9/11/11

On 9th September 2001, I was living at home in the box room, single, working in a crappy office job day dreaming about travelling and working abroad. The events that day proved life is to short and made me work towards my dream, which I achieved. I went overseas, made new friends and fell in love.
Now after watching all news coverage today, I took time to reevaluate my life - I'm back living at home in the box room, single, working in another crappy office job still day dreaming about travelling but the dream is to own my own home and lots of visits to France....and a certain film festival.

Mercredi Orange - One Day

After one day together -- July 15, 1988, their college graduation -- Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew begin a friendship that will last a lifetime. She is a working-class girl of principle and ambition who dreams of making the world a better place. He is a wealthy charmer who dreams that the world will be his playground. For the next two decades, key moments of their relationship are experienced over several July 15ths in their lives. Together and apart, we see Dex and Em through their friendship and fights, hopes and missed opportunities, laughter and tears. Somewhere along their journey, these two people realize that what they are searching and hoping for has been there for them all along.
http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/o/One-Day/index-11870659.html

I didn't want to see this film, love stories are not my cup of tea but I had seen everything else (that wasn't 3D). It wasn't as bad as I was expecting, abit long, Anna Hathaway's terrible and bizarre English accent and I won't be rushing to buy the book. However some parts I compared to my relationship with Monsieur X, especially the parts were Dexter was being a selfish dick and Emma would still be there for me and love him unconditionally.

Life imitating Art or Art imitating Life - it's all the same to me.

Mercredi Orange - Cowboys and Aliens

1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution.The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don't welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde. It's a town that lives in fear. But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation. United against a common enemy, they will prepare for an epic showdown for survival.
http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/c/Cowboys-amp-Aliens/index-10016316.html

Ok it's not going to win any Oscars and the aliens looked like puppets with string, but it was good fun. Daniel Craig was excellent kicking ass (you can take the man out of Bond but you can't take Bond out of the man), even thou it looked a bit skinny. Wasn't impressed with Harrison Ford's performance, I felt he was abit wooden. Cowboys and Aliens was over the top, but unique (I have never seen a film with cowboys and aliens in it at the same time). A good Wednesday evening viewing but I hope there isn't a sequel.

My French Movie Weekend

August is turning out to be a busy month, not with a social life, holidays or long hours at work, but with relaxing and distressing. Letting things go over my head instead of screwing up my head. Ah Oui,  I think there is light at the end of my Monsieur X  tunnel.

What a French themed film weekend I have had. My arse hasn’t moved from the sofa (apart from trips to the bathroom and the kitchen) and being home alone this weekend I could watch subtitled movies in peace. So where do I start order of preference or viewing.? I think viewing

Les Aventures Extraordinaires d'Adele Blanc-Sec (The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec)

Desperate to cure her near catatonic sister, intrepid authoress Adèle Blanc-Sec braves ancient Egyptian tombs and modern Egyptian lowlife to locate a mummified doctor and get him back to Paris. Her hope is that oddball Professor Espérandieu will then use his unusual powers to bring the doctor back to life so he, in turn, can use his centuries-old skills on the unfortunate sister. In Paris however Espérandieu is already causing mayhem, having brought to life what was a safe museum egg but is now a very active pterodactyl. Paris 1911 may not be the healthiest place to be. Written by Jeremy Perkins {J-26}
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1179025/

 
 
This wasn’t as good as I expecting it to be from the reviews. It was still enjoyable to watch when you want to rest your brain on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Very much a mixture of Indiana Jones and The Mummy movies and as I thought those movies were just OK, it’s no surprise that I found Adèle Blanc-Sec was alright or maybe it was Gilles Lellouche's comedy moustache that makes me rate this film as Ok instead of brilliant.


Les Rivieres Pourpres (The Crimson Rivers)

Veteran cop Pierre Niemans is sent to Guernon to investigate a bizarre murder near a legendary private school isolated in the Alps. And it's no ordinary murder; the killer has been very methodical, leaving twisted inexplicable clues to his motive. Meanwhile Max Kerkerian, an impetuous young cop and former car thief, arrives at a desecrated graveyard 180 miles away. Someone has disturbed the grave of a child who died twenty years before. These two seemingly random events are about to collide as the separate investigations lead the detectives right to one another. The more experienced Niemans begrudgingly joins forces with the brash Max to track down the killer. Despite his ribbing and constant sarcastic banter, Max respects the older cop. The two crimes are assuredly linked--but how? What could the prestigious school possibly have to hide?

Next! Crimson Rivers - Can always rely on the French to give me a good to brilliant thriller. It seems they love a few twists in a story. I think Vincent Cassel and Jean Reno must be the coolest Frenchies to walk the earth. I never knew there was a sequel - The Crimson Rivers II: The Angels of the Apocalypse. That’s on top of my things to do list now - search for a cheap DVD of it.

Les Petits Mouchoirs (Little White Lies)

Of course I have already praised and raved about Little White Lies ( See my previous blog entry - Le Petit Monchoirs - J’adore Cap Ferret) but watching this film which is set in beautiful Cap Ferret again (and again) makes me reminisce about my week there with Monsieur X in 2009. Cycling around the area trying to find the film set as they were filming at the time.


Caché (Hidden)

Georges, who hosts a TV literary review, receives packages containing videos of himself with his family--shot secretly from the street--and alarming drawings whose meaning is obscure. He has no idea who may be sending them. Gradually, the footage on the tapes becomes more personal, suggesting that the sender has known Georges for some time. Georges feels a sense of menace hanging over him and his family but, as no direct threat has been made, the police refuse to help.... written by Simon Jones
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387898/

As I said a few sentences ago, I think the French make the best thrillers and I love the twists and turns but this film was too slow for me. I found myself fast forwarding parts. I know filming the front of the house was part of the storyline but it was very dull and even on fast forward it was far to long.




Panique au village ( A Town Called Panic)

Animated plastic toys like Cowboy, Indian and Horse have problems, too. Cowboy and Indian's plan to surprise Horse with a homemade birthday gift backfires when they destroy his house instead. Surreal adventures take over as the trio travel to the center of the earth, trek across frozen tundra and discover a parallel underwater universe where pointy-headed (and dishonest!) creatures live. With panic a permanent feature of life in this papier mâché town, will Horse and his girlfriend ever be alone? Written by Anonymous
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1433540/

This film was perfect for a French beginner like me, slower and more understandable but it couldn’t keep me awake. Boring!





Finally non of the films gave me any more ideas on how I can get to France or the Cannes Film Festival. However I’m more determined to watch more French films, learn the language and visit that beautiful country again.

Mercredi Orange - Super 8

‘In the summer of 1979, a group of friends in a small Ohio town witness a catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie and soon suspect that it was not an accident. Shortly after, unusual disappearances and inexplicable events begin to take place in town, and the local Deputy tries to uncover the truth - something more terrifying than any of them could have imagined.’
http://uk.specials.movies.yahoo.com/super8/

I loved this movie. A big melting pot of Spielberg and 80’s movies all mixed into a two hour film, I felt like a kid again and I didn’t look at my watch once an extra star rating earned for that. The kids weren’t so annoying (in my option most American kids in movies are annoying), but just a comment to the fat kid - you will never be Chunk from the Goonies.

It was good to have some 80s nostalgia, but is there any chance Filmmakers could be make something original instead of using ideas from their idols.

Mercredi Orange - Rise of the Planet of the Apes

‘Set in present day San Francisco, the film is a reality-based cautionary tale, a science fiction/science fact blend, where man's own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy.’
http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/r/Rise-of-the-Planet-of-the-Apes/index-10485240.html

Could that really happen??? Probably. Will it really happen? Maybe. After the riots in Boredville a few weeks ago maybe it has happened already. No! I’m being stupid as apes are more intelligent and well behaved compare to the scum destroying everything in sight.

Yes the ape special effects were very good, but so was the story and acting. Ok it didn’t have much to live up to after Planet of the Apes in 2001 (even my love for Mark Wahlberg could not make that movie enjoyable) however it was good escapism after a busy day….or maybe its the future not escapism.

I so need to stop over analyzing everything.

Mercerdi Orange - Captain America ( a break from the riots)

'Captain America: The First Avenger' will focus on the early days of the Marvel Universe when Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) volunteers to participate in an experimental program that turns him into the Super Soldier known as Captain America. As Captain America, Rogers joins forces with Bucky Barnes  and Peggy Carter to wage war on the evil HYDRA organization, led by the villainous Red Skull.
http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/features/captain-america/

 

After a two nights of rioting in Boredville, having to evacuate my city centre office in the afternoon after warnings from the police that the area isn't safe - no thug was going to stop me from my Wednesday trip to the cinema.  Where is Captain America when you need him? When Boredville was looking like a scene from Planet of the Apes (even thou Apes are way more intelligent than the yobs).

After Thor, Captain America had a tough job in matching the long haired hero with a hammer, and as I usually get bored of a long film, knowing this was two hours long- the Captain had to keep me interested.  He did, I never looked at my watch once and being the shallow human being that I am.  I did prefer the beefed up Captain America to the skinny Steven Rogers and I did find it alittle weird Dominic Cooper playing Robert Downing Jr's Dad ( the Starks).  With another connection to next year's Avengers movie which is suppose to included Thor and Iron Man as well as CA, I hope it lives up to the hype and anticipation. 

I give it: 4 stars

As for the the low life scum - they can take the Orange phones, they can smash up the Orange shops but they weren't going to wreak Orange Wednesday for me.

Mercredi Orange - Point Blank (A Bout Portant)

'Samuel is a happily married nurse working in a Paris hospital. When his very pregnant wife is kidnapped before his helpless eyes, everything falls apart. After being knocked unconscious, he comes to and his cell phone rings: he has three hours to get Sartet, a man under police surveillance, out of the hospital. Samuel quickly finds himself pitted against rival gangsters and trigger-happy police in a deadly race to save the lives of his wife and unborn child.'
http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/p/Point-Blank-A-Bout-Portant/index-11424735.html

Mercredi Orange without the Orange, not used to paying full price on a Wednesday, but it had to be done and it was worth the £6.50, the long wait to see in Boredville (it was released months ago in the UK) and the inconvenience of not being able to eat in the cinema.

After a few months of watching films, 30 - 45 minutes too long (Transformers and Bridesmaid being the longest), it was good to watch a 84 minutes long film packed with twists and turns, Goodies and Baddies or maybe Baddies and Goodies - due to the twists you don’t know what side some people are on. Of course I was biased from the start of the film as Gilles Lellouche is brilliant actor who just so happened to escape being hit with the ugly stick - gorgeous!

So I give it:

A brilliant fast pacing film which kept me so interested I didn’t miss my cinema chocolate treats.

Back to the books - How do I learn French?

Seven years ago today, a certain Frenchman came into my life…well the truth is I drunkenly fell over this certain Frenchman. I never would of considered he would still be in my thoughts (and heart) seven years on. Oui Oui these feelings are not returned and they never will be. But the positives of this one sided friendship is - France and all things French. Time to get back to the books…podcasts…CDs…films ( watching Seraphine has I type).

My French classes finished a month a go and don’t start again until the middle of September. For the last month I have neglected my studies, so for August I need to get back to learning French before I forget everything I have learnt over the past 10 months and I would like to get abit of a head start when (or if depending on the rising course fees) I start the next level.

So what is the best way to learn? Looking though a few old magazines articles on learning new languages, they all come up with the same ideas:

1. Take a trip - mix with the locals, go on a language learning holiday.
Oui Mais I have no money to take a holiday blah blah.

2. Immersion - French films (see above), music (abit of Vanessa Paradis & Sinclair on my ipod), books, magazines and newspapers (lots of Voicis Monsieur X used to send me).
Need to stop watching English and American repeats and need to watch more French Films. Starting with Point Blank tomorrow.

3. Online courses - More expense!
But I have found a few free ones (www.bbc.co.uk) along with a few podcasts.

4. Learn the 100 most spoken words - as they make up 50% of all conversations. One magazine article stated that if you are learning French (German or Spanish) you already know 40% of the vocab. For example ’danger’ is the same in French and English and all words ending in ’ion’ are the same.
So if I learn 10 new words a day - 10 days later I should have learnt half a language.

5. Use pictures/Flash cards - Spend 10 seconds studying a picture or draw a picture, naming all the things in the scene. For example drawing a picture of a café starting with words ’manger’ then ’le sandwich’ ’fromage’ etc. www.thinkbuzan.com thinks that drawing ’a mind map’ of words associated with each other will help the brain to match and group words together with colours, pictures and associations.
Drawing a few pictures a week - could help. Starting with le bureau, as I spend most of my time there.

So a few ideas I need to be getting on with. And maybe just maybe I might be able to have a French conversation sooner rather than in another seven years!

See Number 7 & - Blogpost - Numero Sept - leçons de François

France v England - Food

Last week, I had my birthday meal at Café Rouge, Boredville. I had a nice meal (Sole Limande), French music in the background and stereotypical French restaurant/café furniture but Café Rouge is as French as I am. A wannabee Frenchie, likes to act French but SO isn’t. I went to the same restaurant last September with Monsieur X, it was very funny watching the confused faces of the Eastern European waiting staff when he was ordering in French.

In June Boredville hosted their International Food Festival, around 50+ food stalls lining the City Centre High Street and Town Hall square. I found four French stands:

• Two Crepes Stands - not keen too sickly for me, brought back memories of New Year‘s Eve 2009. I was with Monsieur X in Les Menuires, and had to eat all of it, as the restaurant boss sat on our table talking to him and watched me eat every last crumb of it.

• A Bread stand - well there had to be one, but I wasn’t going to pay three times more for a baguette than I could in a supermarket. I know it would taste better but come on there is a recession on.

• Provencal Kitchen- serving chicken and garlic potatoes, cooked the southern French way, and served the English way in a plastic container with plastic knife and fork. It was gorgeous. could have had it every day of the festival, my taste buds said ’oui’ but my purse said ’non’ and it was back to cheese sandwiches and crisps.

Visiting France and living with a Frenchman gave my taste bubs a new lease of life, a change from hamburgers and chips. Apart my beloved chicken nuggets, my favourite food is fish - as long as the head is cut off, the sauces aren’t too spicy and it isn’t lobster. The one time I ate Lobster it tasted good but the humiliation of looked an idiot trying to eat it for the first time with a group of 10 Frenchies around me, made sure I would never try it again. I have always been a fishy girl (volia! Maybe that’s why I’m single), and the best fish dishes I’ve had have been cooked by Frenchies - La Phare Away in Cap Ferret, a small French restaurant in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic and various dishes made by Monsieur X’s own hands.

But back to what I know best - Fast Food! I think Quick restaurants are from Belgium, but I class them as French probably because of the presentation. The burgers are actually upright and look like the photos on the menus, not like the pile of cold mush usually served at some Fast Food joints in England. I always used to nag Monsieur X to take me to one when I used to visit him, to me the best fast food in the world.

And my last point to why I enjoy French cooking - I have never ate it alone, expect for the Boredville Food Festival, wasn’t the same without friends especially my French ex one.

17 - Go to France to research different recipes (or eat in Quick).  Write my own Anglo - French cookery book, 101 English recipes with a French twist: For Example poisson et frites avec sauce rouge, batonnets de poissons and nuggets de poulet avec differentes sauces….Sounds a lot better in French.

Mercredi Orange - Horrible Bosses & others

For Nick, Kurt and Dale, the only thing that would make the daily grind more tolerable would be to grind their intolerable bosses into dust. Quitting is not an option, so, with the benefit of a few-too-many drinks and some dubious advice from a hustling ex-con, the three friends devise a convoluted and seemingly foolproof plan to rid themselves of their respective employers -- permanently. There's only one problem: even the best laid plans are only as foolproof as the brains behind them.
http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/h/Horrible-Bosses/index-10526254.html

Loved it!!!! Very Funny!! Tres drole!!! Even the gross scene in the boss's bathroom, and I think everyone as worked for a 'Kevin Spacey' during their working life, I know I have. I think this is Jennifer Aniston's best performances - who would of thought Rachel could swear! I wonder how many trips to the gym and fitness classes it would take to get a body like hers.

Excellent - can't wait to buy it.

15. Sue the scriptwriters for copyright because some parts of the film, I have thought off doing in many of my many crappy jobs. Emigrate to France with my compensation.


Last weekend I watched Cars 2 in 3D and Harry Potter. Cars 2 was OK not as good as the original and Harry Potter was better than part 1 and finished off the franchise with a good film. I’m not a Potter addict, so I’m glad its ended - now I won’t have a problem finding a car parking place and there won’t be any more long queues or sold out signs…until Twilight is shown.
 

Mercredi Orange - Tree of Life

The Tree of Life is the impressionistic story of a Midwestern family in the 1950's. The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father. Jack finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith. We see how both brute nature and spiritual grace shape not only our lives as individuals and families, but all life.
http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/t/The-Tree-of-Life/index-11424883.html
 
 

 
Comedies and action are my favourites types of movies, I like to go to the cinema to escape from the real world. I’m not a Harry Potter fan (even thou it is my duty as a daughter to take my Mom at the weekend), and has the boy wizard has taken over all of Boredville’s cinemas. Tree of Life was the only film available. I went with a open mind and a plan of at least staying awake.

I did stay awake and I did stay to the end (some people did walk out). I did enjoy it and after discussing it with MovieMate I think I actually understood it…alittle bit. My view ‘You can’t control life, it's out of your hands - God does’



I give it 2 ½ out of five

Somewhere in between.

It was better than I expected but not my cup of tea. Excellent cinematography but seriously Mr Malick putting old fashioned glasses on Brad Pitt does not age him - didn’t your make-up/special effects team watch Benjamin Button!!

Bastille Day & I get an 'A'...

...For my Travel and Tourism assignment on Provence - I hope all the information is correct...but who cares I got an 'A' !!!!

Assignment 8 
Select any popular holiday destination and describe what makes that destination popular with incoming tourists.

Overview
In this assignment I will be looking at the area of Provence, southern France to find out what makes this destination popular with tourists.

Introduction
A destination is the end product of a journey and can be a country or an area such as a town, a city or a tourist attraction, for example a theme park or a museum. Provence is a popular choice for visitors and is situated in the south of France. This 25,851 square kilometre area has a population of around 2,603,500 people (Lonely Planet February 2009) and offers the visitor more than one destination.


It’s capital is Marseille, France’s oldest city (founded by the Greeks in 600BC) and the second biggest French city after Paris with a population of over 860, 363 inhabitants as stated on www.Marseille.fr, the official website for the city of Marseille. The city is also France’s largest port situated between the Mediterranean Sea Basin and the southern French countryside. This city attracted around four million tourists in 2010 producing over 700 million euros in revenue and 12,000 jobs within the tourism industry (www.Marseille.fr).

Selling points and visitor attractions
Provence’s main selling points are climate and location situated by the Mediterranean sea, it’s summer months are usually hot and dry with an average temperature of 24°C and mild winters with an average temperature of 8 -9°C. It’s various landscapes can cater for most tourist preferences as Provence’s boarders consists of the French countryside and 57 kilometres of coastline overlooking the Mediterranean sea, and the historical cities of Avignon, Aix-en-Provence, Arles and Marseille draw in visitors who prefer city breaks to the countryside and coast.


Provence covers all types of accommodation from youth hostels to five star hotels. On its official tourism website www.visitprovence.com there are 1280 accommodations listed, they include hotels, bed and breakfasts, camp sites, youth hostels, and self carting holiday homes (gites) and holiday villages suitable for any tourist for example the business traveller staying in a hotel in the business area of Marseille, a student looking for cheap accommdation (youth hostels), a visitor who wants to travel with their dog and wishes to stay in a ‘pets welcome hotel’, to a family staying at a Holiday Resort for example the Village Pont Royal en Provence in Luberon between Aix-en Provence and Avignon which offers acitiviies such as golf, horse riding and children’s clubs.

History and culture is a factor used to sell Provence to the world, its cities, towns and villages have interesting pieces of architecture and history for example the Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes), a gothic palace built 1335–1364 in Avignon and the town of Salon de Provence who utilises its connection with Nostradamus (famous for his prophecies) who lived and is buried in Salon de Provence. His house is now a museum, and for four days every summer, the city celebrates their connection with him attracting tourists. Arles connection with the painter Van Gogh helps raise the city’s profile, preserving areas and offering tours to where he painted his famous work and the city hosts art exhibitions at the former hospital where Van Gough had his ear stitched back on. With Marseille there is the Chateau d'If, a fortress off the coast of Marseille whose history is linked to Edmond Dantes, the Count of Monte Cristo made famous by Alexandre Dumas book. This multicultural city of 111 quarters offers a wide range of cultural events and places to visit. The city has 17 museums, and 42 theatres plus international events such as: the Foire de Marseille (international trade fair), Fiesta des Suds (world music festival), the International Documentary Film Festival, and the five Continents Jazz Festival. As well as sight sighting, Provence offers other activities such as theme parks, zoos, riding stables, water sports for example diving in Marseille and sailing in Fos de Mer and areas of interest for walking and cycling tours thought the countryside (which the tourist board offers maps and routes).　


Provence’s shopping facilities consist of ‘High Street’ stores avaiable in the bigger cities of Provence and there are American style shopping malls suitated on the outskirts of some of the towns. Also France is famous for it’s markets and Provence’s Bric- a- Bric and second hand stalls can draw in tourists looking for an authentic french souveuir for example: the calissons of Aix en Provence, olive oil from Camargue and lavender products. Also arts and crafts made by local people are a popular choice with tourists and some of the artists advertise their work on www.visitprovence.com.

France is world famous for it gastronomy and specialist cookery holidays are available in Provence for people wishing to learn French cooking for example the holiday company Provence Cooking Tours offers holidays which include cooking lessons, sight sighing and wine tours. Provence’s restaurants range from fast food, bistros, cafes and international food. Each city is different, Marseille has a multicultural variety of restaurants including French, Indian, Antillean, Thai, Tunisian and Italian where has Avignon’s Place de l’Horloge is a group of cafes popular with tourists. Information about the area’s top restaurants rated by one of the four main French good food guides (Michelin, Gault et Millau, Champérard and Bottin Gourmand) can be seen on www.visitprovence.com. Nightlife is mainly situated in the cities, Marseille has a variety of nightclubs, pubs and music cafes were as Aix-en-Provence has a large student population (30,000 students study at the Univerite de Provence Aix Marseille) so some of the bars and restaurants are more affordable and have a large student clientele.


Transport
Twenty seven kilometres northwest from Marseille and twenthy six kilometres south from Aix-en-Provence, Marseille-Provence airport is France’s third busiest airport outside Paris dealing with 7.3 million passengers a year (2009) with direct routes to sixty eight cities in twenty one countries. In September 2006 the airport’s second terminal opened - mp2. This terminal deals with mainly low cost airlines and flights from the UK and Ireland included daily flights to and from London with British Airways, Air France, Easyjet and Ryanair. The airport is easily accessible by road and the airport train station - Marseille Provence Airport Train Station is a five minute drive away and the airport offers a free shuttle bus routes between the station and airport. Forty one trains run daily thought the airport station to various parts of Provence. The airport also offers a daily bus service to and from Marseille train station, Aix-en-Provence and Salon- de- Provence. Marseille St Charles train station which gives easy access to other parts of Provence as well as France and Europe. The TGV train service from Paris only takes three hours and with the Channel Tunnel, Eurostar offers direct routes from London to Avignon during the summer seasons, which is only a thirty mintue train journey away from Marseille.

There are public bus services running in and between Provence’s cities and towns and within Marseille alone there are three public transport networks, two metro lines, two tramway lines and eighty five bus routes and for the tourist who chooses to travel by car there are fifteen public car parks within the city centre.

Marseilles port’s, the Grand Port Maritime main use is for fishing however it is also used as a stop over for cruise ships and is the biggest cruise port in France. In 2009 Marseille welcomed 2.07 million passengers by sea and 630,000 were cruise passengers who travelled on the thirty cruise lines which docked in Marseille, this figure rose to 700,000 in 2010 and is expected to rise to over one million passengers by 2012. As well as the cruise ships and fishing, the port is also used on a daily and weekly ferries from Sardinia, Tunisia and Corsica.

Tourist information

There are around seventy -five tourist information offices in Provence and most cities and towns have a least one office (Marseille and Arles have two). These places have their own websites as well as the smaller areas for example the small commue of Miramas. These websites offer general information on that particular area and include an selection on the tourism and events they offer. With the bigger cities such as Marseille it offers a website dedicated to the city’s tourism. The number of potential visitor using the internet as a source of information when researching a holiday is increasing at a huge pace and these tourism departments have to keep their websites and search engines constantly up to date with future events and current prices.

Conclusion
Provence can cater for any tourist ranging from business travellers, families and tourists wanting a weekend city break. To improve it’s profile in 2013 Marseille will belong the European city of Culture jointly with the Slovak city of Kosice. During this year the city will host a wide range of cultural events, exhibitions, concerts and festivals boosting it’s Marseille’s tourism income. Then in 2016, France will host the European Football Championship and Marseille’s Football Club’s renovated Velodrome Stadium with host 67,00 football fans bringing in more tourists and money to Provence.　

Words 1,508


Bibliography

Books
Lonely Planet - France 8th Edition Published February 2009
Book 5 - Tourist destinations

Websites
http://www.marseille-tourisme.com/
http://www.visitprovence.com/ 
http://www.marseille.fr/
http://www.mrsairport.com/
http://www.sncf.fr/
http://www.avignon-et-provence.com/index-en.html
http://www.provencecookingtours.com/

Mercredi Orange - Kung Fu Panda 2

In 'Kung Fu Panda 2,' Po is now living his dream as The Dragon Warrior, protecting the Valley of Peace alongside his friends and fellow kung fu masters, The Furious Five. But Po's new life of awesomeness is threatened by the emergence of a formidable villain, who plans to use a secret, unstoppable weapon to conquer China and destroy kung fu. He must look to his past and uncover the secrets of his mysterious origins; only then will Po be able to unlock the strength he needs to succeed.
http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/features/kung-fu-panda-2/

Just as good as ‘awesome’ as the first one and Po the Panda just gets cuter. This second instalment (the ending made sure this wouldn't be the last we would see Po and the Furious Five) was all about finding your inner peace. Something I think I need to find myself to get though any working day and it might come in useful if I ever have to save China from an evil peacock.

I give it:

Mercredi Orange - Bridesmaids

Although Annie's life is a mess, when she finds out her lifetime best friend is engaged, she simply must serve as Lillian's maid of honor. Though lovelorn and broke, Annie bluffs her way through the expensive and bizarre rituals. With one chance to get it perfect, she'll show Lillian and her bridesmaids just how far you'll go for someone you love.
http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/b/Bridesmaids/index-12398245.html

It lived up to the hype, very funny - especially the bridal shop scene - it made me cry with laughter and Megan played by Melissa McCarthy had all the good lines and when she is knocking some sense into Annie (Kristen Wiig). I wished I had a 'Megan' to make me stop feeling sorry for myself when I'm feeling down.

I rate this movie:

It lost a star for the dull gaps in between all the gags.




I'm running out of options, no new films because a certain Mr Potter is due to take over the multiplexes...but booked my ticket for 'Point Blank' starring Gilles  Lellouche in 3 weeks. Boredville is very slow in showing non British/American films.

Le Weekend Movie - Transformers 3

‘When a mysterious event from Earth's past erupts into the present day, it threatens to bring a war to Earth so big that the Transformers alone will not be able to save us.’
http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/t/Transformers-Dark-of-the-Moon/index-8390497.html

The critics hate it and I do agree Rosie Huntington-Whiteley acting skills are debatable - Come back Megan Fox! All is forgiven! And I don’t like Ms Fox…And that the film is too long BUT it isn’t that bad if you leave you brain at home and want to watch two and half hours of fighting cars.

I enjoyed the first half of the movie, as there was a lot of funny lines and John Malkovich (my favourite actor) was very funny and camp and his character should of had more screen time. The action scenes and watching in 3D were very good. I just think the film could have been shortened by at least 45 minutes.

Much better than Transformers 2, just as good as Transformers 1, will there be a Transformers 4??? I hope not.
 
I give it:
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
FYI - the cinema we went to was so old, we had to rent their 3d glasses which were the old pink and green sweet wrapper type. Very vintage!!

Mercredi Orange - Bad Teacher

'After being dumped by her current boyfriend, a foul-mouthed, gold-digging seventh-grade teacher sets her sights on a colleague who is dating the school's model teacher.'
http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/b/Bad-Teacher/index-10929507.html
http://www.areyouabadteacher.com/

I enjoyed it, funny and sometimes crude and not the same ending you usually see in 'school' films, where the the group of misfits become geniuses by the end of the film. This was more about the teacher than the kids. Cameron Diaz was good, sticking to what she knows best, can't image her in an Oscar winning period drama. Justin Timerlake drove me mad with his wimpy geeky character, but Jason Segal was excellent as as the Gym Teacher in love with Diaz who doesn't give up.

I give it a:

Mercredi Orange - The Hangover Part II

I loved the first one and this one is nearly the same film, so I loved this one too. Same storyline just set in a different country - if it ain’t broke don’t fix it!

'Phil, Stu, Alan and Doug travel to exotic Thailand for Stu's wedding. After the unforgettable bachelor party in Las Vegas, Stu is taking no chances and has opted for a safe, subdued pre-wedding brunch. However, things don't always go as planned. What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but what happens in Bangkok can't even be imagined.' uk.movies.yahoo.com/h/The-Hangover-Part-II/index-8929827.html

 

 

 

The first one was a 5 star ‘buyer’ and the second one was nearly as good but what’s the point in buying the same film twice…well I might when its ends up in the bargain box.

 

 

 

 

OK it lost two stars because it wasn’t very original - but there was a few differences:

• Instead of a baby there was a monkey.
• Instead of losing the bridegroom they lose the bride’s brother.
• Instead of losing teeth there is a tattoo.
• Phil (Bradley Cooper) is more gorgeous.
• And Doug (Justin Bartha) is probably in the second film a tiny bit longer than the first.

 

I know the critics aren’t happy….but I’m looking forward to part III.

Mercredi Orange - X men: First Class

...and it was First Class!!!!

"X-Men: First Class" follows the classic Marvel mythology, charts the epic beginning of the X-Men saga. Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Before they were archenemies, they were closest of friends, working together, with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. In the process, a rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto's Brotherhood and Professor X's X-Men.'
http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/x/X-Men-First-Class/index-10469857.html

Can't praise it enough James McAvoy was excellent as the goody-goody, and in my option a bit dull,Professor X but that's probably because I prefer the bad boys and Michael Fassbender kicked ass as Magneto.  Speaking of baddies Kevin Bacon was brilliant and  'camp as Christmas' as Sebastian Shaw.

I can't fault it apart from it was 2 hours and 11 minutes long making the movie a 'bumnumber'.

Alternative Festival de Cannes Film Posters

...Ah oui there were times when I was bored...maybe I might be a bit more creative now the festival has ended.

Posters for Le Havre, The Tree of Life, The Artist, Midnight in Paris, Hearat Shulayim (Footnote), Sleeping Beauty, We Need To Talk About Kevin, & La Piel Que Habito (The Skin I Live In).

My favourite Artist drawn by my iPhone app.

Stated in a previous blog post (What is Art?) I have a F in Art.

 

Bored-ville is land-locked so this is the closest I could get to a harbour.



I think she's beautiful.

My skin

What did I miss at Festival de Cannes 2011?

Firstly merci to all the lucky people in Cannes who kept me up-to date with all your tweets and blogs, sometimes I felt like I was there...then I would wake up from my daydreams and be more determined to make it to the next one in 2012 and to watch more films from this year’s festival than the three I watched from last years., especially The Artist and We Need To Talk About Kevin.

So last year I watched some of my favourite actors walk the red carpet (Javier Bardem and Benicio del Toro) and some of my favourite fashion icons (Charlotte Gainsbourg and Diane Kruger). This year my eyes are hurting from being glued to the Internet or France24 news channel, I feel a few days break from technology is needed.

Cannes 2010

Ok enough about the past, what about now? Who’s been avoiding me - Jack Black, Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, Sean Penn, Owen Wilson, Jude Law, Gilles Lellouche, Tahar Rahim and Antonio Banderas to name but a few of my favourites, but I will see you all next year boys, bloggers and twitter users.

So I continue on my quest of all things French and hope to see you all IN Cannes in May 2012.

Mercredi Orange - Attack the Block

Can't believe I have wasted 2 hours of my life and £3.70 to watch this crap. Maybe I'm getting old but 1. I needed subtitles and 2. When I go and see a alien movie I expect better aliens than men dressed up as gorillas!

Plus points - one or two good jokes that's it!

17/05/10 - This time last year Festival de Cannes, unrequited love, bad luck and a volcano

ChouChou’s mission to get to Festival de Cannes 2010 to be with the man she loves.  Fighting against unrequited love, bad luck and that damm volcano.

Narrated in Jack Bauer 24 style. Please add the bleeps after the times, and I will add the ’damm its’. I was so excited, one of things in my top ten bucket list was to go to Festival de Cannes with an extra bonus of being with Monsieur X who was kind enough to invite me.

What shall I wear while travelling? What look shall I go for when I meet Monsieur X at the airport? What shall I take? What shall I buy? What What What? Usually when I have gone to France to visit him, I have travelled light, but not this time I was going for a week and planned to buy every bit of Cannes merchandise I could find. I paid for the extra baggage and spend weeks before departing checking the Internet for information about what stars might be attending.

Then that f**king volcano went off!!!! Damm it number 1!

I left my home at 1.30am on Monday 17th May 2010, my flight from Luton to Nice was still going ahead even thou all other UK airports were closed apart from Luton. So I caught my coach at 2am,arrived at Luton Airport at 4.15am and all I could see was red screens and ‘cancelled cancelled cancelled’ etc etc all over the TV screens. Merde!

Plan B: Take the train from the airport to London. But there was a fire at Luton train station. Damm it!

Plan C: I caught the coach and called Monsieur X not to go to the airport who was hung-over and half asleep. ‘I'm coming by land’ I said. He moaned‘ Eh D’accord’ and went back to sleep.

5.00am: Bus to London Victoria Coach Station. £15

6.00am: Arrive in Victoria, half of the coach head towards the Eurostar the another half to the coach station. What do I do? What do I do? Other than panic! Ok deep breathe, the coach station was nearer and I could get to Paris by 17.00. Last train to Cannes from Paris 17.30. Merde! Ticket Office doesn’t open until 7am

7.00am: Ticket office opens - fully booked no tickets for Paris until Wednesday - Damm it!

7.15am: Take the tube to St Pancras railway station/Eurostar.

7.30am: Arrived at the Eurostar office, not much of a queue, a good sign I thought. Wrong! That’s because Eurostar workers were telling passengers there was only a few seats available on the 9am train and the next available train was at 16.00!!!!!

I call home and ask my sister to try a book online, save time waiting in the queue for the few remaining seats. She told me the website crashed! Copy That! - I head for the train ticket office.

8.30am: Brought train ticket to Dover. £33

8.45am: Took a train to Dover, call Monsieur X to update him, no answer, continue to call him all morning, no answer. I should of noticed the signs.

10.10am: Arrived in Dover, I hadn’t a clue where to go. No one around. I followed a French family to the shuttle bus stop.

10.45am - 11.30am: Arrived at the Ferry Ticket Office. Brought ticket to Calais. £18

11.30am- All aboard!! Took the ferry to Calais, try and get some sleep. Switch off phone to save battery.

14.30: Arrived in Calais, foot passengers left to defend for ourselves, no signs, bus stop, directions, or tourist information. Rien! And it starts to rain. Shuttle bus finally arrives and takes us to the bus stop.

A kind Englishwomen could see I was stressed ( I didn’t think I would make it to Paris never mind Cannes) and gave me advice on train times to Paris, as she was heading that way. There was no way I was going to make that last train. Merde!

15.10: Took the bus to Calais Train Station - it’s pissing it down and I’m soaked. Monsieur X finally wakes up and calls me. I can tell he isn’t very happy about all the trouble I’m caused. Maybe I knew that he might never invite to the Festival again and thought this was my only chance to go.

15.30: Made it to the train station and found my Guardian Angel, a very helpful ticket seller who spoke perfect English. After a few minutes of talking with my Angel with Monsieur X, shouting at me down the phone, telling me to ask for other routes to Marseille, Nice or Miramas for the that night. There wasn’t any, just an overnight train to Cannes via Paris. 130€

15.50: At the wrong train station - run in the rain for a taxi to TGV station - Damm it!

16.10: Arrived at TGV station and run for my train which was due to leave in 2 minutes.

16.15: Train departs to Paris Nord. I flop on my seat with relief. Call home and Monsieur X, (he had calmed down) with my travel updates. Switch off phone again. Tried to relax.

18.05: Arrived in Paris it was good I had four hours before my next train journey, or I would have been shitting myself.

18.20: I took the Metro from Paris Nord to Paris Austerlitz. I wouldn’t believe I was travelling around France and Paris on my own, especially when the Metro train came out of the tunnel into the Paris sunshine over the River Seine and then walking past the tacky souvenir shops of Eiffel Towers of all sizes and materials.

18.35 - 20.25: I walked around Paris, tired and lonely. I found a shower room in another train station, I was so dirty and so was the shower room, so I cut my losses and when back to Austerlitz train station where I noticed there was a shower room there (eh oui very French). I thought it was just a hairdressers. I had a shower, and felt a million times better, mainly because I wouldn’t be to scruffy when I would met Monsieur X the next morning then waited for my train. Merde only 2 bars left on my mobile.

My back was starting to hurt as my medium sized sports bag had no wheels, so I had been carrying it on my shoulders for most of the day, my shoulders were so red it looked like sunburn and they hurt for most of my stay.

22.25: Found my seat at the cheap end of the night train. I never booked a bed as it would have been around 400€. Called home and Monsieur X again to update them and wish them Good Night and switched off the phone again. Bonne Nuit Paris.

22.50: Train to Cannes departed, I had no trouble sleeping on my uncomfortable seat, has I was so tired. I woke up around 6am, I had been travelling for over 24 hours and all the hassle and stress this journey caused me was made a little bit worth it seeing the French countryside and coast at sunrise. I switched my phone back on, I was down to one bar of battery, hoping it would not go flat until I was with Monsieur X.

8.30am 18/05 : I had reached my destination - Cannes train station. I looked a mess and walking up the steep stairs, my back felt like it was going to snap but seeing Monsieur X’s gorgeous smile at the top of the stairs made me feel my 31 hour trip was totally worth it as I flopped into his strong arms...


Number 15 - hmmmm an idea for a film....take it to Cannes....
 
To be continued.