Thursday, September 20, 2012

Paris, Je Suis Pret.. Almost

In about eight days, my long awaited journey to Europe begins!

I just purchased my three-day Paris City Pass online from l'Office du Tourisme de Paris for 71 euro which is inclusive of unlimited public transportation including the metro and RER within the City,  access to over 60 museums, including a priority line to the Louvre, and a 1.5 hour cruise on the Siene.

After weeks of scouring the internet for the best deal on an authentic Parisian cooking class, I also finally booked a Macaron Pause class at La Cuisine Paris which consistently got standing ovations from all the reviews I have seen.  It also met my other conditions namely: 1. Must not take up an entire day, 2.  Must have instruction in English, and 3. Must not break the bank.  I'm amazed that some of these classes run up to 200 euro.  Although I would have loved a market tour pre-class with a local Parisian at a true Parisian abode cooking a four course French meal (those do exist), it is a bit risque to commit half a day and a quarter of my budget on a single activity.


The interesting thing is that this will be the FIRST thing I'd get to do while in Paris (unless I manage to scalp Balanchine tickets on the night of the performance at the Garnier).

Oh my, the adventures and experiences that await me, I cannot even fathom right now!

I have taken down from the shelves the French language books I've amassed three years ago and oui, I have been making progress.  If anyone is needing to learn French the quick, dirty and effective way, I highly recommend listening to Coffee Break French, a podcast produced by Radio Lingua Network, on your daily work commute.

Another fun and effective way to learn le Francais, is from an iPhone app/game called French Mind Snacks. I was inspired by my four year old nephew who is learning how to read from an interactive online game.  So I modeled the idea and have found this tool very effective and fun.. and quite addicting actually.  :)




Okay, a tout le monde - a bientot et a plus tarde!  Bon soiree!

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