120 (D-11) Golden Gate Bridge

120 (D-11) The Golden Gate Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world when it was completed during the year 1937, and has become one of the most internationally recognized symbols of San Francisco, and of the United States. There are now eight other bridges which have surpassed the span length of the Golden Gate Bridge. It still has the second longest suspension bridge main span in the United States, after the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York City.

Listen to Judy Garland sing: "San Francisco...Open your Golden Gate ...." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSr47vIUz94

(English is difficult here, but enjoy the song.)

I never will forget, Mmmm...Jeanette MacDonald
Just to think of her, it gives my heart a pang
I never will forget, how that brave Jeanette
Just stood there in the ruins and sang, and sang...

San Francisco, open your Golden Gate
You'll let nobody wait outside your door
San Francisco, here is your wanderin' one
Saying I'll wander no more.

Other places only make me love you best
Tell me you're the one in all the golden west
San Francisco, I'm coming home again
Never to roam again...

San Francisco, right when I arrive
I really come alive...
And you will laugh to see me,
Perpendicular, hanging on a cable car

San Francisco, let me beat my feet
Up and down Market Street
I'm gonna climb Nob Hill, just to watch it get dark
From The Top of the Mark

There's Brooklyn Bridge, London Bridge,
And the Bridge of San Louis Rey
But the only bridge, that's a real gone bridge,
Is the bridge across the bay

San Francisco, I'm coming home again,
Never to roam again, by gum
San Francisco, I don't mean Frisco
San Francisco, here I come!

Jane

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VOCABULARY:

span = "travée"

"real gone" and "by gum" in the song are old slang expressions

119 (D-12) American accent 2

119 (D-12) Another lesson in American pronunciation for everyone. Keep practicing.

If you can't open the video, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdOgNXwCUYE

Jane

118 (D-13) San Francisco ...On the lighter side

118 (D-13) Chinatown revisited....

"Walking through San Francisco's Chinatown, a tourist is fascinated with all the Chinese restaurants, shops, signs and banners. Then, he sees a building with the sign, "Hans Olaffsen's Laundry." "Hans Olaffsen?", he muses. "How in hell does that fit in here?" So he walks into the shop and sees an old Chinese gentleman behind the counter. The tourist asks, "How did this place get a name like 'Hans Olaffsen's Laundry?'" The old man answers, "Is name of owner." The tourist asks, "Well, who and where is the owner?" "Me...is right here," replies the old man. "You? How did you ever get a name like Hans Olaffsen?" "Is simple," says the old man. "Many, many year ago when come to this country, was stand in line at Documentation Center. Man in front was big blonde Swede. Lady look at him and go, 'What your name?' He say,'Hans Olaffsen.' Then she look at me and go, 'What your name?'" "I say Sem Ting."

Accents can sometimes be a problem!

Jane

PS. San Francisco has the largest Chinese population of any city outside of China and Taiwan.

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VOCABULARY:

--signs = "panneaux"

--banners = "banderoles"

--laundry = "blanchisserie"; I must do the laundry this afternoon: "Je dois faire la lessive cet après-midi." Put the dirty laundry into the machine. "Mettez le linge sale dans la machine."

--muses = thinks, wonders

--How in hell does that fit in here? = Difficult. One of my colleagues who isn't American found this expression difficult too! Maybe "Que diable fait un nom pareil ici." is a possible translation. "Fit in" is another Phrasal Verb. Example: "He doesn't really fit in at work. He's very different from us."

--owner = "propriétaire"

--Me....is right here. = "Moi...en face de vous."

--replies = answers

117 (D-14) American accent 1

117 (D-14) Two weeks before we leave. URGENT: SPEAKING! And getting ready for the American accent!

American accent: pronunciation lesson 1. For the students who are going to the United States, but also for the students who aren't going. Start practicing!

It's about 6 minutes. PLEASE look and listen. EXCELLENT!

I've made it easy for you. Just click to start.

If this doesn't open on your computer (I have no problems on my computer) you can find it on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dasuQ9u8i0

Then double click on the video to have the image on a full screen.

Jane

116 (D-15) [Days 14/15] SAN FRANCISCO is...

116 (D-15) SAN FRANCISCO is...

S is for Spanish mission, Seven Hills, Sky Deck

A is for Alcatraz, Aquatic Park

N is for Nob Hill

F is for "Flower Power", Conservatory of Flowers, Financial District, The Fountain at Yerba Buena Gardens, 1906 Fire, Fog, 49ers!

R is for Russian Hill

A is for Asian Art Museum

N is for North Beach

C is for Cable Cars, Civic Center, The Castro

I is for Immigrants

S is for San Andreas Fault (shhh, no comment), Sea Lions, SF Symphony**

C is for Chinatown, Candlestick Park, Coit Tower

O is for......Help! I've run Out Of ideas! Wait...It's Obvious, Of course, and Outstanding .... Ocean!

The group receives their guide books today. Travelers, you can learn more about these words in your guide book (in French!), or do like the other students, go googling.

Jane

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**Last week, in April 2010, the San Francisco Symphony played the music during a special showing of Charlie Chaplin's film, The Gold Rush. Music which Charlie Chaplin himself wrote. (This Gold Rush was in Alaska, not California. The Klondike Gold Rush, 1897. Novels: Jules Verne, Le Volcan d'Or; James Michener, Alaska.)

Have you seen Chaplin's most successful silent film? Do you remember this scene?

Look, listen, laugh and enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoKbDNY0Zw

115 (D-16) Extraordinary contrasts!

115 (D-16) California! Can you believe that in this short time we have gone from Death Valley to the Sierra Nevada and Yosemite and then now this beautiful coastline?

David, a friend of mine who lives in California, sent me this information for the blog:

Mt. Whitney, California, at 14,494 feet (4,421 meters), is the highest point in the continental United States (48 contiguous states). Death Valley, California, at 282 feet (86 meters) below sea level, is the lowest point in the United States and in the entire western hemisphere. Mt. Whitney and Death Valley are a very short distance apart. [Mt. McKinley, Alaska, at 20,320 feet (6,194 meters), is the highest point in the United States and North America.]

And what a beautiful contrast this coastline is!

Next, we go to visit the city where David lives: San Francisco! The last leg of our journey.

Jane

PS. I forgot to give you this VOA link when we were in Death Valley. Some things you know already; some things you will learn about, Scotty's Castle for example.

Try listening without the text to see how much you can understand. It is long, but we are still on holidays (last day)!

http://www1.voanews.com/learningenglish/home/a-23-2009-08-25-voa1-83140912.html

(Remember, you only need to click here to open the site; it isn't necessary to type these long addresses!)

VOCABULARY;

The last leg of a journey is the last part of a trip.

114 (D-17) San Francisco Chinatown

114 (D-17) We arrive in San Francisco for dinner in Chinatown.

It is the oldest Chinatown in North America and one of the largest Chinese communities outside Asia; it is also a major tourist attraction -- its shops, restaurants and attractions draw more visitors annually than the Golden Gate Bridge!

Chinatown: First Chinese immigrants arrived in San Francisco in 1848, the year before gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill.

I'm certain that we will take time to go to Portsmouth Square where we can see people practicing Tai Chi and old men playing Chinese chess. There is also a replica of the Goddess of Democracy there. Built in 1999 by Thomas Marsh; it is made of bronze and weighs 600 pounds (270 kg). The Goddess of Democracy (and Freedom) was a 10-meter-tall (33 feet) statue created during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.

Jane

113 (D-18) Carmel: A city of Arts and Culture

113 (D-18) Carmel's site says:

"Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. A city in the forest. A one-mile long pure white sandy beach. A cultural mecca for the performing and visual arts. Superb dining and shopping experiences. A story book setting!"

Carmel = Arts and Culture: theater arts, literary arts, visual arts and music. Origin? After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, musicians, writers, painters came to this established artist colony (Carmel Arts and Crafts Club 1905) after the bay city was destroyed.

Just one example: the annual Carmel Bach Festival which began in 1935.

Jane

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Carmel's unusual laws:

1. The city is "dog-friendly"; man's faithful companion is accepted in many public places.

2. High-heel shoes are forbidden --- to prevent lawsuits arising from tripping accidents caused by irregular pavement.

3. It had been forbidden to sell and eat ice cream on public streets!

112 (D-19) Carmel

112 (D-19) Who was Mayor of Carmel from 1986 to 1988?

In 1910 it was reported that 60 percent of Carmel's houses were built by citizens who were devoting their lives to work connected with the aesthetic arts. We'll see why tomorrow.

What are two of Carmel's unusual laws (which are not enforced)?

Go googling for the answers to these questions. It's vacation...you have free time?? One concerns dogs and the other concerns high-heel shoes! And this mayor is someone I'm certain you know!

One more: Can you find out about another unusual law in the past which concerned...ICE CREAM?!

Jane

PS If you haven't already read Post 111, please go there to read about Earth Day. Today is Earth Day.

111 (D-20) Seal and Bird Rocks

111 (D-20) 17-Mile Drive Points of Interest:

http://www.pebblebeach.com/page.asp?pageName=_17_Mile_Drive_Main

What's the difference between a sea lion and a seal? (seal-ion: "i-o-n"!)

SHORT ANSWER: A sea lion has external earflaps; seals have internal ears. Sea lions can pivot their hind flippers to walk on land, but seals cannot. Sea lions propel with their front flippers and steer with the back flippers, but seals are opposite of this.

BETTER: Take a look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ-F4n_XjTM

Jane

PS. John Muir's birthday today! He was born on April 21, 1838, died December 24, 1914. John Muir was a naturalist, author and an advocate of preservation of US wilderness. He helped save Yosemite and Sequoia National Park and he strongly influenced the formation of the modern environmental movement.

Birthday = Earth Day. Tomorrow is Earth Day (#40!). Today is John Muir's birthday. The two are closely linked. http://www.gadling.com/2008/04/22/john-muir-an-earth-day-ode/

(And see Posts 99-104)

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VOCABULARY:

# In English is the symbol for Number; in French N°5, English #5, for example.

"fore" is the opposite of "hind"; "front" is the opposite of "back"

front flippers = fore flippers; back flippers = hind flippers

propel = "propulser"

to steer = "naviger"; (steering wheel = "le volant de la voiture")

40 = In English, for a 40th birthday we say "Lordy, lordy, look who's forty!"

110 (D-21) 17-Mile Drive

110 (D-21) 17 Mile Drive is one of the most scenic drives anywhere in the world. Seventeen miles of :

--sea and sky,

--immaculate golf courses, (the world-renowned Pebble Beach Golf Link)

--dream homes set graciously behind elegant gates.

It is:

--home to The Lone Cypress, and

--Seal and Bird Rocks,

the natural habitat of the black cormorants, brown pelicans, California sea otters, harbor seals, and idle sea lions.

Jane

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Answers to Monterey scrambled words (Post 108) can be found at Post 92. Go back and take a look (at the answers and at the beautiful photo of Death Valley!)

109 (D-22) More on Monterey

109 (D-22) Monterey. Clues to Scrambled Words in Post 108:

1. HOJN KNEEBCIST A famous American writer we already saw in Post 25 who baptized Route 66 "The Mother Road." He lived in Monterey for a short time and he immortalized Monterey with some of his novels, and the play "Of Mice and Men."

2. TEBORR SUOIL SSEENNVOT Scottish novelist, poet and travel writer we already saw in Post 30 because he visited The Petrified Forest.

3. YERETNOM ABY AAUIUCQMR A place where we can pay to see fish, marine mammals, amphibians, octopus, birds and more. If you are interested, take a look at the animal guide: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/default.aspx

4. RANNYEC OWR, a novel and a film, takes place on a small fictional street lined with sardine fisheries in Monterey known as "RANNTEC OWR" (Ocean View Avenue in Monterey, which later took the name of the novel) The story revolves around the people living there during the Great Depression. Number 1 above wrote the novel.

5. SSEENNVOT UOHES is located at 530 Houston Street and there you can see various items that once belonged to the writer in Number 2. In the past, it was called The French Hotel and in 1879, this writer spent a short time there.

6. MISHFERNAM'S FRAHW There's a famous one in San Francisco too, which we will visit.

7. NOMTERYE ZAJZ TESILAVF Started in 1958, Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday were there.

8. RNMTYEEO OPP AFTEVSLI Started in 1967, Jimi Hendrix, The Who and Janis Joplin were there.

9. EMOTENYR ESLUB STEVFAIL Started in 1986, another kind of music!

10. RYNETOME CAJK EEECHS (!) Americans make this "French food"! And, Monterey is in an American Viticultural Area, (AVA), a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States.

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FYI: In November 1995, California Governor Pete Wilson proclaimed Monterey as "The Language Capital of the World". Monterey plays a major role in delivering translation and interpretation services around the world.

Jane

108 (D-23) [Day 13] Going to San Francisco / Monterey

108 (D-23) "If you're going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair...." :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR2DPrcFXeM&NR=1

But before we get there, we'll visit the coast.

First stop: Monterey:

SCRAMBLED WORDS: Can you find these names, places, events and food which are associated with Monterey?

PEOPLE:

1. HOJN KNEEBCIST

2. TEBORR SUOIL SSEENNVOT

PLACES:

3. YERETNOM ABY AAUIUCQMR

4. RANNYEC OWR

5. SSEENNVOT UOHES

6. MISHFERNAM'S FRAHW

MUSIC EVENTS:

7. NOMTERYE ZAJZ TESILAVF

8. RNMTYEEO OPP AFTEVSLI

9. EMOTENYR ESLUB STEVFAIL

FOOD:

10. RYNETOME CAJK EEECHS (!)

This is a good brain exercise....again, for these long Spring holidays! I'll give you some help tomorrow.

Enjoy the song and the brain training...and learning a little about Monterey!

Jane

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VOCABULARY:

Scrambled words = You know "scrambled eggs", don't you? ("oeufs brouillés")

107 (D-24) On The Road Again / The Last Cowboy Song

107 (D-24) It's time to leave this beautiful National Park. Time to head back to the city. Time to go to San Francisco.

Listen one last time to some country and western cowboy songs as we leave the wilderness of the American West and head for San Francisco.

1. On The Road Again (Willie Nelson) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TD_pSeNelU

2. Famous TV Show Western Theme Songs http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=nCIjW2p8y3A&feature=related

3. Momma don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys (Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson)

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=NVJMiwlqW1E&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=N_a4BU09GrU&feature=related

Cowboys ain't easy to love and they're harder to hold.

They'd rather give you a song than diamonds or gold.

Lonestar belt buckles and old faded Levis,

And each night begins a new day.

If you don't understand him, an' he don't die young,

He'll prob'ly just ride away.

Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys.

Don't let 'em pick guitars or drive them old trucks.

Let 'em be doctors and lawyers and such.

Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys.

'Cos they'll never stay home and they're always alone.

Even with someone they love.

AND

4. The Last Cowboy Song (by The Highwaymen)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfkG1reFnbA
http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=XbR3K9DEAjI&feature=related

....(Willie Nelson:) Remington showed us how he looked on canvas, And Louis Lamour has told us his tale. Me and Johnny and Waylon and Kris sing about him, And wish to God we could have ridden his trail.

(Johnny Cash Verse Spoken Over Chorus:) The old Chisholm trail is covered in concrete now, They truck it to market in fifty foot rigs. They roll by his markings and don't even notice, Like living and dying was all he ever did.

(All:) This is the last cowboy song: The end of a hundred year waltz. The voices sound sad as they're singin' along. Another piece of America's lost.

Enjoy.

Jane

106 (D-25) Yosemite Quiz / Virtual hike

106 (D-25) Yosemite Quiz.
First, a photo of El Capitan** in Yosemite National Park.

What do you remember? Here is an EASY quiz on Yosemite National Park.

1. Yosemite National Park is in the state of

a. Arizona

b. Nevada

c. California

2. The largest, tallest and oldest trees on earth found in Yosemite are

a. Joshua trees

b. bristlecone pine trees

c. Sequoia trees

3. Yosemite became a State Park in 1864 and then, in _______, a National Park, after Yellowstone which was the first National Park.

a. 1890

b. 1900

c. 1904

4. There are ___ waterfalls in Yosemite. Bridalveil Falls is one of them.

a. 8

b. 10

c. 13

5. The Scottish man who loved Yosemite and worked relentlessly to protect the park was

a. John Muir.

b. Shelton Johnson.

c. Henry David Thoreau.

6. Buffalo Soldiers

a. were American soldiers who killed the buffalo.

b. were American soldiers who were born in Buffalo, New York.

c. is the name given by the Indians to the "Negro cavalry".

7. When the O'Shaughnessy Dam was completed in 1923, Hetch Hetchy Valley became

a. San Francisco's source of water and electricity.

b. a big tourist attraction.

c. John Muir's victory.

8. Complete the quotation: "When one tugs at a single thing in _________, he finds that it is attached to the rest of the world."

a. America

b. the park

c. Nature

9. A chipmunk is

a. smaller than a marmot.

b. bigger than a groundhog.

c. as big as a prairie dog.

10. Which is not a giant rock in Yosemite?

a. The Half Dome

b. Delicate Arch

c. El Capitan

Now, was that EASY?? Look back at Posts 98 -105 if you need a little help...or do a little googling!

Work (?) and pleasure: For mountain climbers and for those who would like to take a closer look into Yosemite, you can follow this 8-day hike in Yosemite National Park.

The Yosemite Grand Traverse: http://www.symg.com/trips/backpacking/yosemite_traverse.php

Fabulous! Click "play video", Featured video, the virtual trip.

For interested hikers:

The John Muir Trail (JMT) is a long-distance trail in the Sierra Nevad mountain range of California, running 211 miles (340 km) between the nothern terminus at Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley and the southern terminus located on the summit of Mount Whitney. The only other points where the trail passes near a road is in Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park and at Red's Meadow at Devil's Postpile National Monument. For about 160 miles (260 km), the trail, named for naturalist John Muir, follows the same footpath as the longer Pacific Crest Trail. It also passes through Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Park.

Jane

**PS My friend David adds this comment:

"Half Dome and Yosemite Falls are the most impressive features of Yosemite Valley at first glance. But El Capitan may be the most unusual. It is the largest piece of exposed granite on the face of the earth, almost twice as high as Gibraltar, with five times Gibraltar's mass. In photos, or viewing directly but from a distance, it is difficult to comprehend how immense El Capitan is, because there are no reference points nearby that enable one to guage its scale. The trees on the valley floor are very tall, so they lead to the illusion that El Capitan is not as tall and wide as it actually is. In fact, El Capitan rises 3,593 feet straight up from the valley floor, just over one kilometer. The Eiffel Tower is 986 feet tall. So, from the valley floor it would take more than three and one half Eiffel Towers stacked on top of each other to reach the top of El Capitan. To get the full sense of how immense El Capitan is, one must climb its sheer face. The next best way is to stand at the very base of El Capitan and look straight up to the top, just over a kilometer above. The distance is so great that the eye creates an optical illusion, making it appear that El Capitan is actually leaning out toward you."

Take a look: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Capitan Amazing!
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VOCABULARY:

bridal veil = "voile de mariée"

relentlessly = "d'arrache-pied"

hike = a long walk, for pleasure and exercise