Bonjour ! Je mâappelle Sue et je viens de Sydney. Ăa a toujours Ă©tĂ© mon rĂȘve de passer quelques jours dans un pays francophone pour amĂ©liorer mes connaissances de français.
Use the floating blue icon in the bottom right to hide/reveal the English translations below or just click here.
Hi! My name is Sue and I live in Sydney. Itâs always been my dream to spend a few days in a french speaking country to improve my French.
1 â French Speaking Switzerland
Jâai dĂ©cidĂ© de passer mon sĂ©jour de français en immersion en Suisse chez ma professeur Raymonde. Beaucoup de mes amis mâont demandĂ© pourquoi je nâai pas choisi un endroit en France. Ils pensent que les Suisses parlent un style de français diffĂ©rent, mais, ce nâest pas le cas.
I decided to stay in French immersion in Switzerland with Raymonde. A lot of my friends asked why I had not chosen some place in France. They thought that the Swiss speak a different type of French but that is not the case.
Comme partout dans le monde, il y a toujours des petites diffĂ©rences dâaccent, mais le français enseignĂ© et parlĂ© en Suisse est le mĂȘme quâen France. On peut toujours profiter dâentendre diffĂ©rents accents.
Like everywhere in the world, there are always small differences in accents but the French that is taught and spoken in Switzerland is the same as in France. Itâs always positive to hear different accents.
Comme câest le printemps, on a passĂ© beaucoup de trĂšs belles journĂ©es Ă marcher et Ă dĂ©couvrir de beaux paysages entre lac et montagne.
As it is Spring, we spent many enjoyable days walking and discovering this beautiful country side between the lake and the mountains

2 â The Tulip Park of Morges
Une de choses que jâai aimĂ© le plus, câĂ©tait dâaller Ă Morges pour dĂ©couvrir un immense parc situĂ© au bord du lac qui expose 120 000 tulipes sur une superficie de 30 000 m2. Chaque annĂ©e, la FĂȘte de la Tulipe attire plus de 100 000 visiteurs de toute la Suisse et de lâĂ©tranger.
One of the things that I liked the most was going to Morges to visit a huge park of 30 000 square meters on the edge of the lake where 120 000 tulips were in bloom. Each year the Tulip Festival attracts more than 100 000 visitors from Switzerland and all over the world.
Cette annĂ©e, câest la ville dâIstanbul qui a offert 30 000 bulbes pour cet Ă©vĂ©nement spĂ©cial. Les travaux de plantation commencent dĂ©jĂ bien avant lâhiver, au mois dâoctobre.
This year, itâs Istanbul that provided 30 000 bulbs for this special event. The work of planting began in October, well before Winter time.
3 â Late Blooming Tulips
Afin dâĂ©tendre la pĂ©riode de floraison, lâassortiment comprend aussi des tulipes hĂątives et tardives. Cela signifie que les tulipes hĂątives ou prĂ©coces fleurissent tĂŽt en saison, câest Ă dire plutĂŽt en mars ou durant la premiĂšre quinzaine dâavril. Les tulipes tardives fleurissent tard en saison, câest Ă dire plutĂŽt fin avril ou au mois de mai.
In order to extend the blooming period, the selection also includes early and late flowering tulips. This means that the hasty and impatient tulips flower early in the season, ie. around March or the first half of April, while the tardy tulips flower late in the season, ie. the end of April or in the month of May.
4 â So Many Tulips
Je nâai jamais imaginĂ© quâil pouvait exister autant de tulipes de formes diffĂ©rentes, environ 370 variĂ©tĂ©s avec des noms aussi originaux que : Firework, Queensland, Ice cream, Foxy Foxtrot, Blushing Girl, Hot Honey Rag, Black Parrott, Honeymoon.
I had never imagined that so many different types of tulips existed, about 370 varieties, some with original names like : Firework, Queensland, Ice cream, Foxy Foxtrot, Blushing Girl, Hot Honey Rag, Black Parrott, Honeymoon.

A new approach to learning both traditional and modern French logically structured for English speakers.
5 â A Gorgeous Tulip Park
De plus le parc est de toute beauté. Il abrite de trÚs grands arbres centenaires, un charmant petit pont surplombant une riviÚre et une trÚs jolie rotonde.
Moreover, the parc is magnificent. Itâs the home of some huge hundred-year-old trees, a charming little bridge over a river and a very pretty little rotunda.
De nombreux bancs permettent aux visiteurs de sâarrĂȘter pour profiter de cet environnement magique tout en observant le Mont Blanc et la chaĂźnes des Alpes situĂ©e de lâautre cĂŽtĂ© du lac.
Many benches allow visitors to stop and enjoy this magic place while looking at the Mont Blanc and the Alps across the lake.

Jâai appris quâAudrey Hepburn qui a vĂ©cu plus de 20 ans Ă Morges adorait se promener dans ce grand parc car elle aimait les fleurs pardessus tout. Elle-mĂȘme entretenait avec passion son jardin dans sa magnifique propriĂ©tĂ© quâelle avait appelĂ© « La Paisible ».
I learned that Audrey Helpburn lived in Morges for more than 20 years. She particullarly enjoyed walking in this park because she loved flowers above anything else. She, herself, cared with passion for her garden in her magnificent estate which she called âThe Peacefulâ.
Sa maison est toujours visible mais pas visitable. Par contre, on peut se recueillir sur sa tombe dans le tout petit cimetiÚre du village de Tolochénaz perché sur les hauts de Morges.
Her house can still be seen but itâs not open to the public. On the other hand, one can reflect at her grave in the little cemetery of the village of TolochĂ©naz perched above Morges.
6 â Morges in Switzerland
Morges est une charmante petite ville dotĂ©e dâun grand chĂąteau. Chaque samedi, un marchĂ© se tient dans les ruelles piĂ©tonnes du centre ville. On peut louer des vĂ©los et partir dĂ©couvrir les alentours et suivre le lac jusquâau port dâOuchy Ă Lausanne. Jâen ai profitĂ© pour visiter le MusĂ©e Olympique, il en vaut vraiment le dĂ©tour.
Morges is a charming little town with a big castle. Every Saturday a market takes place in the little streets in the centre of the town. You can rent bikes and go explore the surrounding area and follow the lake all the way to the harbour of Ouchy in Lausanne. I took advantage of it to visit the Olympic Museum, itâs well worth the detour.
Il y a encore tant de choses Ă visiter dans cette magnifique rĂ©gion. Jâai hĂąte de revenir en hiver pour dĂ©couvrir toutes les possibilitĂ©s dâactivitĂ©s dont Raymonde mâa parlĂ©es par exemple, les randonnĂ©es en raquette, le ski de fond, les longues marches Ă travers la neige immaculĂ©e et les forĂȘts du Jura. A ne pas oublier, les adorables petits marchĂ©s de NoĂ«l qui se tiennent tout au long du mois de dĂ©cembre.
There are still so many things to see and do in this magnificent area. Iâm looking forward to coming back to Switzerland in Winter to discover all the other activities that Raymonde has told me about including snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, long walks through immaculate snow and the Jura mountains forests. And letâs not forget, the adorable tiny Christmas markets which are held right through December.
Comments