Kristin Espinasse's Blog, page 45
October 2, 2017
apprendre à profiter de la vie + Patricia Sands novel set in Arles and Camargue
In the novel DRAWING LESSONS, set in Arles, Arianna will learn to embrace life. Hear the previous sentence in French and discover Patricia Sand's novel set also in the breathtaking Camargue!
apprendre à profiter de la vie
: learn to embrace life
Listen to Jean-Marc read the following sentence, profiter de la vie
Dans le roman Drawing Lessons, qui se déroule en Arles, Arianna va apprendre à profiter de la vie.
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE
by Kristi Espinasse
I will never forget liste...
September 30, 2017
La Crève and Chili Basta! Fast and Easy Chili recipe with a Provençal twist
Along with most of the rest of France, j'ai chopé la crève. I wonder how? Did I catch a cold while crammed into a stairwell with other ferry passengers on our way home from The Island of Beauty? Or, as my dentist suggested during a three-part "crowning" series (ma première couronne! I've got one more appointment to go...), did I catch a draft during mi-saison--when even the French don't know how to dress?
As I lie under a pile of blankets, with a sore tooth and a headache, my daughter appea...
September 27, 2017
France's "Island of Beauty" and the expression "essuyer les platres"
For our 23rd wedding anniversary we went to Corsica--to a hotel that looked very tempting as it was recently renovated... Unfortunately, it was not ready to welcome us in the best conditions. At the end of our stay, we can truly say we "wiped the plaster" with our very own clothes! Find out the meaning of today's expression essuyer les plâtres--and read about our trip to France's "Island of Beauty" in today's post.
ESSUYER LES PLATRES
: to be the guinea pig
: to cope with teething pa...
September 20, 2017
Family Safe in Mexico + Secret to traveling/working in France at the age of 90!
Our son, Max, and my Mom are safe in Mexico after yesterday's earthquake. We are saddened by the news and our thoughts and prayers go out to Mexico. Before hearing the news, I had planned on sharing the story of my 90-year-old reader from Florida who is traveling solo in France...looking to start a new chapter in Antibes, considering a job, and maybe a French girlfriend. Inspiring story below.
EN AVANT!
: onward! full steam ahead. Let's go! Press on!
AUDIO FILE
Le secr...
September 16, 2017
Brugnon...or nectarine? (A two word hint: sticky pits) + bee or wasp?
The word brugnon is used when the pit sticks to the flesh, whereas the word nectarine is used when the pit is free. In English and in other languages, only the word nectarine exists, whether or not the pit sticks. Listen to the sentence in French, below. (photo: A brugnonier, or nectarine tree, at our former vineyard.)
un brugnon
: nectarine
Audio File: listen to Jean-Marc read the French sentence, below.
Le terme brugnon est alors utilisé lorsque le noyau adhère à l...
September 11, 2017
Another way to get French strangers to talk to you + Canne à pêche
Our retro yellow kitchen here in lively La Ciotat makes a catching backdrop for JM's catch: a Mediterranean sar ("saar" in English. Not that that's any help for most of us trying to figure out just what kind of poisson this is!). They do, however serve sar in many seaside restaurants here along the south coast.
la canne à pêche
fishing pole, fishing rod
Listen to the following example sentence in French: download Canne à pêche
Une canne à pêche sert à attraper des poissons.
A fishin...
September 5, 2017
A Happy Ending in La Ciotat + Donner du fil à retordre
Woke up this morning to a heartwarming story in the online journal France Bleu. A baby dolphin was helped back out to sea after getting lost in the the old port of La Ciotat (dolphins in La Ciotat!!). What a sight he was among the colorful wooden fishing boats, or "les pointus" (sorry the little dauphin is not seen here, in this file photo. But you can see the cutie pie rascal here, along with all those magnificent and historic boats). Read an excerpt from the article, below, and listen to J...
September 2, 2017
How Egg rolls are Eaten in France & L'appétit vient en mangeant
A native of Arizona I never imaged I'd one day live at the beach. Walking down the promenade, I saw this beautiful scene. Farther down, there was a shop selling bathing suits, beach towels, and giant rafts--one of them, bright green in the shape of a saguaro cactus, caught my eye.... I had an urge to drag it home and lie on it in the garden, on the gravel beneath the two towering palm trees. Looking up to the sky, through the palm fronds to the blazing sun, it might be Phoenix.
l'appétit vi...
August 30, 2017
Peeping Toms, street-side meltdowns, and this new city life in La Ciotat
So far it's been nine days that we've lived in La Ciotat. The residents of La Ciotat are called les Ciotadins or Ciotadines. Listen to the previous sentence in French via the link below.
Today's Word: LA CIOTAT
: French town located in the Bouches-du-Rhône
from the Occitan "ciutat" -- ciutat is also a variety of grape. It seems Jean-Marc cannot get away from them!
Click here to listen to the following sentence
Voilà neuf jours que nous habitons à La Ciotat. Les habitants de La Ciotat...
August 23, 2017
Bonjour de La Ciotat + La Remoulade
Our bright yellow 1960s kitchen. The counter-top reaches the top of my leg. It will take some getting-used-to, as will this new life in La Ciotat. So far so good!
la remoulade
: a kind of sauce
Click here to listen to Jean-Marc pronounce these French words:
La sauce rémoulade s’accommode avec les crustacés, poissons, œufs mollets et le céleri. - Cuisine à la Française
Remoulade sauce goes well with shellfish, fish, soft-boiled eggs, and celeri.
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE
"When Smokey Me...
