Just in case regular readers have wondered where I’ve got to, I’ve been gardening flat out since we arrived in Blois on Thursday afternoon. It’s amazing just just how quickly the vegetation grows at this time of year. I have a theory about weeds too. As soon as you plant something that you want to grow, a similar-looking weed springs up! So I have been doing a lot of weeding.
I was worried about our geraniums which didn’t look as though they were going to produce many flowers but I think they were just waiting for the warmer weather.
After spending another day gardening and packing, we’re all set for our annual one-month cycling holiday – back to Germany again. Last year we cycled 1100 K along the Danube and I think it was my most enjoyable holiday yet.
After reading about Saxon Switzerland on Travel Notes and Beyond, we decided we would cycle along the Elbe this year. However, we are stopping off along the Moselle on the way and starting with an initial 4-night stay in Koblenz.
This week’s blogger round-up is going to be a little different. Paula McInerney from Contented Traveller, whom I have featured several times in this blog, has nominated me for the Liebster Bloggers Award. It’s a little different from the other awards in that it is designed to encourage fellow travel bloggers, particularly those with a smaller audience, and to introduce them to other readers, which is also the aim of the round-up.
The word “liebster” has several definitions including kindest, nicest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued and welcome which are all very positive and encouraging.
How the Liebster award works
After answering Paula’s 7 questions (the original number seems to be 11, but I’m happy to downscale), I will then nominate 7 other travel bloggers for the award, all of whom I have already quoted here. I will then ask them 7 questions which they will answer in a post. They will display the Liesbster award on their site, nominate the bloggers that they wish to promote and ask them 7 or whatever of their own questions. Et ainsi de suite.
Paula’s questions and my responses for the Liebster Award
I’d just like to say thank you to Paula over at Contented Traveller for thinking of me. I love being part of the extended blogger community and I really like the idea of the Liebster Award.
What made you decide to take up this wonderful gig of travel writing?
My son and I were talking one evening just before he went to Australia and I mentioned the book I’ve always wanted to write about my life in France. He suggested a blog (I don’t think I had even read one at that point), set it up for me and that was the start of a wonderful adventure.
What has been the biggest eye opener in this endeavor
This is a hard one to answer. Maybe the immensity of the blogosphere. There are so many different and wonderful blogs to discover, each with their own focus.
When you read other travel blogs what is the first thing you look at?
The photos I guess, but the text is important too. As we like to go off the beaten track, I’m not really interested in a description of a monument, for example, but rather the story behind the visit.
What is one piece of advice that you can share with people that are thinking of trying to get into travel blogging?
Start small and take it one post at a time. Write about subjects you care about. It’s also useful to check out blogs about blogging and learn how to improve readership, for example.
How do you explain to your friends what you do?
As I live in France, most of my friends are French and not many in my age group are into blogging. All my blogger friends, whom I’ve made through the blog, are English speakers!
How do you balance social media and writing?
I currently write four posts a week: on Mondays, I select the photos that have had the most success during the week on Instagam, Tuesdays I write a “real post”, Wednesdays I publish my weekly blogger round-up featuring 3 other blogs and then Fridays are devoted to my ponderings on the French language with Friday’s French. I usually write them up in the evening, along with my Blois Daily Photo photos and look after social media in the morning before I start work (I’m a freelance translator) then at various times during the day.
7. How do you publicise how wonderful your blog is?
I don’t know about publicising how wonderful my blog is but I share it on Facebook and Twitter. My experience is that one day you accidentally write a very popular post, such as Five Places to Lunch near the Louvre or The Best Area to Stay in Paris and suddenly your readership increases.
Gigi’s French Window – this one is a little bit different because Jill was nominated by someone else almost at the same time but I would still like to mention her.
And here are the questions I’d like them to anwer
When you started your blog, what did you set out to do?
Do you think you are meeting your objective? Has it changed along the way?
How would you classify your blog?
Do you ever wonder whether you should keep it up or throw in the towel? If you do and still keep writing, what stimulates you to do so?
Do you have a writing schedule?
Have you met any of your readers apart from your friends?
What is the best thing about blogging? And the worst?
Congratulations to you all and good luck with your blog!
Do you ever get that sink or swim feeling as though you are about to go under and you don’t know how you are going to make your way up to the surface again ?
Sink or swim in a lock on a canal in Paris!
Everything you try to do goes wrong. You do things and make decisions that are completely out of character and that you regret afterwards. You can even believe you were stupid enough to do them.
That is exactly where I am right at this very moment. This morning I even made a pot of tea – and forgot the tea leaves. Nothing disastrous, I agree, but pretty indicative of my present state of mind.
I have this pile of papers on my desk that I am supposed to sort before we leave on holidays on Thursday and I just have to look at them to panic.
I received my new Visa card in the mail some time ago. I have no idea what happened to it after that. I’ve had to cancel it and order another one. Will it arrive in time ?
I broke the glass on my iPhone taking a photo through a gate. I contacted the insurance who asked me for two documents and organised a replacement iPhone which must have been stolen along the way because it never actually reached me. I had to go to the police station and report it. I’ve been asked 3 times for the two documents which I have now sent three times : email, uploading on the website and by snail mail. It was much faster the time I lost it in Spain.
Two weeks later, I have finally been informed that my file is being processed. In the meantime, I decided to use my points and buy a new iphone since Jean Michel said he’d be happy to have my old one as his bathtub is part of the job he’s retiring from in October.
Now this is where I did my next stupid thing (the first was dropping the iPhone). I was talked into ordering a hot pink iPhone 5c by the guy at Orange. Not only is it really hot pink, it turns out not to have the same camera as the 5S as he assured me it did.
I sent it back and ordered a 5S. And here’s the third stupid thing I did. Wait for it – on Saturday, I ordered a GOLD 5S with a white front. I can’t believe that I did. I do not want a GOLD iPhone. I have no idea what prompted me to order it. I have no excuse. The girl at Orange did NOT talk me into it.
When I realised what I had done, I immediately phoned Orange and was told there was no problem, it was not too late, it hadn’t left the warehouse. I could have a gris sidéral instead. Whew !
Only it wasn’t true. Shortly afterwards, I received an SMS telling me to send the GOLD iPhone back. I phoned and was told it was too late to change the colour. After a lot of persuasion, I was told that EXCEPTIONALLY they would send me the grey one as well and I just had to refuse the gold one at the pick-up point and it would all eventually be sorted out. Someone would phone me on Monday to confirm.
There was no phone call on Monday so I rang back. There was NOTHING in my file to say that I had even requested a gris sidéral. That means that two people lied to me just to get rid of my call. That is the only conclusion I can come to.
So tomorrow I shall pick up the gold iPhone, open the box, fill out the return form, close the box, send it back by Chronopost and cross my fingers that it will be credited in time to order a gris sidéral before I leave France on Sunday. Unless, of course, when I see it, it’s not as bad as I thought. Otherwise I will just have to put up with my broken screen for another month. I really need a holiday.
P.S. Have now picked up my iPhone which isn’t gold at all but an attractive champagne colour. All that angst for nothing. But the bank doesn’t know anything about the Visa card. Sigh.
Just a few photos from the sunny Palais Royal Gardens to start the week.
A bench in the shadeBike by the fountainAfternoon sun in Galérie de ValoisTibetan flags on the balcony to the left of oursView from our balcony looking towards the Comédie Française
Breakfast and déjeuner both have the same origin. I don’t mean their Latin root, but their meaning. Jeûne = fast and dés = stop. But déjeuner doesn’t mean breakfast, it means lunch. Breakfast is petit déjeuner.
On the days we practise intermittent fasting our déjeuner really is when we break our fast. I searched around to see why déjeuner is the midday meal in French and came across the unverified information that it is because Louis XIV didn’t get up until noon. It seems that déjeuner still means breakfast in some far-flung corners of rural France. That, too, is unverified.
The expression à jeun which means while fasting is used quite a lot in French to mean not having eaten. For example, for a surgical operation or certain blood tests, you need to be à jeun. We would probably say on an empty stomach.
Funnily enough, the equivalent of letting your children go hungry is faire jeûner ses enfants. Not that you probably need to know such an expression.
Jeune, of course, has another meaning – young – but without a circumflex, and comes from the Latin jovenus while jeûne comes from jejunare meaning to be abstinent. See how important those circumflexes are!
Jeune can be used in contexts other than youth as well. I love the expression donner un coup de jeune which literally means “to give a stroke of youth” and can be used in various ways. Ils ont donné un coup de jeune à l’immeuble = they gave the building a face-lift or they freshened up the building.
La nouvelle lui a donné un coup de jeune = the news gave him a new lease of life.
And while we’re the subject of freshening up, I learnt an interesting expression from my younger brother when he came to visit once. He took himself off to the hairdresser’s with his schoolboy French and when he came back, I asked how he went.
“I just asked for a trim”, he said. “And how did you do that?” “Juste rafraîcher“, he answered. I went into hysterical laughter (that’s an older sister for you) because the only meaning I knew was to freshen up. “I found it in my phrase book”, he said indignantly, “and they understood exactly”.
I appealed to Jean Michel and was somewhat embarrassed to learn that it’s exactly the right expression! So now you can go to the hairdresser’s to get a trim in France.
This week’s blogger round-up contains a very helpful website review by Maggie Lacoste from Experience France by Bike for hassle-free purchase of French & German train tickets at the best prices, followed by tips on using packing cubes (I had never heard of them!) by the very practical Jo Karnaghan from Frugal First Class Travel and, to round off, the latest news about love locks on the Pont des Arts in Paris from a new blogger I have just discovered – Beth Shepherd from Wanderlust and Lipstick. Enjoy!
The Easy Way to Buy French Rail Tickets
by Maggie LaCoste from Experience France by Bike, an American who loves biking anywhere in Europe, but especially France, which has the perfect combination of safe bike routes, great food, great weather and history.
Easy. Purchase tickets for you and your bike. User-friendly. No hassles. Fast. No booking fees. No advertising.
For anyone who has ever tried to book French Rail tickets from the USA, none of these words would ever describe the experience! Until now.
A relatively new travel company, Capitaine Train offers travelers an efficient platform for buying train tickets through the French Rail parent SNCF and Deutche Bahn, two of Europe’s largest train carriers. I came upon their website quite by accident, and I am so happy that I did. I’ll definitely be purchasing my train tickets for my summer trip using Capitaine Train. It’s certain to be much faster than purchasing tickets using Voyages-sncf.com, and cheaper than Rail Europe. Read more
Real Life One Bag Travel – Packing Cubes Reviewed
by Jo Karnaghan from Frugal First Class Travel, an Australian who loves to travel – especially in Europe – and who has gradually learned how to have a First Class trip on an economy budget, without missing out on anything!
I’ll be the first to admit, I was always dubious about packing cubes. I saw them on websites, I saw them in luggage shops, but I always thought they were a bit of a gimmick. Another way to spend more money on travel accessories I didn’t need. Then I asked my blogger colleagues for their favorite packing tips. Travel blogger after travel blogger raved about packing cubes. I was curious, and decided I really needed to make up my own mind. Read more
The Weight of Love
by Beth Shepherd from Wanderlust and Lipstick, an American who has travelled halfway around the world several times and is now a first-time adoptive parent in her fifties in the Pacific Northwest.
The many bridges crossing the Seine in Paris invoke a certain je ne sais quois, inspiring lovers worldwide to walk amidst their beauty, sharing romantic moments. Around 2008, the walls of several bridges—including the Pont des Arts, with its spectacular view of Île de la Cité—have virtually disappeared from view, covered by swathes of love locks, padlocks symbolizing unbreakable love.
Love locks are not unique to Paris. Bridges in Germany, Taiwan, Canada, and Italy are also festooned with thousands of locks. The tradition, relatively recent in Europe (2000’s), transpires as follows: Sweethearts inscribe their initials, names, or a message of love on a love lock or love padlock. The lock is affixed to a bridge, fence or gate. And then, the sweethearts throw away the key (in this case, into the river Seine) to show their love is forever more. Read more
We’ve been to Romorantin in Sologne before and loved the fresh produce market. At the bread baking day in Les Grouets, Le Lion d’or was recommended to us as being one of the best restaurants in the region so we’ve decided to try it out for our 16th wedding anniversary.
We’re coming directly from Paris so we’ve timed it to arrive at about 12.30 pm. We leave slightly later than planned and encounter traffic jams. Traffic is obviously being rerouted for the 70th anniversary of D-Day. I’m a bit on edge because I hate being late but as we approach the turn-off to Chartres, things get back to normal.
The brick façade of the Lion d’Or restaurant
It’s 12.45 when we park outside the hotel restaurant which is perfect. I straighten out my linen skirt which maybe isn’t the best choice for a 2 1/2 hour car ride and we walk in. The garden is visible from the doorway and it looks incredibly inviting. The service is friendly and discreet and remains so throughout.
The set menu is 68 euro for 3 set courses (no choice) and doesn’t tempt us. We decide to order from the regular menu and choose local specialities – asparagus, which Sologne is famous for, a chanterelle mushroom vol au vent, rabbit and pigeon.
To accompany them, after our initial glass of champagne, we choose two local whites (a glass each, of course, not a bottle): a cour cheverny with the famous romorantin grape imported by François I and a touraine sauvignon, both of which are excellent. There is only one local red sold by the glass, a respectable saumur champigny, so we take the only other choice, a tarn, to accompany the pigeon.
We choose not to have dessert as I notice that the people at the next table have an excellent selection of mignardises with their coffee.
The perfect weather, surroundings and service help us to digest the 328 euro bill. We regret that not one of the dishes we ate flattered our taste buds which is really the only criteria for good cuisine, no matter what the price. In our books, Les Hauts de Loire, at Onzain halfway between Blois and Chaumont, remains by far the best dining experience within an hour’s drive of home.
Celebrating our 16th wedding anniversary
The weather is so beautiful that as soon as we reach Closerie Falaiseau, we unpack the car, change into more comfortable clothes and drive to the bike path on the other side of Blois. By 5 pm, we’re in the saddle.
Roses at Cour sur Loire
It’s lovely to be back on our bikes after the awful month of cold and rain we’ve just experienced. We keep to the bike path that is part of Eurovélo 6 (the one that took us along the Danube last summer) and runs along the Loire.
The lavoir in Cour sur Loire with its original trestles
The roses are just stunning in some of the little villages such as Cour sur Loire. We stop to take photos of the lavoir, relieved that it’s not pelting with rain the way it was last time we were here.
Free-range chickens and guinea fowls
We pass some free-range chickens and guinea-fowls and eventually get to the outskirts of Mer. You’d think with a name like that that it would be on the coast but in fact mer comes from mera meaning marsh.
Courtyard of L’épicerie in Mer
I see a sign advertising a bar/grocery store/local wine store called L’Epicerie and soon see it on the left before we get to the centre of the town. We put our bikes in the racks and make our way to the inviting courtyard. We treat ourselves to a very cold local sauvignon but refuse the Iberian platter. We’re not really hungry, I have to say!
Chocolate champagne glasses, no less!
We start chatting with the very friendly owner and learn she also has a brocante. Goodness, what a find! The grocery shop is full of all sorts of local foods and delicacies, including chocolate champagne glasses.
The very friendly owners of L’Epiceire
The brocante, which is more like an antique store, is beautifully kept with quite a large range of interesting finds. Unfortunately, nothing takes our eye but we’ll be back another day.
The brocante section of L’Epicerie
By the time we get back to the car, after 40 k and over 2 ½ hours in the saddle, I’m rather relieved that next day is going to be relâche!
We started the week in Paris and finished up in Blois. We’re moving into summer at last with the return of the warm weather and the lovely long twilight. The first photo was taken at about 7.15 pm and the second around 9 pm. It’s still light at 10.30 as we approach the longest day of the year on 21st June – the summer solstice.
Rooftops from the apartment rented by Australian friends during their stay in ParisI’d love to be invited to a cocktail party in the Louvre overlooking the glass pyramids too!We thought these roses were doomed but maybe they’re just late bloomers!
Il a tort – elle a raison : He’s wrong – she’s right.
This photo has absolutely nothing to do with the subject of wrong and right. I just like the view!
Tort comes from the Latin tortus meaning “twisting” as in tortuous so it’s a sort of deviation from the straight and narrow, isn’t it?
Faire du tort à quelqu’un means to harm someone morally.
Tort also carries the idea of fault. Elle a un tort, c’est de trop parler: her one fault is that she talks too much. (I think a lot of us are inclined that way. The day Jean Michel taught me never to give an excuse for not being able to do something I didn’t want to do, I felt liberated! Saying “I’m afraid I can’t make it” rather than “I can’t come because”then launching into a lengthy explanation is just so much easier once you learn the knack).
Ils ont tous les torts de leur côté: the fault is entirely on their side.
But tort is not usually used to indicate an error or mistake.
I’m in the wrong job – je ne suis pas fait pour ce travail (I’m not made for this job) which shifts the onus, doesn’t it. It’s not really the job that wrong after all.
That’s the wrong kind of plug – ce n’est pas la bonne prise (it’s not the right plug).
She married the wrong man – elle n’a pas épouse l’homme qu’il lui fallait (she didn’t marry the man she needed).
It’s the wrong road for Paris – ce n’est pas la bonne route pour Paris (it’s not the right road for Paris)
He told me the wrong time – il ne m’a pas donné la bonne heure (he didn’t give me the right time).
Interesting, isn’t it ? In all the above examples, the negative is used to express the idea of wrong.
Occasionally however, mauvais (bad) is used to mean wrong just as bon (good) is used to mean right.
You’re going the wrong way – tu vas dans le mauvais sens.
He made the wrong calculation – il a fait un mauvais calcul
The reflexive verb se tromper is often used to mean wrong as well although it literally means to make a mistake.
He took the wrong train = Il s’est trompé de train or Il n’a pas pris le bon train.
“You’re wrong” can be either vous avez tort or vous vous trompez.
In this week’s round-up, Carolyn from Holidays to Europe takes us on a quick food shopping tour of Europe while Adelina from Pack Me To provides an excellent explanation of the beautiful and fastastic bridges of Ljubljana in Slovenia, one of my favourite cities. Enjoy!
A Quick Guide to Shopping Etiquette in Europe
by Carolyn from Holidays to Europe, an Australian based business passionate about sharing their European travel expertise and helping travellers to experience the holiday in Europe they have always dreamed of
Whether you are on an escorted coach tour or travelling around Europe independently, at some point during your holiday you are going to need to buy something from a shop. It might just be a snack at a convenience store, a gift for a someone back home, or you might even need to stock up on groceries. Whatever it is you’re buying, it’s good to know some basic shopping etiquette and what to expect in stores and at the markets in Europe. Read more
The Beautiful and Fantastic Bridges of Ljubljana
by Adelina from Pack Me To, a Chinese American who’s been traveling for as long as she can remember and has lived in the Netherlands and Hungary. She loves telling stories, and eating and exploring her way around the world
Wandering about Ljubljana, you’d be immediately struck by how many bridges there are connecting parts of the inner city. You’d probably think that there is nothing special about the bridges – they just connect medieval Ljubljana to modern Ljubljana, more a means to an end. However, if you look closely, you can easily tell them apart. Each of them have unique features and have their own stories to tell. Read more
I was worried about our geraniums which didn’t look as though they were going to produce many flowers but I think they were just waiting for the warmer weather.
