We have a small flat-screen TV in our bedroom in this apartment, which sits on one of three non-working fireplaces. It is the only TV in the apartment. France has an internet provider called Freebox, which includes internet, cable TV, and phones for 29 euros a month. This includes FREE long distance, including to the U.S.! Can't beat that! So I have tried it out and called home to Minnesota and Florida...and it works! Just hope the owner of this apartment doesn't get a bill!
I thought that cable TV would at least have some American stations. Nope. The only ones in English are CNN, CNBC Europe, and one called Sky (out of England). They also have lots of stations in other languages, which doesn't help me! Some of the music stations do have songs in English, but not always. CNN reports mostly politics, which gets old very fast. I have read that watching cartoons helps you learn a language, so I tune into them once in awhile....but get a little frustrated!
So, we are quickly getting out of the habit of TV-watching, which is just fine. We check in for headlines, and have decided to take a walk after dinner instead of being couch potatoes. Last night, after my beef bourgoinon dinner (from a French recipe), we walked past the Eiffel tower, a few blocks from our flat. It blinks for about 10 minutes every hour, and it is breathtaking. I have to pinch myself to take in that this is in our neighborhood! We then stopped at a cafe for a glass of wine and shared a crepe with chocolate and ice cream. Que la vie est belle!
My first attempt at taking and posting a video (we didn't know there was sound!)
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paris-scope (n): 1) an optical instrument for viewing objects that are above the level of direct sight; 2) a collection of paris-related stories from the lens of two Minnesotans
Blog Archive
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2008
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February
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- First visit home
- Getting around in Paris
- Finding a church
- The Market
- Our First Visitors
- Valentines Day
- French TV
- Time to go shopping
- A little more room
- Walking around Paris
- Apartment Hunting
- Qu'est-ce que c'est? - What is this?
- ahhh...... Starbucks!!!
- Staff good-bye party
- On our way - first stop - Rome
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February
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2 comments:
Breathtaking! I remember when living in Spain I enjoyed watching their Telenovelas (soap operas) because they were so over the top. You may have to find some to laugh at! But walking, exploring and talking to people is so much better than TV anyway. Hope Patrick and Tanya made it there safely and that you get to do some fun things together. Happy Valentine's Day...Anna sends kisses and hearts to you!
When we were in Paris, we enjoyed watching French Jeopardy. I forget why but we found it very entertaining. I think we could puzzle out the questions some of the time since they were short and written out. Also, Mark reminds me that they always bet the full amount on daily double and he thought that was a riot!
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