Blog Masonry
Mes baggages
Hello:
I am planning a trip to Paris the last week of December. Many of the flights arrive in Paris between 8 and 10 AM. Hotel check in time is not until 3PM. Any suggestions as what we can do with our luggage until check in time? Also, do you have any suggestions as to what to do during the six hours or so until we can get situated?
Thanks!
Saint-Marcel d'Ardeche
I’m planning to be in the Ardeche during the upcoming grape harvest to visit friends with a winery in Ste Marcel. Since I will be there for a few months I will lease rather than rent a car so will have access to the surrounding areas. I am interested in hearing from those who have visited the area and their impressions on what I have to look forward to, avoid, etc. I also plan to drive to Barcelona at some point so any ideas on where to stop along the way would be helpful. Thanks, Ani
Police clear France's biggest squat
PARIS (Reuters) – Police cleared hundreds of people from France’s biggest squat, a former student hall of residence near Paris, the Interior Ministry said on Thursday.
The Communist Party, which said 1,000 people were occupying the building, denounced the move as part of what it called French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy’s “determination” to arrest immigrants on a large scale.
“This expulsion on a large scale marks a further step in the violence and irresponsibility,” it said in a statement.
France demands strong mandate if it is to lead UN peacekeeping force
The UN was struggling last night to put together its peacekeeping mission for Lebanon, as France haggled over the mandate and rules of engagement of the force it has offered to lead.
Senior officials were meeting last night in New York to try to finalise the remit of the mission and identify military demands.
A cycle of tragedy
David Witt, 57, was a former cyclist who introduced Landis to road racing – and to his wife Amber. He was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head and alone in his car at a parking garage in San Diego on Tuesday.
The death was yesterday ruled as suicide. What led Witt to taking his life is still unknown.
Witt and Landis, 30, were close friends. They roomed together when Landis moved from his Mennonite family home in Pennsylvania to California in 1998. They were also best men at each other’s wedding. Witt, who was in France with his wife to watch Landis win the Tour in July, had been upset by the American’s positive test for testosterone.
Not lost in translation
After all, it may be that Jean-Luc Godard is not Korean. Lucky Koreans : if he had been, they would enjoy and understand him less.
This is the doom of French-speaking viewers, as they listen to Godard dialogues : because the words sound familiar, they think they can make sense of the sentences ; they fail and the more they fail, the more frustrated they grow.
In Korea and the whole non-French-speaking world, spectators run no such risk : as they listen to Godard, they hear the foreign language it is.
They do not try to grasp the words ; to their ears, this is music and how Godard should be appreciated.
USA was working with France on the Lebanon problem
It is nice to see the USA working with French authorities on a UN Resolution, even though France has backed out of that.
Looking for a French girl
I am looking for an old girlfriend from France. Her name is Marie ? Claire Furio. She stayed in Limours, 34 Rue Moliere and she must be now 35-36 years old. I met her in Boppard Germany, where we learned German in the Goethe Institut. We used to write to each other for quite a period and now I would like to find her again. If anyone knows anything about her please send me a message. I am Thanos from Greece.
Where to go in France . . . but not Paris
Everyone goes to Paris. It’s a great first trip. It’s a beautiful city and I love it, but we love the rest of the country too.
Outside of Paris, where is your favorite place to visit in France?
. . . and why? Any particular time of year your favorite time there?
Where do you shop for French things?
Every time we get home from France, I want to buy something I saw there. My two favorite web sites for buying French "stuff" are:
http://www.fragonard.com/ (soaps, perfumes, household gifts)
http://www.frenchselections.com/ (foods, gifts, books, chocolates)
Where do you do your French shopping online?
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