French Course - Day 5 - Nice France

This was the last of my blog entries about my french course that i took, last year. I really wish i had kept up writing as now i find it so interesting to look back on. You store a collection of memories on a blog like no other. Between now and when i stopped blogging i have so many memories that i wished i had written about at the time, the details of which are now fading into the blur which is my past.

7th of August 2012

Well last night before going to bed I remembered I had not done my homework, actually I could not even remember what we were set, and so I did all the questions. I was not going to get caught out for a second day.

Today went a little better; I am starting to get to grips with verbs, enough for me to be able to get the right conjugation in front of the class. After a good night sleep, my brain is starting to function again. Yippee. About half the class are so far ahead of me, the other half are about at my level. It’s the last day for about half the class, so next week we will be down to 5, and luckily most of the really good people are off, so the lessons should be much more focused at my level. 

In the afternoon i went back to the park for more studying, but today i remembered to bring my camera. I have managed nearly a week in Nice, and only have only taken a handful of pictures, hence some of the poor quality photos. So back up to the châteaux for some more great views of Nice. I visited the Cimetière Colline du Château, which was amazing, there was no photography allowed in the cemetery, so i went next door and took photos in the cimetiere israelite (where i could not see an anti-photo sign). The cemetery is full of amazing statues and tombs, that you just don't find in the UK. The cemetery's are so beautiful and well kept and yet i saw know body else, which makes me wonder why? Its defiantly worth a visit if you want to get away from the hustle of the rest of the French Riviera.

It’s so hot today, I have just nearly about melted at the park. My walk back to the tram has taken me about two hours; I just kept stopping for ice-cream and cold drinks. So it getting late now and it seems like I have done nothing with my day. Apart form studying I am just seem to chat and chill with people in my dorm.

Links: http://www.alpha-b.fr/fr/home

French Course - Day 4 - Nice France

As exhausting as to day has been, and it has been exhausting. I've done french classes then helped a friend move, someone who has never heard of packing lightly (anybody else out there carrying around a bag of coat hangers?). I remember this day being worse, i really suffered in the heat and it took me all day to get over it.

6th August 2012

Wow, I started today by me at 33 admitting that I had come to school without my homework. I felt slightly stupid as I did spend considerable amount of time studying French yesterday, just not what I was supposed to.

Class was again very overwhelming, and I really struggled with all the verbal exercise’s I was given. My brain just wouldn’t process French fast enough. Actually today my brain had completely switched off trying to understand anything. I was looking at the teacher, but I could not understand a thing! I just watched as her lips moves; i usually understand at least a few words. I blame all the study in the park yesterday.

The air conditioning has broken in our class room and we all sat there absolutely sweltering. By the time class was finished it was all I could do to stagger back to the hostel. Now I am spending the rest of the day absorbed by the Olympics, sipping diet coke. C’MON Team GB!!””!!

Links: http://www.alpha-b.fr/fr/home

French Course - Day 3 - Nice France

Today i had a french test, did i pass? Hope so, as i am planning on spending the next month in Lyon studying more french, and don't fancy a repeat. But here is day 3 of my french course last year, when i wasn't worrying about passes or fails. 

5th August 2012

Ok I slept bit better tonight, it was still very noisy and the light kept on going on and off, but some of the noisier girls had left. hooray.

The class this morning went pretty much the same way as yesterday, except that I felt even more overwhelmed by French and some of the student seem to be following so much better than me. I left with a huge mental list of things that I needed to get to grips with before the next day:

• The verbs faire, amier, devoir, etc…..
• What are verbs?
• Loads of stuff to look up in our grammar book. Others seemed to have memorised it contents, I have barely opened it.

So I headed up to the chateaux park on the hill to find a shady spot to study in. Parks are my favorite place to study. When I was studying for my final exams at uni, I went to Barcelona for a week so I could study in Park Gould. I just don’t find locking myself away in a dark room, when it raining outside very inspiring. 

I got back to the hostel and made a bit of a stupid decision to go running (du jogging). I dumped all my stuff at the hostel and just took a small bottle of water and my travel pass. I decided to go down by the sea and I thought it would be cooler and it was. I managed a good 20-30 mins of running in before I got back on to the tram. The tram then had “difficulties technical”, and I was stuck on it for over an hour, already sweating and dehydrated from my run, the heat on the tram was unbearable. By the time I got back it was all I could do to eat and cool down watching the Olympics. Hooray we are actually starting to win some medals now.

Links: http://www.alpha-b.fr/fr/home

French Course Day 2 - Nice France

In August i started my first travel blog, it did not last long, i gave up after two weeks. But i did keep pretty good account of the french course and it is still pretty relevant, so i have decided to re-post the first 5 days of the course. 

4th August 2012

It turns out that backpackers and students don’t mix so well. I am now regretting my decision to stay in a hostel as the girls in my dorm did not go to bed, until 2am and thought our room was just an extension of the bar. I really thought about going to the kitchen in the morning and borrowing some sauce pans to bang, when I woke up at 7am just to get my own back. But I made do with deliberately walking into one of their beds on my way to the toilet, lame.

Ok a bit nervous about going straight into another class, I really hope that this is the right decision for me. There is a mixture of abilities in my new class, some people are about the same level as me and there are one or two who are like French dictionaries. My new class has a very lively teacher, Pricilla. She is so animated it is ridiculous, but this is good because she never breaks into English but I suspect she know how to speak it, each word that I don’t know gets an animated explanation in French. The class is much more intense than the one I was in yesterday. The words DIRE and VEUX are mentioned a lot and I am expected to know what they mean, I don’t. So I spend the whole lesson pretending so I can look it up at home. I manage to get out of the class without the hole in my knowledge being noticed. It turns out that dire is a verb meaning to say and veux from the verb vouloir, meaning, to have and to want.

After class I am exhausted, my head has hit French overload and I head back to the hostel, to catch up on some of the sleep I missed the night before. I then went swimming at Nice beach, and spend the rest of the evening revising what we did in class.

French Course - Day 1 - Nice, France

In August i started my first travel blog, it did not last long, i gave up after two weeks. But i did keep pretty good account of the french course and it is still pretty relevant, so i have decided to re-post the first 5 days of the course. 

3rd August 2012

So i am in France learning French.

The following is extracts from my diary about my french course, that i am doing for the next two weeks at Alpha B school in Nice, France.

Arrived on time, yay I found it quite easily. It’s only a short walk from the tram stop.

I was placed into a group of about 9 students. But only about half had arrived by the beginning of the class. The teacher started the class by going over some basics, introductions, dates and numbers. We were then tested on our basic oral and written French and placed into two groups those who knew something, and those who knew nothing.

I was placed in the group of students who knew nothing. I admittedly felt very bad about that as I had done 5 years at school, one years of evening classes and have been teaching myself on and off for years.

The class then started properly, and it was very clear to me that I was going to know all the content already. Others who had never done French before were struggling with the very basics; trying to remember how to say Je m’appelle xxxx. And I really wanted to be pushed. So I told the teacher at the end of the day that I though the class might be too easy for me and I was put into the upper group. Time will tell if this was a wise decision.

Lunch time I went to a local restaurant and tried to order in French. All the French I knew came out in gobbledygook English. The waiter promptly told me where to sit and handed me the English menu. So a fail for day 1 then.

In the afternoon the school organised a tour of Nice, which I joined. The tour was in French. So I tagged along hoping that listening might improve my listening skills. The tour guild Aurelia, was great. She speaks such clear French even I managed to understand some of it, and was happy to answer my stupid questions about shade and sunlight. I got to speak to other students on the tour. Most of them have been learning French for much longer than me and were doing more advanced classes, so kept asking me really complex questions in French, which I answered with a staggered silence.

After the tour my head was overloaded with French, so I headed back to my hostel for a nap, pizza and to talk some English with the other backpackers. The English came out in broken English and people have been asking me all night where I am from? Expecting answers like Finland or or Argentina or something. This is an unexpected side effect of French lesson I hope it passes soon.

Learning French in France

You know it is always said that if you want to learn a language you have to actually go to the country to learn. So this is what i am doing now. I am learning French in France and loving it.

I had taken french at school for 5 years, and had learn't how to say 'Bonjour', by the time i left school (in a very strong British accent). I also did a night school class for several months a few years ago, but only ever really learn't some words and phrases. Yet i have been meeting people on the road for many years, who all know how speak English and they have often learnt in only a couple of months. 

Through studying their 'English language' text books i discovered two things: theses books are all in English and most have very few pictures. This is in stark contrast to the books i had at school. Speaking to people about what their English courses were like, they were all in English. I had also been looking into Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) and liked the way that these courses were taught, but ultimately decided that teaching would not be for me.

So i decided that i wanted to give this a try for myself. Find myself an intensive foreign language course which is taught totally in that language, preferably in that country. I chose french, as it was the language i was most familiar with. In August 2012 i tested that water by singing up to a two week french course in Nice, France with alpha-B. Could these guys teach me to speak french!!??

The course was amazing, i learn't loads. It was taught in a totally different way to how i had been taught in England. This is not to say i did not have problems thought, the British educational system has left me with out some basic knowledge, such as 'what a verb is'. This is something i am still trying to correct today sitting in yet more French classes, this time in Lyon, with Alliance Francaise de Lyon. Learning about adverbs, infinitives, nouns etc at home instead of doing my french homework.

In conclusion, learning french in a french school is by far the best way to learn a language, so i have decided to stay in Lyon a second month. As i feel that i am actually learning something, but feel it would all go to waste if i just gave up now. Also i now have a friend staying in Lyon, so it will be nice to spend sometime with her.

Back in August i started my first travel blog. It did not last long, i gave up after two weeks. But i did keep pretty good account of the french course and it is still pretty relevant, so i have decided to re-post the experience of the first 5 days of the course. 

Saint-Paul de Vance

On my 'to do' list whilst visiting Nice, is to visit some of the surrounding villages and towns. The South of France is so well known for its hill top villages. I have already visited Grasse and Eze, which are such beautiful spots, i was keen to visit more. Saint -Paul de Vance has been recommended to me so many times, so on a day when the weather looked good, i took off on the bus.

Saint-Paul de Vance is one of the most famous hill top villages in the South of France. The village like most  of the hill top villages, is the product of centuries of political turmoil in the region, being occupied and fought over since the 13th century. Its steep side gave it a strategic position, which was easy to defend.  Now its the home to artists and tourists looking for a part of traditional french life.

Its easy to see why this would become so popular with artists. Its hill top position looking over the French Riviera. Its slopes are still adorned with vine yards and flowers flowing through in the cracks of the stone walls. If i was a painter i would come here too. I spent my time wondering the streets and looking in a the many art galleries.

To get there from Nice (the eco friendly way), you can take the 400 bus . The bus like all public transport around Nice only costs 1 euro each way even as far as Saint-Paul's. You can get on to the bus at Avenue de Verdun, or stops along the Promenade des  Anglais, Though if you get on any later than the Avenue de Verdun, you will probably be standing for the entire 50 minute journey.

You can pick up a free map of Saint-Pauls de Vance at the tourist information  which is located just inside the main entrance. Then stroll among the narrow cobbled streets, exploring it many art galleries, shops, restaurant and little nooks and crannies, for hours. Unlike the hill top village of Eze, it is not as steep and is easy to get to from the bus stop, with out breaking out in a sweat. Though there are still plenty of steps and inclines to make it interesting. Saint-Paul is car free, but there is still access by car for local shops and residents. These cars and vans kept getting in the way of my photos  and i had to keep climbing up on to walls to let them past, which was the only downside.

Also be warned like most of France a lot if the museums, shops and churches shut between 12 and 2 pm-ish. In high season this is less likely to be a problem, but in March, i had to wait 2 hours to go into the church and to go into some of the galleries. I have been in France long enough for this not to be a problem, i just use this time to have lunch and relax in front of the amazing views, Saint-Pauls has to offer.

Saint-Pauls is the start of a couple of walking trails, ask at the tourist information for details. Two of these trails start opposite the bus stop. So i followed the sign post for Vance. Maybe this was not a wise idea, seeing as i did not have a map or directions. The path was easy to follow for the first couple of km's, but then the signs got confusing, and some were missing vital arrows to point you in the right direction. Needless to say i took the long route to Vance, though it was very beautiful, passing through gardens, forests and glens. 

Its the End of 1 Euro Bus Fares in Nice, France

Just as i was preparing a blog post about all the wonderful places that you can visit for just 1 euro, around Nice. I walked down the street this morning only to notice, somebody reading the Nice Matin (local paper) with the following headline.

I tried to get hold of my own paper, but the men and women who hand them out seem to have disappeared. So now i am back from my daily explore, i've logged on the the papers site to find out what its all about. Luckily google translate, is here to help me.

Nice and the surrounding area have had a flat rate of 1 euro bus and tram fares since 2007. A 1 euro bus ticket can get you from Nice to Eze, Monaco, Menton, Antibes, Cannes, Saint-Paul de Vance, Grasse, this list just goes on and on. They are amazing, and were one of the deciding factors for bringing me back to Nice. But like all good things with the current economic climate, they have to end. These bus fares are being funded by the local tax payers. 

The local council are due to vote on changes to the bus fares on the 29th and it is thought that the fares will go up to 1.50 euro in May. I'll be keeping my eyes open to see what they actually decide.

Update: This was passed and the fares will go up on the 3rd of May 2013.

1.50 euros is still a bargain, but its not the headline grabbing bargain, that they once were. So if you are planning a trip to Nice and you are looking for a bargain, i would head this way before May 2013.

Arriving in Nice, What a beautiful Sky!

On arriving in Nice, France on a very cold wet day in March. I put on my snow boots and ski jacket (hopefully for the last time this year) and went for a little explore. The rain stopped and the rest of the day was overcast and dull. However, once i had taken and checked a couple of photographs, i noticed just how beautiful the sky looked. Sometimes i have to hold a camera before i even notice these things. 

I walked down to the beach and then up on to Castle Hill. I tried to stay on Castle Hill until sunset but security closed up and i suddenly found myself being whistle blown and shouted at in French. It was time to leave.

Time to move on to...

So the ski season is coming to an end and i must leave Chamonix.

As bad as this might seem, and it does seem bad because i have caught the ski bug, badly. I am excited for my new adventures, places to discover and lessons to learn. There is always next year for skiing, and i am sure to find some exciting places to ski. But for now my head must turn to making future plans.

I want to live in the world and not just one country, but i have been trying to learn some french and still want to learn some more. So my immediate plans are to stay here in France.

I have decided to do a French course in Lyon in April. I have chosen Lyon purely because the courses there seemed a little cheaper than elsewhere, and i am really up for saving a bit of money right now. I was a bit uncertain about Lyon at first, purely because it is a completely land locked city and the mermaid in me is calling. But after googling it and reaching for my Lonely Planet it seems that Lyon should keep me entertained for at least a month, when i am not studying, that is.

Source

But before i go to Lyon i am stopping off in Nice on the way for 12 nights. OK, Nice is not on the way, but when the cheapest option is to fly, anywhere in Europe could be considered a stop over. I have been to Nice several times before in the last few years, but each time there are still places that i never get around to visiting, such as the Russian orthodox church and Saint-Paul-de-Vence. Nice is also a great base for exploring the southern end of the French Alps.

I have loved living in Chamonix and learning to ski, i will miss it so much. I definitely hope to return, possibly in the summer, when the snow will melt and everything turn to green and hiking can be my pastime of choice.

Thank you Chamonix for being so beautiful.