Sarah's Key

We watched this film on Saturday night.

I'd wanted to see it for awhile, but missed my opportunity when it was out in cinemas.

An adaptation of the novel by Tatiana de Rosnay - which I actually haven't read, starring Kristen Scott Thomas, who I adore. The story follows Kristen ST's character, Julia - a journalist who has lived in France for 25 years and is married to a Frenchman and her present day investigation into the 1942 Vel' d'Hiv Roundup of Jews and the lasting impact of these events - which strike very close to home. This modern story is juxtaposed with the story of a young girl's experiences during the Nazi occupation of France.

We both really liked Sarah's Key - we didn't enjoy it per se, as it's certainly not a happy clappy film, but the acting was good and while the French is all subtitled, it was nice for both of us that we didn't always need to read the subtitles to follow the dialogue. While it's certainly very sad in parts, I didn't feel like it was overly emotionally manipulative, which was nice. Still shed a tear or two though, because I am an emotional lump.

Anyway - if you haven't seen it, I'd highly recommend.


Here's the trailer:




xxx
B

Le Tour

My interest in Le Tour de France has kind of crept up on me gradually.

Back in Australia I would watch it occasionally, mainly to admire the stunning scenery and French villages/chateaus but the time difference was a killer and I didn't really "get" cycling - like how the teams worked together and yet it was only and individual could win?  huh?? and the only name I really knew, like many, was Lance Armstrong.

Any yet, since being in France, my interest has gown.

Two years ago, when the Tour started in Monaco we went for the day with friends, figuring we might as well, being all close and stuff. Even though it was a long day and I was a bit bored by the end - I loved the atmosphere and actually read through the race magazine we were given cover to cover which helped explain a lot about the sport that I'd either misunderstood or didn't give a fig about. I also got interviewed by an Australian TV channel which was quite a laugh! Expert commentary by me, I assure you.

Monaco

Stage 1 2009

Last year we were on our road trip through Switzerland with Herge and Jess when we ducked back across the border to watch the end of the amazing Stage 8 at Morzine-Avoriaz perched at an altitude of 1,800m. It was the day Cadel took the mailliot jaune and was a highlight of the trip, we all had such fun and looked like right plonkers in all our Australian gear.

 bunch of wackadoos

 Lance. 

What kind of parents name their child Lance by the way? 

Seriously? Laaaaance? 

(say it with an Aussie drawl and it's particularly repugnant)

Speaking of repugnant.....

This year, I have been hooked.  I think it's a combination of being on holidays with not a lot to do besides school prep for next year (blerk) and being naturally quite a lazy sloth, so the appeal of lying on the couch for a few hours every afternoon and watching crazy athletes do their thing is quite strong. I actually know who most of the riders are now, I know which ones are sprinters, which ones are hill specialists, what the different coloured jerseys mean (which M is very thankful for as he was sick of me asking "what's the white jersey mean again????) and what the time splits are between the GC group (that's "General Classification" for those who aren't in the know.) 

And, obviously, I've been following the efforts of Cadel Evans fairly closely. So has M. Indeed he (M, not Cadel) finished a big (huge) project this week which has left him with little to do at work besides surreptitiously watching Le Tour on his computer and on Friday I was surprised to see him walk in the door at 3.15 in the afternoon! He'd booked himself into a meeting all afternoon. This meeting happened to be with our television at home. 

Yesterday's time trial that saw Cadel perform with the ride of his life to win the yellow jersey and effectively win the tour was INCREDIBLE! To say it was excitement plus in this apartment would be an understatement, M was yelling and commentating and fist pumping and cheering (and then pouting when I refused to let him put an Australian flag on our balcony) and I was both nervous and super excitable. It was an amazing sporting achievement. 

Then, when it was done, it occurred to M that Cadel will, in all likelihood, make history as the first Australian to win Le Tour de France today in Paris. And we live in France...... which is near Paris by all accounts.  

So it was a quick check of flights, moans over how hideously and fiendishly expensive they were, some quick smooth talking and negotiating and then he booked. 

Yes - HE booked, as in only M. I am home alone having dropped him at the airport this morning. It really was absurdly expensive and I'm happy for M to go and have fun with our friends drinking beer all day along the Champs Elysee (or, as he put it "I'll probably be making a spectacle of myself ... which you don't really like ... so ....." !!) 

I kind of have him over a barrel next time I want to spend some money as he ALSO said "thanks for being so good about this ... I know I am sometimes a little difficult about money"

sometimes!

a little difficult!

Ha!

Anyway, I'm going to bake some cupcakes and settle in to watch history in the making from the comfort of my couch. And see if I can distinguish my Australian idiot from all the others that are no doubt flooding the streets of Paris today - it will be a sea of Aussie flags and Kangaroos. GO CADEL! Whoo hoo!!

I feel sorry for all the Parisians. 

And M better damn well bring me some Pierre Herme macarons. 

Bisous

B

xx

I'm Liesl. I'm sixteen years old and I don't need a governess.

I've been in a very Von Trapp mood of late.

What’s a Von Trapp mood I hear you ask?

It’s where you find yourself thinking about The Sound of Music a lot.

There is a reason for this, I assure you I haven’t gone completely off the deep end (well ... no more so than usual!) I’ve put my Travel Agent hat back on and have been busy planning and booking accommodation and flights for our little vacation when Jaime is here with us at the start of August.

Our current plan is:
A weekend in Paris – always good fun
A few days on the Cote D’Azur – showing Jaime around Cannes and trying not to descend into homicidal rage over all the tourists everywhere
Drive up to Lake Como and stay in Bellagio. Hope that George Clooney is free for a drink.
Drive through to Salzburg – see some lakes and churches and castles and drink some beer, eat some schnitzel.
Continue on to Munich – see some churches and castles and museums and drink some beer, eat some wurst. Rinse, lather, repeat.

Should be awesome fun. Very much looking forward to it – especially seeing as I’ve only ever been to Austria and Germany during winter and I’m looking forward to doing some exploring and sight-seeing when it’s not – 14 degrees.

So I’ve been booking accommodation.

Did you know that in Salzburg, you can stay in a place called Villa Trapp?!?!?

Which is – if you couldn’t guess, the actual house the Von Trapp family lived in before they fled Austria (not by climbing through the Alps, however romantic that may seem, they actually took a train to Italy) before they emigrated to America!! But it’s their actual house and it has been completely renovated to its original state and is now a guest house. In less nice news, Heinrich Himmler, Head of the SS and all round evil bastard used it as his summer house but even still – a place that is full of history.

I mentioned this awesome piece of history to M.

To say he was unimpressed would be an understatement and he quickly put the kybosh on any ideas I might have been percolating about staying there.

His final ruling: “I won’t be staying in any Von Trapp house, there will be no Sound of Music tours, no Sound of Music sing-a-longs, no Sound of Music memorabilia. None.”


Party-pooper.

So I’ve found us a great little apartment to stay in instead.

But, because I am nothing if not a contrary, vindictive smart-arse, I had the DVD of The Sound of Music all queued up and ready to play the minute M walked in the door Friday night. And I sang along with every song. Loudly. Especially the yodelling bits.

He didn’t love it.

Want to know what else I realised? Let me pre-face this by saying that The Sound of Music is probably my favourite film, it’s one I’m always happy to watch and I would have seen it well over 100 times. When I was younger I used to fast-forward through the “boring bits” – when Reverend Mother sings “Climb every Mountain”, when Maria and Georg are confessing their love and sing “Something Good” – whereas these are now my favourite parts.

What I noticed on Friday night is that Captain Von Trapp is HOT!
Clearly I’ve gotten old enough to think young Rolfe and his stupid condescending attitude and lame telegrams is a putz.

Georg’s simmering sexuality and stern looks is Where. It’s. At.
Christopher Plummer had it going on back in the day, non?

And when he sings "Eidelweiss" ...... mmmmmm. I go all gooey.

So that’s that. I’m in a Von Trapp mood.

I’m off to contemplate making play clothes out of old drapes.
(That’s a blatant lie. I don’t have any drapes.)


Auf Wiedersehen, darlings

B
xxx

Highs and Lows

Sorry about the level of radio silence from this end, but I'm on holidays y'all which means a whole lot of doing NUTHINK, therefore no blog fodder.

Unless you want to hear about how I tripped walking into the boulangerie yesterday and smashed to the floor in an embarrassing heap only to have a lady who would have been 90 years old at least help me up.

I may have to find a new boulangerie which sucks 'cause they have the best baguettes.
And my knee still hurts.

That's literally the most exciting thing that's happened lately.

In the meantime I've been: internet-ing, reading, swimming and sleeping. In other words - having an awesome relaxing time.

I've also been catching up on some TV viewing (getting ready to dive into the final season of Friday Night Lights - Texas Forever!) much neglected house cleaning and cooking.

We finally got around to watching Bridesmaids the other day too.
Suffice to say - the glowing reviews from both sisters who have the exact same sense of humour as me guaranteed that I would like it.
And I did.
I laughed so hard I thought I was going to pee my pants. M liked it too. So a winner all round.

I'm sure you've all seen it but if not - run, don't walk to you local cinema
(or ..... if you're like me .... click on a link and then hook your computer up to your TV ..... *whistles innocently**)




The scene on the plane is my favourite:
"What kind of a name is 'Stove' anyway? What, are you like a kitchen appliance or something?"
hehehehehe. So funny.


What else?

We are off to Frankfurt next week for the long weekend associated with Fête Nationale (Bastille Day) to stay with Agi and Alessio which should be a blast and I have lunch/play dates lined up with lots of my work colleagues early next week.

Our trip to Frankfurt conveniently co-insides with the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Agi is as big a Harry Potter fan as I am so we will be dragging the two boys to a cinema showing it in English - yahooo!! I can't wait, yet at the same time I know I'll be a bit sad when it's all over. No more books. No more films. I've been attached to these fictional characters and their cinematic counterparts for over a decade. Le sigh.

I won't cry though.* I'm not that lame.

Well that's all for today.

Hopefully something interesting happens soon so I can blog about it, sorry for boring you.

xxx
B


* This is most likely a bald-faced lie.