Along the Promenade des Anglais

The international education clan gathered last week in Nice-on-the-Med to talk about teaching, testing and technology. Indeed, the conference program ran to 297 pages and nearly cost me a few Euros in excess luggage fees on the way home.

Also on the agenda was the delicate subject of what happens now that the bottom has fallen out of the world economy? International schools in their various configurations are no less susceptible to a downturn than the many multinational companies whose children need a good education.

From Rio to Rome and Moscow to Manila, teachers and administrators are holding their breath. In other words ~ will Nice be as nice this time next year?

Down along the Promenade des Anglais, life goes on. Here the English took to spending the winter next to the blue Mediterranean starting back in the mid-18th century. Today, the young and old, the fat and thin, the bicyclists and baby strollers, the naked and covered walk, sun or bathe

The French sense of joie de vivre is everywhere including the ubiquitious outdoor cafes, fresh off the vine Beaujolais nouveau and delectable foods. The infamous French attitude to work was also evident. Très bien timing, I'd say. Air France was on strike over the weekend, the national rail system was down on Monday and Tuesday, teachers and medical technicians were off on Wednesday and French Telecom shut down on Thursday and Friday. No access to the internet. Hence, I couldn’t post this entry until today.

Never mind, Nice is still heaven.