Looking Forward to the Next Trip

It is November and we enjoyed our fifth trip to Paris in early October! I had planned on using this blog to help plan the trip but just really never got back to it. Originally we thought family would join us but the trip ended up being four of us, Morris, me, Angie and Frank. Angie and Frank Torres had not been to Paris before, and this would be their first trip to Paris. They really enjoyed it.



Our trip started on Sunday October 3, 2010 with arrival in Paris on Monday October 4th. We stayed 10 days, leaving Thursday, October 14th. The weather was incredible, mostly in the low to mid-70's and the sun was really "bleu"! Although I did work with the Rosetta Stone it wasn't enough to really make a difference (not the way I had hoped anyway).

For this trip we rented a flat which is the only way we'll go from this point on. It was wonderful as well as a cheaper way to stay in Paris. Our flat had a very Parisian look to it and I'll remember if fondly for the rest of my life. We stayed o the 5th floor at 123 Blvd. Voltaire. Only three of us could squeeze in to the elevator at a time so inevitable someone (usually Frank) would take the stairs to the 5th floor. Actually, Frank liked taking the elevator with me and Angie because we were so tightly packed in there! What's that about?



Staying in the flat allowed us to relax more in between our outings and also to bring food in and eat at home. The four of us loved going to the market, exploring the isles for all kinds of different items. We discovered how to buy fresh produce in the Paris supermarket which is different that the way we do it here in the States. We had some great meals in and enjoyed sitting around our dining table talking, laughing, drinking, eating, and reminiscing about the day's Paris adventure!

Unit 1 Language Basics

I spent about an hour today on unit 1 and also started and completed all lesson 1 activities. I also started lesson 2 which is a little more involved. The lessons move fairly quickly and build upon previous lessons. Some things from today include:

Une fille (a girl); des filles (the girls)
Une femme (a woman); des femmes (the women)
Un garcon (a boy); des garcons (the boys)
Un homme (a man); des hommes (the men)
Elle lit (she reads)
Elle nage (she swims)
Ils lisent (they read)
Les femmes mangent (the women eat)
Qu'est-ce que c'est? (what is it)
C'est un stylo (it is a pen)
C'est un velo (it is a bike)
Il court (he runs)
Il cuisine (he cooks)
Ils mangent (they eat)

I plan to work each day on various lessons (at least 20 minutes)to make progress in learning French! Au revoir!!

Paris Preparations

Bonjour! We're getting ready for a trip to Paris in September 2010. Our fifth trip to the City of Lights! We're so excited and the anticipation is an energy elixer, helping maneuver through rough days at work! Morris and I took our first trip to Paris in 2004. We were instantly hooked and never expected to completely fall in love (or infatuation) with this beautiful modern yet historic city. This trip is special because friends will be joining us and family too! So this blog is my way to prepare for this fifth visit. We have studied the language minimally in the past and this time I want to have a better grasp of the language so we are using the Rosetta Stone to become better acquainted with the language of Paris and hope to at least blend in as more than tourists!! I will keep track of my effort at learning french and also study other aspects of the history of Paris to make this fifth trip as meaningful as possible. Au revoir!