Lisa

Who was Edouard Vuillard?

Born in Cuiseaux, France (Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté), in 1868, Edouard Vuillard was a French painter, decorative artist and printmaker. The son of a retired army officer, his remarkable body of work is central to the history of modern art. Author Julia Frey reveals why she called her new study of Vuillard’s life and art in the book Venus Betrayed. From early paintings, where women disappear into complex compositions of textiles and wallpaper, through thousands of paintings in many styles, over more than 50 years, Vuillard constantly contrasted symbolic beauty and love to real women and men, even posing models beside a cast of the Venus of Milo. Vuillard’s paintings are full of striking, distractingly gorgeous patterns, colors and objects. One wonders what is hiding behind them. They are full of feeling and mystery, but the ‘story’ is never explained. When Frey began studying the artist, she thought that any man who lives with his moth…

ECU Film Festival 8-10 April, 2022

ECU Film Festival in Paris ECU Film Festival offers the European cinema-loving public much more than a full program of quality and riveting independent films. Every year, the festival provides a unique, inspiring and interactive experience that all attendees are encouraged to partake in. Whether it is workshops taught by industry professionals, in-depth discussions with “Official Selection” directors in the Q&As that follow every screening session or other various events - there is something for everyone to enjoy. ECU Film Festival's “Official Selection” films are original and represent the best quality, creativity and innovation within the independent film industry. This level of excellence has helped to create a well-respected film festival whose focus is to discover fresh and cutting-edge filmmaking talent. This dedicated search goes beyond Europe: it is a global hunt for those that foster the ÉCU mission. ÉCU in past years had a total of 802 films submitted from 91 …

What is the European Health Insurance Card?

It is a free card that gives you access to medically necessary, state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay in any of the EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland under the same conditions and at the same cost (free in some countries) as people insured in that country. The benefits covered include, for example, benefits provided in conjunction with chronic or existing illnesses as well as in conjunction with pregnancy and childbirth. The card should allow you to have medical care without paying much out of pocket or at least to be reimbursed just like you do at home. You'll be treated and cared for like a local.

Cards are issued by your national health insurance provider. In France this is Ameli. Ask for a card for each family memeber over 16 via yourAmeli account - it's just a few clicks. They are valid for 2 years, so keep an eye on the expiration date…

We tested non-alcoholic wine. It’s good!

We tested non-alcoholic wine. Yes it exists! And it is a pleasure to drink! Plus there are all the benefits of wine minus the big negatives: alcohol and mega calories. Whether you want to go dry for January or just enjoy wine without headaches, this is a nice product. Here's how I came to try these products that are still rather a secret. I like red wine, but I've decided to reduce my alcohol, so I went looking for something else to drink with dinner that is enjoyable and pretty and doesn't overpower the meal – that's why we like wine isn't it? I like to pour into a pretty glass; I enjoy the gesture and the color or wine which is part of why I've not been able to find anything else that I want to drink at dinner. I love water, (but I gulp it when I drink it) so not at dinner when I want to sip. I love fruit juice, but it is too heavy and sugary for dinner (and as a friend so aptly mentioned “too interfering”). I'm using my same wine glasses and amounts and although I've …

Buffalo Bill is back in France!

Buffalo Bill is back in France! and to celebrate the 176th birthday of our book room's namesake, which is 26 February we're going to tell you about 2 exhibitions you might want to see. So grab some popcorn and keep reading. Popcorn? why popcorn? because Buffalo Bill introduced popcorn to France! In fact there are THREE exhibitions this year, because 2022 is Rosa Bonheur's bicentennial, that Bill & Rosa's Book Room doesn't want you to miss. Sur la piste des Sioux in Lyon features a section on the Wild West Show Buffalo Bill un Saltimanque venu de l'ouest is in Elbeuf which is a few minutes from Rouen And coming later this year is a Rosa Bonheur retrospective for the 200th anniversay of her birth. This expo will take place in Bordeaux, then in Paris. And because this is a historic anniversary for Rosa Bonheur there are many more events coming too. To give you a taste of what to look forward to: at the Château de Rosa Bonheur à Thomery By near Fontainebleau t…

Driving in France: what you need to know

Driving in France: what you need to know This article covers driving in France: paperwork, insurance, and how to obtain it. Buying a car. In case of accident. Items you are required to have in the car. If you are British, you may want to follow this link for regulations coming into place now that Great Britain is not part of the EU. DRIVER'S LICENSE: Generally speaking (because there are of course exceptions, this IS France) if you are in France for over a year and your driver's license is not European, French law requires you to have valid French driving papers for driving in France. This one year period starts on the date of your first carte de séjour. Etudiant status is one of the exceptions; as a student you can drive with your foreign license for the duration of your studies. Some US states and other countries allow an exchange of licenses, other states and countries do not and you'll be required to pass the French exam to obtain the French license. Keep in mind …

Ground Hog Day – Candlemas – Le Chandeleur

It's Ground Hog Day again! I get such a kick out of this day - it just makes me laugh and yet its origins are ancient and no joke - so that I want to share its background with you, dear reader, once again. --Lisa Selon le dicton écossais: If Candlemas Day is bright and clear, There'll be two winters in the year. La version anglaise: If Candlemas be fair and bright, Come, Winter, have another flight; If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, Go Winter, and come not again. Quand un animal hibernant sort de son terrier le 2 février (Le Chandeleur - Candlemas Day) et le soleil brille l'animal aura peur de son ombre, rentra sous terre et l'hiver continuera encore six semaines. La marmotte d'amérique est devenue aux Etats-Unis le météorologue le plus suivi pour ses prévisions de l'arrivée du printemps. Le plus célèbre des marmottes est Punxsutawney Phil, qui fait son entrée chaque année depuis 1887 à Punxsutawney, un village de Pennsylvanie. Toute la semaine du 2 février…

Funny poems about learning English

Learning a language is fun and funny, but difficulties lurk when not done with honey. English is notoriously difficult because it is very irregular in pronunciation and spelling. Thousand years of external influences amongst which the imposition of French in the middle ages and a huge importation of foreign words resulting from exploration and colonialism turned English into a mishmash. Enjoy these poems about learning English that we have gathered from various online sources. The first of these poems about learning English dates from at least 1896! We'll begin with box, and the plural is boxes; But the plural of ox should be oxen, not oxes. Then one fowl is goose, but two are called geese, Yet the plural of moose should never be meese. You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice, Yet the plural of house is houses, not hice. If the plural of man is always called men, Why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen? The cow in the plural may be cows o…

Giving Up U.S. Citizenship: Why and How

Giving Up U.S. Citizenship: Why and How There are many reasons why someone may want to give up their US citizenship. One of them is taxation. 1040 Abroad is here to explain the reasons people give up U.S. citizenship and how to do it. According to the Department of State, 6,705 Americans gave up their citizenship in 2020 alone. Compared to the 2,577 people who gave up their US citizenship in 2019, that number has increased by 260%. The renunciation of citizenship is a means of giving up citizenship that takes effect on the date of the interview at the U.S. consulate. A person who gives up U.S. citizenship will lose many benefits in the U.S., including voting rights, protection from foreign governments, and the ability to pass U.S. citizenship to their children. The main benefit of U.S. citizenship is still the right to live and work in the United States as desired. As a result, people who renounce U.S. citizenship tend to have established lives in their host country. Wh…

Au Gui l’An Neuf ou Bonne et heureuse année à vous

Au Gui l’An Neuf is another way, a bit old fashioned, to say Bonne et heureuse année à vous. La saison voulant que le gui abonde, on en cueillit dès le Moyen Âge pour l'offrir avec ce souhait : « Au gui l'an neuf », formule qui fut remplacée plus tard par « Bon an, mal an, Dieu soit céans » (soit dans la maison). Au XIXe siècle on disait « Bonne et sainte année, le paradis à la fin de vos jours », expression modernisée au XXe siècle en « Bonne et heureuse année ». Mistletoe grows all over northern France and on six of the seven continents. It’s those balls in the bare trees that you think might be nests at first glance, but in fact it is vegetal parasite which rarely kills the host trees and thus is not a pest. Ecologically it is an important plant as it provides food and shelter for many species. A study in Australia mentioned in the NY Times compared forest parcels with mistletoe to parcels from which mistletoe had been removed. The study suggests that mistletoe is…