The weather the last two days has been bright and sunny, albeit with a  wintery bite. I’ve started wearing  my winter jacket but haven’t yet had to don full-fingered gloves. But it’s only a matter of time before they, and my shoe covers, are required. The mountains behind Nice now have a thick covering of snow and most local ski resorts are opening this week end.

The past two days, I’ve ridden with my beloved around my winter circuit. Yesterday, as I reached Blvd Kennedy after the Garoupe climb, Christophe Le Mevel and Geoffroy Lequatre zoomed past with one of my former clubmates, and the current U23 regional champion, in their slipstream. I chased after them, they were only rolling along at around 30km, so I soon caught them up. It’s good to ride along with people who can maintain an even tempo and, as there were no climbs for a while, I could merrily wheelsuck, and chat to my friend who was on a training ride with them. 

I’m slowly clearing the decks workwise but haven’t yet found time to tackle the ironing mountain. However, my beloved is off on business for 10 days on Monday which will give me sufficient breathing space to get the flat in apple-pie order for Xmas. The Xmas cards arrived today and will be despatched this week end. I have yet to buy any presents, although I do have my list. All of them can be purchased over the internet and delivered to the recipient in time for Xmas – perfect. 

I have made the cake which needs to be fed with copious amounts of alcohol over the next week or so and then marzipanned and iced (both home made) just before Xmas. I’ve also made a second Xmas cake for my clubmates at the recreational afternoons down at the cycling club house. Though there’s going to be precious little recreation for me as the “boys” have decided they’d like to learn English and IT skills. So I have tomorrow’s lesson all prepared and I’ve made a couple of cakes to accompany the tea and coffee.

Saturday, is the Telethon: France’s fundraising for local children’s charities. We’ll be riding, en masse, from St Laurent du Var to Mandelieu La Napoule and back. It’s quite a sight to behold: imagine, if you will, two Tour de France pelotons on the right-hand side of the road. But, I guess it’s not terribly popular with car drivers. The weather forecast is promising. This is followed on Sunday by the departmental championship. My club has held this honour for the past ten years but, largely due to falling membership,  may be hard pressed to hold onto the coveted trophy. Naturally, M Le President has been exhorting everyone to turn out and fortunately, the pointage isn’t too far afield; it’s only at Antibes.

Postscript: Break out my favourite beverage, those boys in claret and blue are through to the semi-finals of the League Cup. Our opponents in the next round will be  Blackburn whom we will also be playing in the 3rd round of the FA Cup.

I took the train from Antibes to Paris: just over 5 hours door-to-door and a bargain at Euros 80 for a first-class return. I passed the journey lost in the pages of Sir Chris Hoy’s biography a very readable adjunct to “Heroes, Villains and Velodromes.

On my arrival in Paris, the skies cleared and the rain stopped so I decided to walk to our hotel on the Left Bank, near the Sorbonne. Each time we go to Paris we endeavour to stay in a different quarter as I enjoy traversing the streets looking at the magnificent architecture and window shopping – by far the safest type of shopping! In addition, I love browsing the art galleries, antiques and book shops.

I also adore finding us great restaurants for lunch and/or dinner. Now, of course, I could just fish out a guide book and book one of their many suggestions, but where would be the fun in that? No, I like to walk around, sizing up the restaurants and their menus before making my choice.

Over the years I’ve had many pleasurable trips to Paris. My first came courtesy of my French pen-friend who, while she lived in Grenoble, had a large family living in Paris. I spent a week with her aunt in an impressive apartment just off Boulevard Haussmann and traipsed to my heart’s content around all the sights of Paris and Versailles. Since then, I’ve been fortunate to visit it on a regular basis.

When I told my Dad we were off to Paris, he reminded me of the trip we had taken with them some years ago, at about the same time of year, where we had eaten “our most expensive meal”. He still has a copy of the bill from the now-defunct “Lucas Carton” near Place de la Madeleine.

I have to say it was a truly memorable meal but, at the time, I had no idea how much it had cost as neither my Mum nor I had menus with prices. I started with polenta and truffles, while everyone else had scallop tartar. Dad and my beloved followed that with lamb while Mum and I had lobster, at my Dad’s urging, as it’s my Mum’s favourite. We elected to have the wines chosen by the chef to accompany the meal, but didn’t have room for a dessert or coffee, although we did manage to demolish all of the mouth-watering, petit fours.

My Dad picked up the bill, which was not what I had intended. It was some months later that he asked me what I thought it had cost. The tilt of his eyebrows indicated that my initial bid was way off the mark. But he did concede it had been well worth the money.

My first job in Paris was to interview 20 French dentists about their periodontology regimes. After speaking to a couple, it was clear that a 4-page questionnaire was several pages too many despite the inducement of a free gift. I decided an alternative strategy was required and based myself outside of the exhibition, close to one of the many lunch-time venues. Sure enough, by 11:30am, there was a long queue of people waiting to be served and what better way to while away the time answering my questionnaire. By the time lunch was over, I had filled my quota.

After a delicious meal in a small family-run restaurant on Wednesday evening, we invited a business colleague to share some champagne and oysters with us on Thursday evening at a restaurant close to the Palais des Congrès where we have previously enjoyed many similar evenings. Like me, he’s a recent convert to cycling and we are considering organising a cycling trip next year for his readership, to coincide with the club’s “ Brevet Kivilev”.

I used to view oysters with great suspicion. After all, they look like large blobs of snot. Well, they do don’t they? However, I decided that millions of French people can’t be wrong and took the plunge. Now, they’re one of my favourite foods and I regret all those wasted oyster eating opportunities. So, if you’ve never tried them, go-ahead, just do it. I promise you won’t regret it.

I bought my beloved an oyster opening kit for last Xmas (among other things) so we can enjoy them at home. I like them best with a squeeze of lemon juice and a glass (or two) of champagne. As I’m fond of saying “I’m a woman of simple tastes, all of them expensive”.

Friday morning I rose early for a run along the Seine. I can’t totally abandon my new regime. Although my husband had promised to keep Friday clear, I truly did not anticipate seeing him at all. However, we shared lunch at a delightful Corsican restaurant I found in the Marais before he returned to the exhibition for a further round of business meetings.

Bike friendly Paris!

We rose on Saturday to find leaden skies. It rained from time to time but fortunately, not heavily. My beloved decided he wanted to look around the Louvre. I knew once he saw the queue, he would decide otherwise, and was proved correct. He hates to wait for even 5 minutes: strange behaviour from a guy who generally keeps everyone else waiting!

However, we happily whiled away the morning wandering around the area and I found a fabulous restaurant for lunch a few doors down from Le Grand Verfour, which, sadly, was not open for Saturday lunch – maybe, next time.

While from time to time, I enjoy a few days away, equally I enjoy getting back home. I’m already looking forward to tomorrow morning’s ride, weather permitting, to Roquebrune Cap Martin. It’s a 90km round trip for us and I still recall how equally exhausted and elated I was the first time I did it, two years ago. How time has flown!

So, like I probably mentioned in an earlier post, I love the beach. It is my ultimate happy place, and the destination I think about when someone asks me “where do you want to go?” Nothing beats the beach. Sand, surf, sun, and fresh seafood. For me, the beach is synonymous with r&r.  Here are of my top 3 favorite places around the world:

Venezuela

Venezuela: I might be biased, but these are the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever been to in my life… hands down. The sand is snow white. The water is crystal clear and just the right temperature. There’s tons of tiny little untouched islands everywhere off the coast, and you can pay a fisherman to take you out to them for the day. These islands are bare and theres nothing but just you and nature. These beaches are my kind of heaven. Most of my childhood memories from Venezuela are from the beach and our beach house in Higuerote. Margarita Island is also fun and a little more commercial and full of hotels. Chichiriviche is also a great destination. Also, Los Roques is supposed to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. These are the best kinds of beaches for someone that just needs to get away and unwind.

Molokini Island

Maui: You just can’t go wrong with Hawaii. I preferred Maui to Honolulu because it’s less commercial and more laid back. We stayed at the Marriott Maui Ocean Club, and our accommodations were amazing.  The pool is nice but just forget it because a sandy paradise is just a couple more steps from your room. The only reason I went to the pool was to get a plate of fresh pineapple for  breakfast at the pool restaurant every morning (heaven!).  I remember the chef at the hotel being fantastic as well. We went snorkeling at Molokini Island, and it was one of the best snorkel trips I’ve ever taken. We saw tons of sea life  in these reefs and even some sea turtles. Lahaina was the biggest town close by and its packed with great stores and restaurants and also offers a front row to the best sunset in Maui. I also suggest going on the roadtrip to see the waterfalls on the way to Hana. While the road is windy and at times scary the sights are worth it: Beautiful jungles and waterfalls and also you can go to some black sand beaches that will take your breath away. Watchout though: some of these beaches have extremely strong currents and undertow and can be dangerous. My only gripe is that Pacific beaches are at times a little too cold for my taste, but they’re beautiful nonetheless.

Nice, France

French Riviera: I studied abroad in Nice for 4 weeks one summer and fell in love with the Riviera. Again, these tend to be somewhat colder beaches unless you go in August. In Nice, the beaches are also stone beaches so I recommend buying padded beach pads or beach chairs. The cities of the French Riviera are not only beach destinations but fun sightseeing cities as well. Vieux Nice is the older part of town and is inhabited by lovely boutiques and enticing and delicious gelaterias. Two of my favorite museums I’ve ever visited were in Nice: the Musee d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain (MAMAC) (where I fell in love with Yves Klein) and Musee Matisse De Nice (he’s one of my favorite artists so I probably spent a good 3 hours here). One of my favorite things to do in Nice was to walk the Promenade Des Angles along the beach and then climb the stairs up to the viewing deck and then continue to the park . Another great thing about the Riviera is that  the other towns are 20 minutes away or less by train or bus. Each has its own character and beautiful beaches. I recommend Antibes, Cannes (in late May  you can see the town set up for the festival…very fun), St. Tropez (furthest away, takes about 2 hours, have to take a train then a bus), Villefranche Sur Mer, and Monaco. All these other beahes are sand beaches, and you can walk around the towns and see everything in a day pretty much. Monaco is a great day trip but a little harder to get around by foot so I recommend buying a pass on those tours that you can jump on and off. If you make it to Montecarlo, you must see the palace, go to the Jacques Cousteau Museum and go inside the Montecarlo Casion. You’ll need some identification to show you are over 18 and they let you right in during the day. I forget if you have to pay a fee at all but even if you do… YOU MUST GO INSIDE. It is best to go during the day because at night they enforce a black tie dress code.

These are my top three, but I also recommend anywhere on the Caribbean (love the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico), Cancun, Florida (Destin, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami), and Martha’s Vineyard (cold but beautiful).

Cette année la conférence annuelle des aumôniers d’aéroports s’est déroulée en Afrique à Lusaka, Zambie, du 6 au 11 septembre 2009. Chaque année nous nous réunissons dans un continent différent et après la conférence européenne de Nice l’an dernier en 2008, c’était au tour de l’Afrique de nous recevoir.

Une soixantaine d’aumôniers venus des quatre coins du monde étaient présents. La Zambie est un pays d’Afrique australe de douze millions d’habitants, un peu plus grand que la France d’environ un millier de kilomètres carrés. Au Nord elle est bordée par la République Démocratique du Congo, à l’est par le Malawi et la Tanzanie, au sud par la Mozambique, le Botswana et la Namibie, et à l’ouest par l’Angola. C’est un pays pacifique qui recherche vraiment à sortir de la corruption, ce fléau qui règne sur la plupart des pays d’Afrique. La Zambie est fière de son passé et de son premier président, Kenneth Kaunda, élu au moment de l’indépendance en 1964. Nous avons visité sa maison natale, qui se trouve dans un quartier pauvre de la ville, face à l’un des quartiers résidentiels les plus huppés de la ville. Kaunda dirigea le pays jusqu’en 1991. Le pays devint alors une démocratie multipartite.

C’est vrai que l’extrême pauvreté nous frappe d’abord, nous les européens, qui vivons dans l’abondance sans même le savoir. Mais malgré cette pauvreté, c’est la joie qui domine. Les gens dans la rue sont souriants, aimables et prêts à rendre service. La population est laborieuse et le long des rues il y a partout des étalages de meubles à vendre, construits par des menuisiers locaux, des armoires, étagères et fauteuils et des objets en fer forgé, portes d’entrée et clôtures de maison. Il y a aussi des femmes qui vendent fruits et légumes.

La Zambie (dont le nom vient du fleuve qui traverse le pays, le Zambèze) est un pays chrétiens où toutes les dénominations protestantes sont présentes ainsi que le catholicisme. Les aumôneries d’aéroport sont essentiellement œcuméniques et des aumôniers de toutes confessions étaient présents. Cette année, les catholiques nous ont invité à recevoir l’hospitalité eucharistique, qui fut un moment très fort, ainsi qu’à une messe dans l’Église St Irénée de Lusaka, présidée par l’Archevêque Mazombwe, accompagnée d’une chorale magnifique, que l’on aurait écouté toute la nuit tant les cantiques étaient sincères et rythmés.

Nous avons eu des conférences très intéressantes sur les façons d’éradiquer le sida en Zambie par l’éducation des foules. Nous étions contents d’apprendre qu’après des années d’effort pour instruire la population, la maladie régresse enfin. Aussi on nous informa sur les dispositifs de sécurité et les procédures en cas d’accident à l’aéroport, que nous avons visité ensuite. La chapelle y est très bien placée et une brève méditation y fut conduite par la Sœur Bernard Nkandu, principale instigatrice de la conférence à Lusaka. Le Dr Francis Mutach Kapend nous fit un exposé très émouvant et révélateur de la situation dans son pays, la République Démocratique du Congo, en guerre depuis plus de quarante ans.

Enfin une journée fut consacrée à notre association (IACAC), son historique, son développement, certains présentèrent leurs aéroports notamment celui de Phoenix, Arizona où aura lieu la conférence en 2010 L’après-midi nous nous sommes réunis pour discuter des difficultés rencontrées par les uns et les autres, les points forts et les points faibles.

Malgré l’emploi du temps intense cette conférence fut d’un intérêt extrême tout d’abord pour renforcer l’unité qui nous anime sous la bannière du Père et du Fils Jésus- Christ qui sont nos raisons d’exister dans ce ministère, au travers des prières dites et des cantiques chantés ensemble, ensuite pour nous apercevoir que les mêmes difficultés étaient partagées par chacun et que finalement ce qui comptait le plus c’était de prier les uns pour les autres et d’agir selon nos possibilités dans la Volonté du Père.

Je remercie donc le Seigneur de m’avoir permis d’être sa représentante dans ce pays si attachant qu’est la Zambie et d’avoir permis que tant de liens enrichissants soient tissés au travers de toutes ces rencontres.

Christiane Fisher,
chargée de mission en tant qu’aumônier protestant à l’aéroport de Nice

ALANDADO (Association culturelle de l’Église réformée à Antibes) reçoit…

Administration : Alain Rosier – tél. 04 93 24 12 06 – rosiera@wanadoo.fr
Site : http://www.poussieresdexil.com

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]]> http://viewfromtheback.com/2009/11/19/hands-off/ Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:34:02 +0000 Sheree http://viewfromtheback.com/2009/11/19/hands-off/

I’m picking my husband up from the airport in an hour or so, around 23:15. He’s been in UK and Poland for the past 10 days. I’d like to be able to tell you that while he’s been away I’ve demolished the Vuelta and post-Vuelta ironing mountain, but I haven’t; maybe, next week.

No, while the weather’s fine, I’ve been out on my bike. Plus, let’s not forget, I’ve been baking biscuits for the dental students at Nice University where my beloved in lecturing tomorrow. I’ve made American-style squidgy raisin and oatmeal cookies (my fave), classic chocolate chip cookies and some elegant lemon thins.  In addition, I’ve been toiling with my translations and chasing up those members of the cycling club who have yet to pay their subs.

One of the (few) advantages of being club secretary is that I’m now on the mailing list for the details of each week’s pointage. So, no need to rely on the instructions on the club’s website or check the location on a map, I’ve got my own directions. The pointage is typically held in a car park. This week’s is in Stade Charpin in Les Semboules, which is behind Decathlon in Antibes.  

Lloris looms large

Of course, today’s big story has been Thierry Henry’s “hand of God” goal-assist which has prompted the Irish to ask FIFA for a replay (no chance). My estimate of six pages of commentary and two of adverts in today’s L’Equipe was a page shy of the mark. Man of the match, once again, was home-boy, Hugo Lloris. I can’t help thinking that he’ll be off to pastures new (and better paid) next season – Arsenal peut-etre? I do hope OGCN put a sell-on clause in the contract when they sold Hugo to Olympique Lyonnais. If so, they’ll be quids in. If not, they’ll be kicking themselves.

My trainer, at my request, has ramped up the exercise regime. As a consequence, after our session yesterday, I have a few aches in areas best left unmentioned.

The weather the last two days has been glorious, just what I ordered. As I rode out of the Domaine this morning, my neighbours were picking the olives. Yes, we have our own olive oil from the 100 or so trees on the estate. The driver of the car in front of me stopped abruptly to encourage those picking, sadly without glancing in her mirror, so I nearly, but fortunately not quite, shot into the back of her car.

I decided that some interval training was in order and headed to the hill which goes up from Garoupe to boulevard Kennedy, in Antibes. The idea is to ride as hard as possible out of the saddle up the first incline, rest as it tails off and then pick it up again for the last bit. I did this six times much to the amusement of the builders working on the construction of what, I’m sure, is going to be an amazing (and totally wildly expensive) new property, “Villa Robert”. A couple of times round the Cap [d'Antibes] and then it was back home for lunch.

I spent the afternoon working on a translation before heading over to the cycling club. The offer of an English and/or IT course on Thursday afternoon seems to have been well received by my fellow, largely retired, members. I’d better get working on my first lesson plan. Loads of kisses, a couple of licence renewals and a new member later, I was back home in time to bake some cookies.

From time to time, my beloved speaks to the dental students at Nice University about aspects of dentistry in English, thereby satisfying some of their obligatory study that language.The feedback from his first session suggested that he should have bought them something to eat. Remember, we’re talking about students. It was probably said tongue in cheek, more in hope than anticipation. So for his next visit, I sent him armed with cake: brownies, coconut macaroons and carrot cake. His ratings improved dramatically!

This time, I’ve decided on a selection of American style cookies.  I’ve made up large batches some of which can go into the freezer ready  for my first recreational afternoon at the club. We’ll need something to go with the tea and coffee.

I’ve also started on my Xmas cake. I like to soak the 2 kilos of dried fruit that I put into the cake for a couple of days in a mixture of rum, orange and lemon juice. Generally, I’m not a big fan of traditional UK Xmas food: disliking Xmas cake, Xmas pudding, turkey, sprouts, bread sauce, mince pies, brandy sauce and butter. You get the picture.

Our first Xmas in France, I decided to have one of my “once every eight years or so” family (mine) Xmas’s whereupon I needed to come up with a more acceptable (to me) Xmas cake. I decided to deconstruct the traditional recipe, eliminating the ingredients I don’t like and replacing them with ones I do. I came up with a recipe which makes a medium sized, square cake, choc full of lovely alcohol laden, dried fruit: prunes, dates, raisins, cranberries, cherries, pineapple, apricots and figs. After it’s baked, I soak it weekly in rum for a further 6 weeks and then I cover it in home-made marzipan and soft royal icing. Now I’m not an aficionado of fruit cakes, but my sister Lynn is and she reckons it’s the world’s best Xmas cake. I’m prepared to accept her opinion and concede that it’s probably one of the world’s most expensive.

Ah, me gustaría tanto vivir en el Mediterraneo, eso es mi sueño personal. O en España, o en Francia de Sur, o en Italia: la región ma cercana de mi corazón et de mi carácter es el Mediterraneo con sus colores, sus olores, su clima, su sol, el viento, el ruido del grillo, la comida, el vino…. todo corto: el estilo de vida!!

El “laisser-faire” o el “dolce fare niente” eso son estilos de vida que me gustan. Mis destinos preferidos son una de las islas españoles como Ibiza o Mallorca, pero también ciudades pequeñas como Antibes en el Sur de Francia o Marina de Massa en la Toscana, Italia.

Un día, cuando tendré mucho dinero (eso paserá un día) yo voy a realizar este sueño y volverme en un ciudadano mediterráneo!!

Bir haftasonu Kaçamağı

Haftasonunuzu güney Fransa sahillerinde geçirmeye ne dersiniz?

Ben geçen hafta öyle yaptım. THY milleri ile uçak biletimi Milano’ya ayarlayıp oradan da 3.5 saatlik bir araba yolculuğu ile güney Fransa’ya varıyorsunuz.  Eger yolculuk yapmayı seviyorsanız , cok da keyifli gecen bir yolculuk oluyor J italyanın sınıra yakın son kasabası olan Ventimiglia’yı gectikten sonra Fransa’ya giriyosunuz. Ve otoban üzerinden sırasıyla Menton, Nice , Antibes ve Juan Les Pinnes den geciyorsunuz. Biz konaklama olarak Juan Les Pinnes’i secmiştik. Burayı secmemizin baslıca sebebi ise güney fransa sahilinde denizi en güzel olan yer. Aslına bakarsanız, bizim sahilleri gördükten sonra buralarda denize bile girmek istemezsiniz. Ama Juan les pinnes bu anlamda bu sahil sertinde güzel bir kumsala sahip .

sahile indiğinizde sıra sıra plajları göreceksiniz. Bunlardan benim her zaman tercihim Ruben Blue, hem denizi hem de yemekleri çok güzel. Sabah kahvaltıda kurvasan ve café ole içmenizi öneririm. Yada baget ekmek , tereyağ ve recel de güzel olabilir. oglem mutlaka ama mutlaka moules fritte yemeniz lazım. Eger midye seviyorsanız kacırmamanız gereken bir lezzet. Koca bir tencerenin içinde midyeler tercih ettiğiniz sosla pişiriliyor ve yanı patates kızartması ile Harika oluyor. Yanında buz gibi roze sarap ise Harika olur. midyeyi ben genelde marine sos ile tercih ediyorum. Ama  damak tadınıza göre de karar verebilirsiniz

Günü denize girerek ve güzel bir yemek yiyerek gecirdikten sonra, akşam için birkaç öneride bulunabilirim. Ilk tercihim Mougins. Sanat galerileri ile ünlü olan bu kasabada aynı zamanda  ünlü şeflerin restoranlarına ev sahipliği yapıyor. Pablo Picasso son 15 yılını bu kasabada gecirmiş. Juan Les Pinnes e uzaklığı ise yaklaşık 15 dak.  Eğer kasabada yaşamıyorsanız kasabaya araba ile girmeniz mümkün değil. Tepede yer alan kasabanın girişinde otopark alanı mevcut, oralara park etmeniz mümkün. Sırasıra resim ve sanat galeri görebilceğiniz bu kasabada yakşalık 35 sanat galerisi bulunuyor. Ressamların arsında benim tercihim Isirdi. Insana mutluluk veren tabloları var. hemen meydanda yer alan                              …………….adlı galeride resimlerini görebilirsiniz. Eger cok begendiyeseniz, resimlerini poster olarakda internet den sipariş vermeniz mümkün. Dolaşirken mutlaka Galerie Elégance da ugramanızı öneririm.

Yemek yemek için birçok güzel alternatif var. ama eğer gercekten gurme bir yemek istiyorsanız, mutlaka rezervasyon yaptırmanız gerekir.çok pahalı gurme rest da bulunduğu kasabada benim  Ilk önerim tradisyonel fransız mutfağı denemeniz ve L’amandier De Mougins de yemek yemeniz olurdu. sadece bir kaç fiks menusu bulunan bu restarant da gercekten cok gzüel yemek yiyorsunuz. Sarap secimini ise mutlaka garsonlara bırakın…

Eger daha populer bir yere gitmek isterseniz, tercihiniz Cannes olabilir. burada sahilde yürüdükten sonra Ritz carlton un sırasında yer alan Vezuvio da pizza yiyebilirsiniz. Ve tatlı olarak da mutlaka Tarte Taten yemenizi öneririm. Üzeri karemelize olmus elmalı turtayı en iyi yapan yerlerden birisi. Pizzaları da cok basarılı.

Eger denk gelirseniz Antibes de temmuz ayında jazz festivali oluyor. Çok ünlü sanatçıları çok makul ücretlere dinlemek mümkün oluyor. Hatta bazı noktalarda bilet almanıza bile gerek yok. Jazz havası tüm kasabayı kaplıyor.

Pazar günü gene denize girebilirsiniz yada Nicede Pazar sabahları kurulan çicek pazarını ziyaret edebilirsiniz. Ama mutlaka aklınızda bulunsun çicek pazarı saat en gec 1 de toplanıyor. Burası sadece çicek pazarı değil, zeytinyağlar, sabunlar , kurutulmuş otlar,  ve daha bir çok malzeme bulabileceğiniz bir Pazar. Özellikle lavanta kesecikleri Harika, kokuları da cok uzun sure kalıyor. Hem de Eve döndüğünüzde sizi anılarınıza götürüyor. Eger hardal seviyorsanız da burası cennet, aklınıza gelmeyecek çeşittte hardalı da burada bulabilirsiniz.

Au Fil des jours novembre–décembre 2009 à télécharger en cliquant ici :

ATTENTION : Pas de culte
à Antibes et à Vence dimanche 25 octobre

Dimanche 25 octobre à 11 h

CULTE
commun à l’Église Libre de Cannes
et aux Églises Réformées du Consistoire
de la Côte d’Azur

à Cannes
au temple de l’Église réformée
7, rue Notre-Dame

11 h Culte consistorial de la Réformation
La prédication sera donnée par le pasteur Alain Houziaux

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]]> http://erfantibesvence.wordpress.com/2009/10/17/%e2%80%9cannee-calvin%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-rencontre-du-23-octobre/ Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:40:58 +0000 erfantibesvence http://erfantibesvence.wordpress.com/2009/10/17/%e2%80%9cannee-calvin%e2%80%9d-%e2%80%93-rencontre-du-23-octobre/

(Voir le programme général des manifestations : ici)

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Et puis, dans la suite du mois :

(Voir le programme général des manifestations : ici)

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Un plan d’accès à la Maison des Associations : ici.

Et puis, dans la suite du mois :

With only two weeks to go to my departure for Austin, I realised that a few longer rides were in order and on similar terrain to that which I’ll encounter in Texas. Yesterday, like today and pretty much most days recently, was glorious. I left the Domaine around 10:00am, having avoided the early morning traffic. The Domaine is securitised by way of a barrier. To exit the mechanism automatically senses an approaching vehicle and raises the barrier. I am clearly too small (phew!)to be recognized as a vehicle and have to rely on the security guards to raise it as I approach. The service is outsourced and while we have a number of regulars, from time to time, we have newbies who don’t realise that they have to raise the barrier for me. This means it always has to be approached with caution. Obviously, we had a newbie in charge so I had to dismount and duck under the barrier.

I decided on a round trip to St Raphael. I hadn’t cycled along the coast for months; it’s a route to avoid in the summer for obvious reasons. My traffic light karma was in overdrive with all the lights turning green just as I approached – perfect. I breezed past loads of riders on the coast road between Villeneuve Loubet and Antibes; it was clearly going to be a great ride. On the short hill up to Boulevard Kennedy on Cap d’Antibes, I was wheel sucked by four gentlemen who turned out to be Brits from the Wirral down here on their annual boys biking trip. They asked if they could cycle with me and I agreed. I sensed a tinge of envy in their voices when I revealed that I lived down here and was able to cycle most days – cycling nirvana indeed.

 As we cycled along, I was happy to explain other cycling routes they might enjoy and places they might visit before their return to Blighty on Saturday. They much admired my beloved bicycle but were not familiar with the BMC brand! We also discussed at length the growing interest in cycling in the UK. I don’t think it’s ever going to approach the deeply entrenched continental European love of cycling but it’s nonetheless very welcome.

Many hours later, I arrived back at the Domaine to discover the same guard was on duty. I rode up the steep hill to the barrier which he opened only as I dismounted. I popped into his office to explain the need to open the barrier as I approached so that I wouldn’t need to slow down and could just sail through in either direction.

My husband is away in London, his gout having subsided sufficiently, so I was able to sink into my spa bath for a reviving soak before heading out again to a meeting over in Antibes.

(Voir le programme général des manifestations : ici)

*

Et puis, dans la suite du mois :

by Joy Mason, Greenheart Travel Language School Participant

Sunday

Today I went to the Evangelistic Church of Antibes.  I’d been missing contemporary worship, and I can’t tell you how happy I was when I walked into the sanctuary and there were drums and a bass playing!

Afterward, I went to Marineland!  It was great!  I saw a dolphin show, and an orca show, and a sea-lion show, and some sharks and fish and all sorts of things in the aquarium.

Tuesday

The twins and I watch television quite a lot in the afternoons and evenings.  The show we watch the most often?  “Secret Story”, a rather brainless reality show where there are a bunch of “beautiful” (read: guys and girls who spend more time on their hair each morning than I do in a full month) people who have strategies and deceptions and stuff like that.  There’s also “The Voice.”  That’s how he calls himself: “Ici La Voix.”  I laugh every time he says that.  We also watch “La Famille En Or,” which is the French version of “Family Feud.”  Hilariously, though, the theme song is the “We are family” song, but instead of “we are” they say “En or.”  I also watch a lot of “CSI,” which I never watched in American but quite enjoy here in France.

Wednesday

I went to Grasse today with Emir, Pelin, Bercin, Amy, Kate, Maria-Julia, and Paola.  Grasse is the world capital of perfume.  When I told Pierre that we went to the perfume factory, he replied, “They have nothing but perfume factories in France!”  We toured the Fragonard Perfume factory, which was interesting.

One really cool thing about traveling and living in different places like I have been is that it totally expands my view of the world.  I mean, obviously, right?  But we were talking at dinner tonight about how many people there are in the world, and how you can never know all of them.  It’s so weird for me to think that there are like 5,999,999,999 (give or take a few hundred million…) people in the world right now that I will never meet, never know, never even realize exist!  Before two Sundays ago, Emir and Paola, for instance, did not exist in my world.  Now they do.  Isn’t that so weird to think about?  I mean, it’s a little self-absorbed: Emir and Paola didn’t exist in the little world that centers around me.  But what I mean is, before I met Emir and Paola, I had never met (that I know of or remember) anyone from Turkey or Brazil.  And now I have.  And in knowing them, I learn a little bit more about this world I live in.  Even meeting Kate, from Britain, is the same: even though I’ve met lots and lots of British, meeting someone new  still expands my knowledge of the world.  I’ll never ever be able to travel to everyplace on earth, but meeting people from all over is a little taste of all those places and all those peoples and all those cultures that God has created.  And, seriously, how cool is that?

ATTENTION : Pas de culte
à Antibes et à Vence dimanche 4 octobre

Dimanche 4 octobre à 11 h

CULTE
commun aux églises de la fédération protestante de France d’Antibes, Cannes, Grasse et Vence

à VALBONNE
Salle du Pré des Arts

11 h Culte d’ouverture de l’Année Calvin.
La prédication sera donnée par le pasteur Claude Baty, président de la fédération protestante de France

suivi d’un pique-nique tiré des sacs et, à 14h, “Chorale et Conte”

*

(Voir le programme général des manifestations : ici)

]]> http://erfantibesvence.wordpress.com/2009/10/02/rubrique-antibes-cagnes-vence-%e2%80%93-octobre-2009/ Fri, 02 Oct 2009 07:07:08 +0000 erfantibesvence http://erfantibesvence.wordpress.com/2009/10/02/rubrique-antibes-cagnes-vence-%e2%80%93-octobre-2009/

Agenda

Activités des groupes : consulter Au Fil des Jours

Année Calvin : voir rubrique triangle

Rentrée Triangle : dimanche 4 octobre 11 heures à Valbonne, salle du Pré aux Arts

Brocante Entraide Vence :

Friperie luxe : samedi 3 de  8 h 30 à 12 h 30 à Vence, place du Grand Jardin

Brocante : dimanche 11 au vide-greniers de Tourrettes-sur-Loup

Billet

“Calvin for ever” ! Ou “Back to the future”

La rédaction d’Échanges ayant choisi cette anglo-saxonnerie — “Calvin for ever” ! — pour illustrer le dernier billet d’Antibes/Vence du timbre émis par les postes françaises à l’occasion de cette année Calvin, j’enchaîne avec une autre anglo-saxonnerie : “Calvin : Back to the future”.

Comme Calvin était discret en matière de pub (cf. mon billet du mois dernier), son avenir fera-t-il aussi retour via nos commémorations dans la discrétion et la pudeur ?… À l’image du film “Retour vers le futur”, dont le héros, Marty, remonte le temps pour se voir nommer (dans la version originale “Back to the future”)… Calvin, rapport à son slip (ustensile de pudeur s’il en est !), griffé de la célèbre marque Calvin Klein, ce que sa future mère pense être son nom !

Reste de cela que Calvin semble obséder moins chez les Anglo-saxons que dans son pays… où, dans la version française de “Retour vers le futur”, Calvin est devenu… Pierre (de Pierre Cardin) — un nom un peu plus… papiste !

Roland Poupin

Famille :

Baptêmes,

au temple d’Antibes :

Ambroise et Renaud Portier, le 30 août,

Marc Rivoira, le 6 septembre,

à l’église St-Hugues de Vence :

Lila et Alba Béranger (petites filles de Christian et Édith Guidi), le 20 septembre.

Bénédictions nuptiales :

Rachel Bachellerie et Alexandre Viale, samedi 5 septembre à Tourrettes-sur-Loup

TRIANGLE

Agenda des manifestations année Calvin :

Vendredi 2 octobre à 20 h 30 à Grasse Chapelle Victoria : « Soirée Contes et Psaumes »

Dimanche 4 octobre à 11 heures à Valbonne : culte présidé par le pasteur Claude Baty, président de la Fédération Protestante

Vendredi 9 octobre à 20 h 30 à Cannes, Temple du Riou, rue Georges Clemenceau : conférence de P.Y. Kirschleger :  « Calvin, fondateur d’une civilisation »

Vendredi 16 octobre à 20 h 30 à Antibes, salle des associations 288 chemin de St Claude :   conférence du pasteur Thevenaz : « Actualité économique de Calvin »

Vendredi 23 octobre à 20 h 30 à Cannes,  « Café  théo » , à «l’‘En Cas » 32 bd Jean Jaurès, (rue de la gare SNCF, face au parking ) animé par R. Poupin et P. Lacoste

Dimanche 25 octobre à 11 heures, temple ERF de Cannes, 7 rue Notre Dame : culte de la Réformation présidé par Alain Houziaux.

blogues de Roland Poupin sur Internet  :

http://rolpoup1.zeblog.com

http://rolpoup2.zeblog.com

Côté KT : http://ktrolpoup.zeblog.com/c-kt-ados

by Joy Mason, Greenheart Travel French Language School participant.

Part II in Joy’s account of learning French in Antibes, France…

Thursday

I didn’t miss America until I came to France.  England is just enough like the States that I didn’t really miss America, I missed home.  But here, maybe because I’m talking with people of so many different nationalities but not so many Americans, I miss the actual U. S. of A.  I miss peanut butter, and when they talk about Obama (because they love Obama more than many Americans!), I think about how I haven’t been in the U.S. since Obama’s been President, which is just kind of weird.  I miss microwavable meals, which I haven’t had since Christmas, and all these other things not necessarily specific to my home but specific to America.

Speaking of home, I Skyped with Mom today from the house, and it was hilarious.  I kept speaking in French to her and in English to the Pravettonis, and the French and the English were getting so mixed up in my head.  But I know Mom liked seeing some of the people I’m living with (she only saw Isabelle and Alex), and I think they liked seeing her, too.

Tonight, with the Pravettonis, I am watching Jaws, which in French is called Les Dents de la Mer or “The Teeth of the Sea.”  I find that title funny.

Friday (June, 26 2009)

Today, Michael Jackson died.  Well, actually, Michael Jackson died yesterday, but we found out today.  Apparently Alex and Anthony are both big fans of Michael Jackson, so once I got back, we listened to Alex’s music collection of the King of Pop until Pierre got home.  While we listened, we played cards (I think cards is usually Antho’s idea, which is interesting, because it’s him that loves watching TV the most), played bowling and golf on the Wii (which they had planned since yesterday, and were very excited about), and Alex and I played MarioKart (at which I was awful, but that’s how it goes).

You know, doing exercise or playing games is a great way to learn a language.  People are usually speaking slower because they’re explaining something, and they’re using simple language.  The conversation usually centers around the game or exercise, so it’s easier to put new words in context, and you’re either having fun or exercising at the same time!  It’s been really helpful, actually, to play games/Wii/exercise with the family.

Saturday

Today I went to Cannes.  There were nine of us.  When we got off the bus, the first thing we saw was a market.  This market was not typical: it looked like Grandma and Grandpa had a garage sale, not even kidding.  There were all these random knick-knacky things like Grandma just saves: painted plates and boxes of matches and bronze ashtrays and ceramic figurines and stuff like that.

Anne and Kate and Katherine and I walked around old Cannes for a while, making it up to the castle/church/fort thing and a great view of Cannes, and then we went back to the newer part of town and went shopping.  Then we went to the beach for maybe an hour.  I like Antibes’ beach better.  And, finally, we found the handprints of the stars: Sydney Pollack (I always think I know who he is until I actually start talking about him), the late great Gregory Peck, Mel Gibson, and Chuck Norris.

Domenica scorsa si è svolta ad Antibes il Torneo Chapelain, classico appuntamento di inizio stagione per le formazioni under 14 femminili (domenica scora è stata la volta dei ragazzi under 14), passerella che vede tutte le formazioni incontrarsi in una competizione utile solo per stabilire i valori di ogni squadra e per poter selezionare i singoli atleti per la creazione di una sorta di “squadra dipartimentale”.

Ottima l’organizzazione e la riuscita della manifestazione con una massiccia  presenza di atlete , ben oltre 120 ragazze si sono affrontate in una giornata di sport e divertimento.

Al torneo hanno partecipato ben 15 formazioni del dipartimento Alpi Marittime suddivisi in 3 gironi. L’ABC Bordighera under 14 femminile si scontrata con l’Antiber, l’ASBTP Nizza, il Cagnes e il OMJAC Peymenaide vincendo 3 partite su quattro e mettendosi subito un luce seppur a ranghi ridotti.

Le ragazze allenate da Patrizia ROMEO hanno dimostrato che il 4° posto assouto dello scorso anno nel campionato dipartimentale e il 6° regionale della Cote d’Azur fu ampiamento conquistato sul campo.

Tre ragazze dell’ABC Bordighera sono sotto “osservazione” da parte dei tecnici per poter entrare a far parte della “selezione dipartimentale”, si attendono gli esiti nei prossimi giorni .

Unica nota dolente l’assenze di alcune atlete e il numero esiguo delle stesse per poter affrontare una stagione cercando di puntare in alto e ben figurare.

Da parte della società è in corso infatti una campagna di sensibilizzazione alla pratica della pallamano nella speranza che alcuni ragazzi/e intendano avvicinarsi a questo bellissimo sport.

Questa la formazione dell’ABC Bordighera per la stagione 2009-10:

SOFIA Giusy, TOLU Erica, GAGLIOLO Sabrina, SARNATARO Gabriella, PAPALIA Nina, CIGNA Valentina, MEJIRI Mirian, PELLARI Sabrina, BROI Raffaella .

Allenatore: ROMEO Patrizia.

I went to Vegas for the first time in 2006. I hated it. If I had my way, I would have never gone back, but, of course, circumstances arose and it was pretty much required. I learned, on my second time there, that Vegas is survivable even if you don’t love it.

For the record, the real problem is me. I needed to change my expectations. I wanted, this time, to make Vegas highbrow. And though I packed Sagan’s Bonjour Tristesse and Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and would have welcomed a discussion on health care or human rights in Zimbabwe with anyone, everyone else was too busy having a good time. A screaming drunk good time. I did manage, however, to enjoy a few things about Vegas.

First, the restaurants: Vegas has a dense concentration of restaurants from some of the best restauranteurs in the world. Robuchon? Boulud? Colicchio? All here. My suggestion? Keep eating and do not stop. During my trip, I went to Shibuya in the MGM Grand, Aureole in Mandalay Bay, and Daniel Boulud Brasserie in the Wynn. All were delicious. Our very attentive sake sommelier at Shibuya quickly became our friend after recommending a bottle, and threatened to give some of the best service I have ever had in a restaurant. When the computerized wine list at Aureole featuring over 3,000 bottles almost confused us, we enjoyed watching the “suspended wine getter” fetch bottles from their glass cellar. I treated a friend who had taken care of me all weekend (getting us on guest lists, picking me up from the airport, taking me to In-N-Out Burger and introducing me to their “vegetarian” options) to Boulud Brasserie, where she had the DB burger (typically served at DB Bistro Moderne), the famous sirloin burger stuffed with foie gras and black truffles. I may not have liked Vegas, but I LOVED the restaurants there.

Also, the shopping: Vegas is a shopping mecca, of course. Because if you win at the casinos, you’re going to need to spend that money somewhere.  I found the Palazzo and Fashion Square Mall to be relatively quiet, relaxing shopping centers. Barney’s New York was nearly empty. With only three potential customers, the sales personnel outnumbered us. I’m sure everyone else was busy picking which of the multiple Louis Vuitton “flagships” should be the center of their window shopping…

…Or they were at the pool: If someone told me there were one hundred pools on The Strip alone, I’d believe them. The MGM Grand itself has six swimming pools, one of which is Wet Republic, where they host pool parties complete with a DJ, drinks, and a velvet rope at the entrance. Pools are the new clubs, in Vegas. You’ll need to be on a guest list or have a reduced admission card to avoid paying $20 or more at the “door.” But this does not a relaxing afternoon make. The other pools around catch the run off of people who don’t want to pay a cover to swim, so the surrounding pools were just as rowdy and filled with people ready to party. An experience that has its place, but it wasn’t what I was looking for.

Lucky me, I was given VIP pool passes to the Wynn. At the time, I had no idea what that meant so I found my way to the Tower Suites, the portion of the hotel that was independently evaluated and granted the first five-star rating in Vegas, to pick up my pass from the concierge and subsequently passed easily by the doorman to find:

It was so beautiful, I had to hold back my excitement when I got to the pool. I reconciled my feelings by saying to myself “Obviously, this was modeled off of Hotel du Cap in Antibes. That’s why I like it so much.” So, I spent the rest of my day reading Bonjour Tristesse in an oversized hat, smiling…until a drunk hotel guest came around threatening to throw a lifeguard chair into the pool. By then, I decided it was time to enjoy dinner by Boulud.

xo

J. Justine

Shibuya, MGM Grand, 3799 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas 89109

Aureole, Mandalay Bay, 3950 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas 89119

Daniel Boulud Brasserie, Wynn Las Vegas, 3131 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas 89109

In-N-Out Burger, 2900 W. Sahara Avenue, Las Vegas 89102

DB Bistro Moderne, 55 West 44th Street, New York City 10036

The Shoppes at the Palazzo, 3325 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas 89109

Fashion Square Mall, 3200 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas 89109

Barney’s New York, The Shoppes at the Palazzo, 3325 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas 89109

Louis Vuitton, 3200 and 3500 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas 89109

MGM Grand, 3799 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas 89109

Wet Republic, MGM Grand, 3799 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas 89109

Wynn Las Vegas, 3131 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas 89109

Hotel du Cap, Blvd JF Kennedy, Cap-d’Antibes 06160