Roligt!: Parlez-vous Français?

The snow has melted on Info Island International! I know it's still winter, but Second Life runs on a different calendar, I guess. Anyway, Spring has arrived, the grass is full of tiny blue flowers, and there are butterflies everywhere. If the SL weather gods have decided it's Spring, I better start to work on a Spring wardrobe ...... fast!

Spring finally starts to arrive in April in my part of RL. The new little leaf buds are a gentle shade of yellow-green that I think is very pretty, so I've tried to capture it in this dress, which I call "April Garden." The top is a solid color with darker green trim and a sage-green insert at the upper chest, and the flexi skirt is covered with those tiny spring leaves, in two pastel shades of green. Because it's still a little chilly in April, I made the dress with a high neck and long sleeves ... but I cut out an oval window in the back so I can feel the sunshine. ;-)

So, now I'm ready to go out. Today I want to show off a part of Info Island International that I built. It's the parcel that is dedicated to French language and culture --- a good place to go in the Spring, don't you think?

This open-air cafe at the center of the parcel is a nice place to sit and sip a cup of espresso with a friend, or just sit back on a park bench and enjoy the sunshine. I haven't seen any birds around the fountain yet, but I did step in and splash around a bit myself when no one was watching.

The tall building in the background is the Pavilion de la Culture Francophone, created to highlight men and women of the 20th and 21st centuries who have helped to shape the culture of the French-speaking world. It has photos of authors, artists, musicians, designers, philosophers, and many others. Simone de Beauvoir is there, and so are Yves Saint-Laurent, Marc Chagall, and Albert Camus. There are performing artists, too: Celine Dion, Serge Gainsbourg, Catherine Deneuve, and Leslie Caron.

Here's Hergé, who created the Tintin comics that are popular all over the world (except the U.S.), and there's Tintin and friends in the panel above Hergé's photo.

If you click on any photo, you get a biographical notecard about the person. Right now, the bios are all in English, but we will have French translations soon.

Our friends at the Bibliothèque Francophone generously loaned us this incredible book, "Traverses," which is over 250 pages long and beautifully laid out. As you can see, it's bigger than I am (I'm 5' 11" tall -- 181 cm -- in heels)! You can easily flip through the pages and read a little bit each time you visit, or just stand there smelling the cherry blossoms and read all day if you want.

This area was created with students in mind. It would be a great place to come if you are studying French, or if you are thinking about taking a trip to France on your next vacation. If you are just a casual visitor, that's OK too. I like to sit under the umbrella and listen to the breezes in the trees. It's a relaxing place to come.