Friday, April 03, 2009

French Invasion!


I can't resist showing you the current ad campaign for Eurostar (the train that goes from Paris to London via the Channel tunnel) for I find it funny (it's probably even funnier to my British visitors). The English and the French have often been at war (including the one that lasted 100 years in 1337), but since 1904 and "l'Entente cordiale", we get along pretty well. Only, we still call them "Roast beefs" while they call us "frogs", but nothing nasty about it. Having said that, I may consider buying a Eurostar ticket for 77€ (that is really cheap) and pay a visit to London, Canterbury or... Cheltenham!

43 comments:

  1. Ah, the chunnel! Yes, I'd love to take that train and go invade Britain! ;) But first, I need to know about armpit protocol in case I meet HM in person or something. Anyone? ;)

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  2. (BTW, Eric, could you have that guy send me my suit back? Thanks.)

    Speaking of British culture, Michael Caine was on Jay Leno last night, and he cracked a couple of jokes but nobody laughed, so he said ... "It always works at home, but never abroad!" Great actor, Michael Caine.

    Anybody there? There is a lot of echo in here today.

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  3. For sure! Eurostar is a fantastic way to travel. We can get London/Paris return for £59 with a late availability deal. That's how I'm able to make my regular little jaunts :)

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  4. I'm in Tomate:) I'd love to just be able to hop on a train,bus,whatever and go to London for the day!! :D

    Congrats! on GF

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  5. That's an adorable ad campaign. I love the frog in the beret.

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  6. I loved the Eurostar! It brought us in the other direction though TO Paris instead of from. Roast Beefs? I hadn't heard that before - so what do the French call the Australians? Be honest now Eric.

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  7. WOW! Giggle........what fun! That is cheap isn't it. You'll have Rose and I in a spin, Eric, with talk like that.

    Love you Frog, from Roast Beef x

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  8. Tomate everything will be fine, so long as you don't pull Her Majesty's arm up to see her pits. The very thought... tut... has me in a swoon.

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  9. I DO love English people! These sweet rosbifs (roast beefs in French)...

    I was planning to go to London sometime soon but was shocked by the prices last time I checked (around 200euros!)... 77 euros, that's "cheap". I may buy one too, Eric, come with me? ;)
    I heard the ad campaign on the radio but didn't get the chance to see it outside, thanks!

    The funny thing is that the ad is in English, which is amazing when you know that French people don't speak a WORD of it.
    You know what, that's actually probably the first time I see an English ad in Paris without subtitles (or such small ones)!

    The frog with the French béret and flag is really funny.

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  10. No Suzy, you are "les amerloques'. ;)

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  11. to get the £59 return you have to book early! And on board pay in £ as they have never changed the prices from 4 years ago so £3 = €5 and with todays almost parity on the exchange rate that is bad.

    Just booked for the end of May - outbound £69 - inbound £29.50. Middle of June a £59 return!

    Trying to decide if I should use my frequent traveller points for a freebie at the end of this month to see 'Hair!' at Trianon - or save them for Zorro at folies bergere in October. Adore both shows

    Eli
    x

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  12. I hope no-one kisses that cute frog when he arrives in London ~ surely they have enough Princes for the time being.

    Tomate, congrats GF!! Even without your supersuit, you did it.

    Lynn, your hair grows quickly.

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  13. Guille, would you translate that as "Amer-wreckans? I can only guess "les ricains" is somehow related to the verb, "ricaner." It's because we're all so jovial, right?

    Right?

    Anybody?

    Oh dear.

    Hey, where did "frogs" come from, aside from "fr"?

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  14. Petra: you can't translate 'Ricains. It's an abbreviation of "Américain" (American), that's all. It doesn't mean anything negative or positive, I don't think, just an abbreviation. Amerloque is a little bit more slang but not necessarily derogatory, just a more casual world.

    I've often wondered the same thing about the frog. I googled it, found this:

    Several slang dictionaries - The Oxford Dictionary of Slang, A D1ictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, The Casssell Dictionary of Slang and the Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang - all give credence to the theory that the term comes from the generally accepted notion that the French like to eat frogs.

    By the way, the British are called "limeys" in the US.

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  15. HA HA I got there first.
    I have already bouhgt my Eurostar ticket to Canterbury (paid £60) !!!!!

    Eric and Guille you can come with me and we'll visit Rose and Lynn! Fancy that?!

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  16. All that discussion about armpits yesterday.... what really caught my attention and made me go like "hu?" was:

    The Queen has an Ipod.


    I'm trying hard but I can't picture that lovely old lady wearing her crowd along with two earphones hanging from her ears...

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  17. If the Queen has an Ipod what's next?

    You're all gonna tell me she listens to it while shaking her thang ??!!!

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  19. Tomate:

    about the brazilian wax I couldn't access the link you provided but I'm so curious to know why they would want to ban it (besides having nothing better to do like you said)??


    Since people started talking about brazilian wax I got curious to know what it looks like.

    Whenever I go to the institut d'épilation I only ask for a regular wax ;)

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  20. Not a bad price, is that for Round Trip??? I remember once many years ago walking down the rue de Rivoli and a homeless woman started screaming "Ros-Bif...Ros-Bif" behind me and then I realized she was yelling at some Brits that were walking in a group. It was actually kind of comical, yet the Brits looked quite shocked. Perhaps they were English vegetarians and didn't get it!

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  21. I like this photo very much. & Thank you Eric for this informative post. I just sent it to family who will be visiting Paris & England in a couple of weeks. I am sure this will be helpful to them.
    I also wanted you to know today is my last day to enter my giveaway celebrating one year of Long Island Daily Photo. I made a book of photos featuring my site via the blurb.com company & wanted you to know about it if you'd like to enter. I continue to be inspired by PDP and want to also thank you for that again.
    Merci!

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  22. You see guys, no reason to not come to England! If you can't find the cheap £59 return look out for first class deals in some sites (I have a couple of links in my site). They are occasionally cheaper than the normal fares. Last time I went to Paris the the cheapest tickets were £118 return but I managed to find a first class for £75.

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  23. To meet you is reason enough to come to England, Rose! :D

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  24. Hi, Ms. Rosbif here... I have it on good authority that Liz & Phil regularly shake their thang at around 7 in the evening - one full hour before they don their nightcaps and trot off to the boudoir. Fred & Gladys have been known to join them in the thang bit. Will & Harry of course are shakin their thangs almost nightly in the capital when they are not on duty. I can even tell you where they often go, for dancing and a quiet drink - though the last one is privileged info indeed; they do need some quiet time ;) lol
    Who is banning the Brazilian? Les Rosbifs or the Frogs? I haven't heard this. Like you though, Monice, I go for 'regular'. The other one is just too ouch.

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  25. We do share an awful lot on here don't we? Gosh.

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  26. oh and lol Shell! I wish it would. I still don't like it.

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  27. lol People are surprised that Sarkozy is on time to meet the President off the plane as he kept him waiting yesterday, arriving late! Oops. Seems the President hasn't appeared off the plane yet - little bit of get-back I wonder? Gosh it must take some nerve to keep a President waiting though huh? he he....take me with a pinch of salt, just a tiny bit of English-French goading you understand from this Miss Rosbif.

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  28. LOOOL Lynn, your royal story is too funny. So, they all shake their thangs hu? Whaa, I feel so brit now! :p

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  29. {Lynn, tee hee. You are in a sharing mood. So it's true: Brazilian rainforests are endangered.}

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  31. LOL Shell !!!!!!

    Some would say they took it all out. The rainforest I mean.


    Lynn I love when there's a big happening in England because no CNN or BBC could give as better and funnier reports than you.

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  32. See Guille, I told you there was nothing wrong in shaking your thang! You're in good company.

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  33. >Tomate. "(BTW, Eric, could you have that guy send me my suit back? Thanks.)" Huh?!

    >Mme Benaut "so what do the French call the Australians? Be honest now Eric." We call the Aussies no names in particular. And that is the truth!

    >Lynn. "You'll have Rose and I in a spin, Eric, with talk like that." LOL

    >Monica. "Eric and Guille you can come with me and we'll visit Rose and Lynn! Fancy that?!" When are you going?

    >Tonton. "Not a bad price, is that for Round Trip???" yes. "erhaps they were English vegetarians and didn't get it!" LOOOOOOL!

    > Lily. "I also wanted you to know today is my last day to enter my giveaway celebrating one year of Long Island Daily Photo. I made a book of photos featuring my site via the blurb.com company & wanted you to know about it" I'm going to check this right away.

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  34. Eric, I'm sure that if you buy that ticket, the entente will be very cordiale. I can sense certain ladies powdering their noses already.

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  35. Hey, may an Amerloque get in on that little Paris/London excursion to join Eric (& all you other lovely frogs) for a visit with rosbifs Rose and Lynn?

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  36. I can see I need to buy a HUGE joint of rosbif to feed you all.
    Monica I am flattered beyond reason and loving every moment. :)
    Shell oh yes, the Brazilian. Brr in more than one sense of the word! The pain; indescribable. oh yes I have tried it. I will share with you, so long as you don't tell anyone, I have tried it ALL OFF too! he he...I'm giggling now all the way from England, telling you this, but my God no never again. I discovered all kinds of high pitch to my voice.
    Guille, indeed, they shake them alright. Prince Charles recently went to Monicaland and threw himself into all sorts of shapes in the guise of a Samba. He particularly loves dancing. Being so gentlemanly English though with stiff upper lip, legs and arms into the bargain, the result is an animation of limbs reminiscent of embarrassing dancing Dads everywhere.

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  37. Eric I´ll be there for 3 days starting June 12th.

    Did you book you seat yet?!? ;)

    he he...

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