Visit Lyon During Your Great Vacation In France

June 30, 2008 at 1:11 am · Filed under europe

France is a great place to have a vacation. The food is great, the wine is superb and there is lots to see and do. Even the rude waiters provide something different to what you find at home. Everybody knows that Paris a great place to spend part of your vacation but where else in France should you go?

How about spending a couple of days in the city the French themselves think is the capital for food? How about staying on the edge of two different wine regions, with a chance to make comparisons between the two at amazing prices? How about being in an ancient Roman city with its own theater and with fabulous mosaics? How about wandering down narrow passages between houses, designed originally to get the bales of silk down to the river protected from the climate? How about having two of Europe’s great rivers joining together within the city? How about seeing some great paintings and sculpture without being surrounded by hordes of other vacationers? How about a short trip to the Alps?

You can reach Lyon easily from Paris by the world-famous fast train, the TGV. You can travel across a major part of France in just two hours, in great comfort. In fact, some Parisians take their business colleagues down to Lyon by train just to have lunch.

I don’t know why Lyon is not included in more vacation plans. It’s a great city for tourists and a perfect stop on your vacation trip on the way from Paris to the sophisticated beach life of the South of France. For your next vacation in France, spend a few days in Lyon.

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Checklist For Someone Moving to Germany from the UK

June 29, 2008 at 1:15 am · Filed under europe

If you are moving from Britain, here is a list of home comforts that you might not find easily in Germany and may prove to be useful to bring with you.

4-way UK power socket - you can put a Euro-style plug on the end of this - save’s buying many plugs for your appliances in the short term.

Bacon - If you enjoy bacon, bring some with you to freeze, you cannot buy British-style back bacon in Germany. The same goes for Irish pork sausages.

Brown sauce - if you like it, then bring it, you’ll not find it cheaply or easily here

Cadbury’s chocolate - if you like it, then bring it, you’ll not find it cheaply or easily here

Carrier Bags - You pay for them in Germany (in most supermarkets, although Walmart provides them for free, although the amount is highly monitored by the checkout staff!) - you’ll find a plentifull supply of these invaluable when it comes to going to the supermarket and not knowing how to get the items that you’ve bought home!

Curry Sauces and Spices - If you enjoy Indian food, then you’ll be glad that you brought your sauces and spices with you. It is possible to buy a bland generic curry sauce in Germany but it will not compare with British or Indian sauces. Some Turkish food suppliers stock a variety of Indian spices but the prices will not compare to what you are used to paying in the UK.

Salad Cream/Dressing - if you’re not too fond of having salad floating in vinegar, then bring your own dressing. The German salad dressing is too sour for most British/American/Canadian tastes.

Satellite System - if you’re a Sky subscriber, then bring you system with you and transfer the account to another UK address, the receiver will work here and you’ll be amazed how easily it can be setup. Note that unless your TV is very recent, then it will probably not be able to pick up German Cable TV broadcasts as the tunable frequency range is not wide enough for British TV’s to handle. Americans can leave their TV at home, there’s no chance that that’ll work.

Soft toilet roll - very expensive in Germany - although beware that the normal ’set’ size for German toilet roll is a little smaller than the British/American variaties so the roll may not fit into the roll holder!

Special soaps/detergents/shampoos that you may like to use

Tea bags - ‘Schwarz Tee’ is available but not usually to the strengths that you’ll be used to. One can normally buy PG Tips for example, in local Turkish and Asian shops.

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Learn French In France

June 28, 2008 at 1:09 am · Filed under europe

There are many approaches to second language learning, but few methods produce better results than studying a language in the country where that language is spoken. Daily immersion in language and culture is the key to gaining real proficiency in any language. So where better to learn the French language than in France itself! France is a fascinating and diverse country with an astonishingly rich cultural heritage and simply fantastic food!

Learning a language in the country where it is spoken is easier and more efficient, any invariably produces better outcomes. Learners become intimately acqauinted with a people and their culture, as well as their language. Language learning involves much more than simply memorising grammatical structures and vocabulary - genuine fluency involves learning to communicate with the people that speak the language. By speaking and listening to native French speakers in authentic real-life situations daily, you learn how to think and behave in French.

French language schools are found throughout France, from Paris in the north to Nice in the south, and choice of location is an important factor in deciding which language school to attend. In the process of acquiring real language fluency, time spent outside the language classroom is as at least as important as time spent in class. In larger cities, language programs frequently emphasise amenities and activities but, depending on overall class sizes, may neglect individual student needs. While there may be no shortage of cultural activities and museum visits in large cities such as Paris, Lyon or Marseille, more intimate cultural experiences are typically found in smaller towns and villages. It is also much easier to fall back on speaking English in larger cities, which of course defeats your original purpose entirely!

The type of French language program you choose will of be determined in large part by your particular needs. There are many different types of program offered by language schools in France, including general French, French for business, French for academic studies, and French for art courses, music, design and culinary arts.

Whichever program you opt for, there are several characteristics to look for which are shared by all quality programs: flexible, communicative teaching methodologies, a friendly atmosphere, personal attention, enthusiastic and qualified teachers, and small class sizes. Depending on your requirements, the program should also provide a language qualification recognised by national and international colleges and universities.

In summary, to get the most out of a French language program in France, seek out language schools with qualified native-speaking teachers, small groups and programs providing ample opportunity for individual student attention. Excursions and other extra-curricular activities are all important elements in a cultural program, but such activities should not substitute for genuine language learning which always occurs best in smaller, more intimate contexts. Whatever happens during your time in France, the most important objective is of course that you thoroughly enjoy your learning experience! When all is said and done, you will learn much more much faster if you are happy with your program and enjoying yourself!

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