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April
2001 Children's Day Parade --part of the Opening Ceremonies
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NICE, FRANCE Date Established: December 1973, under
Mayor Louis Welch GEOGRAPHY Location:
France is bordered by Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and Spain. Nice
lies 25 km (16 miles) from the Italian border on the Cote d'Azur, France's
southern coast
PEOPLE Ethnicity:
French and Italian
ECONOMY Natural
Resources: Iron-ore, balsite, and coal
HISTORY
FACTS
NATIONAL GOVERNMENT Head
of State: President Jacques Chirac
MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT Head
of City: Monsieur Jacques Peyrat
An Educational Packet Prepared for the Houston International Protocol Alliance by Kathleen Silva
Houston’s sister city, Nice (pronounced neese) is the fifth largest city in France. It is located on the southeast coast of France. Nice was founded by Greek mariners in 350 BC. They decided to name the city Nice after the word nike, which means victory in Greek. Nice is one of the cities of the region in France known as the French Riviera. This area is very popular with tourists from all over the world. In addition to its beautiful beaches, Nice has beautiful weather. People in Nice practice many outdoor sports such as wind surfing, skiing, rugby, sailing, and cycling. Nice, France has been a sister city with Houston since 1973. Houston and Nice have exchanges in the areas of arts and education. In 1985, the Houston Dance Center and the Houston School of Performing Arts Jazz Ensemble performed in Nice. Every year, people from Houston travel to the French Riviera and learn to speak French. Did you know...?
Picture of Nice, France
French
Perfumes France is one of the largest perfume manufacturing countries in the world, and one of the most famous perfume factories is right outside our sister city, Nice. Perfumes have been around for hundreds of years. It was first used by the Egyptians as part of their religious rituals. They also used perfumed oils as medicine. Between 1500 and 1000 BC, the Egyptian women began using perfumed creams and oils to be more attractive to men. Soon, the use of perfumes spread to other places around the world such as Greece, Rome and the Islamic countries. By the 1600s, perfumes were extremely popular in France. The court of King Louis XV (who was one of the most powerful kings in France) was known as “the perfumed court” since royalty applied perfume to just about everything – their skin, their clothes, even their furniture! France developed new types of perfumes, such as eau de cologne as well as many new fragrances. Soon, beautiful perfume bottles became almost as important as the perfume itself.
Did you know...?
Famous
French People France has a long and colorful history. Many French people have influenced our world tremendously. Here are just a few of them and the things they’ve done. Joan of Arc (1412 – 1431) Joan of Arc was a French peasant girl who helped free France from English control. She became a national hero and a saint in the Catholic church. She is remembered for her bravery, military skills, and patriotism. Monuments to Joan can be found throughout France.
Napoleon Bonaparte began his military career during the French Revolution. The French Revolution began when the people in the lower classes revolted against the nobility and overthrew the government that was treating them unfairly. By invading neighboring countries, Napoleon tried to create a European empire with Paris as the center. Eventually, his empire grew too big, and he was defeated. He was sent to a small island in exile, where he died.
Louis Pasteur (1822 – 1895) Louis Pasteur was a famous French chemist, scientist and scholar. He is most famous for developing the process of pasteurization, which is a heat treatment to kill dangerous bacteria in certain foods and drinks. He is also famous for discovering a cure for rabies and many other dangerous diseases. In 1888, researchers opened the Pasteur Institute in Paris in his honor. They continue to search for cures for many diseases. Jacques Cousteau (1910 – 1997) Jacques Cousteau was an oceanographer, which means he studied the oceans. He was also an author and filmmaker and produced several books and movies about the ocean. Cousteau made it possible for people to see things they had never seen before. He developed the “aqualung” which allowed divers to spend long periods of time under water. He also developed the first underwater diving station and observation machine called the “diving saucer”.
Food in French
A fromagerie selling many varieties of French cheese.
Did you know...?
Bob
Appétit, Let's Bake and Eat
Here are a couple of recipes that you can make yourself to enjoy some French food! Be sure and have an adult help you.
CROQUE MONSIEUR
1 slice of bread, toasted 1 slice of ham 1 slice of Gruyère cheese butter or margarine
Spread butter or margarine on the bread. Put a piece of ham and then a piece of cheese on top. Place it in the oven and heat at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.
1 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 tsp. baking powder 1 egg 1 tsp. margarine or butter, melted Mix flour and baking powder in medium-sized bowl. Stir in other ingredients. Beat mixture until it is smooth. Heat a skillet to medium and add butter. When the butter bubbles, the pan is ready. Pour 1/4 cup of the crêpe batter into the skillet. Turn the skillet from side to side so the batter covers the entire bottom of the skillet with a thin layer. Let it cook until small bubbles form on the top of the crêpe. Run a wide spatula under the crêpe to loosen it. Flip the crêpe over and cook the other side until it turns a golden color. Remove the crêpe and put it on a plate; stack the other crêpes on top when they are done cooking.
You can now put out small dishes of jams, fruit slices, whipped cream, ice cream or melted chocolate. Everyone can put the topping of their choice on a crêpe, roll it up, and enjoy!
Did you know...?
Parlez-vous Français? (Pronounced PAR-lay-voo fron-SAY, this means “Do you speak French?”)
French is the most widely spoken language in France. French is also spoken in other countries around the world. There are people in Africa, the Middle East, and even our neighbor, Canada, that speak French. See if you can locate some other French-speaking countries on a map. (You may need to use an almanac or encyclopedia to find the names of the countries first.) Below is a game you can play with your classmates to help you learn to count to ten in French. Have fun! THE NUMBERS GAME With your teacher, practice saying the numbers from 1 to 10 in French. Your teacher or classmates can help you pronounce them correctly: 1 – un (uhn) 4 – quatre (kahtr) 7 – sept (set) 10 – dix (deez) 2 – deux (duh) 5 – cinq (sank) 8 – huit (weet) 3 – trois (twah) 6 – six (seez) 9 – neuf (noof) Once you have repeated the numbers several times, you are ready to play. Ask your teacher to make a ball by crumbling a piece of paper or two into a round shape. One student begins holding the ball. He throws to ball to another student, and the student who catches it has to say “un” to begin counting in French. Then the student who says “un” throws to ball to another student, who catches it and says “deux”. The game continues with each student catching the ball and saying the next number in French. When you get to “dix”, start over again with “un”. Or, ask your teacher to help you learn more numbers, and you can keep counting!
Did you know...?
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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CRÊPES