I hope that you are keeping well. These difficult times have affected us all in different ways but one thing we share is the tremendous debt we owe to the brave men and women on the front line who help keep us safe.
This month's bulletin is longer than usual with news of a new departure for the Cercle and lots of ideas for keeping in touch with France and all things French.
Votre cercle virtuel
Next week we will be launching our first ever virtual talk online. Watch out for an email arriving in your mailbox on Monday next (4th May) giving full information.
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Today some committee members share a few of their favourite French-linked websites they have enjoyed over the last month.
Elaine recommends:
MyFrenchFilm Festival
Happily the festival has just announced an extension of its StayAtHome edition to 25 May. As well as continued access to shorts the extension now includes selected feature films.
One of the shorts is a great animation 'Kiki of Montparnasse'.
Jonathan enjoys reading and recommends:
Lire en ligne (Read online) is a phenomenal resource that can be utilised to read on your tablet / computer les œuvres of the most famous French authors, playwrights, philosophers and poets including Balzac, Dumas, Hugo, Maupassant, Pascal, Rimbaud and Rousseau to name but a few. Also included are the works of Andersen, Darwin, Kipling, Nietzsche, Shakespeare, Twain and Wilde and many more - all in French!
Suffering from eye strain? Then just switch on the bluetooth speaker that sits on your mantelpiece / windowsill and listen to their selected works - all in the beauty of the French-spoken word.
Cost: FREE
Take Google's virtual tours of nearly all your favourite French museums to see the works of the painters and sculptors who influenced the world. The list is endless - simply type your request in the search bar.
Cost: FREE
Jonathan also reminds you of our own online presence at ...
Cercle français de Belfast's eponymous blog for French-linked happenings in Belfast
Cost: FREE
And pick up on what's happening in the French-themed world via our very own twitter feed
Cost: FREE
Henry has produced a Playlist just for us and posted it on both Spotify and Deezer. He writes ...
Here is a playlist of well known French songs for the month of May. It is to get you into the gallic mood of a holiday in France and as you listen you can pretend you are listening to the radio as you speed down the Autoroute du Soleil towards Provence.
We have given you the links for both Spotify and its French equivalent Deezer which is currently free to download.
One feature of Deezer not found on Spotify and helpful to those of us still learning French is the little microphone beside the song on the playlist. Click on this and the lyrics come up on your screen rolling with the words sung. This is helpful when trying to make out that lyric and a painless way of improving your French.
Deezer is different to Spotify in that it has a more French feel to its music choices , and podcasts.
I personally find the searches on Deezer more " clunky" and less intuitive than Spotify but that may be because we all know and understand better the systems we use most.
This may be a virtue in that it sends you sometimes to somewhere exciting and new, where you can find new music which turns it all into an adventure.
Try both and compare. In order to play you will need to download one or other of the systems to your phone, tablet or computer. If you sign up for the three month free trial of Deezer premium and then shortly after cancel your subscription you still get the free three months. Deezer is also better for learning French with short bite-sized topical lessons again for free.
Happy listening.
CHRIS recommends this couple of sites:
Culturethèque
This is a very powerful site, developed by AF and the Institut Français and there is plenty there for hour upon hour of browsing. I've used it before and although it is usually a subscription service it is being offered free just now. Still need to register but that takes only a few minutes and access is immediate. Navigation with a choice of French or English is very easy. Great material to choose from.
Institut national de l'audiovisuel
This is a great source of audiovisual material. If you have a favourite French personality, actor, poet, singer, writer for example then a simple search of the INA archive is a fruitful source of video and audio recordings. The premium streaming service, Ina Madelen, is only 3€ a month and at present the first 3 months is free. I have already signed up for that. You need to register your card details but you can cancel anytime. As its publicité states : Vous allez voir, madelen va vous surprendre
Member Kevin O'Neill has been in touch to suggest some information on Alsace.
His own anticipated holiday there this summer has been postponed but he has shared this short video of Le Château du Hohlandsbourg a place that he would like to have visited:
As for myself I have enjoyed exploring Alliance Française Dublin's 'Cultural Activities Online' page at …
The following sections are free ...
Virtual Tours of French Museums, French Concerts and Shows on Youtube
Visit French Landmarks with Google, Explore Science in French
Cooking with a French twist and Short Films in French
So why not ... visit the Musée d'Orsay; see Serge Gainsbourg in concert; stroll Mont Saint-Michel; stand Sur les épaules de Darwin; check out a recipe for Tarte tatin or watch a Trip to the Moon?
Now, for your good selves ...
Have you discovered interesting French-linked websites? We would love to hear about them. If you email links to cfbelfast@gmail.com we could included them in future emails.
Prenez soin de vous et de vos proches,
À bientôt, Philip