plein d'entrain

Fall colors in France's 3rd largest city, Lyon, where our croisière fluviale docked on the last day of the AMA Waterways river cruise. If you dream of traveling the French canals, please do me a favor by contacting my best friend, Susan, for details of our Rhône river trip. Her email is [email protected] or call her at 480-831-9076.

Today's word: plein d'entrain
In the category of French words I often hear but have no confidence using, comes the expression "avec entrain" or pleine d'entrain. A French relative used it, just yesterday, on seeing a photo posted near the end of this post. Amarie writes:

Merci pour cette belle photo pleine d'entrain. Thanks for this lovely, spirited photo.

Audio File: listen to Amarie's sentence, above, as Jean-Marc reads it: Download MP3 or Wav file

 

Definition: There are other ways to translate the "plein d'entrain" phrase. According to forum members over at WordReference, and to Reverso.net, here are some more possibilites:

• bubbly
• cheerful
• lively 
• vivacious
• zippy
• zestful
• full of get-up-and-go
• (help add more definitions of "entrain", via the comments box. Thanks in advance)
  
  Are you beginning to love this word as much as I am? Are you now feeling reckless enough to use it in conversation? Why not practice here in the comments box? Some more example sentences would be helpful.
  
  

A Day in a French Life... by Kristin Espinasse

Even though I was on a vacation retreat with a very close and trusted friend, it took a whole day to begin to relax and to leave all soucis behind. Though I no longer needed to think about nagging issues back home, there were new subjects to obsess about, even on a relaxing river cruise. One concern that came up (after who gets the bed closest to the bathroom? (the nervous half of our duo won out))—was tipping.

The French should write a book about pourboires; instead they prefer the subject keep its air of mystery, just like the seductive citoyens. Ask any Frenchman "How much should I tip?" and he'll say what every native says: "In France, tipping is not obligatoire. ...However, if you enjoyed the service you can show your appreciation by leaving whatever amount with which you are comfortable."  

Twenty years in France and I am still uncomfortable about tipping. I would not want to slight a bellhop because of my ignorance. And did I know whether to tip the bus driver?—when it seemed the tour guide got all the pourboires? Thankfully, my best friend and traveling partner, Susan, had sent me a brochure of our trip, and I had read the section on gratuities. Apparently tipping would take place at the end of the trip, when in one fell swoop we could thank all cruise employees via the those handy envelopes marked "Tips for cruise manager" and "Tips for ship crew". A low-down on how much per day, per entity, was clearly given (for example, 3 Euros per passenger, per day for the Cruise Manager and 12 Euros per passenger, per day for the crew).

As to how much, exactly, to leave the on-shore tour guides, there was a helpful section about how to show appreciation for them, too; it even included a handy tip range (between 1 and 2 euros per guide). That seemed reasonable to me, and it was easy to decide on leaving 2 euros—instead of only 1—at the end of our guided tour of Les Baux de Provence. I even had the necessary change. So why start to sweat and obsess when it came time to hand over the money? 

That story next... 

***

Thank you for reading. To comment on this post, or to read the comments, click here. I would love to read your notes about travel, including issues such as tipping, taking the tour bus, pit-stops, staying in new and unusual places, and any anecdotes you have to share.

 French Vocabulary

le souci = worry (click here for the "souci" edition)

le pourboire = tip

le citoyen (la citoyenne) = citizen

obligatoire = compulsory, obligatory

 

Almost time to tip... in Avignon. Get those 2-euro coins ready for the tour guide! Please share your tipping anecdotes here, in the comments box. I'd love to know how you handled tipping while on a guided tour. What about the bus driver? Did you tip him too? On our trip it seems the tour guide got all the pourboires. 

"Etienne", a boat with character, parked near our cruise ship.

Our group traveled past Chateauneuf du Pape, and I felt a sharp tug to my heart while gliding past the life we left behind, after our move two months ago. Incredibly, the tour bus passed by Uncle Jean-Claude's wine cellar! I actually saw my aunt and uncle perched on the curb, smiling up at our bus.

I stood up and began to wave excitedly from the other side of the bus's tinted windows... but my aunt and uncle did not see me, in spite of their searching eyes. If you are reading, cousin Audrey, I think I saw you too... in one great emotional blur. XOXO.

Comments

[Suzanne Codi]

Hi Kristen
I'm really enjoying the photos and stories from your river cruise, something I've always wanted to do ! Maybe someday...Did you take any shots of the boat you were on? Would love to see that, AND more pics of Smokey and Braise.Also, is that an orange tree in the pic with the grapes and the "Smoke"? J'en ai un tout petit qui produit une ou deux oranges tous les ans ( il habite a l'interieur pendant l'hiver) mais je le garde surtout pour le parfum merveilleux des fleurs qui remplit le salon en janvier!!!
Joyeux "Merci Donnant"!! ( are you familiar with Art Buchwald's story of many years ago?) big hugs to all of you xox Suz

[gail bingenheimer]

Je doute que nos enfants puissent goûter le plaisir de traverser l'océan en paquebot.

I doubt our children will be able to enjoy the pleasure of crossing the ocean by ship.

[Betty]

What an extraordinary tree. It looks to be thousands of years old. I've longed to take a river cruise of France..if only husband wanted same! It's Thanksgiving week here, Kristen, and I wonder if you think of it there in France and have a pumpkin pie!

[Tracy A. Hart]

Plein d'entrain could also be translated "lots of energy."

[Julie F in St. Louis, MO]

What an extraordinary photograph. You framed everything so well with that tree. And thanks for defining a word I read often in my latest trip to Burgundy. (I might have heard it, too, but my ear is not that atuned to the language.) And I would lovelovelove a guide to tipping in France. At a cafe, if I had quick service and a bill is 4,50 euro I just leave 5. I'm never sure what to leave at a restuarant. Since we do those code machines I'm not sure how to include something on the bill since I'm not signing.

[Millie]

Bonjour Kristin, De retour de la croisière, te voilà avec entrain renouvelé!
I have been on many tours and one cruise to Bermuda. Each time, we were instructed on how much to tip the tour guides and the bus drivers. That makes it easy to compute.

It's the Thanksgiving week here. Je te remercie pour toutes tes petites histoires que tu nous offres. ç'est toujours un grand plaisir de les lire. J'aime bien ton style d'écriture et ton sens d'humour, peut-être influencé par JM.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

[Sarah LaBelle near Chicago]

The photos are fantastic.
Both from the cruise and of your golden retriever next to all those grapes.

I hope you are enjoying photography again, with so many great images.

[Chris M]

I guess when you use it as "Je suis entraine de faire [quelque chose]..." that means you would always do it with gusto.

[Joan Linneman]

A word I have trouble using is "d'avantage" for "more" and I'd appreciate any advice/ examples/ etc.
I love the Art Buchwald piece and share it with my French III students, who get a kick out of all the outrageous word for word translation.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Joan L.

[Bill in St. Paul]

When we travel in France, we usually round up the bill at a restaurant and throw in a couple of euros more in a restaurant. When we go on a tour, like at a chateau, we will normally tip a 2 euros per person. We haven't done any long term guided tours like you were on, Kristin, so I guess we'd just follow the tour guidelines like you did. Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate Thanksgiving (including the Canadians who I think already had their Thanksgiving)! (The only bus driver we've ever tipped are the ones that drive us to/from the airport from/to our lodgings.)

[JULES GREER - PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO]

Darling Kristi,

Photo #1 has definately ignighted my dreams this morning - I got so excited this morning looking at this photo that I quickly dashed off an email to Karen in Phoenix looking for someone to stand with me on the idea that with the help of God - we too could be standing in front of that glorious tree in Lyon next November as we cruise along with all of our fellow travelers from French-Word a Day......

I am now daydreaming about 'who is on the cruise' from the comment corner - all of these wonderful and interesting people. Lou and Pauline popped into my head right after Karen.

I know this is a big dream - but why not.

I can't imagine the fun - plus all the love we would experience since we all already know and love each other because of your stories over the past 10 years.

Thanks Honey for giving me new dreams all of the time.

XOXO

MOM

[Faye Stampe, Gleneden Beach, OR]

I love the photos and the stories. I love seeing your post in my email.

Thanks for this post -- please don't stop......

Do you celebrate Thanksgiving?

Happy Thanksgiving and stay well!

And Happy Thanksgiving to your mom too!

[anne wirth]

plein d'entrain
Your definitions sound just like you.
Your new residence sounds so nice. Even though there is a new place to live, your family is still the
Cruising the river was a nice treat for you. Getting away from the cares of the family is a good thing for women. Sometimes, we can forget that there are more parts to us than the mother and wife.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Anne

[Bill Facker]

Those poignant feelings you experienced while passing through the old "home turf" and actually seeing your family .. I know those feelings from visiting a past home, now far away. They are, and have been, a part of my consciousness for the better part of ten years. Those feelings are powerful and will continue to positively form both your present and future as you build around the foundation of your past .. always a very personal, rare, and insightful part of who you are and who you will be. I'm glad you had that experience, Kristin .. it is a great gift. Aloha, Bill

[Diane Young]

Heureux le jour d'action de graces to the Espinasse family! Smokey makes my day. He's too cool for words. Peut-etre vous mangerez le dinde? ou le jambon?

[Margie Lincoln]

Oui I really do love this site.. J'aime beaucoup …

Merci mille fois.

I wish I had been keeping a list of all the entries so far dans un petit cahier.

Margie

[Karen Wilson]

Hello Kristin,

I don't know what to say about tipping that would be helpful, but just wanted to say hello and thanks for all your stories, thoughts and observations. I always think of my daughters, when tipping. I remember how happy it made them to be tipped when they worked for a summer in restaurants in Paris. So I will always tip a young person well if they have been friendly and helpful. Apart from that circumstance I am never sure what or how much to tip people! X Karen

[Marilyn Murphy]

We just came back from AMA rivercruise and had a wonderful experience. We must have been on the cruise just before the one you took. We coomenced in Lyon on Nov 1 and departed Arles on Nov 8. What a wonderful way to see France!!!!! We then spent 3 days in Beuane which was another great French experience.
I love your site and have been following it since May 2010 when we had the wonderful experience of going on a tour with JeanMarc of your winery and the surrounding area. We were a group of 10 from the Vancouver, BC who rented the wonderful farmhouse in Maussane.

[Amanda Edwards]

Lovely photos & an even more beautiful site. I love coming here and reading your stories.

Happy Thanksgiving from South Carolina!

Amanda

[Dawn Johnson]

I really enjoy visiting your site, and reading your books. I have visited France a few times and some of the pictures bring back great memories. I can't wait to go back. To ease my "homesickness" I put up shutters on my house this summer and painted them periwinkle blue.

[French Alps American]

Oh, yes, tipping. I'm American and my husband is French. He refuses to leave a tip anywhere and even when we're in the States he resents having to tip so I'm always the one that leaves the tips. In France, if I can do it when he's not looking, I will leave 10% for exceptional service at a restaurant.
It gets more complicated with my French Alps Tours that I operate and lead. Since I'm a co-owner with a Brit and he does the driving, he receives most of the tips, even though I do half of the tour guiding. That's usually okay because I'm uncomfortable taking tips for some odd reason. I guess with time I'll get over it.

[Natalia]

Hi dear Kristin,
I didn't realize how much I missed your glorious pictures until they weren't there.
And now you have gifted all of your
privileged readers again with their presence!
Oh! Absolutely gorgeous!! What you captured through your lens just speaks volumes without words!
The first one (with the tree)stole my imagination,but Chateauneuf filled my heart with smiles;it was my wonderful dad's favorite.
As for tipping (?)Thank goodness we don't live in Medieval England and have to bribe beggars not to beat us up!I am certain that you followed your heart and gave whatever you felt was right,regardless of 'rules'.
We've always done that;better to be laughed at for being too genrous than sad in spirit for being a cheapskate.
Another wonderful post! THANK YOU!!!!!
Love, Natalia XO

[Patrine]

Kristi
the amounts you listed as suggested for tipping sound like they would add considerably to the overall coast of a trip.
I am averse to tipping for two reasons: first, I should not have to subsidise the profits of an employer because they are unwilling to pay their staff appropriately and second, if the staff are being paid appropriately then surely that is all that is required for someone to fulfil the demands of the job? I work in two different jobs and it would never occur to me that as well as my salary from these jobs, a client should provide anything but verbal appreciation that I had met the requirements of either position.

[Pamela in Tacoma, WA]

Hi, Kristi. I'm really enjoying your photos and stories of your river cruise. Thank you for sharing them.

I took the same cruise route, although with Gutsy Women Travel and Uniworld Cruises, a week before you did. The tipping guidelines were very similar to yours. However, we did tip the bus drivers 1 Euro in addition to the guides, thanking them personally for seeing us safely on our journeys and back to the ship.

I am embarassed, however, that I failed to tip the server in a wonderful bistro in Beaune. The bill came and was charged to my credit card with no place to add a tip (unlike the US where it seems every establishment has a line for a tip!). I didn't realize I'd neglected to tip until after we were back on the bus headed to the ship. I felt awful. I guess the procedure is to give a cash tip when paying by credit card.

[Buffy]

Isn't it wonderful, travelling with your best friend? I went on a cruise with mine last Feb. It was so great to get away and just relax. The tip was part of the payment at the end of the cruise. It was so much per day. When the kids and I went to Europe two years ago, we went on two tour buses; one in London and one in Paris. It was a nice way to get around and see the cities. I love the adventure of travel. It doesn't matter how you do it, just get out and see the world; even if it is close to home.

[Eileen - Charlottesville, VA]

Hi Kristi,
Gorgeous photos and I love the French word today!

[nadine goodban]

To all who are worried about tipping in restaurants/cafés : in France, it is included in your bill. Custom wants you to leave a few coins on the table.

To Joan Linneman : DAVANTAGE, with no apostrophe, to mean more.
Avantages, as a noun, meaning advantages : il n'y a pas d'avantages pour les personnes âgées ....

Bonnes Fêtes à tous ! nadine de Californie

[suzana rose borlovan]

Myself and 2 good friends recently did a tour of Italy and France and were also given 2 envelopes for gratuities, clearly told that 3 euros per day was expected in Italy, as we had to tip everywhere and everyone including toilet ammenities and as the tour leaders performance wasn't up to standard we decided to give what we thought was appropriate. The 3 euros are only a suggestion and we tipped accordingly, however in France it was fabulous and we actually tipped higher than expected of us.

[Shirley]

When our senior community goes by bus to any event, an envelope is passed up one side of the bus and down the other. when I was in Brugge, Belgium, a few in our tour group wanted to "run in a brewery " as we gathered to leave in the square. The tour guide was rewarded with a bottle of beer on the bus as his reward. The few that were allowed the extra time returned to our hotel quite happy.

[Martine NYC]

Un grand merci pour French-word-a-day cette annee. I really treasure it.
As for tipping, I think it is rarely a mistake to be generous. If we are on a cruise or eating out, we've got some cash. Whatever we think of the system, it can make a big difference to those who depend on tips to get a decent one. It's good for us to feel gratitude, too. If we aren't up to overhauling all of society, let's right now have a good relationship with people who are helping us have a great time!
When my grandmother sent me off on a plane or something, she always gave me some one dollar bills, saying, "You'll need these for your trip." They went straight to buying candy,of course, but she imagined that I might need to tip someone and wanted me to be prepared.