For all those who would like to sound more French! I am dedicated to helping improve the quality of spoken French among teachers, students and all who wish to sound more authentic when speaking this beautiful language. To this end I have produced--so far--over 40 mini video lessons found on You Tube. These little lessons teach not just how to pronounce the vowels and consonants of French, but also are an introduction to the larger work I have created, Mastering French Pronunciation, an 8-chapter video course. This course is my “labor of love” in which I unlock the code to what the French do to sound French! Do check it out on the website. I will be posting some of these videos on my blog, so enjoy these mini lessons which are an introduction to the in depth material taught in the course. My heart is particularly open to teachers of French who with this course will have the tools to continue their professional development and become even better models for their students. I would love to hear from my readers: please comment on difficulties you have in French pronunciation, words you would like to see included in my Word of the Week or Hard Words in French series, and just feedback, etc. Enjoy!
Experience France with Geri. Ile de la Cité Part 5—the conclusion
After leaving the magnificent Sainte Chapelle we re-enter the modern world and make a left on the Bd. Du Palais, turning left again on Quai de la Corse and noticing the two remaining towers of the medieval Concièrgerie. The Concièrgerie was a prison in the 18th century and it was here that Queen Marie-Antoinette was held prisoner during the Revolution, before her transfer to Place de la Concorde to be executed. We turn left again on rue de Harley, go up a few steps and enjoy the beauty of la Place Dauphine, a fairly undiscovered and quiet spot in Paris, and a good place to sit and rest for awhile. The lovely stone and red brick town houses that line the square were built in 1607 and one of them houses the restaurant Chez Paul, a Paris classic. At the end of the Place you will notice an impressive statue: the good King Henri II on horseback—and directly behind the statue, steps leading down to the Square du Vert Galant. This is our final destination of the day and where we finally get to eat the picnic delicacies we purchased a few hours ago at the Maubert-Mutualité outdoor market.
As we enter the little park, we are under the famous bridge called Pont Neuf, which, despite its name, “New Bridge” is actually the oldest bridge in Paris, dating from 1607. It was built by King Henri II whose statue stands above it. The bridge crosses the Seine with 12 arches at the river's widest point. All along its length on both sides are a series of grotesque heads, each with a different expression. So we proceed to the very tip of the island and sit on the stones or benches to enjoy our group picnic. It is not against the law in France to consume alcoholic beverages in public, so go ahead and enjoy some wine as we share our various cheeses, pâtés and baguettes. But don't forget to look around you, for this is one of my favorite spots in Paris. First, you have a great seat to watch all the boats floating past, and speaking of boats, the Seine excursion boat company I recommend (because the boats are smaller and this location is easy to access) dock along this quai. In front of you is the lovely pedestrian bridge Le Pont des Arts, a destination not to be missed, especially at night when you get a view of Notre Dame on one side and the Eiffel Tower in the distance on the other. From our vantage point you also see one side of the Louvre across the river and almost directly across from where we are sitting, the former large department store La Samaritaine, a Paris icon.
It was built in the 1920's in art deco style and was previously a very popular site with its roof garden offering one of the best views of Paris. It has been undergoing renovations for several years and when completed will house shopping, food stalls, a luxury hotel, office space etc. Most of the building, which spans two blocks, is a UNESCO World Heritage site. So we come to the end of my favorite day in Paris, our visit to Ile de la Cité. It is a tour lasting about three hours but it took five blogs to share with you all the details. And we did go literally “from one tip of the island to the other” all the way from the Memorial to the deported ones to the picnic spot. Linger and rest in this special place before your afternoon activities. Bonne continuation!
Experience France with Geri: Ile de la Cité Part 4
We leave Notre Dame and move toward our next visit, the magnificent Sainte Chapelle with its stunning display of stained glass. But along the way there are a few interesting spots to notice. We go straight across the plaza and take a right onto Rue de la Cité. The large building on the corner is the Hôtel Dieu, a charity hospital built by the church in the middle ages, and still in use today. Now we turn left on Rue de Lutèce. The set of long green wooden buildings you see on the square are in the art nouveau architectural style and host a permanent flower market opened daily.
As we continue along, we notice the beautiful Métro entrance for the Cité station in art nouveau as well. There aren't too many of these old, original station entrances left. They date from around 1900 and were going to be replaced but got spared by Parisians who protested to save them. As we approach the Boulevard du Palais, we are opposite the striking gilded gates of the Palais de Justice, the French court system. We turn left to find the entrance for La Sainte Chapelle. Since we are entering the courts, we need to go through an x-ray inspection, and then we enter the courtyard where we purchase our tickets at the entrance of the chapel. La Sainte Chapelle was built in 1248 by King Louis the 9th, also called Saint-Louis. He built it to house what was considered to be the Crown of Thorns and a piece of the Cross, relics brought back from the Middle East during the Crusades. The Crown of Thorns believed to have been worn by Jesus at the crucifixion, is now in Notre Dame and only shown on Good Friday. The chapel used to be connected to a palace, but now is surrounded by the 19th century court buildings. The chapel has just light supporting columns and spaces filled with glass. This ensemble, so fragile looking, hasn't had a crack or break for 7 centuries. The ground floor is attractive, but it is on the second floor that the magnificent windows are found. So we will take the narrow staircase up. During the years that I led this tour, I would always go first up the stairs to have the pleasure of hearing the comments of my tour group as they first caught sight of the spectacle that awaited them. Most of the time it was “Wow!” or “Oh, my God!”, usually uttered with a breathless reverence.
The small room is an enormous glass display—the most ancient stained glass in Paris, and the largest expanse of stained glass in the world, 1500 yards. The color is breathtaking, like opening a jewel box of precious stones; this is one of the best representatives of the brilliant stained glass artwork of the 13th century. After being bathed by this kaleidoscope of color, we reluctantly leave the Sainte Chapelle to continue to the end of our visit to Ile de la Cité.
Experience France with Geri. Ile de la Cité Part 3
From the moving Mémorial aux Martyrs de la Déportation which we visited in our last blog entry, we move across the street to the magnificent Notre Dame de Paris. I like to stop first at the rear of the church to appreciate the dramatic flying buttresses (les arcs boutants) and to give a little overview of Gothic churches.
Many of the major Gothic cathedrals in France are built on ancient worship spots from before the Christian era. Early peoples recognized a special attraction or energy at those locations and designated them holy places. So these cathedrals have an element of sacredness not just because of their being a Christian place of worship, but from far back in human history. And over the years participants in my tours have reported feeling in fact something that moved them inside these churches. But let's get back to the view we have before us, the flying buttresses. Prior to the 12th century, church architecture was based on the Roman style, with its rounded arches which could only support a moderate height. But in the 12th century a breakthrough happened. Architects discovered the principle of the “buttress”, a support on the outside of the building which pushed in against the weight of the walls. This style allowed the walls to go much higher, and also incorporated the graceful pointed “gothic arch” associated with this time period. Another marvelous aspect of the buttresses was that the walls could be thinner, which allowed windows to be installed and this caused the flourishing of the art form we all love, stained glass windows.
So as we stand here we admire the particular kind of buttress known as “flying buttress” which show us dramatically the thrust of these supports against the walls. It is interesting to note that the most authentic and beautiful Gothic churches were all built in the 1100's and early 1200's. At the front of the church, always flooded with tourists, move back away from the entrance to get a perspective on the façade. Over the west entrance is a row of 28 statues called the King's Gallery. They represent the Kings of Judea and Israel, mentioned in the Old Testament. But in 1793, the Revolutionaries thinking they represented the Kings of France pulled them down and cut their heads off! The heads can now be seen in the Cluny Museum. It was only in the 19th century when the famous architect Viollet le Duc did renovations on the church, that these statues were re-created and installed where we see them today.
The rose window over the entrance is nearly 30 feet across and is so perfect that it has never shifted in over 700 years. It forms a halo to the statue of the Virgin and child supported by two angels. The twin towers are 226 feet high and in the right (south) tower is the great bell, tolled only on solemn occasions. Inside the church there are hundreds and hundreds of tourists which often make the experience feel less than sacred! Try to let that go and sink into the beauty of this exquisite monument over 850 years old. Usually you must follow a path to the right. Be sure to stop at the transept, or the cross section that goes across the altar in the center. Here there are several things to notice. First, to the left and above you are the breathtaking north and south rose windows. Be sure to take your time here to enjoy the vibrant colors and the stories they tell. And just in front of you, to the side of the altar is the delicate and lovely 14th century statue of Mary with the Child—Our Lady of Paris. The next visit of our day on Ile de la Cité takes us to the beautiful Sainte Chapelle and ends with our picnic at the other tip of the island. Don't miss it!
Métro Magic
Isn't this a great photo? It is of the Métro Line 6, one of the lines that crosses the Seine on a bridge instead of underground. If you start anywhere north of the river, you get this fabulous view on the Eiffel Tower as you cross over to the Left Bank. The next stop, Bir-Hakeim, is where you get off to go to the Tower.
Check around on the website to learn more about me and my video course, Mastering French Pronunciation coming out on January 31. Under “courses” you can see a sample of the free mini lessons in French pronunciation I offer on my You Tube channel. The videos give you a good idea of the content of the course, and you get to know the teacher Do take a look.
The course, Mastering French Pronunciation is for expats, students, teachers, those doing business in France and all those who wish to have a more authentic accent. This easy, friendly course takes you to a whole new level of proficiency. It unlocks the mystery of what the French do to sound French.
Experience France with Geri: Ile de le Cité Part 2
We left you last on the bridge taking great photos of the back of the Cathedral, Notre Dame de Paris. Now, as I mentioned in the last blog, we are going to visit a very special spot just at the tip of the island. As you leave the bridge and step onto the island, turn to the right and go into the little park called Square de l'Ile de France. You may notice a short wall ahead of you with writing on it. This is the Mémorial des Martyrs de la Déportation, a memorial to the 200,000 people deported from France during the 2nd World War, who went to their deaths in the extermination camps. This memorial was inaugurated in 1962 by General de Gaulle, then President of France. But most people don't ever find the memorial since there is no obvious indication. Even many Parisians have never been here. Notice a flight of stairs leading down. There may be an official at the stairs to inspect bags. Go down and you will find yourself in a stone enclosure suggesting a prison. Be aware that you are in a very solemn place and respect the silence and the feelings that arise in you and others around you. At the very tip of the island where you can see the river below, a metal sculpture gives the feeling of impossible escape.
Look back toward the stairway and you will notice a very narrow entrance to the crypt. Designed by the architect Georges-Henri Pingusson, the hexagonal, dimly-lit crypt opens onto a long gallery covered by lights, representing each of the 200,000 deported people killed, and the ashes of an unknown deportee from one of the camps. Whenever I visit this memorial I feel deeply moved and I am not the only one shedding a tear. You feel engulfed by the silence and the memories. The writings on the walls look like they have been scratched from the stone and are red to suggest the suffering. The two small galleries contain earth from the different camps and ashes brought back from the cremation ovens. All around, are the names of the camps and excerpts from poems by famous French writers like Robert Desnos, Jean-Paul Sartre and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
Read the inscriptions, and let yourself feel the sadness as you reflect on the long voyage of humanity away from fear and hatred and toward more love and oneness. There are several inscriptions I always point out to fellow-travelers: “They went to the end of the world and they didn't come back”. And the words of the poet Paul Eluard from his famous poem Liberté:
"Et par le pouvoir d’un mot
Je recommence ma vie
Je suis né pour te connaître
Pour te nommer Liberté."
And in leaving the crypt, over the door it is written: Pardonne, n'oublie pas. Forgive, don't forget. May you hold in your heart the message of this visit, long after you leave the spot. In the next blog we will move across the street to visit the mighty cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris. Please join me there.
A New Video Series for the New Year!
Hard Words in French w/ Geri Metz
I am offering a new video series called “Hard Words in French”. These lessons will be similar to the Word of the Week series of 39 mini lessons (that you can find on You Tube) but will treat words that many people find challenging to say. I am hoping that many students, expats, teachers and travelers will have fun with these words. Some of them are really tricky like “serrurerie” where many of us non-native speakers are scared to go! Enjoy and start a conversation where you share your favorite “hard words” and please comment with your favorite hard words for future lessons. Merci!
Experience France with Geri: Ile de la Cité Part 1
Way back in 1973 I was the director of the French student teacher program at UC Santa Barbara and visited the local high schools to evaluate and guide the young interns. Along the way the students in their classes got to know me and asked if I would take them to France. And so began a delightful career that lasted until 2005. I always tried to give my participants the most authentic “France Experience” (the original name of my tours) possible-- from the teenagers who were my first and longest fellow-travelers, to the adult wine tours I led in the late 1990's. I thought it would be fun to share these travels on this blog site, and for the first in this series, will begin with my favorite tour day in Paris. This is the day we visit Ile de la Cité, literally from one tip of the island to the other.
At around 9:30 in the morning, we go to the open air market at the Maubert-Mutualité métro stop at Place Maubert, ( 5e arrondissement) to buy provisions for a picnic we will have later. Don't forget your shopping bag or filet, and be sure to have some utensils with you, like a knife for spreading and cutting, a corkscrew and a small cup for drinking if you have wine. This market is open every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday of the year and is a real cultural experience. There is even a little section for “bio”, organic produce. And if you don't find what you want at the market, there are several permanent stores at the same location for bread (la boulangerie), cheese (la fromagerie) and wine (of course).
After gathering all the delicious breads, cheeses, and charcuterie, we will cross Bd. St-Germain and walk down the little street rue de Bièvre, just opposite the market. A little anecdote: for years this street was closed to automobile traffic and two policemen were always on duty as French President Mitterand lived in an apartment on this street. The street is named after a creek (la Bièvre) still active underground and running to the Seine. You arrive at the Seine and cross the river on Pont de l'Archevêché. This brings you to one of the best photo ops of Notre Dame Cathedral so don't hesitate to spend a little time here with perhaps boats gliding past below or moored along the banks. The next stop on this tour will be looked at in the next blog as we actually start our day on Ile de la Cité. This spot is practically unknown and more rarely visited but it will touch you in many ways. Don't miss the next installment!
My love for France doesn't stop with its physical attractions. I am also passionate about the sound of the language. I came out of retirement to share with the world my particular take on how to correct our English language accents so we sound more authentically French. I think I have something to offer to the non-native French speakers of the world and a gift to give to the propogation of the purity and the beauty of this language we all love. Please look at my website (pronouncingfrench.com) for more information on myself and the course being released on January 31, 2016, Mastering French Pronunciation. Dedicated to French teachers, students, expats living in France, those doing business with France, and all who would like to sound more authentic when speaking the beautiful French language! Merci!.
Enjoy the holiday beauty of this beautiful Christmas tree in Alsace!
With this lovely picture of Christmas in Alsace, I would like to share the love and warmth of this beautiful season with all of you. This time of year has so much significance to so many on so many levels. The Solstice which brings a promise of the light to come; the Christmas tree and the greens that we bring into the house to have the aliveness of the plants with us in the darkest time of the year; the lights, the gifts, the joy of children, the familiar music, all raises the vibration of mankind and reminds us of a higher way of goodness and beauty. May that love be with us all and guide our thoughts and actions in the coming year and beyond. *Meilleurs voeux.
(*I know a lot of folks have trouble pronouncing this expression which means “best wishes”. I will teach how to say it in the first of my new video series called “Hard Words in French”)
Enjoy a glass of bubbly as you learn the distinction between “sparkling wine” and “champagne”
Making sparkling wine in England? The climate conditions are changing and now Taittinger, of Champagne, France, had purchased land in the English region of Kent to start making sparkling wines in England. That brand also has vineyards and a sparkling wine facility in the Carneros region, (Domaine Carneros) between the Napa Valley and Sonoma. This Napa-Sonoma region in California has the climate the champagne grapes love, due to the cooling influence of the San Francisco Bay with its summer fog. Taittinger is not the only French champagne house to locate a winery in California: both Roederer and Mumm have wineries there, and I had the pleasure of working in the visitors' center at Mumm Napa.
Many people are surprised to learn that the main ingredient in a traditional champagne is the red grape, pinot noir. This grape is often blended with chardonnay, and perhaps a touch of pinot meunier. If the wine is labelled “blanc de blancs” it means it is entirely chardonnay. In France, the region the wine comes from is its identity, not the grape the wine is made from. So even though an American sparkling wine of quality (like the brands mentioned above) is made from exactly the same grapes and the same production method, called Méthode Champenoise, it still must be called “sparkling wine”. This is to protect the French system of “appellations” of place of origin.
Wouldn't you like to know how to properly pronounce French wines and grape varieties? Remember I offer tutoring sessions where you can bring your questions and I can help you. And if you already speak some French think about taking my course, Mastering French Pronunciation which will be available in January. It gives you the tools to correct your English language accent and sound more like a native. Visit my website, pronouncingFrench.com for more information.
Status of my upcoming video course, Mastering French Pronunciation!
My main project, Mastering French Pronunciation, an 8-chapter video course, is in the final stages of completion. I thought it would be released by now, but there have been many more technical details than I had imagined. Since this is the first time I've done a project like this we have had to be patient. But good things come to those who wait and the product is well worth waiting for! It’s a unique course in which you discover the difference between “The American mouth” and “The French mouth”. In other words, how do we make English sounds and what do the French do differently to make the sounds of French.
I dedicate this course to French teachers, advanced students, expats in France, international travelers, all those who wish to sound more authentic when speaking the beautiful French language.
A la prochaine...