France

According to the late linguist Michel Thomas, 60% of all English words are derived from French. Now, that should make learning French rather “easy,” but a week after commencing intensive French classes here in Montréal, I still find myself mangling and mispronouncing words worse than a first-grader overdosed on candy.

Part of my problem is that French vowels and letter combinations are often pronounced much differently than a recalcitrant Anglophone would expect them to be, and that some words have completely different meanings than you’d suspect. Here are some examples ma professeur gave today. Continue reading »

Here’s a photo of the French class I’ve been going to at the Community Learning Centers in Fort Collins for the last couple of months. It has been great! While I still have a long ways to go before I can converse with a genuine French person as well as, say, a genuine French five-year-old could, I’ve learned a lot and the next time I return to France (probably two years), I should be mangling their language less.

In the meantime, I’m looking forward to enjoying French nourriture and culture right here in Fort Collins. Our last class, you see, will be at Savoy’s. C’est si bon!

A British professional escapes the rat race for the sun-basked, lavender-scented paradise of Provence. There he saunters along just enough to enjoy simple pleasures such as wine and cheese, mountain views and scarlet sunsets. Throw in some gorgeous French women and delightful activities such as running and voila, there you have the formula for a typical Peter Mayle novel.

Never mind that A Good Year not only follows this formula to a tee and is strikingly similar to Mr. Mayle’s first novel, Hotel Pastis. For myself, the theme never gets old. It particularly resonates with me because 1) I love France and 2) after substituting the Front Range for Provence, there are some parallels to my own life. Continue reading »

Over the last few months I’ve become quite a Peter Mayle fan. His non-fiction masterpieces A Year in Provence, Toujours Provence, and Encore Provence (with A Year in Provence being my favorite) are comical, insightful, mouth-watering (due to all the food references), and just superbly written. His descriptions and stories of Provence also remind me a lot about Northern Colorado, although (I am sure) the two regions are very different.

So I was delighted to pick up a copy of Hotel Pastis from the local library, which was Peter Mayle’s first attempt at writing a novel. This particular book resonated with me, as its themes include 1) departing the corporate world for enhanced freedom after a successful career, 2) moving down to scenic, sunny country with grand views and friendly people to start anew, 3) adventures in a sports car (in this case, a black Porsche), 4) training on a bicycle, and 5) romance and the bachelor life. Although it is fairly long (389 pages), it is fast-paced and a quick-read with never a dull moment.

Those who dream about starting a new life and escaping the rat race should definitely read this book!

Paris-Brest-Paris is the granddaddy of all ultra-cycling rides, being the oldest, most prestigious amateur cycling race in the world. It was a major dream of mine, one that was fulfilled in August 2003. Unfortunately I never got around to writing a full report (ridiculous considering that this was one of the top highlights of my life), but here is a collection of data to recreate the experience. Continue reading »

I made Versailles my “race-base” the days before and after Paris-Brest-Paris. In those days I visited the Chateau d’ Versailles and even saw the start of an MG-Rover-sponsored bicycle race! More photos are here.