French Kiss
We apologize for the light posting since Friday. The Werbenmanjensens went to Paris via the Chunnel and Eurostar over the weekend (Saturday and Sunday) and spent Monday at Ikea again. We hope to resume a regular posting schedule today, with some photos and notes from Paris, some leftover photos from Glasgow, and commentary on the National Health Service.
Note: I will not be posting anything about Ikea. That's Mrs. W's beat.
Note: I will not be posting anything about Ikea. That's Mrs. W's beat.
posted by Smitty Werbenmanjensen at 9:41 AM
10 Comments:
My kids are really excited about the Eurostar (they've been gazing at a picture of it in one of their books since I told them about your trip). They want to know every detail of your trip. YK asked if there was any water on the tracks under the English channel.
Hmm. Sadly, my YK said that if we ever go to London, he wants to see the Eiffel Tower! So, then we had a geography lesson!
You see, OK, educational opportunities pop up when you least expect them. From now on, I bet your YK will only talk about London and the Eiffel Tower when s/he wants to get your goat!!
It was hard to tell what the water situation was in the Chunnel. I can tell you that they announce it ahead of time. The official languages of the Eurostar are French and English, and when you're in England, they announce things first in English and then in French, and when you're in France, they announce things first in French and then in English. When you emerge on the Continental side of the Chunnel, one of the first things I remember seeing was a warehouse across a field with the sign "Franglais-wine.com."
If you're in France, they say, "donne les snorquelles, il y a l'eau dans le Chunnelle!"
What I meant to say, but failed to because of inadequate pronoun agreemnet, was that they announce when you're about to enter the Chunnel a few minutes before you do.
It roughly means, "Put on your snorkel, you silly English person. There is water in the Chunnel."
Well, now I've had a good French lesson! Mr. OK has been practicing his French in preparation for a trip to the Medoc region in 1 1/2 years. I'll ask him about the snorkel, and the eau.
I haven't had that much French but I don't see "you silly English person" in "donne les snorquelles, il y a l'eau dans le Chunnelle!"
I left a "z" off the end of "donnez," I believe. It's second-person plural, which of course you also use as in addressing a singular person if you're being formal.
And of course, when the French are speaking to Anglophones, the "you silly English person" is always implied.
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