crépuscule

I understand that! But my point is that the design of the site should be more flexible.

I have just discovered the same problem as John. If the logon screen says "Enter e-mail", then it should recognise your new e-mail address. I have spent most of today updating my e-mail address on the many websites & forums where it is registered. For many of these, e-mail address is the accepted log on and updating your e-mail address is sufficient to change your log on/user name. This is only the 3rd website I have come across where this is not the case. As a work around, is it possible to delete my existing profile and set up a new one with the same user name (crépuscule) and my new e-mail address? I suspect the answer is "No" but I assume I could re-register using my new e-mail address and a different name. 

Use of "manquer" confuses me too but I think (and would welcome confirmation) that if you miss someone or something (in the sense of regretting their absence), you say it "back to front" e.g. Tu me manques = I miss you or Les montagnes me manquent = I miss the mountains. However, for "miss" in the sense of " fail to get", you say it the "obvious" way e.g. J'ai manqué le bus = I missed the bus.

Bien sûr !

I agree with Tourangelle - don't drive if you can avoid it. Get a day ticket for the metro. We spent a couple of days there last September and we stayed at the Campanile Gare Part Dieu which, as its name suggests, is beside the main railway station and close to the metro. It's what you would expect for a Campanile - simple, clean, cheap. The city bus tour is good value. It starts at the S side of the big square whose name escapes me. Don't go if you're a vegetarian!

I have just finished reading the 4 Jacquot "roman policiers" by Martin O'Brien and, although I don't normally care for this genre, these are extremely enjoyable - well written and very atmospheric, being set in either Marseilles or around Cavaillon in Provence. 

I thought the link to france.about.com was good until I tried the test! I re-read the explanations then re-did the test & did much better the second time (too modest to give the score!) The situations that confuse me are when it's either "being familiar with something" which is connaitre or "knowing a fact" which is savoir. I have convinced myself that you can use both in the same sentence, e.g. "Je connais les paroles de La Marseillaise mais je ne les sais pas." i.e. "I am familiar with the words of La Marseillasie but I don't know them (by heart)." Is this acceptable?

By chance, I found "broyer du noir" in my dictionary also allegedly meaning "down in the dumps". I've never seen it used anywhere. Is it?

Although I enjoyed them, I found it hard work reading Daniel Pennac's books in English, never mind French!

Good point! Whatever the reason, my friend recommends him as a good read!

My friend's hypothesis is that, because Henri Troyat is not a native French speaker, his written French is easier to understand than that of a native French speaker, presumably because he may not have as full a command of the complexities of the language, idioms etc as a native and so, as a result, he writes in a simpler style.  Obviously, this is only one person's opinion but it sounds plausible to me. 

One of my friends recommends reading Henri Troyat. He isn't actually French so the theory is that his French is easier to understand! I haven't tried it myself as I'm too lazy to try to read a whole book in French.

Thanks for your help. On second thoughts, I think I may have come across cairns in the Pyrenees marking the way across rocky pavements which may or may not also have been marked with the usual splashes of paint.

I know they're not common on French mountains (or at least where I've been) but is there a French word for "cairn" i.e. a carefully arranged loose pile of stones?

That's the one on TF1! Ten minute Météo before the news then 5 minutes afterwards. Pure theatre! On a linguistic note, she speaks quite clearly and, since the Météo is quite repetitive, it's probably a good way for a beginner to pick up some words and the rhythm of the language.