Day 1755 (Tuesday) 29th March 2022

It wasn’t as warm today but it wasn’t too bad and it’s getting slightly warmer in the evenings now.

Last night we watched Dirty Rotten Scoundrels yet again and I still love this film. I can’t believe how old it is now – it was made in 1998, just two years before I arrived in Villefranche – it would have been amazing to watch some of the filming.

This is Port Sante and there are still two men sorting out their fishing nets in the same spot.

This is the seafront – you can just see our balcony – it’s above that red awning 

Many years ago I saw Terry Wogan walking down this street and I whispered to my kiwi friend – ‘that’s Terry Wogan’ who loudly replied ‘who the hell is Terry Wogan?’ I was horrified.

This is at the edge of Place du Marche outside the ice-cream shop.

 

These are the steps up towards the citadel

This gorgeous yellow ‘pirate’ ship came into the bay this afternoon but it didn’t come in any closer so it’s not a great photo.

So I got this one off the internet

absolute winner of the prestigious Lycamobile Mediterranean Tall Ships 

I found  this article on Quora, she says ‘British’ in the heading bit then keeps using ‘English’, I wish people knew the differences between these nations.

What do the French and British think of each other?

I am a French woman married to a British Man. So maybe this answer might be a bit suggestive, and it will be more my opinion than historical sources, but I'll let you in, in some of the cultural differences that we encounter in daily situations.

In general, French and British actually like each other. Even if we like to joke around, tease a bit (quite a bit), we still respect each other. I personally think we are quite similar so that's why we tend to get on each other's nerves.

Now what both sides think...

On social events :

What the French thinks : You would think that the English would be actually very difficult on etiquette, as they have the queen and the prestige, but as a day to day living, the French have more "social" rules. When we go to a party, you don’t come empty handed, you come with 15 minute late for politeness, returning the invitations etc. Even with your close friends, there are a way to conduct yourselves, that is a way of showing appreciation for the person as well as showing respect.

What the English thinks : The act of showing up, and just the core of the friendship is enough. You don’t need to bother too much, as long as you are polite, kind and generally a good guest. They are not going to get too offended for etiquette details, while the French after a while tend to take "bad etiquette" for being taken advantage of.

On "waiting" in line :

What the French thinks : You snooze, you lose. If the person next to you isn't careful about waiting for his spot, or looks around and don’t advance, it’s an invitation to cut in front. And it’s not that much of a big deal. We won’t deliberately cut in front of a line in a supermarket, but if there is an empty spot and you weren't paying attention, you missed your chance.

What the English thinks : Cutting in line, BIG No-No. You don't cut it yourself, and they are going to think very badly if somebody does that to them. (Same thing in Canada by the way).

On Vacations :

What the French thinks : This is the time to relax, stay almost all day by the beach, taking the sun in, with only your bathing suit, and sunburn/heavy tan to show for it.. and of course have some rosé !

What the English Thinks : This is the time to relax, stay almost all day by the beach, in the shade, with a hat, almost fully dressed, and almost no tan to show for it... and of course have a beer !

On General Attitude :

What the French thinks : The English are uptight. They should loosen up. And quit making the French jokes, where the French is always dumb. They should also quit acting like they are better than us. Good thing we made sure in our history to try to piss them off, like reversing the side of the Road (Good one Napoleon)

What the English Thinks : The French are loud. And mostly very rude. Also they should learn to respect the rules. Also they should also quit acting like they are better than us. And why do they always have to do the reverse than us ?

On the past wars :

What the French Thinks : We won. (Yay Austerlitz !)

What the English Thinks : We won. (Yay Waterloo !)

On Alcohol :

What the French Thinks : Wine is Number 1, then Champagne, then... any sort of alcohol we like to drink..

What the English Think : Proper beer is number 1, then whiskey/scotch/bourbon (used in the correct way), then... any sort of alcohol we like to drink...

On Humour :

Usually, we tend to not really get each others jokes. Mr. Bean is known in France, that’s about it. And then because of the language barrier, the English don’t usually get the chance to know our comics, and we have trouble understanding theirs. This is something we would like to share, but because of the language it is quite separate. Also from what I’ve gathered, both the French comics and English comics like to use quite specific jokes that basically if you are haven’t lived in France for a long time, or if you lived in England for a long time, you won’t get it.

And many other differences... But in the end, we do like, respect and appreciate each other. We just need to get to know each other, get past the initial prejudice that we tend to get from one another (see general attitudes), and then we are quite good friends. Because one think we do have in common is .. we both like to have a good time, a good laugh, in good company with a good drink.

I also found an article of False friends, which is quite long so I will post a few every day…

85 French False Friends in English - Watch Out for These!

You think an English false friend is a friend you can't trust? Well not at all, it's an English word that's identical or sounds like a French word but means something completely different. Unlike the hundreds of French cognates that are an exact, or very close, matching between English and French words and mean just the same thing. French false friends can be complete, absolute, or strict but chances are always high that you find yourself in a funny or very embarrassing situation.

For instance, let's say you're on holiday in Paris and you tell your new French friends that you would like to "introduire" your new girlfriend, boyfriend or partner. Not sure they like the idea and they might think you're just a... jerk. And if your Parisian neighbour tells you that he has lots of "affaires" on the go, it doesn't mean that he's very enterprising and collects love conquests. It just means he's a great entrepreneur who may be conquering many markets! So, thanks to French false friends, some clichés could fall by the wayside.

The trickiest issue is to know if the French word you encounter and looks like an English word you know is a French false friend or a French cognate. The resemblance between so many French and English words is not really due to chance. Many English words are derived from French or have Latin roots. They can be spelt exactly the same way or vary a little bit. Or, their spelling might be totally different but when you pronounce them, they sound like a French word. French false friends are words that have been borrowed from the French language but their use has been distorted over the years in English. Or their meaning was never understood but sounded great in certain contexts. Either way, these French false friends are an integral part of the English vocabulary.

85 Common French English False Friends

actuellement - now, at present
actually - en fait, en realité

une affaire - business, matter (law)
affair - une aventure, une liaison

assister - to attend
to assist - aider

attendre - to wait
to attend - assister, participer

blanquette - veal stew
blanket - une couverture

blesser - to wound, to injure, to hurt
to bless - bénir

un bras - arm
bra - un soutien-gorge

brillant(e) - bright, shiny
brilliant - génial, super