by Gary | Sep 26, 2012 |
My darling wife S. and I have just returned from a delightful, but tiring holiday in Europe which began with two days in Paris at our standby hotel, the Bristol. There’s almost nothing one can say that’s bad about Le Hotel Bristol except that the prices are so high, one can get a nosebleed just walking in the lobby. But I knew this before I got there. Also, let me say at the outset that I like french food, I like french wine, I like french women, I like french art. Heck, I’m pretty much an out and out francophile. I’ve struggled with french irregular verbs without ever mastering them for years. Even today, your average frenchman...
by Gary | Jun 10, 2011 |
It was bound to happen. You can’t go this many days without it. A mini-meltdown. No, not the kids. Me. I had a mini-meltdown in front of Notre Dame Cathedral. I have my reasons, but as I recount them they don’t seem to fully justify my behavior. First of all….it’s hot in Paris. I mean really hot. This is the hottest, driest spring they’ve had since 1901, or so I’m told. Paris is crammed to the brim with people. I know it’s the front end of the high season, and it’s the finals of the French Open. To the French, that’s more important than our Super Bowl and World Series in one. And they’ve come from...
by Gary | Jun 6, 2011 |
I’ve been to France thirty, forty, maybe fifty times over the last forty years. S. and I even rented a house in the south of France one summer long ago. I’ve studied the language off and on ever since I made a weak C in French 101 my freshman year in college. I’ve bought French companies, and I’ve sold French companies. I’ve had 100’s, if not 1000’s, of French employees over the years. I know my French history pretty well and collected more than a few pieces of French art. Hell, I even gave a speech in French at the opening of one our our facilities in the environs of Paris. I’ve admired French wine, ogled French women, stuffed myself with French food,...
by Gary | Sep 21, 2009 |
Any one who thinks they have the ability to understand a culture other than their own is a fool. I remember an old asian hand, who after several miso wari’s (scotch and waters for you non-old asian hands), opined about a common malady of expats who had stayed too long. We called it asian fever, and it happens in other areas of the world as well. He told me that perfect comprehension of the Oriental culture came only when one finally realized that he would never understand. It’s relatively easy to apply that wisdom to eastern cultures, where things really look different, but we often fail to understand that it applies equally to places where things on the...
by Gary | Sep 17, 2009 |
Let me sum up Paris for you in a word. C’est magnifique. Well, that’s two words I guess. No, really it’s three words. And that’s part of the problem. They speak a very funny language here. It’s sounds good, but it’s impossible to understand, and, god forbid, don’t try to speak it to them. Those of you who know me well, know that I am a bit of a striver for languages, particularly French. I’ve spent more money and time conjugating irregular verbs and trying to understand the subjunctive vs. indicative moods than anyone I know. Alas, it’s all been for naught. My two semesters of college study. My eighteen months of twice weekly tutoring by a very comely...
