Oh la la!!

Je crois que la Bretagne et la Normandie sont belles regions mais je n'ai jamais eu l'occasion d'y aller. Peut-etre un jour j'aurai de la chance!    Pour l'instant mon coeur est en Strasbourg ou dans la Cote d'azur.    J'ai beaucoup de bons souvenirs en ce qui concerne Alsace car j'y ai habite un an...je me souviens l'endroit bien .. La culture Alsatienne , la tarte flambee, Place Kleber, les marches de Noel...(Strasbourg en a un qui fonctionne depuis le 16eme siecle!)     Ailleurs, c'est vraiment pres de l'Allemagne (litteralement, un voyage quelques minutes de bus).

En effet, quand nous etions a Barcelone en aout 2010, j'ai decouvert a ma grande joie un Fnac et un Sephora (mes magasins preferes francais)....Sephora c'est un peu cher, mais c'est un delice pour les sens! A l'usine Fragonard., on peut voir la production effective des parfums et cosmetiques.  Ca se trouve a Eze (pres de Nice).
Sur un autre sujet, quelles sont vos chansons preferees francaises?
Quelqu'un a t-il entendu  'Je viens du sud' par Chimene Badi ?    Cette chanson me rappelle de l'ete dans le sud, vraiment merveilleuse!  J'adore Helene Segara aussi, sa voix est magnifique et sa musique, charmante!

Classic French Onion Soup recipe

French Onion soup is always a favourite of mine and is especially popular in northern France where the onions grow.

Ingredients:
4 large onions, sliced into rings
2 tbs vegetable oil or 50g butter
1 level tbs flour
1 litre of water
1 beef stock cube
4 slices of French bread
50g grated cheese

Here is what you do:

1. Heat the oil or butter in a large pan and fry the onions until they turn golden brown (about 15-20 minutes)
2. Sprinkle in the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring with a wooden spoon.   Add the water and stock cube. Boil, cover and simmer fror 20 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 190 C/375 F/ Gas mark 5. Place the bread on a baking tray, top with the cheese and bake for 10 minutes until the cheese is melted.
4. Pour the soup into bowls and float the cheesy bread on top.

Et, voila!

J'adore Paris!!

Just thought I'd share this with all my fellow Francophiles.... there is a live web cam of the Eiffel Tower.       Check it out here :   Eiffel Tower Live web video

French sayings:

Comprendre, c'est pardoner (French)
To understand is to forgive. (English)

(De Stael.)

Le plus grand faible des hommes, c'est l'amour qu'ils ont de la vie. (French)
Man's greatest weakness is his love of life.(English)

(Molière)

Picture postcards of beautiful places in France

A huge thank you to ALL my penpals who have sent me these postcards!

There used to be a very good website called 'Everything Eiffel' - it sold everything from tea towels, to replicas and stationery to jewellery, it was a delight to the eyes.

Sadly, it has closed down.     I have a couple of Eiffel Tower replicas that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world.   

More Frenchness...through pictures

My favourite wall art.

French cafe canvas

Pictures of France my French penpal sent me.

"Merci Chrystelle!"

The gorgeous Baie Des Anges on the French Riviera, I passed this on the train in 2005. 

The lovely Cote d'Azur!

The interior of the Conseil de l'Europe (European Parliament in Strasbourg) -  taken June 1996

My best photo of La Tour Eiffel....

et, finalement une carte postale drole!

Monte Carlo or bust!

Did anybody see this three part series/travelogue that was shown on British TV recently?  I wish the broadcasters would show more programmes like this because it certainly whetted my appetite to travel to France again!   It involved 3 pairs of celebrity couples who left England to go to Monte Carlo....and each pair had to compete and bring back objects related to 'head , hand and stomach' from each of the regions in France they passed through.  Having been to Monte Carlo myself, I thoroughly enjoyed this show and it even made me laugh at times!