I may officially be a 'news' junky now. This week I've added Le Monde to my daily 'news' consumption. (See * below.) It's not because I love the news for its own merits. (Who could, really
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My must-succeed communication moment involved talking our way onto the last, late night train from Paris to Milan after our channel crossing was grossly delayed by weather and thus our arrival in Paris--transfer across Paris from station to Metro to station, etc--so that we'd long since missed the overnight train to *Florence* on which we'd booked sleeper accommodation. The conversation(s) involved the ticket window and then a succession of porters along the train, hoping one would have couchette births open for two travellers. Finally, one said (in English, iirc), 'GET ON!' And, lo, there were bunks for two of us in his car.
Thankfully we were on a rail pass, so it wasn't quite as currency intensive a crisis as it could have been. Still and all, we decided the whole business confirmed that my education had been a success. ;p
(Later in the same trip we tested my sister's Italian fluency when a young man joined us in our compartment on a train to Padua and tried picking up my husband. Matters intensified when he left the train with us and attempted to come along with us out of the station. His story may have ended quite badly--after trying her best to discourage him, my sister finally appealed to a pair of quite stern-looking policemen, who whisked the over-friendly young man away.)
Next year's trip will be a London-Paris fortnight designed around my niece's desire to see museums. She'll be 15, and she loves art and design. My inlaws (her grandparents) took each of her siblings on similarly wonderful trips at the same age, and they've decided that for this one they'll need my (dubious) expertise. I'm working at convincing them that we really do need more days in London than in Paris, because I'll be a great deal more use in the former than the latter.
Sounds like a couple of well-negotiated tricky moments! My Italian definitely doesn't stretch to "Excuse me, Mr. Policeman, but this young man won't stop following my husband.", and I'm quite glad I've never had to say it in French either.
You'll definitely have no shortage of museums or art and design in either city! Do you have ideas about what you're going to do, or has it not reached the planning stage yet?
Thankfully we were on a rail pass, so it wasn't quite as currency intensive a crisis as it could have been. Still and all, we decided the whole business confirmed that my education had been a success. ;p
(Later in the same trip we tested my sister's Italian fluency when a young man joined us in our compartment on a train to Padua and tried picking up my husband. Matters intensified when he left the train with us and attempted to come along with us out of the station. His story may have ended quite badly--after trying her best to discourage him, my sister finally appealed to a pair of quite stern-looking policemen, who whisked the over-friendly young man away.)
Next year's trip will be a London-Paris fortnight designed around my niece's desire to see museums. She'll be 15, and she loves art and design. My inlaws (her grandparents) took each of her siblings on similarly wonderful trips at the same age, and they've decided that for this one they'll need my (dubious) expertise. I'm working at convincing them that we really do need more days in London than in Paris, because I'll be a great deal more use in the former than the latter.
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You'll definitely have no shortage of museums or art and design in either city! Do you have ideas about what you're going to do, or has it not reached the planning stage yet?
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