As Nicholas Sarkozy, president of the French republic, addressed his countrymen, he described what was lying behind his promise “everything is possible." Though many are unwilling to sacrifice personal interests for upward mobility, I feel that Sarkozy’s policies will be advantageous for France.

Infuse your next visit to Paris with music, drama, and dance during a memorable soiree. Tickets to an opera or ballet performance entitle their holder to a red velvet seat within a grandiose espace. In divulging the secret of securing affordable seats, your access to the arts is augmented.

Currently at the Musée Maillol, Pascin´s exhibition showcases warm portraits shrouded in Impressionism and watercolor-washed pen and ink caricatures. Exiting the Paris Metro at Rue du Bac, stop along the way for decadent chocolates and browse the most bizarre shop in Paris, a menagerie of taxidermy.

Easily accesible from Paris, steal away from the city to lunch on fresh seafood, enjoy half-timbered architecture and explore the fairytale setting of the Alabaster Coast. Fecamp's invitingly green pastures crown milky cliffs as they branch into grandiose archways over the sea.

Not without intricacies, the café is as much a part of French culture as wine and cheese. Though tact is required to evasively dine amongst the French, these stolen moments often become the most memorable.

Provence has become my favorite region of France. Pleasant in all seasons, visit Aix to absorb the scene of sprawling fields of lavender beyond tile-roofed villas. Even days spent doing nothing appear eventful in the context of this southern way of life.

The exhibit Il Etait Une Fois Walt Disney presents the different layers of artistic influence lying behind animation. Like peering through a kaleidoscope, a melange of film projections, storyboard sketches, paintings and models embellish the Grand Palais.

Sainte Maxime and Saint Tropez are novel cities to visit, both offering a taste of the glamour that envelops the Cote d’Azur. In contrast, the neighboring Gorges du Verdon, Grand Canyon of Europe, presents a more sauvage scene.

When assessing options for French language instruction, after weighing the merits and shortcomings of la Sorbonne against those of Alliance Française, I was able to find my niche in the classroom.

In France, friendships are maintained by extending invitations to dine together. Invaluable in setting the mood and table are wine and the presentation of aesthetically pleasing plates. The simple pleasure of enjoying delicately prepared food in the company of friends embodies "joie de vivre."