Lacoste

Located at France's south region, Lacoste is a small village with a great history.
First of all: the city has nothing to do with the brand with this name. Actually, the brand was created by a tennis player whose last name was Lacoste. That's the origin of the name. But let's go to the main point:
Lacoste is a very interesting village. Its tortuous small streets makes it a typical southern France city. But Lacoste is an attraction for tourists for one reason: it was were Marquis de Sade lived. For those who doesn't know who was the marquis, the word "sadism" was coined after him. You can imagine why.
The castle where he lived is located on the top of the city. There, you can learn a lot about him and his habits (it is not the kind of knowledge I would want to have, but if you want to...). For those who prefer to stay away from all this awkward and horrible facts, it is worth to go up the mountain because of the amazing view it has. There, you can see all the neighbour villages, mixed with the natural beauties of Provence region, and take great photos!

Accents

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtB1W8zkY5A

The Apt's Market

Located in the south region of France, Apt is a small village known for its market.

There, you can find every single traditional French food, because food merchants from every region of France come to the market, that is a reference in the region and takes place in the village since the 16th century. You can also find provençal products, like lavander sachets and other products with Provence theme, as clothes like dresses and hats, with lavender prints.

If you are a tourist in France's south region, the Apt's market is a very good alternative of visit. There, you can really feel how is to live in Provence, as you are having contact with a typical everyday scene of the village. I've had the opportunity of being there, and I can assure you: it's great!

Frankeinstein quizz (chapters 14-15): answers

In spring, a woman called Safie arrives. She is Turkish and is Félix's fiancee. As the woman doesn't speak French, the young man teaches her, and the creature learns together, observing them. The Monster learns even faster than Safie!
Frankeinstein's creation learns the science of letters when Félix teaches the Arabian to read in his language, using the book Volney's Ruins of Empires. Also with the book, the creature discovers the wars, manners, governments, religions, etc. Perplexed, the Monster says that all those sad things  make him find the world disguting (which proves that he is a lot less monstruous than many humans!).
With all this knowledge, Victor's creature starts to ask himself what is him, if he is so different of humans. He even says that the knowledge is kind of bad for him, because it makes him reflect about how "unhuman" he is, which makes him feel sad.
The Monster discovers little by little Safie's and De Lacey's family relation. The Turkish's father had been wrongly accused of a crime. Recognizing the fail of the judges, and enchanted by Safie, Félix had helped the Turkish to escape from the prision, but when the government had discovered it, De Lacey's family had got expelled from France. They had to live in the cottage then.
To arrive at Félix's house, Safie had to travel a long distance. During the trip, her assistant, an Italian girl, had got ill. Even with all the Turkish's devoted cares, she had died, but happily, she said the spot where the cottage was located, so the Arabian could arrive at her lover house safely.
One day, the creature finds in the wood a portmanteau, with 3 books in it: Paradise Lost, Plutarch's Lives and the Sorrows of Werter. During his reading, he Monster starts to compare the story of Sorrows of Werter with his life.
One day, the creature finally decides to talk with De Lacey, who is alone, because Fèlix, Agatha and Safie went out. In the hope of being welcome by the family, he presents himself as a poor traveller, and says that he was searching for the house of the only people who could be his friends. Then, he asks if the old man could help him. De Lacey asks the name of these people. Suddenly, Félix, Agatha and Safie come back. The Turkish faints, the young woman runs away and the young man, desperated, takes a weapon and shoots the Monster, who flees, sad and disappointed. It was the beggining of his war with humans.

La Tarte Tropezienne

Original from the city of Saint-Tropez, in France, Tarte Tropezienne is a network of bakeries with stores in more than 10 cities over France. But before describing how amazing is it, let's have a look on its history.
The man who created the bakery was a Polish immigrant, who came to France near a century ago. He lived in Saint Tropez and went to every market day in the city. The cake, that was an invention of his grandmother, became very famous in the market, and many people, including French celebrities of those times, suggested to "professionalize" the sweet (believe or not, it was called by the Polish as a simple brioche!).
The idea was approved by the inventor, and the bakery became very famous. The actual owner of it is the nephew of the creator, as his son died last year. La Tarte Tropezziene has even a store in Paris, where their cake, which is a lightly salted batter with a kind of creme brulée on it, is sold!
Don't miss it!

Frankenstein - Quiz - Chapters 13, 14 & 15

Who arrives at the cottage in the spring? What is Safie's background? How does her language problem help the creature? Which of them learns faster?

How does the creature learn about reading? What book does Felix use to teach Safie?
 
What does the creature learn from this book? How much of a monster can someone be who can say "but when I heard details of vice and bloodshed, my wonder ceased, and I turned away with disgust and loathing”?
   
What happens when the creature begins to think about himself? How does he compare with the humans described in the book? What questions does he ask himself? How does his knowledge make him feel?

What does he learn about human relationships, and how does this make him feel?

How did the De Lacey family come to be living in the cottage?
 
How did Safie come to find and join them?
 
What does the creature find in the woods?
   
What are the three books that the creature reads, and what does he learn from each?

What else does the creature read and what does he learn from it?
 
How long has it been since the creature came to life? What is Victor doing at this point? (See chapter 6.)
   
What does the creature hope will happen when he talks to De Lacey? What actually happens?

Stade Vélodrome

Located in Marseille, France, Stade Vélodrome is the Olympique de Marseille, one of the most traditional teams in France, stadium.
The stadium was built in 1937, but suffered many reforms . The most recent one, in 2014, made the stadium an "elite" one. That means that Stade Vélodrome can host World Cup, Champions League and many other important tournaments finals.
A peculiar characteristic of the "home" of Olympique de Marseille (also known as just OM) is that the club isn't the owner of the stadium. It is located by the OM, but the truly owner is not the French government or Marseille's local authorities, but a man! As many people have a holiday houses, or a farm houses, this man has a stadium. Why not?
With the upcoming Eurocup, which will take place in France in 2016, Stade Vélodrome will probably host great matches. It's the opportunity for Marseille to show that the city has (in my opinion) one of the greatest and more modern stadiums in the world!

LIVING IN: PROVENCE

From http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20110707-living-in-provence

Tourists flood the region in summer, looking for their place in the sun, but those who own a little piece of this paradise enjoy every season.

Imagine chucking it all in, Peter Mayle-style, for a mas (farmhouse) on a vine-covered hillside where you will make your own wine while sipping pastis and making friends with your crusty winemaking vigneron neighbours. You are picturing Provence. Tourists flood the region in summer, looking for their place in the sun, but those who own a little piece of this paradise enjoy every season.

What is it known for?
The good life, one saturated with Provençal colours and flavours, with endless fields of lavender and white-washed stone farmhouses that epitomize the French country chic ideal, immortalized by artists old and new. And do not forget the cuisine and the chefs who are drawn to use what the land produces, from humble bar-restaurants to the Michelin-starredrestaurants gastronomique. Perhaps most enticingly, more than half of France’s rosé comes from the region.

Provence is a large region that includes many areas, from the inland mountains of the Alpes de Haute Provence to the golden beaches of the Cote d’Azur. The natural beauty and the tidy, picturesque villages, weekly markets, and range of activities — from horseback riding to skiing — make it a sought-after region for holiday-makers and second-home buyers alike.

This has also made house prices somewhat impervious to the vicissitudes of the global economy. “The Provence market has survived the economic crisis and our colleagues in France are optimistic for the future,” said Anne Mizrachi of French property agents Latitudes.

Where do you want to live?
“There are many reasons why people want to purchase a house in Provence,” said Mizrachi. “Some are looking for a bolthole in the sun — a lock and leave type property, others for a more substantial holiday home with a swimming pool.” And then there are those looking for an investment who want to rent out their properties. They tend to look in places that are magnets for holiday renters, particularly city properties like those in Cannes, Nice, Marseille, Avignon and so on.

Vauclause is a popular area, made so by Peter Mayle and hisA Year in Provence books; the medieval villages of Gordes, Lourmarin and Roussillon in particular. In the Bouches de Rhone, Aix-en-Provence is a perennial favourite, and people also search down near Marseilles and the coastal resorts.

St Tropez in Var, along with Les Issambres and Le Lavandou attract buyers who want a coastal property, but prices have pushed land hunters inland to Fayence, Lorgues, Grimaud and Cogolin. Houses with sea views along the Cote d’Azur such as Cannes, Antibes, Juan les Pins, Beaulieu and Nice command the highest prices. “Coastal properties within easy reach of an airport are usually more expensive than inland properties,” said Mizrachi. “You’ll pay a premium for a sea view. A one-bedroom apartment on the Cote d’Azur would start around 250,000 euros.” A two-bedroom penthouse with a terrace and panoramic views of Nice just steps from the seafront costs around 1.3 million euros.

The least expensive area is the Alpes de Haut Provence, in hilltop villages like Valbonne, Mougins and St Paul de Vence. You may get a lot more for your money, but even there, a three-bedroom house with mountain views and a swimming pool costs can cost almost 1.3 million euros as well.

Side trips
Just travelling from one part of Provence to another can make for a wonderful day or weekend trip. There are train connections to all other parts of France and the TGV from Marseilles makes the trip to Paris in just three hours. There are intercity connections to Switzerland, Italy and Spain.

Provence is mainly served by the Nice airport, and Air France has non-stop flights to New York and other international cities. The Marseilles and Nimes airports are served by regional European airlines with flights to the UK and the rest of Europe.

Practical info
In Provence, every hillside and town has its own personality and ambience, so to merely like a property is not enough, you must also like the location and the local village. If you are attracted by a house and are considering putting in an offer, let the agent know straight away. “You need to register your interest,” explained Mizrachi. “In France, a house can be sold and off the market within a day.”

When it comes to putting money down, check with a currency broker and your bank to find out the best and cheapest way of transferring funds. You will also want to know what is included in the price, like fees for the agent and notary. There are other rates to check on like the taxe fonciere and the taxe d’habitation, along with maintenance charges.

“Provence has what everyone wants: Mediterranean climate, varied architecture, the prestige and the lifestyle,” said Mizrachi.

Further information
Provence Post: English-language blog on festivals, food and wine, tours and travel
Anglo-American Group of Provence: network of English-speaking expatriates that provide support and activities
The Riviera Times: English-language newspaper for the French and Italian Riviera

Frankenstein: Chapters 13 & 14

Summary: Chapter 13

As winter thaws into spring, the monster notices that the cottagers, particularly Felix, seem unhappy. A beautiful woman in a dark dress and veil arrives at the cottage on horseback and asks to see Felix. Felix becomes ecstatic the moment he sees her. The woman, who does not speak the language of the cottagers, is named Safie. She moves into the cottage, and the mood of the household immediately brightens. As Safie learns the language of the cottagers, so does the monster. He also learns to read, and, since Felix uses Constantin-François de Volney’s Ruins of Empires to instruct Safie, he learns a bit of world history in the process. Now able to speak and understand the language perfectly, the monster learns about human society by listening to the cottagers’ conversations. Reflecting on his own situation, he realizes that he is deformed and alone. “Was I then a monster,” he asks, “a blot upon the earth, from which all men fled, and whom all men disowned?” He also learns about the pleasures and obligations of the family and of human relations in general, which deepens the agony of his own isolation.

Summary: Chapter 14

After some time, the monster’s constant eavesdropping allows him to reconstruct the history of the cottagers. The old man, De Lacey, was once an affluent and successful citizen in Paris; his children, Agatha and Felix, were well-respected members of the community. Safie’s father, a Turk, was falsely accused of a crime and sentenced to death. Felix visited the Turk in prison and met his daughter, with whom he immediately fell in love. Safie sent Felix letters thanking him for his intention to help her father and recounting the circumstances of her plight (the monster tells Victor that he copied some of these letters and offers them as proof that his tale is true). The letters relate that Safie’s mother was a Christian Arab who had been enslaved by the Turks before marrying her father. She inculcated in Safie an independence and intelligence that Islam prevented Turkish women from cultivating. Safie was eager to marry a European man and thereby escape the near-slavery that awaited her in Turkey. Felix successfully coordinated her father’s escape from prison, but when the plot was discovered, Felix, Agatha, and De Lacey were exiled from France and stripped of their wealth. They then moved into the cottage in Germany upon which the monster has stumbled. Meanwhile, the Turk tried to force Safie to return to Constantinople with him, but she managed to escape with some money and the knowledge of Felix’s whereabouts.

Analysis: Chapters 13–14

The subplot of Safie and the cottagers adds yet another set of voices to the novel. Their story is transmitted from the cottagers to the monster, from the monster to Victor, from Victor to Walton, and from Walton to his sister, at which point the reader finally gains access to it. This layering of stories within stories enables the reworking of familiar ideas in new contexts. One such idea is the sense of “otherness” that many characters in Frankenstein feel. The monster, whose solitude stems from being the only creature of his kind in existence and from being shunned by humanity, senses this quality of being different most powerfully. His deformity, his ability to survive extreme conditions, and the grotesque circumstances of his creation all serve to mark him as the ultimate outsider. Victor, too, is an outsider, as his awful secret separates him from friends, family, and the rest of society. In the subplot of the cottagers, this idea recurs in the figures of both Safie and her father. His otherness as a Muslim Turk in Paris results in a threat to his life from the prejudiced and figures in power. Her feelings of being oppressed by Islam’s confining gender roles compel her to seek escape to the more egalitarian ideas of Christianity.

The monster’s fascination with the relationship between Felix and Safie lies in his desperate desire for Victor to accept him. Felix’s willingness to risk everything for the sake of someone who has been unjustly punished gives the monster hope that Victor will recognize the hurtful injustice of abandoning him. However, just as Felix’s bravery in helping Safie’s father escape stands in stark contrast to Victor’s shameful unwillingness to save Justine, so does Felix’s compassion for Safie underscore Victor’s cold hatred for the monster.

Language and communication take center stage in these chapters, as the monster emerges from his infantile state and begins to understand and produce written and spoken language. His alienation from society, however, provides him no opportunity to communicate with others; rather, he is a one-way conduit, a voyeur, absorbing information from the cottagers without giving anything in return. The importance of language as a means of self-expression manifests itself in the monster’s encounter with Victor on the glacier. Just as each distinct narrative voice contributes to the novel’s richly woven web of allusions and biases, the monster’s romanticization of the cottagers as kind and friendly reflects his desperate desire for companionship and affection.

Texts play an important role throughout the novel, especially in shaping the monster’s conception of his identity and place in the world. As his language skills increase, the monster gains a sense of the world through Felix’s reading of Ruins of Empires. In these chapters, he acquires the ability to understand the crucial texts that he soon discovers, including Paradise Lost. This text introduces him to Adam and Satan, to both of whom he eventually compares himself. In addition to shaping his identity, the written word provides the monster with a means of legitimizing his past. In offering to show Victor copies of Safie’s letters, he hopes to validate his perspective on the tragedy that has befallen them and thus gain Victor’s sympathy. His belief in the truth of the written word, however, seems particularly naïve in a novel with a narrative structure as complex as that of Frankenstein; just as he falsely assumes that Paradise Lost is historically accurate, he hopes groundlessly that his narrative can win Victor over.

One of the novel’s persistent motifs is that of the passive woman, a gentle creature who submits to the demands of the active, powerful men around her. Safie turns this stereotype on its head when she boldly rejects her father’s attempt to return her to the constraints and limitations of life in Constantinople. Her willingness to take the initiative, to strike out on her own in the face of adversity and uncertainty, makes her one of the strongest characters in the novel, despite her minor role. Like her father and the monster, Safie is an outsider; unlike them, she manages to gain acceptance. Additionally, Shelley’s depiction of her character contains a strong cross-cultural value judgment. It esteems European culture, with its flexibility, openness, and opportunities for women, over Arab or Muslim culture, with its rigidity, self-enclosed quality, and strict gender prescriptions.