Basque Coast Road Trip

[Paseo en carro por la Costa Vasca] Yes, we’ve all heard of the elegant Côte d’Azur in the south east of France and its crystalline waters.  But have you heard of the Basque coast in the southwest of France? Hilly landscapes with the Pyrenees on its backdrop, white houses with red and blue frames, and sandy beaches with deep blue water, that’s the Basque Coast. Nothing to envy to other beach destinations of Europe. So let’s take a Basque Coast road trip starting in the Spain and heading north to the France. Claro, todos hemos escuchados de la elegante Costa Azul en el sudeste Frances con sus aguas cristalinas. ¿Pero han escuchado hablar sobre la Costa Vasca en el sudoeste de Francia? Un paisaje lleno de colinas con los Pirineos como fondo,  sus típicas casas blancas con marcos rojos y azules, y playas de arena con aguas de color azul profundo, esa es la Costa Vasca. Nada que envidiarle a otros destinos playeras de Europa. Así que tomemos un paseo en carro por la Costa Vasca empezando en España y siguiendo hacia al norte hasta Francia.   1. Bilbao We start our trip in Bilbao, the capital of the Spanish […]

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Paris – Bar & Restaurant Recommendations

[París – Recomendaciones de Bares & Restaurantes] One of the most dreadful things for me when visiting a new city is finding where to eat or have drinks. I want the BEST, but I hate looking. I want to recommend to you all the Swarm App, I love this app because you can check-in to all the places you go to, and this way they’ll always be saved on your profile, and it’s connected to FourSquare. After having visited Paris many times and since I moved to France, I have a pretty good list of my favorite Paris – bar & restaurant recommendations, I hope you like it! 

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Top 5 Museums to Visit in Paris

Top 5 Museums to Visit in Paris

[ Los 5 Mejores Museos Para Visitar en París ] Choosing which museums to visit your first time in Paris can be… overwhelming. This city has such a wide selection of museums, and they’re all so unique, that this task can be tough. Having stayed in Paris many times and having visited so many museums since I moved to France, I made a list of my top 5 museums to visit in Paris to help you out! This list doesn’t include churches or “monuments” such as the Opéra Garnier & the Panthéon, just purely art museums. 

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3 Maneras Para Ir a Vivir en Francia

3 Maneras Para Ir a Vivir en Francia

[ 3 Ways To Go Live In France ] ¿Quien dijo que los sueños eran imposibles? Si siempre has querido tener la experiencia de vivir en el extranjero, acá te muestro 3 maneras para ir a vivir en Francia. ¡Disfruta! Who said dreams were impossible? If you’ve always wanted to have the experience of living abroad, specially in France, here are 3 ways to do do so. Enjoy! 

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L’Année France – Colombie 2017 [El Año Francia – Colombia]

The France – Colombia Year or L’Année France – Colombie,  is an initiative launched by the French government. Every year since 1987 the French government chooses a country with whom to make an intercultural exchange and diversify relationships between both countries. For 2017, the chosen one was Colombia, the second Latin American nation ever be chosen.

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In Pau we also have CARNAVAL [En Pau también hay CARNAVAL]

Carnaval of Béarn in Pau France

On a cold winter night, after a long exile in the region of Aragón in Spain, Sent Pançard and his court decided to go back to France by crossing the Pyrénées. After getting past the barricade built by the bourgeois who were waiting for them at the doors of the city of Pau, the capital of the Béarn, they were able to enter the city. There, his Majesty was welcomed by the mayor, and the keys of the city were handed to him. Sent Pançard is a king who represents all the sinful qualities of humans, and he arrives to Pau to encourage the people to enjoy without measure the days leading up to Lent. The joyous town-people will participate in a party (La hèsta), where the King will lead a show of musicians and dancers.

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Studying French in France [Estudiando Francés en Francia]

Studying French in France

Over a year ago I decided to come to France to study French. In the past I had studied at a language institute in Paris, France Langue, which I recommend. However, if you’re serious about learning the language, in Paris you have way too many distractions (the good kind of course), and since there are people from all over the world, you might end up speaking more English or your native language than French.

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Hiking La Rhune in the Pyrenees [ Montando La Rhune en los Pirineos]

Hiking La Rhune in the Pyrenees

One of my favorite pastimes and that of many people in the Southeast region of France is hiking in the mountains. A couple of weeks ago, we decided to hike La Rhune, a summit from which you can see the Atlantic Ocean and cities like: Saint Jean De Luz and Hendaye on the French side, and Hondarribia in the Spanish side.

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Recognize these words? [¿Reconoces estas palabras?]

Recognize these French words

When you start learning a new language, you learn so much more than just the language: you learn to put things in context, and you might even end up finding a deeper meaning to words in your native language or other languages you speak. This happened to me when I moved to France. All of a sudden I was hearing words that had always been familiar, but I had no knowledge of their origins or different meanings. Since Spanish is my native language, I immediately began to make the word connections and since both languages have latin roots, made my learning went a lot smoother. I also realized that many French words were used in English as well. About 29% of English derives from the French language but most words have evolved through spelling and phonetics. However, there are still words out there that are purely French, but their meaning or context might have changed. Let’s take a look at some!

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Welcome 2017 [Bienvenido 2017]

Welcome 2017

We say goodbye to 2016 and hello to 2017, an opportunity to smile and live life to the max. 2016 was full of changes, learning, adventures, new friendships, and weddings… lots of weddings (I’m going through that age). I was fortunate to receive 2016 next to the Duque family, my parents, sister, and boyfriend in Medellin. Something that with time seems to be harder since we live in different places and the pace of our lives are different. It was a welcome where my heart was truly full.

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