>>When that happens to me I think of a posher way of saying the word in English, then pronounce that word as if it were French, et le plupart du temp j'ais raison.<
>
>Yep ... I learned that trick too. But sometimes my mind just goes blank ... I think I'm getting too old for this. <g>
>
>>Get yourself on a French camp-site and ask to be pitched near the French families. That way you're exposed to them froim the moment you exit the tent/van/trailer in the mornings. Staying in a hotel one is isolated from everyone else anyway.<
>
>Nah ... I haven't camped in a very long time and I don't feel like starting *that* up again. Sorry, I like my hotels. <g> But here's an idea that's almost as good. Once you find a restaurant that you like, visit it more than once. Become a regular. The waiters will become much more friendly and talkative. It's amazing. As an example, we were only in Paris 4 days this year, but we had our petit déjeuner (breakfast for anyone else reading this) at the same sidewalk cafe every morning. On the last morning of our visit, the waiter starts telling us places that we should visit, ...

Voila! Your way you don't get to find out bupkiss till it's too late! :-)

I thoroughly enjoy just getting stuck into a conversation at any time of day, en passant. And if you speak half-decent French then they love you (esp. if you know how to insult themn in their own language - with a smiley of course)

...

>>Mind you, in Nice you'll need to learn a whole new French pronunciation, as they have a sort of franco-hispano-italian thing going on. e.g<
>
>Yeah, we found that out when we were in Nice for the first time last year. Very interesting accent.


Oh well I'm preaching to the converted thenj. I din't know you'd been there before.

>
>>BTW, don't be expecting golden sands in Nice, like Cannes - it's all shingle beaches - bit of a disappointment :-)
>
>Disappointment? Not really. We're not really "lie out on the beach" types of people anyway.

No, but all the same it's the view . Here on the S. Coast we have pebble beaches and I've always thought it would be just that much nicer with sand