An ewt in Ramatuelle… read on
énième (en-ee- em) adjective
: umpteenth, steenth, nth
Audio File & Example Sentence:
Larmoyante, elle a fait son énième mea culpa.
Teary eyed, she excused herself for the umpteenth time.
("Naomi Campell: Le Mea Culpa de Trop" Gala magazine)
A Day in a French Life… by Kristin Espinasse
Words & Expressions Learned (or revisited) While on Vacation
faire le pont = "to do the bridge"
Because Ascension Day falls on Thursday, the French arrange their agendas to allow for a vacation "bridge" (to cover the following work day…) one in which Friday becomes part of the passage to the weekend—and no longer part of the obstacle (work, ever the obstacle!).
And so it was that we skipped work on Thursday and Friday… in time to join a group of friends along the Blue Coast for our annual May getaway.
une hutte (noun) = hut
On the outskirts of Ramatuelle, near St. Tropez, along the sandy Pampelone beach with its turquoise sea and undulating eau de mer, hundreds of bamboo bungalows face the Mediterranean. Similar to the sailboats anchored across the horizon, these abodes are amovible. I overhear fellow vacationers refer to these "chiqued up" mobile-homes as huttes (which the French charmingly pronounce at ewts).
"Quel numéro de hutte as-tu?"
Moi, I have number 47, three rows back from the sea. Our hut does not have a seashore view, but is one in a circle that faces a half-dozen identicle huts—all occupied by "Les Marseillais" (the group of friends that we join each year. This being our 10th meet-up….)
griffes de sorcière (noun, f) "witches claws"
These modernized and elegant ewts are surrounded by succulents commonly known as les griffes de sorcières (Carpobrotus edulis). The pulpy plant's flowers, in pastel yellow and pink, stretch out over the sizzling sable, mimicking the barely clad beachgoers.
Speaking of bare-clad…
My friend Sophie and I have arranged ourselves on the beach, contorting barely clad bodies into inconspicuous positions, only, in so doing, we become conspicuous. I borrow Sophie's Gala magazine for cover. Though it won't hide my entire body, it will conceal my face (rendering my body inconnu if not "ni vu").
As I lie there, incognito, my nose to the spine of the magazine, ink bleeding onto my cheeks, I notice a story about a famous model's latest meltdown or run-in with la rage, wherein the superstar shows, once again, her very own "claws" or griffes de sorcière—only they aren't as soft as those flower "griffes" that embellish the ewts at the top of the beach.
For a grateful moment, I think about anonymity and this gift of lying inconspicuously by the sea. Who would want to be a star or a tabloid sensation-stalked celebrity? A few extra kilos no longer hold the same oppressive power over me and I wouldn't trade this heaven… for "Tall, Thin and In Trouble with the Paparazzi Again."
French Vocabulary
eau de mer
amovible
sable
inconnu
"ni vu (ni connu)" = neither seen nor heard
note: deadlines! deadlines! I ran out of time for the vocab section! Anyone like to help complete it? Thanks for volunteering a word or definition here, in the comments box.
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Always thought it was “faire LE pont”…….
Sounds lovely, your beach and the cozy cabins–with good friends. Mais, pourquoi were you hiding under a magazine?
Speaking of anonymity, mon mari et moi were on a biz trip in St. Petersburg, Fl, last week. Stayed at the lovely Vanoy. Sign outside the dining room read: No Photograhs or Autographs…to respect the famous that apparently visit there. Yes, the toils and travails of the “rich and famous”!
“When Ascension day fell on Thursday this year …”
Ahem … Ascension day is ALWAYS on a Thursday … lol!!
Mon amie, Je suis probablement la énième personne de te le dire, mais c’est “le” pont, n’est-ce pas?
Salut tout de monde,
One might say…
For relaxation,
the location
of your vacation
was a sensation!!
Je pense que “inconnu” pourrait être une apocope pour “incognito”.
À bientôt.
Herm in Phoenix, AZ
Delightful as always, K. I hope you had a marvellous time. Very funny word-picture in mind as you hide under Gala only to come face-to-face with Naomi-the-telefonino-whacker. (Among other things.) Oh dear.
Cheers
Bonjour ! We too visit the’St. Trop’ region frequently but have not found these HUTS ! We are again heading off on 3rd June – this time with friends -so we would love to know how to get to them. We have been on Pampelonne beach several times but always get to it from a different day trip so never quite know where we will end up on the beach. Any help or signpost or more specific directions would be appreciated so we also may enjoy the joie de vivre around there for a few sunny hours.
A bientot.
amovible–detachable, removable
eau de mer–sea water
sable-sand
inconnu–unknown
I too fear the bathing suit time. I need to loose my winter weight, but Kristin, I’m sure that you have nothing to fear.
When I first saw les huttes, I thought that maybe you went to the south Pacific – I would never expect to see them near St. Tropez.
I think that we are all looking forward to the summer sun, beautiful weather and luscious flowers and vegetation.
faire la pont —> faire “le” pont
The Ascension is always on a Thursday. It is called Ascension Thursday! So you will always have a long weekend.
I am surprised that Ascension Thursday is celebrated in Catholic but secular France, with the resulting four-day weekend, not that I would complain! Here in our diocese in southern California, the feast of Ascension has been moved to the following Sunday.
Today (Monday, May 17) is a “furlough day”, which means the schools in our district are closed, resulting in a day off for everyone, and a considerable savings for the district–a sign of the economic times. Next school year will be shortened by five days as well.
By the way, May 14 is my wife’s birthday, and though not historically significant, is a VERY significant day for both of us!
(Joyeux Anniversaire a Max!)
Sounds like you are having heaps of fun and that you also have gained heaps of wisdom…there’s more than one reason to not be even slightly interested in the life of celebrities…I am glad you are enjoying the sun and the sable…
xxoo
Hi Kristin,
What a nice, relaxing vacation! It looks beautiful!
I will take a stab at the words:
eau de mer-seawater
amovible-removable
sable-sand
inconnu-unknown
Naomi Campbell is at it again?
Hi Kristin,
What a great vacation! It looks like heaven!
I will take a stab at the vocab words:
eau de mer-seawater
amovible-removable
sable-sand
inconnu-unknown
Naomi Campbell is at it again??