Why visit La Ciotat? Let these photos endear you to this lively Mediterranean seaport
Monday, March 20, 2017
TODAY'S WORD: le requin
: shark
I hope never to have the occasion to write a shark story....so am taking the opportunity, today, to feature the word--thanks to our opening photo and the little rainbow shark :-)
EXAMPLE SENTENCE & Sound File:
Click here to listen to Jean-Marc read the following sentence
Si tu gouvernes le requin en toi, tu seras un ange ; car tous les anges, c'est rien de plus que des requins bien gouvernés.
--Herman Melville, author
"If you gobern de shark in you, why den you be angel; for all angel is not’ing more dan de shark well goberned" (original text from the classic Moby Dick)
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE
by Kristi Espinasse
Before we begin today's photo périple through La Ciotat, I would like to encourage you now, more than ever, to increase your knowledge of the French language! You will then enjoy chance encounters with the local characters. There is nothing more rewarding, nothing more memorable, than these soulful cultural exchanges.
FRENCH VOCABULARY
le périple = journey
la truite = trout
le minou = cat
le poisson = fish
le requin = shark
les rue pavées = cobbled streets
la grue = crane
le salon nautique = boat show
à flot = afloat
la gare = train station
Le Bec D'Aigle = the eagle's beak
Stories you may have missed...
Is it safe to drink the water in France? Local readers respond.
THE BONJOUR EFFECT: The Secret Codes of French Conversation Revealed Paperback
FRENCH GROCERIES - including local delicacies like herbs, mustard, cakes
PROVENCE TABLECLOTH, French-themed linens for the house
A Message from Kristi: Ongoing support from readers like you keeps me writing and publishing this free language journal week after week. If you find value in this website and would like to keep it going strong, I kindly ask for your support by making a donation today. Thank you very much for being a part of this community and helping me to maintain this site and its newsletter.
Ways to contribute:
1. Paypal or credit card
2. A bank transfer via Zelle, a great way to send your donation as there are no transaction fees.
Or purchase my book for a friend, and so help spread the French word.
For more online reading: The Lost Gardens: A Story of Two Vineyards and a Sobriety
Lovely. One day I hope to stroll through La Ciotat and the botanical gardens. How to pronounce ciotat?
Posted by: Suzanne | Monday, March 20, 2017 at 01:13 PM
Lah see oh tah
Posted by: Kristin Espinasse | Monday, March 20, 2017 at 01:15 PM
I would say "primeur" or "alimintation"
Posted by: Sherry | Monday, March 20, 2017 at 01:27 PM
I would say Marchand de legumes, Fruitier
Posted by: Kris en Bretagne | Monday, March 20, 2017 at 01:37 PM
It looks beautiful. New discoveries with old and new friends. While visiting Houston this weekend I purchased a bottle of your wine. Chilled it and voilà. Delicious! And the color is amazing pinkish peach depending on the light. So beautiful.
Posted by: Nancy | Monday, March 20, 2017 at 01:42 PM
it is a green grocery, Épicerie verte
Posted by: rick chinn | Monday, March 20, 2017 at 01:43 PM
Ah yes--primeur! Thanks, Sherry
Posted by: Kristin Espinasse | Monday, March 20, 2017 at 01:48 PM
https://twitter.com/fbcci/status/843781051679948800
Posted by: John Hawke | Monday, March 20, 2017 at 01:51 PM
Thanks, Kris!
Posted by: Kristin Espinasse | Monday, March 20, 2017 at 02:09 PM
Le Ciotat est le berceau de la pétanque!
Posted by: gary | Monday, March 20, 2017 at 02:15 PM
All very exciting! So happy for you and can't wait to see pictures of the new house! La Ciotat looks like a very special place!!
Posted by: Susan | Monday, March 20, 2017 at 02:18 PM
Apologies everyone, I'm having trouble posting and this is just me trying.
Posted by: Margaret | Monday, March 20, 2017 at 02:41 PM
Thank you, Rick! A good list of synonyms is building here!
Posted by: Kristin Espinasse | Monday, March 20, 2017 at 02:58 PM
Encore, je vous remercie pour les informations sur La Ciotat !! Trying a little of my rusty French. I will stay there in September with my sister who has not visited France yet. We will be just on the other side of that beautiful big rock in the Park area. I now feel assured that I found a little gem for a week. I hope we see you strolling the village so I can say "bonjour". Merci bien pour les photos and bonne chance with you new home in beautiful La Ciotat !! I wonder which beach is the best for swimming, Kristi.
Patricia
Posted by: Patricia | Monday, March 20, 2017 at 03:40 PM
It all looks so wonderful, the sea, the port, the cliffs - I'm sure you will be visiting the gardens often. I am very happy for you and Jean-Marc and your upcoming adventures in your new life! I see many ourchins in your future!
Posted by: Judi | Monday, March 20, 2017 at 03:47 PM
Hi, Patricia, send me a note a week or so before you arrive and I hope we can meet up!
Posted by: Kristin Espinasse | Monday, March 20, 2017 at 03:48 PM
So Sweet !! How fun !! I will do so. We will be navigating the streets looking for the BEST coffee in our Jet Lag state of mind !!
Posted by: Patricia | Monday, March 20, 2017 at 03:58 PM
Merçi pour le periple ! I love the photos especially the typical street one (washing, cat shark(?) Seen so many times in our villages I love the marchand de legumes one and the cinema front . La Ciotat looks a lovely,lively place .You should be very content there .
Posted by: Audrey Wilson | Monday, March 20, 2017 at 04:16 PM
I have so many fond memories of La Ciotat. My husband and I were always on our bicycles(we cycled from La Cad)...and I hope you and J-M will find it a wonderful way to enjoy your new petit Marseilles.
Posted by: betsy foree | Monday, March 20, 2017 at 04:27 PM
Hi, Betsy, Good to read about your fond memories. Love that you mention La Ciotat as a new petit Marseilles. That is exactly how I see and describe it! P.S. I hope you saw my response about what kind of yoga: Hatha yoga.
Posted by: Kristin Espinasse | Monday, March 20, 2017 at 04:33 PM
Absolutely delighted to think that our recent bottling here ended up in Houston (thanks French Country Wines!) and in your hands and taste buds. Thanks, Nancy!
Posted by: Kristin Espinasse | Monday, March 20, 2017 at 04:34 PM
Idly surfing the net yesterday, I found this below on Youtube and caught up on some of what I’ve missed by only recently discovering this blog. If you are relatively new too, DO search for the video and then CLICK on the “more stories and photos” link underneath the video. I tried to reproduce both links here but then this wouldn’t post!
The YouTube video was entitled “Renovation project: Clip 1: East Side of House." The description was "Published on 16 Dec 2012. The first in a series of "before" footage of Mas des Brun, where we moved in September 2012. Jean-Marc talks about some of the things on the east side of the house: there is the garage (something to convert?), the pigeonnier (where the water tank used to be), the date plaque reading 1875, the old shutters and their character, the front deck … “ (This is followed by the “stories and photos” link).
On another note, I remember learning the word “grue” when my landlady in Nice, (I was teaching English there aged 21), told me one day that her small grandson was very keen on “les grues” meaning cranes. (It also means crane – the bird). Then she smiled tight-lipped and added “comme son père” (like his father). When I made a naïve response, she explained that it also meant prostitutes. This was 1960 and I was quite shocked. And I felt sad for her grandson and her daughter.
Posted by: Margaret | Monday, March 20, 2017 at 05:09 PM
Your cat photo is one of the best street scenes you have ever found! When walking the streets in France I'm always looking up because I never know what I'll find. Your picture beats mine of a cat traversing a roof peak.
Posted by: Julie Farrar | Monday, March 20, 2017 at 06:54 PM
Thank you, Julie!
Posted by: Kristin Espinasse | Monday, March 20, 2017 at 08:59 PM
"Minou" was the nickname of a young boy in a family I met in Besançon in 1954 -- 63 years later, I now know what it meant!
Posted by: Allen Hawthorne | Monday, March 20, 2017 at 10:02 PM
Our dear Kristi,
Thank you for this wonderful tour!
Such a beautiful,filled with life place!
So very well worth the wait to find your lovely new home!
Thrilled for you!
Blessings always to you and your dear family as you begin the exciting next step of your journey!
Love
Natalia XO
PS A bit of silly trivia:Julia Child's cat was,in fact, (I believe?) named "Minou"!
Posted by: Natalia | Monday, March 20, 2017 at 10:29 PM
I am so happy for you! La Ciotat is one of my favourite places in the south of France. I love the slightly shabby old town, the calanques, the markets, the nearby Routes des Cretes, Kitch & Cook restaurant. I also feel attracted to the sense of "reality" in this place - it has undergone so much hardship, that the people are warm and real. We nearly moved here ourselves, but decided on Nice 3 years ago instead. All the best to your family!
Posted by: D. Morgan | Tuesday, March 21, 2017 at 10:51 AM
D, I so enjoyed your thoughts about La Ciotat! You are saying exactly what I am feeling! I hope to share your comment in a future post (if my thoughts dont scatter too much before my intentions kick in!) Thanks, too, for the restaurant recommendation. I have just now followed them on Facebook and look forward at Kitch Cook!
Posted by: Kristin Espinasse | Tuesday, March 21, 2017 at 02:32 PM
Dear Kristi,
Looking back as a reader I remember feeling this same kind of excitement for you when you moved to Mas des Brun. The new and exciting can become the familiar and comfortable and entrenched in the heart forever. And so for your family a new beginning, with all the experiences that enriched your lives at Mas des Brun to help you move forward. The human spirit is strong and, I believe, gains from change.
Your photo of the cat in the window reminds me of my student days in Paris when I walked through an inner courtyard to my apartment, past a kitty cat basking in the sun by the door. I would greet it with "minou, minou" and it always hissed back. I finally decided to stop interrupting its reverie!
Posted by: Chris Allin | Tuesday, March 21, 2017 at 04:16 PM
Hi Kristin,
Thanks for sharing the photos of your future town with us, it looks lovely! My husband and I have been to different parts of France a couple of times over the years and have enjoyed every minute of this charming and diversified country (including Provence); however, we have never been to La Ciotat but would love to some day!
Good luck with the sale of your current home and the purchase of the new one. I'm actually going through the same thing with the selling and buying of my home as you are and it can be pretty stressful but at the same time, I'm feeling excited at the prospect of a new place, a new lifestyle and a new beginning. Keep up your interesting blog and I look forward to reading your adventures once you move to La Ciotat!
Posted by: Antoinette | Tuesday, March 21, 2017 at 05:16 PM
look forward to seeing you guys in Sept and seeing your new home, Congrats, Love to all ,Lou
Posted by: lou bogue | Tuesday, March 21, 2017 at 08:08 PM
look forward to seeing you guys in Sept and your new home, Congrats, Love to all Lou
Posted by: lou bogue | Tuesday, March 21, 2017 at 08:10 PM
Hi Kristi,
La Ciotat looks beautiful! Can't wait to see more photos and read more stories from this lovely town!
Posted by: Eileen deCamp | Wednesday, March 22, 2017 at 01:26 AM