SURPRISING TURN OF EVENTS – FRENCH IMMERSION: DAY 3
What a ‘pleasure’ is to find out, the day of an organized event, that the venue changed their hours without notice!
This is what happened to us today.
Also, last night I received a note from our beloved René-Gustave (our guide from “Parisien d’un jour”) that he had an accident during his tennis training and he may not be able to show us the hidden Paris later this week.
Well, my philosophy is that there are at least 2 solutions to any problem, so here is what we did…
Today: How the 6th sense came to the rescue during a French immersion
(Read about our day 1 and day 2)
Palais Garnier and Sacré Cœur
We met in front of the Catacombes de Paris which has one sign “Ouvert tous les jours” and a second that reads “Fermé le lundi”.
We had no choice but to believe, with a heavy heart, the second sign…
Oh, such a great anticipation was, in a minute, blown in the wind!
Well, we picked ourselves up, wiped the tears 🙂 and went to a ‘second’ option: le Palais Garnier.
It’s true, you see it in the pictures, in the films, but there is nothing like seeing it with your naked eye – Le Grand Foyer with all its 18 meters in height and 13 meters in width (yes, it’s higher than it is wide) and with the unbelievable paintings copied from the Sixtine Chapel on its ceiling.
I made a little video for you (which you’ll see next week) but it definitely doesn’t make justice to the close encounter.
Then, wondering which sites would be best for us to strike an interesting conversation, a thought flashed in my mind that our guide won’t be able to climb the stairs of Montmartre, so we should go there by ourselves and see how we can discover the hidden pearls of the famous hill.
So we went, and did discover hidden stairways, and took a short video inside Sacré Cœur before we were stopped by a security guard with a scary hissing. Ashamed, I put the camera away, to later discover that everyone was taking pictures or making videos in the hiding.
I’ll show you that video next week too.
We’ll see what tomorrow brings as we are shifting our schedule – fun to be surprised and having to adjust on the go!
(check out the complete brochure of the J’Ouellette® French immersion retreat 1:1 here)
NOW IT IS YOUR TURN!
Which part of this article most resonated with you and why? What is the one action that you’ll take today? 🙂
Let me guess.
Do you constantly have the feeling that you can’t hear what the French say and you don’t know how to read all the French words because they are written so much differently than they sound?
Learn 3 secrets that will help you be self sufficient in the way you pronounce French words – even if you don’t know what they mean – so that you can read that sophisticated menu in your favorite French restaurant.
Immerse yourself as you FINALLY reach your dream of becoming bilingual, learn to speak Parisian French on Skype and BREAK your language barrier!
…and now, please SHARE this article with your friends. They’ll love you for it! : )
Always in your corner,
Llyane
Photo credit: Amazon.com, A.G.Photographe
When I go on trips, I do a little of both. I’ll have a set itinerary but I’ll set it loosely to where I give myself room to do whatever. So if I feel like doing something a bit more relaxing, then I give myself the option to chill. If I suddenly feel like being really active, then I take the option to go do that. That’s usually why when I travel I usually keep a handy copy of Lonely Planet with me at all times for ideas. 🙂
Lovely idea, Jennifer 🙂
When I visit a big city I like to have an itinerary where one day is spent doing / seeing something in the city, and the next day is spent doing something at a slower pace in a natural setting like visiting a park or garden, abbey or forest, ancient civilization or rock formation! That way you get a break from the hustle and bustle of a city activity and get to take a breath! Alternating like this gives you a more balanced and relaxing vacation and satisfies my need to be with nature!
Of course, cafés are a must every day!
nice approach, Catherine 🙂