse, I missed it SO much!!
- Restaurants are closed in the afternoon…
- And everything is closed on Sunday!
- More than that, you must have a one-year visa now to buy a mobile phone with a one-year “abonnement”! So I can’t have one for at least three weeks, because when you come here, you only have a 3-month visa and you have to apply for the long one at the “préfecture”, which takes a while… Great! It’s no good to be phoneless…
(to be continued, there is a lot more to say about being back to Paris after a year and a half in 中国!)
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