This is very Similar to Shodan’s recent thread “Sneaky in Vegas”. What can I say? Great minds think alike.
Here’s the thing. Mrs. Isamu and I were planning a trip to France this year, but due to conflicts with my work travel and her work schedule, we won’t be able to do it this year, unfortunately.
So in lieu of our vacation I’ve secretly booked us a room at the Ritz Carlton and I’m planning a French themed weekend so that we can feel a little bit like we’re in France. The thing is, we’ll actually be smack in the middle of Osaka city, Japan, as usual, so we’ll just have to try to keep the curtains drawn as much as possible. I’m also thinking we’ll be staying pretty much in the room all weekend, ordering room service, and otherwise ‘entertaining ourselves’, so to speak ;). It’s a suite room, so it won’t be too claustrophobic.
I have the wine and cheese under control, I think, and I have ordered berets with our names stitched on them (kidding), but other than that, I’m not really sure what else I can do to add a little French je ne sais quoi.
Oh yes, we love movies so I have also thought about bringing some DVDs that are French themed or set in France (not French movies exactly - neither of us are big on French cinema, really). A Good Year is one of our favorite movies, and as it’s mostly set in France I’ll bring that with us, but other than that I’m drawing a blank on movies.
So, Dopers, do you have any suggestions as to how to ‘Frenchify’ (frankify?) our psuedo vacation? I would be much obliged!
Movies: Amelie is pretty universally loved, and The Triplets of Belleville is an awesome animated film (don’t know if they would be available in English though, since they are actual French movies.) I seem to recall Chocolat being a fairly nice movie as well. The recent movie about Julia Child had some really lovely scenes set in Paris as well, although it isn’t a super huge part of the movie.
Hmm… what else do do… bring your computer and and download some French musicto play? To be honest, I don’t know much about French music that would be good, but a quick Youtube search could probably help you out. Print out some pictures of Paris or the south of France and tape them to the hotel walls? Or some art deco-esque art work? For some reason I associate the south of France with picnic baskets and red-checked picnic cloths (although a quick google search seems to indicate this is inaccurate) but still, a picnic is always romantic, so maybe bring some baguettes, make a meal of it, and do a picnic in your room (or you could actually do it outside if the weather is decent–the Expo Park might be nice–I remember there being a little actual grass you could sit on there…)
I think it’s a really sweet idea! I hope you and your wife have a great time.
Music is a good idea. Get hold of Edith Piaf’s greatest hits. Doesn’t get more French than that. If you don’t mind a movie that’s in French, I’d recommend Mon Oncle. It’s very French, very funny and has the added bonus of having almost no dialogue
