Rocket French Community

Hello everyone,

I have been learning French for a couple of years already, but my speaking really sucks. I just ordered Rocket French a few days ago, and it seems to help a lot with my speaking skill. I hope to get through the program soon so that I can at least express myself when I'm in France next fall.

Speaking of that, I'll be in France for a semester with my university's program in Cannes. It's a beautiful city as far as I know, but to me it's a bit too much of the tourists for a language student. Does anyone have any suggestion about where I can visit around the French Riviere that can actually give me a taste of truely French culture (and affordable?)

Thanks so much for your help in advance.

if u have a few days off i sugest that u go 2 The Paris opera house.

Bonjour,

My son lives in France not too far from Cannes and we've been there so know of your concern with costs. You have to see the old town of Antibes just for some architecture and a little culture but if you want more affordable food etc., you'll have to travel away from the coast. When we were there, we stayed with my son in Mouans-Sartoux which is about a 30 to 40 min. drive ( mainly because of the traffic ) from Cannes and has all the small shops, outdoor cafes, etc. and quite reasonable compared to the tourist areas of the coast and much less crowded too. France in general is expensive compared to the U.S. and Canada except for wine, cheese, bread, and olives. Those are cheap and very good. We never had a bad wine over there and found the people very nice in southern France. There are lots of small villages accessable by train and I'm sure that someone at the school can give you some info. Enjoy and bon voyage!

Bonjour, I spent last summer in France, I loved it so much I decided to learn the language so the next time I go back I will be able to converse with the natives and someday live there. I only went past Cannes on the train, but I spent a few days in and around Nice...now I know why everyone wants to live on the French Riviera. The beach is better in Cannes though, it’s sandy while Nice’s beach is rocky. I didn't spend much more in Nice than in other cities and less than in Paris, but I stayed at the hostel behind the big mall "Nice Etoile". Most college students like myself eat “cheap food” anyway and luckily wine is cheap (but good) everywhere in France, so the cost is only a little higher in major cities. The best things in France are free, walking around the cities, the beaches, the parks, countryside, the people and even the museums on the first Sunday of each month. There are many wonderful villages around Cannes & Nice. If you visit Nice, you can buy a cheap day travel pass and take the city bus on one of the great scenic rides anywhere, along la corniche, the cliffside road between Nice and Monaco with stops at several villages including Eze. I think Cap Ferrat is one of the most beautiful places in the world, from there one can see Villefranche-sur-mer a charming old village on the hillside, it has a maze of medieval streets, some are tunnels. It wasn’t too crowded and there are some nice restaurants along the harbour. As for getting away from the tourist areas, I did just that after the Riviera, I went up into the high Alps of the Savoy. The people of the Savoy are very friendly, the little villages are traditional, so it’s a taste of authentic French culture and I think they make the best cheese I have ever tasted. Provence is mostly rural, its full of vineyards and olive groves, there are many places that offer “degustation” where you can taste the wine and meet the people who work at the vineyards. Besides the tourist favourite, the perfume village of Grasse, Provence has many charming slow paced villages were you can meet locals and experience French life, like St. Remy & Salon de Provence. Basically, everywhere you go in Provence is wonderful, I can hardly wait to go back and spend a year or longer in Provence.

Bon Voyage,
Greg