3 of the best

Ok someone stop be before I develop rsi in my fingers...im on a crazy roll with the social networking today guys! I cant seem to stop facebook-ing, twitter-ing, post-ing... i must be excited about the Brisbane French Festival on Saturday! that fueled with a landslide of flat whites and i think im about to take off with excitement and energy for all things Paris!!

Im starting my '3 of the Best' Posts with something easy - 3 of the best Cult Cafes! Ok so im being a wee bit lazy! Everyone knows these! Well atleast they should but just in case they dont here they are! Add to your to do Paris list now.. at the very least try one and do what the Parisians do best - indulge in people watching for a good hour in the St Germain area:

1. Cafe de Flore - rated as one of the ten best places to eat in Paris,  its tables still snuggly wrap around the corner and they serve traditional favourites. Tip: order one of the excellent French wines or simply sit back over a coffee or 2 or 3 and watch the street traffic.
www.cafedeflore.fr
 
172, blvd st-Germain - 75006 Paris
01 45 48 55 26
Open: Daily 7am - 1.30am

2. LE DEUX MAGOTS - another of the 3 famos cafes. This is a legendary hangout for sophisticated residents who claim it in the off season and a tourist favourite in summer. You can order salads, pastries, ice cream and one of the daily specials.
www.lesdeuxmagots.fr
6 place St-Germain-des-Pres - 75006 Paris
01 45 48 55 25

3. BRASSERIE LIPP - (Johnny Depps haunt - thats enough reason pour moi :) and the  final of the 3 famous cafes in  st Germain Brasserie Lipp is a favourite haunt for the intelligent minds with it’s clientele that includes Hollywood stars, artists and has an interesting melange of French cuisine.
www.ila-chateau.com/lipp
151Bld. St Germain - 75006 Paris
Open everyday

English French words

It’s incredible ("uncreaaabl") how many English words are actually French!! And every single one of them sounds so chic (oops there’s one) and glamorous!! Décor, couture, décolletage, negligee, deja vu, rendezvous, fiancé, boutique, bric-a-brac, encore, petite...

I have stopped going to French classes – that lasted 1 year – and I’m pretty pleased with that effort. But while I miss my favourite little class mate I have found something even better thanks to my Mr.

Michel Thomas audio records – learning to speak French without any memorizing, writing, homework or even trying for that matter. It’s brilliant! No pressure to learn, just listening and ‘hearing’ what your listening to. Its amazing how it flows in and stays there – the next thing you know your constructing sentences in your head with so much ease it couldn’t possibly be normal. This past week I have learnt about 5 times as much French as I did in that year of French class. I don’t mean to ‘dis’ my teacher - she was TRES magnfiique in her own teaching method – she was quite typically old school French and taught us the ‘proper’ old-school way of learning the language with a lot of it being gramma based. But Michel Thomas’ recordings are a much more practical and modern method of teaching. I highly recommend it!! I listen to the recordings everyday while I drive! (and then freak out when I get to my destination and have no recollection of the journey – scary!!)

But it has been so interesting and eye-opening to learn that the English language actually came from the French language. There are so many similarities that are so obvious but its getting our head around the fact that it’s mostly just pronunciations that are different (there are exceptions of course). One French man was asked what he thought of the English language. He looked at the paper and said: “What?... But it’s French…but with very bad pronunciations” – this man me laugh! Oh how I love the French and their frank dry and honest wit!

So I sat and went through my French dictionary and picked out all the english words that are actually French: (we are so used to these words being part of the English language we don’t even recognize them as French…most of the time)

Adore

Ambience

Antique

Avenue

Ballet

Beau

Bikini

Biscuit

Bizarre

Blonde

Brunette

Bracelet

Budget (comes from Old French bougette (A little purse) – I love that!!!

Café

Canape

Chaffeur

Cliché

Connoisseur

Dessert

Elite

Encore

Fatigue

Fatal

Masseuse

Niche

Resume

And these are just the sounds that are clearly french. I found a stack more on Wikipedia. Now that I’m so fascinated in learning the origins of even simple words like 'table'! And the simple truth for me has been understanding that English comes from French – that's all! and with this simple ray of clarity and light ... the key finally turned! - everything's so much easier and clearer to understand and hear and in turn SPEAK. I’m almost French now LOL

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_words_of_French_origin 

Off to listen to recording 4 now!! Au revoir!! (ok that’s not one off them hahaha) xx

This weeks find at the Porte de Vanves flea market

Love love love. Click the pic to go to the official 'puces de vanves' flea market blog'

And a gorgeous fine print!

Parisien people

Excusez-moi Garcon! I love this shot. You could not get a more ‘Parisian’ image than if the Eiffel tower was shot covered in croissants. But I beg my pardon; it is old fashioned to call a male waiter ‘garcon’, in fact today it is considered rude and ill-mannered. The correct terminology is: 'serveur'.

loves these boys.

An awkward and at the same time, very relaxed looking French man at the Tuleries Jardin. You can almost see the drool trickling down the corners of his mouth … and feel the neck pain that will surely strike after this little sun soaking session.

'Prada' our gorgeous Parisian pooch living the life at Cafe Flore. I want to get a dog just to name it 'Prada'. Love.

Artists by le seine. Outside the d’Orsay musee sits many artists offering to paint your portrait. This lady was a magician with colours.

‘allo’ ca va? Oui Ca Va tres bien, Je suis a la café.

Happy French man at his sausage stall at the Champeret Gourmet Festival.

A garden gnome…oops I mean French man at the Champeret Gourmet Festival. Chips de pommes anyone? (apple chips).

Our fromage connoisseur at the Champeret Gourmet Festival.

Fashionable older french girl in the marais.

Quirky bird-man walking the Ile st Louis, in the rain, with a broken umbrella, holding the broken side over his head, getting wet. I had a little chuckle as I took this shot. Adoreable.

Fur scarves the flavour of the morning at coliquicot cafe. Writing lettres over a cup of tea.

le journal et cards de poste, street stall with owner who looks homeless and passerby-ers.

Ms Genevieve elegantly posed on her terrace in the 8th arrondissement of Paris..

Entertainment at the Port de Vanves flea markets. gorgeous french folk music; must find that video.

The french love to smoke. 2 elderly ladies haggingly at the Clignancourt flea markets.

Gypsy bohemian purple cape man. I half expected him to turn into a vampire or bat and fly away. Or a magic flying carpet-rug.

I met this whacky chef at a teeny local creperie in Guy Moquet (near Montmartre) - the most peculiar character, for once I am stumped for words, there is no words to describe him. Pity a photograph can't show true character. Here he is making my nutella creperies. yummmmm

Parisian born Rose-Marie pounding the pavement with her Parisien pooch in typically Parisien chic-ness and style. Note the shoes. love.

Battling the rain and wind on the Ile de la cite.

A stereotypical image of le homme francaise. Beret. black outfit. red scarf. long hair. The look of an artist. in montmartre. what more is there..

A ritual chess match each sunday in the Place du Tertr, Montmartre. Wonder how many years has this been going!??

Again. Black. Beret. turtle neck. intelligent glasses. and an air of french frankness and flair. French man.

A gruff old man keeping spirits up in the middle of freeeezing winter at the Port de Vanves flea market on his tinkly portable piano.

Parisien performers at the Opera Garnier. I was excited to watch this show 'with subtitles' however when I arrived I was confused to learnt that the subtitles were in...french???

An eccentric friendly local outside Au Marche De La Butte. More famously known as the 'Amelie' fruit shop.

Parisien artists. Photographie taken at Place du Tertre, Montmartre. Waiting to do your portrait. Le beret man was phenomenal.

Velvet and fur. The fabrics favoured by the baroque/victoria/rocco/neoclassical style of the typical Parisiene's.

The usual line up for Vin Chaud. (Hot wine). Scrumptious. Parisienne's love this beverage delicacy.

Thierry and little Prada enjoying a le cafe at Cafe Flore

Ms Genevieve in her glorious Parisian Mansion.

French Artists Marie-Martine and Michel: 2 of our lovely B&B hosts.

A parisien group waiting for the bus and a trillion 'No Entry' signs.

'Prada' our cute parisien pooch . again. because we love her.