In four weeks I’m heading back to Paris for my as-often-as-I-can-get-there-mecca. I have to admit that my FIRST stop in Paris way back in 1972 (which was when I first stepped foot on French soil) was to a Wimpy hamburger chain by the Luxembourg Gardens.  I’m sure that it’s no longer there, but since I arrived in France with nothing more than $100 in my pocket, determined to STAY for 3 months I was on a budget…a BIG budget and unfortunately French cuisine would have to wait for date night and I’d be shopping at Carrefour and Prisunic (now part of the Monoprix chain), and heading into McDo on the run (“McDo” is what the French affectionately call McDonald’s – much like our “Mickey D”).

McDonald’s is as much a part of French culture as it is here in the States. As a matter of fact, while the French probably wouldn’t acknowledge it…they are the #2 consumer of McDonald’s in the WORLD.

Does that mean that as a tourist in the city of lights, that I should stop in for some “authentic” French fast food?

Beginning next month, McDo will begin serving hot, fresh baquettes with butter and jam (tartine) for breakfast at 130 McCafés around the city. My guess is that Parisiens on the run will be waiting in line from day ONE (just like they do at Starbucks and other chains).

Will I give up Poilâne for McDo? Probably not.

Am I curious to see what all of the houp-là is? Absolutement.

Just mention the word “Provence” and I can SMELL the lavender and remember the wonderful dinners served up by George Germon and Johanne Killeen of Al Forno (which was next to our restaurant years ago) who have a second home in Provence. 

“It’s the place that dreams and magazine spreads are made of. Where everything is beautiful, and soft, and smells good. Like a movie, only better”, says Tony

Did you know that Provence was actually a very poor place for most of it’s history? That it has a hot dry Mediterranean climate (it’s adjacent to Italy) and was pretty much worthless for large scale agriculture?  Maybe that’s why it’s got that laid back, easy lifestyle. And of course there’s —– THE FOOD.

Back to the episode. For some reason, Tony really wants to stay in this incredible villa during their stay and in return for the digs (and the pool that comes with it) he offers to cook a meal for his local friends. He spends a full week learning about the foods, culture and cooking style before beginning this task.

Tony learns to make an aioli sauce (yum – I LOVE garlic and olive oil). This simple dish, is not quite as simple as Tony thinks, since the woman preparing it, won’t even cook outside, because the wind might affect the dish. Lucky Tony get to have this delicious sauce served over fish and vegetables.

My bucket list has always included one thing. Well, it’s included a FEW things all based on ONE THING…. LIVING IN FRANCE. I was 18 years old the first time I went to Paris (it was probably the first time I’d been anywhere without my parents) and I came to love the city and the people. I still visit her as often as I can (unfortunately it was not in the cards this year), all with the hope that I’ll one day live there. I haven’t settled on a single place I’d like to spend the rest of my years – one minute I think it’s the Marais and the next I’ll want a quieter life in Amboise, but ONE thing is certain – it will be in France.

So, it will SHOCK you that I am not fluent in French. Which brings me to #2 on my bucket list. Learning French. Yes, I took French in high school and college – only to realize once I arrived that I really did not speak the language, but rather an Americanized version (without the true tone of the French language). Luckily, my brother is fluent. He can discuss world politics or the latest French novels, make small talk with a mother waiting for her child to arrive at the train station, etc. For the past few years we’ve been traveling companions, making it so that my only need was a “bonjour Madame” or a “bonne journée.”

I knew that I couldn’t live there without knowing the language and with each passing year I worry that it would become more difficult. I’d researched various methods and since I don’t live near an Alliance Française (and I didn’t want to take French from an American teacher as the accent is SO important), I looked into Rosetta Stone.

Over the years I’ve heard some WONDERFUL things about how easy it is to learn languages with Rosetta Stone, so I contacted them….hoping that they’d let me TRY it out (and in return I told them that I’d let my readers know if it really WAS easy or just a waste of money).

Let me cut right to the chase, because I’m still amazed at what Rosetta Stone is doing for me. IT WORKS! I am using the TOTALe program. It is a full language immersion combining visuals, auditory and speaking (with word and ACCENT recognition). Between the repetition (not at ALL boring) and the fact that you can learn TOTALLY at your own pace (I’m a bit on the slow side…but that’s okay), this is a program that will really have you speaking a few phrases your first day. It is nothing short of amazing.

I’m HORRIBLE at remembering. Sitting me down and having me memorize words, phrases, sentences, etc. doesn’t work. I’d get up to get a glass of wine (hey, I’ve got to set a French mood here) and if it were ANY OTHER PROGRAM I’d have forgotten 1/2 of what I’d learned by the time I got back to my lesson. The genius of the Rosetta Stone program is that you learn the language NATURALLY and in a FUN manner.

It’s funny, but when I told some friends that I was using the Rosetta Stone TOTALe to learn French, people started coming out of the woodwork to tell me their experiences with Rosetta Stone as well. My cousins girlfriend is using it along with her college courses and she’s ACING her classes. She said that she’s learned SO MUCH MORE from her Rosetta Stone lessons than she did the past two semesters at school, and because she’s going into the medical field in South Florida – she NEEDS to be able to speak Spanish.

Here’s what I LOVE about the program…

1. I’m learning to speak the language like a native.
2. The voice recognition system is amazing. It makes me strive for the correct accent and pronunciation.
3. The lessons are interesting and varied. You start by jumping right in making phrases.
4. Because the lessons vary, I don’t get bored. Plus, each lesson builds on the lessons before and before you know it you’re speaking French (or Spanish, or Russian, or….).
5. I’m a visual person, so I love matching up the sound of the word, with the written and the picture of what it is. That helps me remember so much better.

I know what you’re thinking though….it’s expensive. YES, it is très cher, BUT if you add together all of the money that you’d spend on private language classes or even taking a course at college – you’ll probably spend MORE money. I figured that a college course in French would cost approximately $500, and I would need to take French 1, 2 +3 to equal the lessons in the TOTALe program at under $1,000.

Plus the TOTALe allows me to

• Participate in guided online sessions with live Coaches.
• Practice your skills with other learners in our online community.

The TOTALe program is Rosetta Stone’s MOST COMPREHENSIVE program. It’s like having a private tutor. I also love being able to PRACTICE my skills by conversing with other learners online. Oh and I forgot to mention the GAMES. What a GREAT way to reinforce your learning, by PLAYING GAMES using your newly learned vocabulary (since the only language you’re allowed to use is the one that you’re leaning).

I know that a lot of my readers travel often and would LOVE to learn a variety of languages. If you’re not sure if Rosetta Stone is the way to go…test drive a lesson and see for yourself. If learning a language is on your bucket list OR if it’s an essential part of getting ahead at work, I suggest you try one of the Rosetta Stone products.

Plus – for the holidays they’re offering up to $125 off and Free Shipping.

I must say, that it’s SO MUCH FUN being able to do something that I’d always dreamed of. So, I guess that I’ll be able to cross this off of my “list” and next year I’ll be once again sitting at Les Philosophes on Rue Vieille du Temple. I’ll be the one chatting with the people at the next table and enjoying a Tart Tatin de Tomate. Of course you KNOW that I’ll be blogging from Paris (I wouldn’t go anywhere without YOU).

Thank you to Rosetta Stone for providing me with the TOTALe software in French for this review (and for letting me check one more thing off of my LIFE list). I was not paid for this review and all opinions are strictly my own.