Virtual Visit of a Region

1
Provence Alpes Côte dAzur
French lesson 2
2
Vitrual discovery of a region

• Ergajna ltqajna biex naghtu harsa lejn regjun
  iehor fi Franza. Jekk tifrtakru sew kont
  ghidtlikom li Franza tikkonsisti fi 22 regjun u
  li kull regjun jinqasam fdipartimenti. Illum ser
  ninzlu fin-naha tisfel taFranza ezattament
  fir-regjun li jismu Provence Cote dAzur. Dan
  ir-regjun jikkonsisti fseba dipartimenti
  fix-xlokk tal-pajjiz fin-naha tal-Lvant insibu
  il-fruntiera Taljana filwaqt li fin-nofsinhar
  insibu l- bahar mediterran u l-principat
  taMonaco. Fih insibu lil provence, il-belt ta
  Avignon li qabel kienet marbuta mal- papiet,
  il-belt ta Nice li l-kosta taghaha hija maghrufa
  bhala l- French Riviera jew Cote dAzur, u
  l-provincja maghrufa bhala le Dauphine li tinsab
  fl-Alpi. Ekonomikament dan ir-regjun huwa
  t-tielet l-aktar importanti wara Ile de France u
  Rhone Alpes. L-akbar tlett ibliet huma Marseille,
  Nice u Toulon. 
• Is-sit li ser nidhlu fih illum huwa
  http//www.provenceweb.fr. Il-homepage tadan
  is-sit tehodna mill-ewwel fil-qalba
  tal-attivitajiet li jkunu qed isehhu jew li
  jkunu ser jigu organizzati fil-jiem li gejjin.
  Pero ejjew naraw fxiex jikkonsisti ezattament
  dan ir-regjun. Nikklikkjaw fuq Departements u
  hawn hekk insibu mappa li turina ezattament kif
  inhu mqassam dan ir-regjun. Insibu 7 dipartimenti
  u kif qeghdin taraw in-nies li joqghodu fdawn
  l-inhawi jgawdu kemm il- Bahar Mediterran kif
  ukoll il-muntanji, minhabba li l-Alpi jaghmlu
  parti minn dan ir-regjun. 
• Nistghu nghidu li l-aktar regjun importanti huwa
  dak taBouches du Rhone minhabba li fih minhabba
  li fih insibu l-belt kapitali - Marsilja.
  Marsilja hija t-tieni l-akbar belt fi Franza u
  l-ewwel port tal-pajjiz. Fil-fatt, Marsilja hija
  maghrufa bhala l-kapitali tal-parti tisfel
  taFranza. Marsilja hija maghrufa ghall-port
  l-antik, u l-irhula z-zghar tal-madwar li
  jghatuha dehra pittoreska.  
• Kull min izur Marsilja ma jistghax ma jinnutax
  il-bazilika taNotre Dame de la Garde li hija
  l-patruna tal-bahhara. Pero minbarra Marsilja
  nsibu wkoll l-belt taAix li xi darba kienet
  il-kapitali tar-regjun. Dan il- post maghruf ghal
  gonna tieghu , funtani u villel antiki u sinjuri
  tas sekli sbatax u tmintax. Il-kittieba kbar bhal
  Stendhal, Mistral, Zola u Cezanne kollha kienu
  affaxinati mis-sbuhija tadin il-belt li hija
  maghrufa bhala belt taarti u kultura..   

3

• Nikklikjaw fuq Alpes Maritimes.  Xi haga
  partikolari dwar dan il-post hija li l-muntanji
  jaslu kwazi sal-bahar- tant li kultant fcerti
  perjodi tas-sena, tigi fdubju tqattghax gurnata
  tiskijja fuq il-bahar jew inkella fuq is-silg.
  Tiehu biss siegha bil-karozza biex tmur minn
  naha  ghall-ohra, hin li barra minn Malta huwa
  relattivament qasir. 
• L-aktar ibliet maghrufa fdan id-Dipartiment huma
  Nice ,Cannes u Menton. Nice hija l-hames l-akbar
  belt fi Franza. Interessanti li t-tieni ajruport
  ta Franza wara Charles de Gaulle li jinsab
  fParigi, huwa dak taNizza. (Zoom on video
  clip). Din hija belt eleganti u popolari hafna
  mat-turisti. Insibu l-famuza Promenade des
  Anglais tul il-bajja enormi maghrufa bhala la
  Baie des Anges. Insibu bosta muzewijiet u siti li
  tamin jaghtihom daqqa tghajn. Izda zgur li xi
  haga li tolqtok hija l-parti tal-belt maghrufa
  bhala  Le Vieux Nice-Nice l-antika bit-toroq
  pittoreski taghha . Interessanti li fNice insibu
  djalett  partikolari msejjah le Nissart. U xi
  nghidu ghall-ikel bhal Ratatouille u le Pan
  Bagnat ? 
• Cannes hija belt ohra maghrufa specjalment
  minhabba il- festival tac-Cinema li jsir fMejju.
  Fil-fatt la Croisette hija maghrufa sew ghax
  fdin it-triq issir il-maghrufa Red Carpet tadan
  il-festival. Belt ohra maghrufa hija dik
  taMenton. Il-pajsagg huwa simili tal-ibliet
  l-ohra pero il-partikolarita ta din il- belt
  hija il-festa tac-citru jew ahjar La fete du
  Citron. Dan huwa tip takarnival li matulu
  jittellghu speci takarrijiet imzejna cil-laring
  u l-lumi.  
• Ghall-min ihobb joqghod il-boghod mill-follol,
  id-dipartiment Haute Alpes huwa dak li jghodd
  ghalih. Hawn insibu xenarji tamuntanji u widien
  u hafna hafna borra. Fil-fatt fix- xitwa
  d-dipatiment Hautes Alpes huwa popolari ferm
  ghall-iskiing resorts. Fis-Sajf, wiehed xorta
  wahda jista jipprattika xi sport bhall- hiking ,
  horse riding u  mountain climbing. Il-fatt li
  nsibu bosta xmajjar jaghmilha aktar facli
  ghar-rafting u l-canooing.
• Is-sbuhija ta dan il-post huwa ideali biex
  tiskopri n-natura- specjalment fil-Parc naturali
  tEcrins li fih insibu kull tip taannimal marbut
  ma dawn l-akwati.   

4
To go further

• Marseille, capital of the Region Provence Alpes
  Cote dAzur is famous for several things it
  location near by the Mediterranean sea, its
  famous Calanques (rocky inlet), its food and
  eventually its soccer team. It is one the the
  biggest french cities with 820 900 inhabitants.
  There, one can visit its famous boulevard La
  Canebière that leads to the Old Port (marina).
  Tourists come to visit the Chateau dIf, that
  became famous by the Dumas novel The count of
  Monte Cristo and the basilica Notre Dame de la
  Garde which dominates the city from the top of a
  hill.
• Notre Dame de la Garde, also called La bonne
  mère (the good mother since it protects the
  inhabitants) by the inhabitants was built between
  1853 and 1864. It is dedicated to la Vierge Marie
  and many citizens make offers such as candles,
  ex-votos, soccer team shirts and processions on
  the 15th august for the assumption.
• Aix-en-Provence is another main city of the
  Region Provence Alpes Cote dazur with its 140
  000 inhabitants. It was founded by the roman
  Sextius Calvinus ni 123 BC. It is a pleasant
  place to visit, which represents very well the
  south of France culture. Several famous persons
  frequented this city such as Cézanne, Zola,
  Mistral or Stendhal.
• Paul Cézanne was born in Aix en Provence in 1839
  and died there in 1906. He was a impressionist
  french painters, probably one of the most famous.
• Frédéric Mistral was a French poet who studied
  in Aix en Provence from 1848 to 1851. He wrote
  poems in Provençal (French dialect still talked
  in the region by ancients). He received the Nobel
  Price of Literature in 1904 and used the money of
  that price to create the Museum DArtlaten in
  Arles, nearby Aix.

5

• Stendhal was a 19th century French writer.
  Stendhal was his penname, he was in fact called
  Marie-Henri Beyle. He is well- known for his
  analysis of the psychology of his characters. His
  most famous writing s are Le Rouge et le Noir
  (The Red and the Black) and La Chartreuse de
  Parme (The Charterhouse of Parma).
• Emile Zola is a famous naturalist French writer
  of the end of the 19th century. He spent his
  childhood in Aix-en-Provence. He wrote some of
  the French classics of literature such as
  Germinal, Nana, La bête humaine or Lassomoir.
• By being located on the French Riviera, nice is a
  very famous French city well known for its
  luxurious hotels, its splendid marina full of
  yachts, its promenade called Promenade des
  anglais During the summer holidays, many French
  stars go there to spend time. It is a luxurious
  seaside place.
• La Promenade des anglais is the most famous of
  the French promenades ! It is called like that
  because during the XVIIIth century, many rich
  English people were coming to spend the winter
  season in Nice. They usually settled on the
  coast, and during one particular winter which was
  very cold, many beggars came to ask for help. The
  English offered to give they money if they built
  the promenade along the coast.
• La baie des anges is a Mediterranean bay which
  starts from Nice until the cap dAntibes. It was
  called like that by fishermen who, from that bay,
  could fish a type of shark whose fins looked like
  angel wings. Many legends were built from that
  Baie des Anges, one even says that Adam and Eve
  were taken there by angels after leaving Eden
  since the place was nearly as beautiful as their
  lost Paradise.
• Le vieux Nice is a part remaining of the old part
  of the city of Nice. It is still the heart of the
  city with its typical shops selling olives,
  spices, local fruits, vegetables and flowers.
  During the night, inhabitants gather in these
  streets where one can find bars, restaurants and
  nightclubs.

6

• Nice is also famous for its carnival which is the
  most popular in France. Every year, it welcomes
  more than 1 200 000 visitors during the two weeks
  carnival.
• Not far from Nice, there is the second city of
  the French Riviera Cannes. It is famous for its
  movie festival where the French personalities
  gather every year to vote for the Palme dOr
  (reward for the best movie of the year).
• The Festival de Cannes was created in 1946 by
  Jean Zay. In 2002, it was renamed Festival
  International du Film. It is famous for its Red
  Carpet where every year, popular stars come to
  climbs the stairs on the red carpet. The festival
  occurs during the second half of May. It is a
  huge international event and every year, we can
  see more and more international stars coming to
  show up on la Croisette, the prominent road in
  Cannes.
• Menton, located on the French Riviera, not far
  from Nice on the italian border, is a very nice
  little city. The symbol of that city is the lemon
  since it is the only region in France which
  thanks to a micro climate, can grow lemons. Every
  year since 1930s, Menton celebrates lemon during
  a celebration that occurres the 3 last weeks of
  February and which attracts thousands of people.
• The Hautes Alpes, department belonging to the
  Provence Alpes Cote dAzur, is famous for its
  Natioanal Parc le parc national des écrins.
  Many people go there for hiking, to see the
  animals such as chamois, ibexes, marmots, royal
  eagle etc and also rare flowers such as Edelweiss
  or Génépi.
• In the Hautes Alpes, people also come to
  practice snow sports such as skiing or
  snowboarding, mountain climbing, rafting etc.

7
Weekly song clip

• Yannick Noah huwa bniedem tahafna talenti. Huwa
  champion tat tennis, kien coach tat-team
  nazzjonali franciz tat-tennis u llum kantant
  famuz ukoll.  Noah rnexxielu jisraq qalb
  il-pubbliku Franciz mhux biss bil-karattru
  tieghu, imma wkoll peress li huwa jinvolvi ruhu
  fhafna ghaqdiet u kawzi bghanjiet karitatevoli
  u filantropici.  Fix-xena muzikali huwa rnexxielu
  jzewweg flimkien il-muzika Franciza madik
  Afrikana . Fil-fatt huwa holoq tip ta muzika
  differenti li dejjem twassal il-messagg
  tatolleranza, paci u solidarjeta. Yannick Noah
  huwa ezempju car tapersuna li minn karriera
  sportiva nexxielu jikseb success fil-kamp
  tal-muzika.

Porte l'eauPorte la vieDu ciel à ton seauLe
jour et la nuitC'est de l'orEntre tes
mainsChaque jour qui passeFait la terre plus
lassePorte l'eauPorte-la bienSurtout fait
attentionNe renverse rienFais l'effortTu le
sais bienChaque jour qui passeFait la terre
plus lasse
Porte l'eauPorte la vieTu dois courber le
dosPour un peu de pluieC'est de l'orEntre tes
mainsChaque jour qui passeFait la terre plus
lasseau RefrainC'est l'espoir qui
revientC'est la vie qu'elles ramènentDans leur
sceaux bien pleinsFatiguées mais toujours
sereinesDe la terre et des hommesElles sont les
gardiennesOui tu sais les lionnesSont vraiment,
vraiment des reines
RefrainMais tu sais les lionnesSont vraiment
des reinesLeur amour elles le donnentEt plus
jamais ne le reprennentLe soleil les
assommeFait monter leur peineOui tu sais les
lionnesSont vraiment, vraiment des reines
8
Intercultural DifferencesHolidays and traveling

• In France, the landscape can be very different
  from one region to another so usually, French
  people like to travel within France during their
  holidays. Their can either go to the mountain, to
  the sea, to some lakes or even to historical
  places or attractive ones The climate is also
  very different depending on where you are the
  north is rather more cold and it rains much more
  than in the south which is known for its sun and
  its warm season.
• France having borders with different countries,
  it is also easy to cross the borders to go and
  visit Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, or even
  Great Britain thanks to the train linking the two
  countries under the sea.
• French holidays are one week in November, two
  weeks for Christmas holidays, two weeks in
  winter, to weeks for Easter and two months in
  summer. The country is divided into three zones A
  B and C. Each academy belongs to a zone and does
  not have the same holidays dates as the other. It
  is made to avoid traffic jams within the country.
  For example, no region will be on holiday from
  the 10th of February until the 24th, the second
  from the 17th to the 31st and the last one from
  the 24th until the 7th of march. This zone time
  schedule is not available for Christmas holidays
  and summer holidays.
• The south of France remains the main holidays
  destination of the French people who want to
  enjoy the sea and the sun. They either book a
  hotel, rent a house or go to a camping. Camping
  are very popular in France and it is common to
  cross caravans on the motorways !