Au pays de Rabelais et des soeurs Tatin...

Join us on the last “French on your plate” workshop before the summer break!  Come along and enjoy hearing and speaking French with us all evening in the beautiful and friendly surroundings of Cook’s Barn, join in the preparation of the meal and explore one of the most attractive parts of France: “The Loire Country”, its history, its traditions and culinary specialties. Christine and I are looking forward to welcoming you one more time!

Saturday 23^rd of June – 4pm to 8pm.   A few spaces still available! (£60 including tuition, documents, cookery demonstration and meal plus a glass of wine)

L'ami Prévert à Madingley

What a magical weekend at Madingley Hall that was.  The beautiful surroundings helped of course but so did being in the company of Jacques Prévert, the most celebrated of French poets of the XXth century (1900-1977).  Prévert sailed through life no matter how stormy his was, with style, his inimitable style, beaming with love, laughter and joie de vivre surrounded by the most celebrated artists of his time (most of them totally unknown then) such as Yves Tanguy, Desnos, André Breton, Aragon, Picasso, and scores of others forming around him “La bande à Prévert” .  He never took himself seriously but others did who gathered the poems he had written over the years, given to friends or sent to various magazines.  That compilation was published in 1945 under the title of “Paroles”, his first book that made him famous overnight.  The title was well chosen as “paroles” in French means “spoken words” and that’s exactly what Prévert did all his life, from childhood onwards. He talked, amused, entertained and inspired his family and friends constantly.  He also protested, contested, criticised and fought for his ideas, always with words.   Prévert wrote as he spoke and very eloquently at that, although the words were simple and the images poetic and moving.  He reached a wide audience immediately. His poems were set to music by Joseph Kosma and singers such as 
Yves Montand or Edith Piaf made them even more popular. 

Some songs were heard in Marcel Carné’s  most celebrated films “Les feuilles mortes” (known as “Autumn leaves”) for example and “Les enfants qui s’aiment” in “Les portes de la nuit”.  « Démons et merveilles »  in « Les visiteurs du soir ».  Prévert had also written the dialogues for these.  He had done so for another equally major film of the period: « Les Enfants du Paradis”.  People knew the songs and the films even when they didn’t know the name of Prévert.  These are only a few of his many accomplishments as he was altogether a playwright, an artist, a political activist, an entertainer, a poet and the most faithful of friends.   He spent most of his life in the heart of Paris in Saint-Germain de Prés where he was born and grew up in dire conditions. Friend of the great photographer Robert Doisneau who shared his long walks through Paris, he happens to be one of the most photographed celebrities in France.  “L’ami  Prévert” as he was called is the person we discovered at the weekend.  We were able to read, see and even hear him.  We read his poems and listened to his songs.  We watched his films and his beautiful cartoons, “Le petit soldat” and “Le roi et l’oiseau” made with Paul Grimault.  We set our eyes on his “collages” and found ourselves totally involved in creating our own poems and pictures.  He was such an inspiration to all! And then as Tim said at the end of the course, we left Madingley “ en sortant de la colle”, with a head full of music, images, words and birds and a heart filled with the memories of Jacques Prévert who would probably laugh at the thought of his having become a “classic”.

At our next gathering for an Intermediate French Course this time, to take place on July 14th (how appropriate!) we'll take a look at the way the French enjoy their holidays. For further details contact Madingley Hall directly.

Relaxing long weekend in rural France May 25th-28th 2012

Join us to relax in the rural peace of Mayenne at the end of May. The Mayenne is known throughout France (dare we say the world) for its food and wine. Being part of the Loire region, it also has a fair sprinkling of châteaux for good measure. The region is rich in history, culture and tradition. It has throughout the centuries managed to retain old fashioned values and is still to this date remained relatively unspoiled by modern life.

This residential weekend will take place in a pastoral landscape, at “Les Vallées”, near Le Mans where you will be able to experience the beautiful landscape, breathe, relax and improve your French at your own pace. 

The weekend will be led by an experienced tutor who specialises in “accelerated language learning” techniques and this should enable you to master a few mechanisms of the language quite rapidly. You will learn about local delicacies and partake in shopping and making regional dishes! No trip to France with The Way to France would be complete without excursions to local attractions, and being so close to Le Mans, we will be sure to go to Sunday Market and enjoy one of the best preserved medieval town centres in the whole of Europe. You will of course have heard of Le Mans because of the 24 hour races, but did you know that it used to be the papal centre of France and that many films such as "Le Mans" with Steve McQueen, "Cyrano" with Gérard Depardieu and "The Man in the Iron Mask" with Jeremy Irons and Leonardo DiCaprio were shot there? And of course you'll want try or enjoy if you are already the connoisseur "rillettes" from Le Mans! 

The language and cultural activities will be conducted in French and cater for all levels and abilities, though our hosts are English expats who have made their dream home in France. "Les Vallees" also has spa facilities on site and our programme will allow you plenty of time to make use of the facilities, or simply relax and enjoy a glass of wine in the gardens overlooking the stunning countryside.

Prices include full B&B for 3 nights' with meals and refreshments throughout the workshops and 20 hours of French language and culture tuition in a small group:

260€ per person sharing a room
305€ per person for a single room

165€ per person without accommodation, should you live locally or prefer to stay elsewhere.
 
Excludes travel expenses and outings, yet we can advise you on how to get there as you have the option of planes, trains and automobiles!

Contact us to find out more!

"A taste of Provence"

What an evening that was once again!  We transported ourselves, all fourteen of us, all the way to sunny Provence.  We marvelled at the colours of its landscapes,the vibrant ochre hues of the village of Roussillon, the dry dazzling white of Le Mont Ventoux, the deep blue of the Mediterranean Sea at one with the sky.  We visualised the rocky coast of the Côte d'Azur and its spectacular calanques, even heard  cigales' monotonous shrieking in the heat of a summer day, thanks to Corentin's perfect imitation. We also learnt about pétanque and pastis and about the importance of the shape of  wine bottles (but that shall remain a secret).  The fascinating Museum of Ménerbes entirely dedicated to corkscrews was mentioned and a hundred of other little details that make a region quite unique.  We even went to the market and sang Gilbert Bécaud's famous song "Les Marchésde Provence" full of all the vocabulary we needed for cooking our meal, complete with the accent de Marseille!
And there was a quiz or two one involving the mind, the other one making us guess the name of ingredients through tasting and smelling.  Not as easy as it sounds! There was also the most exciting hands -on cooking experience under Christine's expert guidance.  This ended with a very tasty Provençal meal that was enjoyed by all.  Many of us found it hard to leave and went on speaking French over a glass of Cointreau at the cosy bar of Cook's Barn until much much later...  That was another memorable night.
Remember that you can join us too.  There are two more workshops before the summer break.  The next one  on Wednesday 9th of May at the usal time of 6pm will explore the whole region of the south of France from the Alps to the Atlantic Ocean.  The last one on Saturday 23rd of June will start at 4pm.   We will take you to the Pays de la Loire.  Remember numbers are limited so do let us know if you wish to attend as soon as you can.  See you soon!

" J'irai revoir ma Normandie ♪ "

What a pleasure it was to spend a few moments in the company of our friends at Cook's Barn, our familiar venue, last Thursday. Our last workshop took us to the beautiful coast of Normandy from the white cliffs of Etretat to the famous beaches of D Day landings in Arromanches. We went inland to Rouen where we discovered the Gros Horloge surrounded by old Norman houses with"colombages" and the XVth century stained glass windows set in the futuristic architecture of Jeanne d'Arc church. We enjoyed Caen and its Peace Memorial, Bayeux and we discovered that the spectacular Jumièges cathedral was identical to the first Westminster Abbey...

We also visited Villequier and were moved by the tragedy that struck Victor Hugo's family there when his beloved daughter, Leopoldine was drowned in the river Seine. Lots of local celebrities were mentioned and then we moved on as usual onto our favourite topic.... gastronomy and what better place than Normandy for it!

We enjoyed studying the recipes, played with the vocabulary and learned lots of idiomatic expressions. Once the linguistic side of things was mastered we went to the kitchen and starting cooking under Christine's supervision.   Last but not least we sat round the table to enjoy a beautiful meal were cream, butter and cheese ruled! We ended the evening singing quite appropriately the classic "J'irai revoir ma Normandie".  Memorable!  Our next workshop will be a first as it will take place on a Saturday and start at 4.30pm.  A few places are still available.  Contact us soon as possible to share in the fun.  We'll help you prepare for your next holiday in the South of France the topic will be "A taste of Provence".

The "name game" at Madingley Hall

What a weekend that was! Our latest residential French course took place in beautiful Madingley Hall near Cambridge and the experience is still lingering in our memory.  We gathered in the spacious Board Room on Friday night after a superb candlelit dinner.  Surrounded by some fifty  portraits of French celebrities looking down on us with mysterious smiles on their faces! Armed with maps, brochures, books and encyclopedias, we embarked on a very special journey.  The aim of the course was to place in time and in space some of the famous writers, artists, musicians, scientists, historical figures or politicians whose names are attached to the streets and avenues of France as well as to schools and buildings of all sorts. A wealth of history and culture is bound up in those street names.

Very often the celebrity comes from that town or region and there will be a museum and places to visit, festivals, exhibitions and lectures to attend throughout the year, centennials and bicentennials to take part in.  This is the case in England too where Thomas Hardy, D.H. Lawrence or Beatrix Potter amongst others are remembered in that fashion.  However in France this phenomenon takes a much greater dimension.  We explored France region by region from north to south and west to east.

We even had the pleasure of welcoming Thirza Vallois on Saturday afternoon who delighted the audience with a powerpoint presentation of the region of l'Aveyron.  Thirza, better known for her historical guides of Paris  has recently written a book about the place and the people of that part of France: "Aveyron, A bridge to French Arcadia".
We met of course the great figures of Victor Hugo, Maupassant, Colette,  Pasteur or Monet but many more names equally important. Equally interesting to discover: someone like Paul Riquet whose masterpiece the "Canal du Midi" is now part of Unesco World Heritage along side the great pyramids of Egypt. We also learned about Jean Jaurès the great political figure assassinated on the eve of the First World War and whose name has been given to 414 schools and lycées.  Flora Tristan was the first French feminist and grandmother of Paul Gauguin, and Parmentier the promoter of the potato to the French. We also remembered beloved comic actor Bourvil and the unforgattable entertainer Josephine Baker, the latter whose name hs been given to a square in the XIVth arrondissement in Paris.  Many other celebrities and historical figures popped in throughout the weekend and by the end there was quite a crowd around the seventeen initial people who took part in the course!  Now they will no longer be travelling through France without trying to find out the story behind the street signs.