Join us on a photo journey of France, Europe and beyond on our photoblog. Click on the photo or go to: www.france-and-beyond-photoblog.com
Chambery App
If you have an IPhone or IPod and are planning a visit to Chambery, buy my ITunes App. It will walk you through the city of Chambery to each historic landmark with walking directions, history, a map, and narrative. It's just $2.99. Click on the above photo of the elephant fountain for the link to the app.
Travel Resources
Planning a trip to France ? Stay in a Paris apartment during your trip to the city of lights.
Get my Chambery, France Guide Book free with the purchase of my Cookbook: 'French Comfort Food: Recipes of Savoie and the French Alps.' Get both for only $7.99. Click the photo to get more information or to purchase your books now.
French Tutorial
A basic grammar and vocabulary review of the French language, as well as some informal & slang vocabulary and a special section on vocabulary for English-speaking expatriates living in France. Also included is an appendix on French pronunciation for English speakers as well as IPA transcriptions for most of the vocabulary lists and all of the verb conjugations.
Visit the Store to buy the e-book for $9.95 or paperback book for $24.95.
Join us on a small group tour of the French Alps June 9 - 16, 2012. I designed this tour to include the best of the region. Wander the Medieval town of Annecy, nicknamed the Venice of the French Alps, and take a boat ride on its crystal blue lake. Do you like pampering yourself on your vacations, then why not spend an afternoon at the Aix les Bains thermal baths inside your lakeside hotel? Are you the adventurous type? Then take a horseback ride in the Alps or fly through the trees at the High Ropes Adventure. Are you a foodie? Taste local chocolates, cheeses, wines and hazelnut oils. Are you a history buff? Then satisfy your curiosity at Lyon's Old Town or Vienne's Roman Temple and Forum. Or just enjoy watching the hang gliders and sunset while enjoying an outdoor aperitif on the top of a mountain overlooking Annecy's lake. See you in the French Alps! www.french-alps-tours.com
Alps Cookbook
Get my ECookbook: 'French Comfort Food: Recipes of Savoie and the French Alps.'
51 recipes of the region, collected from friends and local cookbooks. This is the only English language Savoie and French Alps cookbook in print. Only $7.99 and includes a bonus book: The Chambery Guide Book.
Click the photo to buy yours now or go to the Cookbook Page on the Navigation Bar!
French Comfort Food
Visit my French Comfort Food website for articles, recipes, videos, tips and products about French Food and Wine. Click on the photo or go to www.frenchcomfortfood.com
Videos, photos and posts can be used or posted noncommerically (this means you can't sell my films, photos or put them in or on anything you sell!), but everything must be linked back to this blog and must list me as the creator.
This is the final video of our Paris weekend and features the impressionist and expressionist artists and art of the Orsay Museum. During my undergraduate days (ancient history now) I studied in Florence, Italy and received my minor in art history with a focus on Impressionist and Renaissance art. When I originally visited Paris and the museum that housed the impressionist art, it was in the year 1979, seven years before the Orsay Museum opened. So to see this new gorgeous building with all of the additional works of art that was not in the old building was such a treat for me. I thoroughly enjoyed this visit and the architecture of the building alone is worth seeing. Even many of the Paris hotels are glorious to look at.
The weather was cold and gloomy during much of our Paris weekend trip but since we were there primarily to see the Orsay Museum (and for the Blogger luncheon), we didn’t mind. We spent the entire day in the Museum, taking our time to see every exhibit. This is the first of two videos I took at the Orsay (or Musee d’Orsay). We ate lunch at the museum restaurant which gave us the option of a Menu. A Menu in France is a combination plate which gives you several choices depending on what you want to spend. Usually, a menu gives you three options: a choice of appetizer, main dish and dessert; or just an appetizer and main dish; or a main dish and a dessert. With my sweet tooth I tend to go with a main dish and dessert. Anyway, the Orsay restaurant Menu ran around 18 euros which is alittle on the expensive side for lunch but not terrible, and it gave us the leisurely look in the museum we wanted. Plus we had the pleasure of the beauty of the decorated restaurant hall with muraled ceilings and statues. So consider this an option if you’d like to see all the exhibits at the museum which can’t be done in just a morning or afternoon (unless you have your running shoes on).
As I mentioned in a previous post, I went to Paris the middle of January to meet with some France bloggers and website publishers I met through Twitter. Since we followed each other online it seemed like a good idea to meet. My Frenchman wasn’t working that weekend so he came along and we made a nice mini-vacation out of it. We stayed at a hotel we found through www.clickbed.com for 50 euros a night. The hotel was adequate but the best part about it was it had a music bar on the first floor which had live performers on Saturday nights, the night we were there. The music was certainly not on the level of the live music I used to hear in Los Angeles, but that wasn’t the goal. It was lovely just to hear some local Parisian music, complete with an accordian.
I was also successful in talking my Frenchman into eating at a Mexican restaurant (not bad but not like the great Mexican food in Los Angeles), as well as talking him into trying a Shisha Pipe (or Hookha in English). It was surprisingly smooth and good. Ours was Apple but you could order several different flavors. It was a bit sweet and didn’t have the harshness of cigarettes. I would recommend trying it – for laughs if for nothing else. My Frenchman became a bit of a performer during his try.
I’m on my way to Nice and Menton on the French Riviera to attend and film the Nice Carnival and the Menton Lemon Festival and Parade. I was able to get a prime position for filming for the Menton Parade, thanks to the nice people at the Menton Tourist Office. So in my absence for the next week, I’m posting my Paris weekend trip from January.
Paris is a city of arts. In fact, it is in the top 5 cities of the world for museums and art galleries. We wondered the streets one night and admired the art in the galleries – I took videos of some of my favorites. Notice the Art Nouveau Metro Posts. They are easy to miss so be sure to make a special point of looking for them so you can admire their craftsmanship.
The website www.ExpatArrivals.com interviewed me two weeks ago and the abbreviated interview is on their website for those interested. It can be accessed by using this link:
Well, I’m a little embarrassed to ask again, but I’ve been nominated for Trip Films’ Trippy Award in the ‘DESTINATION PROFILE AWARD: Best Series about a Destination’ category, and would appreciate your vote. The top winner gets a trip to China and other prizes include Amazon gift certificates and other such things. This is my second year of being nominated for a category so perhaps someday I’ll actually win! Voting ends February 28th.
The link is below. My nomination category is towards the bottom of the page under Destination Profile Award with the name American in France. Thanks!!
It’s been a difficult winter here in the French Alps but I’m hoping the worst is over. Here are some of the snow and winter scenes of the past month. Granted, it’s beautiful but not very pleasant to be in. My French mountain man husband who’s lived in the region for 15 years just doesn’t understand my whining! My cats understand though. “Thank goodness for radiators” they tell me from their blue padded perch.
