Archive for February, 2007
Saturday, February 17th, 2007
Man kissing
Kissing is a difficult thing to get right in France. Presently, I’m in a state of total confusion as to what to do whenever I meet someone I know in Strasbourg.
Naturally if they’re female - a peck on either cheek will suffice (i.e. both cheeks - that’s a 2-kiss greeting), this is a step [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Life in Strasbourg by Bart
Sunday, February 11th, 2007
Titeuf Rocks!
There are certain aspects of French culture that are hard to avoid. One of these is the ‘bande-dessinée’ phenomenon (BD) - or ‘cartoons’ to you and I. The French just LOVE their cartoons and comic books.
The likes of Asterix and Tintin, both of whom I worshipped in my formative years, are world-famous, however [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Life in Strasbourg by Bart
Friday, February 9th, 2007
There must be a law against it!
I’m feeling a little poor at the moment. So, to ensure I remain frugal in my expenditures, I visited the cashpoint this morning with the intention of withdrawing the minimum amount possible.
A ten euro note would easily have covered a couple of coffees. So that’s what I keyed in at the [...]
2 Comments » - Posted in Life in Strasbourg by Bart
Thursday, February 8th, 2007
One for the road
It is a common assumption that phenomena of binge-drinking and anti-social behaviour are distinctly British problems. While even most French people might agree that this is true, I have observed little to make me believe that the French are any better behaved.
The only difference I can ascertain is that licensing laws have saved France [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Life in Strasbourg by Bart
Sunday, February 4th, 2007
Verbally vexed
For whatever reason, when they sat down and invented the French language, some bright spark must have suggested that it would be easier if final consonants were reserved for written purposes only; if only because pronouncing every single sound in a word can be an awful chore sometimes.
Undoubtedly - it is far easier [...]
2 Comments » - Posted in Life in Strasbourg by Bart
Friday, February 2nd, 2007
Tinned treats
You would have thought that tin-cans would be one of the easiest things to recycle? However there is not a single recycling bank for such things in Strasbourg.
Paper, plastic containers and glass are easily dealt with. If you have a bag load of cans though - you have to drive (yep [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Life in Strasbourg by Bart
Thursday, February 1st, 2007
A weekend in the mountains
Although it might appear coincidence, almost all our Strasbourgeois friends spent last weekend in the mountains, as did we. It seems the recent snowfall prompted the entire population of the Rhine valley to seek higher ground - for skiing, sledging and snowballing possibilities.
The beauty of Strasbourg’s location means that there are thousands of ‘higher [...]
