Last Tuesday was the 23 rd of April and in Catalonia, Spain is celebrated the day of Sant Jordi, Saint George’s day. The man offers the woman she loves roses and the woman offers the man she loves a book Today, 25 th of April is the 39 th anniversary of the carnation revolution which […]
Author Archives: michelembote
The theme of this year is “King of the five continents” Look at the gigantic decorations on the famous “place Masséna” and the huge floats “The Carnival Parade is made up of eighteen floats designed on the year’s theme and other figurines, including 30 in traditional “papier maché” in a colourful parade with dazzling colours, with the […]
It’s a rainy Sunday today so I’m going to a little market in Aix en Provence in pictures I enjoyed going there every morning and ate strawberries I just bought while I was looking at the colourful vegetables
Sir Elton John sang “Goodbye yellow brick road” but I would like to say hello to this wonderful viaduct which celebrates today its 8-th anniversary It was opened to the traffic on the 16 December 2004 after four years of works. It was designed by the French engineer Michel Virlogeux and British architect Norman Foster. […]
Reinach castle is in the middle of the vast field of Reinach. The main building was built at the end of the 18th century. In the beginning of the 19-century it became the property of the Costa de Beauregard family. In 1901 Theodore Reinach bought it and reworked it in the style of Louis XIII. […]
I won’t talk to you about the eleventh comic book of the adventures of Tintin even if I like it so much that I bought it in Spanish in Granada The great news about this animal is quite different. The official state news agency of North Korean, Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) has just announced that archaeologists […]
The “Champ de Mars” field of Mars is a vast green space in the south east of Paris between the Eiffel tower and the military school. It is named after the Campus Martius in Rome During the French revolution in this area was held on July 14 th of 1790 the “federation day” one year […]
A pastel coloured tree is visible in the entry of the department store “Printemps” in Paris. Another wonderful and high Christmas tree is here to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the dome in the department store “Galeries Lafayette” in Paris.
I was told that the real “Santa Claus is coming to town” so let’s go downtown to welcome him While we were waiting for him we were lucky enough to see a clown and some” trees” dancing, artisanal gifts, a lovely horse pulling a cart, we even met the Tramp Charlot and his kid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=US5bSTfMia8
Let’s have a typical and easy to prepare “sandwich” from Nice to eat “Pan bagnat” means in the language of Nice “bathed bread” or wet bread because of all the oil you have to put on the bread in order to soften it and make it easier to bite Inside the little “pain de campagne” you […]
Combloux is a lovely village at 4 km from Megève the skiing resort for wealthy people From here you have a stunning view over the Mont-Blanc 4810 m, situated at about 30 km. It has also the first ecological “lake” or swimming-pool heated by the sun and with plants which clean it
The “col de la croix de fer ”pass of the iron cross, you can see the cross on a picture, 2067 meters, is situated in the French Alps in the area of the Maurienne valley. From Saint Jean de Maurienne in the valley you have to drive up and up with an average gradient of 5,5 […]
“Que d’eau, que d’eau !” Patrice de Mac Mahon French President 1875 The President reached Toulouse in 1875 and discovering the damages made by the floods of the Garonne this year said “That of water, that of water!” ———————————————— Last Saturday under a very wet weather I went for a little walk in the streets of […]
“Que d’eau, que d’eau !” Patrice de Mac Mahon French President 1875 The President reached Toulouse in 1875 and discovering the damages made by the floods of the Garonne this year said “That of water, that of water!” ———————————————— Last Saturday under a very wet weather I went for a little walk in the streets of […]
The park of Valrose, 10 hectares, is the only park of Nice to have kept its dimensions from the 19th-century. It is now the University of sciences of Nice The baron Paul von Derwies, a Russian adviser of czar Alexandre II acquired the place in the valley, Valrose means the pink valley and created the domain. […]
This lovely square between the old town and the harbour of Nice was as its “friend” the Place Masséna a square dedicated to cars. It has completely changed with the arrival of the tram. I think the cars, coming through or parked there before made this square awful and dangerous. You didn’t even see the […]
This five stars hotel situated on the Promenade des Anglais has the name of its first owner the romanian Henri Negresco who had it built in 1912! He faced problems in his affairs when occurred World War I, after being a hospital he was sold to a Belgian compagny, let’s build Europe The actual owner […]
Let’s take the tram and through the old town of Nice we arrived on ” le quai des Etats-Unis” along the lovely Mediterranean sea! Yes I could have spoken of the famous “Promenades des Anglais” along the eastern part of the “baie des Anges” but everybody could find information about it everywhere and when I go walking […]
The “Place Masséna” is the main square in Nice and one of the most visited tourist sites. It is at 2 min-walk from the famous “Promenade des Anglais” continued by the “Quai des Etats-Unis” and close to the lovely Old Town “Vieux-Nice”. From there you can reach all the main streets of the town too. […]
When you walk in the streets of Nice especially in the “Vieux Nice” the old town, you can easily eat some local genuine food, one piece of “pissaladière” or a portion of “socca”. The “pissaladière” is a kind of pizza without tomatoes and with onions instead You need a bread dough and onions which are cooked […]
Here is the “galette” I was talking about Salad, tomatoes, bacon, goat cheese so delicious ! For the slideshow with pictures of the island of Bréhat I will try again later
Some years ago we went back for some summer holidays to the place we have been living for four years and a half! We made a boat trip from Paimpol to spend one day long on this wonderful island named Bréhat. No car is allowed on the island, it only exists a “derogation” for […]
Frank Alamo born Jean-François Grandin a French singer from the early 60’s would have celebrated his 71 years today but he died yesterday ! He was one of the “ yé-yé singers” we say in French because in all the transcriptions and translations from English or American songs the “yeah” were translated into “yé” why […]
Every four years in Brest takes place what is called “the thunders of Brest” There are a gathering of traditional riggings coming from all the places of the globe. The expression thunder of Brest comes from the blow of the cannon which announced every day the opening and the closure of the doors of the […]
Dame Julie Andrews, was born Julia Elizabeth Wells on the 1st of October 1935 in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England. For me and for many people she is both Mary Poppins and Maria from the sound of music I’m sure everyone remembers this so short word “”Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” :) and also her “favorite things “ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td8rLo-us3c http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg6vc66foXE
Today for the lunch we have the choice between: - Veal olives with carrots from the farm, real ones earthy and not calibrated - Cheese-topped dish of mashed potatoes and celeriac from the farm too so very flavorful - red cabbage with apples and “cassonnade” accompanied with a beautiful piece of pork cooked […]
F.r David “ Words, don’t come easy, to me, how can I find a way, to make you see, I love you words don’t come easy “ ————————————- I must put in order my bookcases so I begin to think about Jean-Paul Sartre’s book “words” As Sartre, with modesty I see myself in my childhood always […]
The arrival to Granada from the Andalusian coast makes you pass the ” door of the sigh of the Moor ” where king Boabdil turned around to see Alhambra which he had to leave. In this year of 1492 which sees a New World in America and the collapse of the Arabic kingdom […]
” La Curée” is a novel from Emile Zola. « La curée » = the portion of the game thrown to the dogs after a hunt. The book is usually translated into English as “the kill”. ————————————————————————————— What a book could I only said after I read it some years ago ! I can’t say if I […]
All day long I was rocked by the melodious sound of the chain saw of the gardener. As he stayed for a long time I could call him “the constant gardener” hello John le Carré :) He came to cut our hedge as its branches become trunks The hedge situated at the back of the garden on […]
Today the Google search engine celebrates the 193 th anniversary of the birth of the German pianist and composer Clara Schumann with a beautiful doodle. She is represented together with her eight children. Clara Schumann born Clara Wieck is considered as one of the most eminent pianists of the German romantic period, she also composed […]
Warning and not advertising Any resemblance with a famous song “In bed with Madonna”would only be pure coincidence. ————————————————————————– Some years ago I read “Colomba” a short novel written by Prosper Mérimée whose theme is the “ Corsican vendetta” . An English girl and his father return home disappointed by a journey in Italy. A […]
As the French poet Baudelaire wrote “Bientôt nous plongerons dans les froides ténèbres Adieu vive clarté de nos étés trop courts » ” Soon we will plunge into the cold darkness Farewell, vivid brightness of our too-short summers” —————————————————————— Here are the local last peaches of the season […]
“Love is here to stay” from George and Ira Gerschwin” “In time the Rockies may tumble, Gibraltar may crumble They’re only made of clay But our love is here to stay” A couple was travelling in Andalucía, Spain and driving down from the nice towns as Granada had this surrealistic dialog -:) She “ […]
In April 2001 I was very lucky to be able to go for one week trip to Crete, this long Greek island. I would like to share some funny or special memories I kept from this nice travel. The appointment at the airport of Lyon had to be around half past four in the morning […]
The lake Alphonse de Lamartine «O Lake! The year has scarcely spun its course. Now, by the waves she meant to see again, Watch how I sit, alone, upon this stone On which you saw her then.” “O Lake! Caves! Speechless ledges! Gloaming glades! You whom Time shields or can bring back to light, Beautiful […]
