Webnode French days

We have just launched the French version of the Webnode system so we have a big reason for celebration! At the same time we want to get to know the French culture with you. So, did you know that…

• …the Eiffel tower was supposed to last only 20 years? For that reason the constructors did not consider the negative effects of weather on the surface of the tower. That is why a team of 30 painters apply anticorrosive paint on the whole tower every 18 months! How would you take care of the Eiffel tower of Jarka, our Czech user? ;-)

Source: dortyjarka.webnode.cz

• …Absinth, which cannot be missing in our French celebration, began as an all-purpose patented remedy in 1792? Absinth became so popular in France over the next decades, that the hour of 5p.m. was called “the green hour”. In the 80’s the mass production of absinth grew, so the price declined rapidly and the spirit became affordable to the lower classes. By 1910, the French were drinking 36 million litres of absinth per year!

• …the name of the World’s most famous perfume “Chanel N° 5” was picked practically by chance? During the blind test, fashion designer Coco Chanel chose the perfume in the bottle number 5. Nevertheless, this number had a symbolic value for her too. She grew up in an Aubazine orphanage founded by Cistercians, a Catholic order that placed great emphasis on numerology. The paths, which led Chanel to the cathedral for daily prayer, were laid out in circular patterns repeating the number five. Thus the original and simple name of the worldwide known perfume was born. Coco surely had never regretted the choice!

• …the sport of pétanque is originally from the French Mediterranean? That is why it is most popular in France. The casual form of the game of pétanque is played by about 17 million people in France, mostly during their summer vacations. It is also widely played in Spain, England, Quebec (Canada), and recently the game is becoming popular in the United States as well. Pétanque is also played in Southeast Asia due to the French presence in the area during the last centuries: Laos, north Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. And not just there! If you want to learn how to play pétanque watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s9BpxOsOY4

• …by the end of the 19^th century the French kiss, even in the marriage, was considered a serious sin? If you are not sure how to French kiss you can get some inspiration in our user’s website http://howtofrenchkiss.webnode.com/ or you can watch an instructional video

• To improve your French kissing skills, you can try the French Kiss cocktail. For one cocktail you will need:

1 oz vodka

1 oz raspberry liqueur

1/2 oz orange liqueur

1 oz whipping cream

Shake and strain the mix into a champagne flute. Garnish with a speared cherry or raspberry, and serve.

Cheers!:-)