FRENCH WORD-A-DAY

In autumn, when the sky turns gray, all the hidden colors come out to have their say. While strolling with my dear friend Susan, my eyes drank in this vibrant scene, along a cobbled path in Vieux Lyon. The stones in the back wall seem to have caught the colorful fever. Notice how their colors reflect those of the giant balls of light. More color for you in today's edition.

le soleil liquide (so-lay-lee-keed)

    : liquid sunshine (aka rain)

Audio File: listen to Jean-Marc read the following sentence in French: Download MP3 or Wav file

Nous avons tous apprécié l'énergie et l'optimisme de notre manager de croisière, Sebastien, qui nous a souvent rappelé que la pluie n'était que du soleil liquide! We all appreciated the energy and optimism of our cruise manager, Sebastien, who often reminded us that rain was no more than liquid sunshine!

A Day in a French Life... by Kristin Espinasse

Just a few snapshots for you today. There are many anecdotes to share, but it is Sunday—a day to think of other things besides writing. 

Le soleil liquide...
Besides the photos, here is a wonderful expression you might employ right away. It's guaranteed to make those around you smile. I heard it on our trip when our talented and friendly cruise director, Sebastien, ushered us out of the boat and into the sometimes gray and raining skies. Allez-y! He said when we searched for our umbrellas. C'est du soleil liquide!

From there on out we called Sebastien "Mr. Sunshine".  

I first learned the term "bouchon" from readers, who kindly offered their tips on What to do in Lyon, here.

Yellow feuilles, a salon de thé called Banana's, and a popular mode of transportation...

What is the bouchon - cochon connection? Your comments welcome here. While you're there, who can explain why bouchon does not mean "cork" in Lyon?...

For the love of letters...

To the left, my long-time chum, Susan, a.k.a. "Rouge-Bleu". (Yes, this is where we got the name for the wine Jean-Marc used to make!)

In other subjects, for those looking for some French tunes to cheer the home this season--all the while helping to improve one's Français, check out this CD:

French Christmas Music: "Mon Beau Sapin", "Saint Nuit", "La Marche des Rois", "Petite Ville Bethléem", "Il est né Le Divin Enfant". Order CD here.

This photo was snapped from the inside of the tour bus. Lyon was covered in gold this week (mental note: mid November is a great time to see the French countryside and the towns)

These cheeky guignols seem to say, Revenez nous voir! Come back and see us again! The sign in the puppet's hand (to the right) reads:  Oyez Oyez, les gônes, prochain spectacle... Hear ye, Hear year Children, the next show is at... 

In case you missed them, I posted a few more photos from the croisière here, in the previous edition called fluviale. 

***

Voilà, we've come to the end of our photo spectacle. Hope you've enjoyed a brief glimpse of Old Lyon. More pictures coming soon... Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

For those who would enjoy another story here is one, along with a random amusing expression: les fleurs de cimetière. Find out what cemetery flowers really mean in French... click here.

A shop dog in Grignan -- a town in the Drôme made famous by Madame de Sévigné. (Re today's photo: You can just see my mom's reflection in the shop window. She's wearing a bright-colored poncho. See her? And see another picture of our tech savvy chien at the end of this post).

Thank you for all the French words and expressions! Please keep sending them in, via the comments box, where we continue to play our "Point & Discover" French word game*... speaking of which... here is a fun term that reader Dorothy Dufour just sent in:

mouchoir-pouchoir (moosh-wahr-poosh-wahr) noun, masculine
    : hanky-panky

[from "mouchoir" ("handkerchief" or "hanky") & "pouchoir" (a made-up French word that rhymes with "mouchoir")]

See this word... and many more endearing terms and expressions, here.

To comment on today's term, "mouchoir-pouchoir" please use this box:

*To play the word game along with us:

1. Cover your eyes
2. Open a French dictionary to a random page. Let your finger drop to the page.
3. Discover the word beneath your fingertip.

If you do not have a dictionary handy, you might share the first word that comes
to mind. Don't forget to add the definition and any related expressions to the
comments box.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~Shopping~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Learn French in a Hurry: Grasp the Basics of Français Tout De Suite

French "vine therapy" for the hands: Caudalie Hand And Nail Cream

SmartFrench: CD-rom for Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced French learning