French

It’s time we speak French, mais oui!

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Oh yes, we are on a roll!

Just ten days after releasing the Italian version of CircleMe (web), today we released our first Android version of the app in French: fantastique!

Get it here and let us know your feedback.

CircleMe in French We are very excited to get this version out, as French users are the fourth community on CircleMe, in terms of registered users. Furthermore, the gallic community has always been really supportive of CircleMe, since launch in 2012, and from the very early days we always received excellent and constructive feedback from the many early adopters from such wonderful region of the world.

Besides the French language, the new version of Android comes also with some nice features, including the Universal Post action, which we’ll tell you more about in a different blog post. We have done also quite a bit of work to render the app quicker in loading content, and more stable (avoiding some crashes we’ve seen occurring in the last weeks).

We trust you’ll love our new Android app. Now go and get it… “allez y!” (You can download it now here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cascaad.circleme&hl=en)

Merci et à bientôt!

#bewhatyoulike

Daft Punk Innovators

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daft_punk (1)
The success of Daft Punk in 2013 continues. The French electronic music band, which has had an amazing year, has been given the Entertainment Innovator award by American publication The Wall Street Journal.

The bands duo -Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo- was presented with the award by Brazilian model Giselle Bundchen and hip hop star Pharrell Williams who collaborated with them on the track “Get Lucky”.

Bundchen appeared on the cover of the Wall Street Journal’s Innovator issue alongside Daft Punk.

The pair released their first album – “Random Access Memories” in almost a decade earlier this year. Along with Pharrell, the band also collaborated with Nile Rodgers, Todd Edwards and Giorgio Moroder on the EP which reached platinum in six different countries. It was also UK Amazon’s best selling vinyl album of all time.

“Get Lucky” sold around 3 million copies in the USA and more than 1 million in the UK.

Daft Punk gained popularity in their homeland of France in the 1990s before they released their first album – 2005’s “Human After All”.

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Kir Royale, champagne delight

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kir_royale
The Kir Royale is a French cocktail that is made of crème de cassis or the juice of a blackcurrant and then topped with champagne. It is a deviation from the other cocktail Kir which is blackcurrant topped with white wine.

The cocktail is often had before a meal or snack as an aperitif. The drink was named after a Felix Kir who was a former mayor of the city of Burgundy in France.

Variations on the Kir Royale include the Cider Royale which is made with cider instead of wine, Communard which is made with red instead of white wine, the Hibiscus Royale which is made with sparkling wine and peach and raspberry liqueur and a hibiscus and Kir Pamplemousse which is made with red grapefruit juice instead of black currant.

To make the Kir Royal you will need 4 tablespoons of Chambord, ¼ cups fresh raspberries, and 1 bottle of French champagne, chilled.

Place the 4 champagne flutes in a freezer for 15 minutes and remove and add 1 tablespoon of Chambord to each flute. Add a few raspberries and top with champagne. Serve while chilled.

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Tim Roth for Sepp Blatter film

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British actor Tim Roth has signed up to star as the head of football’s world governing body FIFA in a new movie about Joseph Sepp Blatter.

Blatter the Swiss boss of the football body and the movie will be based on his life and will not only coincide with the FIFA World Cup Football Finals inBrazil in 2014 but also the 110th anniversary of the Geneva-based organisation.French star Gerard Depardieu will also star in the film.

The movie will be made by a French production company and will tell about the formation of FIFA in 1904 to the present day.

Roth will play Blatter while Depardieu will play the former FIFA president Jules Rimet after whom the World Cup trophy is named. Rimet was president of FIFA from 1921 to 1954.

Blatter, who is often controversial, has said he is pleased about the casting for the film and is happy about being portrayed by Roth on film.

“I had read a lot of the CV and (seen) all the realisations (films) that Tim Roth has made. I was very eager to meet him, and I have just realised that really we have something in common,” Blatter was quoted by Reuters as saying.

Filming for the movie will take place in France, Brazil, and Azerbaijan.

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Zucchini stuffing casserole, fresh vegetable

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zucchini_stuffing
The zucchini or courgette as it is known in French and is a summer vegetable which can be prepared in a variety of ways including grilled, baked, steamed, boiled, stuffed, barbequed, and fried. The zucchini in Italy can also be breaded and then pan-fried or prepared in other ways.

To make the stuffed zucchini casserole you will need 4 ounces herb-seasoned dry bread stuffing mix, 1/3 cup melted butter, 4 cups cubed zucchini, 2 carrots, grated, 1 small onion, chopped, 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, and 1/2 cup sour cream.

To make the casserole first preheat an oven to 350 degrees F. Next, in a bowl mix together the stuffing and butter. In another bowl mix together the zucchini, carrots, onion, soup, and sour cream. Mix half of the stuffing mixture and spread it into the bottom of a casserole dish. Sprinkle the stuffing on top.

Once done, cover the dish with foil and bake the oven for about 60 minutes or until done.

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Corsica, Napoleon’s birthplace

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corsica

Somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea, west of Italy, southeast of France, and north of Sardinia is the French island of Corsica.

The island, an departement outre-mer or overseas region of France, is dominated by amountain chain which comprises two-thirds of the territory. Corsica is the most mountainous of the Mediterranean islands.It has three separate climatic zones – hot coastal zone, temperatemountains, and an alpine zone.

For the nature lover there is the Parc Naturel Regional de Corse which boasts several protected species while the Scandola Nature Reserve is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Ajaccio, the capital is in Corse du Sud while the second largest city Bastia is in Haute Corse. The Corsican culture is a unique blend of French and Italian.

The French general and emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Corsica and his home is currently a museum while the town of Calvi claims to be the birth place of the explorerChristopher Columbus.

Along with French, Corsica has its own language which is recognised as an official language by the French government.

Corsica has interesting cuisine which includes wild boar, seafood and river fish, ficatellu coppa, lonzu made from Corsican pork and cheeses such as brocciu, casgiu merzu, casgiuand veghju made from goat or sheep milk.

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Crepe suzette, desert with a twist

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crepes_suzette
Nothing says “France” quite like a crepe. The wafer thin pancake is a staple of French cuisine as a desert that can be enjoyed at home or away.

The crepe Suzette adds a little more romance to the classic crepe with its sauce of beurre Suzette made from caramelised sugar and butter, tangerine or orange juice, zest, and Grand Marnier or orange Curaçao liqueur served flambé.

The crepe can be made from scratch or store bought but for a more authentic flavour homemade is best. All that is needed are 2 large eggs, 3/4 cup milk, 1/2 cup water, 1 cup flour, 3 tablespoons melted butter, 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons of liqueur, and butter to coat the pan.

Blend eggs, flour, milk, until it will pour smoothly from a mixing bowl. Put batter in the fridge. Heat a frying pan with sweet butter and pour in batter to cover the bottom of the pan. Tip the pan from side to side to allow the batter to spread thinly. After a minute, turn the pancake upside down, then turn it again, until brown. Fold crepes in a triangular shape and store.

To make the Sauce Suzette, melt 1/4 butter in a saucepan, after it has boiled, add combination of liqueurs and orange and lemon zest.

Pour sauce over crepes, add brandy and light. When crepe is cool it is ready to serve. 

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Malta, where centuries of history live

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malta
One of the most densely populated countries in the world, the small Mediterranean island of Malta remains popular among British tourists. The island sits south of the island of Sicily and just north of Libya in the Mediterranean Sea.

The island has a warm climate and many recreational areas which makes it a tourist favourite.There are three Unesco World Heritage Sites on the island which is filled with architectural and historical monuments.

Among them are the Megalithic Temples which are some of the oldest free-standing structures in the world. The island has a strong historical background having once been a base for Phoenicians, Hapsburg Spain, Romans, Aragonese, Arabs, Norman, French, and British.

Carnival has had a strong place in Maltan culture and it also has a strong Christian legacy. The architecture has been highly influenced by its Roman culture with classical and marble structures. Mosaic floors and Christian frescos decorate catacombs and Romanesque as well as Southern Gothic movements also have a place in Maltan culture.

The Italian artist Caravaggio painted seven of his works in Malta, two of the most notable being on display on the island.  

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St. Martin, a double dose of delight

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St_maarten
The island of St. Martin in the Caribbean is unique. It is the smallest island in the world that is governed by two sovereign nations.

One side of the island is ruled by the Kingdom of The Netherlands and is called Sint Maarten while the other is governed by France and is known as St. Martin. It is the only land border shared by those two nations anywhere in the world.

The Dutch side’s main city is Phillipsburg while the French side’s capital is Marigot. The island is served by one airport – the Princess Juliana International Airport.

The island of St. Martin/Sint Maarten is hilly and tends to by dry. Like most of the other islands in the Caribbean it has a dry season from December to April and a wet season from June to November.

The Dutch side of the island is quite festive. A cruise ship port sits in Great Bay near Phillipsburg and tourists can enjoy fine restaurants serving French, Chinese, and Indonesian cuisine.

There are also loads of little shops where interesting jewellery and clothing can be purchased. The € is the unit of currency on the French side while the guilder is used on the Dutch side.

The main languages spoken here are English, Dutch, and Papiamento. French is the main language spoken in the other half of the island. Here is like a little slice of France in the Caribbean with exotic boutiques, cafes and patisseries all around the narrow streets. Duty free shopping with high-end brands makes St. Martin very attractive to visitors.

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