Thank goodness that the year 2020 is finally coming to an end. May 2021 be full of joy and laughter and only the best of times. Happy New Year to one and all!
Here’s some reading material and ideas for you: Continue reading
France
Understanding Charlie Hebdo
On 7 January 2015, two men stormed the offices of the satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo. They murdered 12 people, including the five most famous and beloved cartoonists (one of whom was the editor) and two police officers, and injured 11 others, 5 seriously. Those are the basic facts of the tragedy, which you undoubtedly already know. But what you may not understand is why – beyond the horror of murder and mayhem – this event has touched every French person so deeply. As one internet meme says: “12 dead. 66 million wounded.” Why is Charlie Hebdo so important and iconic? Continue reading
It’s over!
When last I wrote, we’d just finished the état des lieux and moved out of the apartment in October. So what’s happened since then and now? Everything! Continue reading
Landlords from hell, part 3
Two days later, our neighbor told us that what we needed was a huissier de justice, which is sort of a cross between a lawyer and a judge. A huissier performs a variety of functions, but in the case of an état des lieux, he goes through the apartment and files an impartial report about the damages, which can then be used in court if, for example, the owners lie about broken windows or missing fixtures. That was exactly what we needed, Continue reading
Landlords from hell, part 2
During the 2 years and 8 months that we lived at La Grande Palmeraie, we saw the landlords only a few times, but each one was memorable in its own way.
They’d bragged about the lock on the balcony door that makes it impossible to open from the outside… and I’m sure you can guess what happened. Continue reading
Landlords from hell
I decided I needed to write about our recent rental experience in detail even though I am sure no one will believe it – why would you, when I lived through it and don’t believe it myself? But it feels like this ordeal has taken up residence in my thoughts, and I hope that writing about it will be cathartic enough to clear out this valuable real estate (ha ha) in my head. So here goes. Continue reading
2013 Menton Lemon Festival Parade
Yesterday, I shared some pictures of the citrus gardens, today, I have some pictures of the parade.
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Fête du Citron 2013
The beautiful Mediterranean town of Menton celebrates its citrusy history with an annual lemon (and orange) festival. To celebrate its 80th anniversary, 2013’s theme was Le Tour du Monde en 80 jours / Around the World in 80 Days.
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| Entrance to the citrus sculpture garden |
Nice Carnaval – Beyond the 5 continents
Antarctica was represented by melting glace – this word play gets lost in English; in French, it means both “ice” and “ice cream.”
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| La fonte des glaces |
Carnaval : L’Europe et l’Océanie
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| Le couple franco-allemand | Nice, son rayonnement dans le monde |
