My adventures as an American woman starting life over in the French Alps with videos, photos, recipes, travel tips and observations about life in France
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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.
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French Alps Tours
Join us on a small group tour of the French Alps June 4-11 or September 3-10, 2011. 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 walnut oils. But don't just taste it - cook it too at a cooking class taught by one of Grand Bornand's best chefs and restaurateurs. 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 at a catered outdoor dinner 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 $12.99 and includes a bonus book: The Chambery Guide Book.
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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
Chambery also has a Carnival Festival every February but it is primarily oriented for the children’s entertainment. In fact, the children spend part of the school year designing and decorating some of the floats in the parade. They also ‘perform’ in the parade. You’ll see quite a few chimney sweeper costumes in the video. The reason for this is that the chimney sweeper is the symbol (professionally-speaking) for Savoie/Savoy, so it is the costume of choice. While this carnival couldn’t compete with the Nice Carnival, it was still a fun event to attend and was representative of community effort.
At the same time as the Nice Carnival, Menton holds a Lemon Festival which includes a Parade along the seaside promenade. The nice people at the Tourist office (http://www.feteducitron.com/menton-french-riviera-lemon-festival-uk.html) gave me a Press Pass to film the parade from a high stage so I had a good view. Here are the highlights of the Parade. Put it on your ‘Things to Do’ List!
Menton is 30 minutes by train from Nice. It borders both Italy and Monaco. The population is about 20,000 so I call it a mini-Nice since it has many similar characteristics. One similarity is its Carnival Parade which is part of the annual February Lemon Festival in Menton. It’s a lovely city worth visiting. Here’s an overview video of the city.
The night before the Carnival began in Nice, the city was buzzing. Performers filled the streets, everyone was out walking, and the energy was palatable. I took some video during my walk.
Visit the city of Nice with me in this overview video. I loved Nice and will be back many times in the future. I especially enjoyed the Italian influence and architecture and the wonderful mild weather. Carnival week was a blast. If you are planning a trip to Nice, save some money, and head there in February for Carnival!
Here’s the second video of the Nice, France Carnival Parade. This was a fantastic event and I would encourage you to see it if you ever have the opportunity. The energy of the French Riviera is wonderful. You can feel the Italian influence everywhere with its warmth, liveliness, passion for life.
I spent a week in Nice, France to attend and film the Carnival and to visit some of the Cote d’Azur towns. This video is the first of a series of videos about Nice, the Carnival, Menton and its Lemon Festival and Parade, a review of two restaurants and one hotel, and a visit to Villefranche sur Mer. Following this series, I will show a video of Chambery’s Carnival Parade. So I hope you’ll enjoy the journey to these remarkable places. Thanks to Trip Films.com who partially sponsored the trip.
So now have a peek at the first of two videos of the Nice Carnival Parade, 2010.
