There doesn't seem to be a wp-config.php file

I had trouble installing WordPress last week even though I had done it without trouble the week before. I kept getting the following error:

There doesn't seem to be a wp-config.php file. I need this before we can get started. Need more help? We got it. You can create a wp-config.php file through a web interface, but this doesn't work for all server setups. The safest way is to manually create the file.

I did a search on this error and there seemed to be quite a few people with the same problem. This even came up on the WordPress support site but no one had a definite response. It took me pretty much all day but I figured out what the problem was.

For me the problem was that I renamed wp-config-sample.php file in Dreamweaver just by clicking on the filename and renaming it. This is a mistake as you should open the file, edit it, and then select File / Save As. The other problem with using Dreamweaver is that when you rename the file, it asks if you want to update links. I think I said yes when I should have said no. Also I moved the files from the 'wordpress' folder into my root directory using Dreamweaver. Again it asked if I wanted to update links and I said yes, which I think was wrong.

I'm not sure which of these things I did was the problem but the solution was simple. I deleted everything from the server and started the installation process from the beginning. I unzipped the file and opened the wp-config-sample.php file using Notepad. I edited it and then selected File / Save As and saved it as wp-config-php, not forgetting to save it as a .php file. I then moved all the files and folders into the root directory of my site using Windows Explorer, NOT Dreamweaver. I uploaded everything to the server and, voila!, it worked.

WordPress Installation

Last week I downloaded and installed WordPress as I'm going to add a blog to Buy Organic, if I can ever work out how to integrate it into my current website design, that is. I had been putting off doing it for quite a while because I don't know anything about PHP and I thought it was going to be, not difficult, but tedious. If fact it wasn't at all and it worked straight away without any problems.

I read up on how to integrate it into my own design but that really is beyond me. I'll give it another go this week but I don't think I'll be able to do it myself. I think I'm going to need outside help. I wonder where I can find someone to do that for me without breaking the bank.

Seeing the installation was so easy I think got excited and set up three other domain names, which I happened to have lying around, and now I have 3 more blogs, just like that. I especially love how the themes work. Being able to change the look of the site with a flick of a switch is great. Plus the ease of setting them up and adding posts and pages is fantastic. I'm going to do all my sites from now on as WordPress blogs.

This time though the installation wasn't so easy. I kept getting the error 'There doesn't seem to be a wp-config.php file' and even though other people had the same error I couldn't find a solution. Well, after spending all day trying to figure it out I discovered the problem and the solution. I will post about it in case anyone has the same problem, which I'm sure they will.

So now I've got to get to work on these other blogs. Firstly there is Bingo Bombshell which is about bingo website reviews as well as other game reviews including free online games. Secondly there is Tips and Advice which is just that. I will be posting articles on a daily basis. The third site is for my husband. It is a dating review site for Albanians. Seeing he is Albanian he is going to write the reviews in his language. The site is called Albanian Hearts and I think it will be a success as Albanians seem to like using the internet to meet people. I have so much work to do now!

Is Albania Really That Bad?

There was a nasty article in the UK's Sunday Times last Sunday about Albania. Now I know Albania has some problems but this article was pretty vicious. What the author described was somewhat true, if you are looking for a negative side to everything. Maybe I'm the opposite and try to look at the positives whenever I write about Albania. The article has caused quite a stir in the Albanian community and I wonder if the article wasn't designed to do just that.

Some things he wrote include describing Albania as a 'crumbling commie squalor' and its people as 'short and ferret-faced, with the unisex stumpy, slightly bowed legs of shetland ponies'. I can't criticise the article too much because it is true-ish. It's just a harsh way to go about describing one of the unluckiest countries in the world. The people don't deserve that. Maybe the article was supposed to be humourous and some comments he made are but there is really no need to be nasty just to get a laugh.

Albanian Eagle

The Albanian Eagle is a two headed eagle which is found on the Albanian flag. It is a popular symbol of Albania so I have included it on a number of t-shirts at my CafePress store. Most CafePress t-shirts are white but they recently introduced a black t-shirt. This is proving to be very popular, especially with the 'Albanian Eagle' design.

On that page I talk about the many foreign occupiers of Albania and how this hasn't changed their way of life, culture, or food. I mention the different dishes which are quite similar to Greek or Turkish but with an Albanian take on it.

If you ever find yourself in the home of an Albanian you can expect them to offer you everything they have. They will immediately offer you a drink, which you must accept, and if you stay for dinner then be sure to eat everything you are given. They seem to be easily offended if you say no, even if you really aren't hungry. I wouldn't worry too much though as most of the food is delicious.

Albanian T-Shirts

Admittedly I have been neglecting my Albanian Designs website lately. It's not that I have lost interest, its just that I've been working on so many other things. I have been making a few sales so I figure it's about time I get serious and add some real content to the pages. Without lots of content I won't be able to get much search engine traffic and thus not many sales so it's back to my job as a writer.

I've decided to make the content about different aspect of Albanian culture and am including things such as Albanian food, the landscapes, and the people. I have already started by creating little 'teaser' descriptions as well as content for the 'Albania' section.

I wrote a little bit about the Albanian landscape and its people. One thing I always find amusing is how they nod to say no and shake their heads to say yes. I do remember one instance in Albania when a guy was asking if I wanted to get on his bus. It wasn't for my destination so I shook my head. He signalled for me to get on so I shook my head again. He kept saying 'come on', 'come on' and I just shook my head even more. He was starting to get angry when my husband intervened and said I didn't actually want that bus. I had completely forgotten that I should have been nodding!

Organic Produce in Montpellier

I had a request about where to find organic produce in Montpellier so I thought I'd put it in its own post.

There are 3 organic supermarkets in Montpellier (I don't remember their names):

1. Passage de L'horloge - at the Polygone near the tramway.
2. Avenue Georges Clemenceau - near Intermarche (across the road).
3. Another is just north of the Corum but I can't remember exactly where.

Inno at the Polygone has an excellent range of organic produce (I especially love their organic fetta) and you can find a few things at Carrefour at Lattes (half way between Montpellier and Carnon).

The best place for fresh organic fruit and veges is at the organic market which is held every Saturday morning under Les Arceaux. There is a huge range of fruit, vegetables, tea, coffee, plants, meat, fish, and bread. The best bread by far is that sold by a guy in the last stall up the hill a little bit. There is always a huge queue because it's so delicious!

I once tried Natoora but the produce wasn't as fresh as I'd hoped and my small order came in two huge boxes with lots of plastic packaging, I wasn't impressed.

For a small city, there are plenty of organic options in Montpellier.

Tour de France in Paris

The Tour de France went right by my apartment today so I couldn't help but see it. I had an excellent view from my balcony and so got a couple of good photos. I watched the race on TV about an hour before they were due in Boulogne Billancourt and thought it might be interesting, especially as the crowd started to grow.

It actually started very early in the day with the police setting up barriers, blocking off the side streets. I could see at least 5 policemen guarding the road from lunchtime onwards. A parade of all the sponsors went by at 2:30pm and some of them were quite funny but all in all not very interesting.

The crowd started gathering at 3pm but the cyclists didn't arrive until closer to 5pm. I saw on TV that they were about to arrive so I jumped out onto the balcony with my camera ready. The crowd started cheering and they went by in one big group. They had all gone by within about 10 seconds, if that! So people waited around for a couple of hours and if you'd blinked you'd have missed it. Wow, exciting!

Fujifilm F30 Review

I finally got my new digital camera after wanting it since the beginning of the year. I was interested in the Fujifilm F30 when it was first announced but wanted to wait to buy it until I read the reviews. Thankfully all the reviews have been glowing and it even won an award for the best compact digital camera in Europe. I bought it online at Pixmania and it arrived a few days later along with a leather case and 1GB of memory. That's a lot of memory, I wonder how many photos that will hold. So far it is going great. It's easy to use and the quality looks excellent. The only negative is the colour. I'm sure the one I saw in the shop was a silver colour but this one is kind of greenish. I don't like it but it's not so terrible that I'll be returning it. I didn't even realise they came in different colours. Or maybe it was that colour all along and I didn't notice. Or more likely no one wanted that colour and that is why it was cheaper at Pixmania than anywhere else.

So naturally I've been playing a lot since I got it. I want to go all around Paris taking photos of all the sites and my favourite parks. No doubt I'll be adding images to many of my posts from now on. I'll also have to work out how flickr works. This is my first digital camera (I'm a bit behind the times, I know) so all the latest features are new to me. It even has a video mode included which looks to be fairly good quality. I haven't loaded the software on to my computer yet as my laptop is super slow and I don't think it can take any more software. The next thing I'll be buying is a new computer and then I'll be able to go crazy with photos.

I haven't had the opportunity to take many photos, except for in Boulogne, but this Saturday the Tour de France is going to go right by my balcony so I'll be able to take plenty of photos of that.

Juanes Concert in Paris

I went to the Juanes concert at the Zenith last night and it was great. The music was fantastic, he was fantastic, I'm so glad I went. I didn't know all of the songs because I have only recently become a fan but I think I knew 90% of them. The only problem was that I don't speak Spanish so couldn't understand anything he was saying! I don't think he speaks French or English and the only thing he said in French was 'merci beaucoup'. Still, you don't need to speak Spanish to love his music.

The big negative of the night was the location. The Zenith was a nightmare as there was no air conditioning. It was 36 degrees in Paris yesterday and I've no doubt it was well over 40 inside the Zenith and very humid. I can't understand how they can not put air conditioning in a public building, especially when you are going to have 6,000 people inside at one time. It was really unbearable. It is things like this which make me hate France. They don't have air conditioning anywhere which I can't understand because it's not like it doesn't get hot here, of course it does in summer. I think the French just don't want to spend any money. They are pretty tight from what I've seen. It seems like they would rather suffer to the point of almost passing out rather than spend a few euros.

I loved Juanes but would never go to the Zenith again.

Juanes, Digital Camera, and Washing

The Juanes concert is on tonight and I can't wait. I haven't been to a concert in years, which is further proof that I'm getting old. The only problem I foresee is that the place is going to be full of screaming girls. I'll have to control myself so I don't become one of them!

I get to pick up my new digital camera today, yay! The postman came with it yesterday during the 5 minutes when I left the house - typical. Now I'll have to queue at the post office to get it.

The less exciting thing I have to do today is wash my clothes. It's driving me crazy not having a washing machine. I'm going to have to lug 3 loads of washing to the local laundromat in 37 degree heat. Really looking forward to that. That probably explains why I'm writing useless posts on my blog - anything to get out of doing the washing!

Fuel Efficient Cars

I hired a car last weekend for my trip to the French Grand Prix and was surprised at just how fuel efficient it was. The car was a Renault Clio Diesel and I did almost 700 kilometres on a little over half a tank. I think I used something like 33 litres which cost me exactly 40 euros. I guess I don't really know that that is fuel efficient but when I moved house the petrol for the van cost me twice that. Yeah I know you can't compare a van full of furniture and a little diesel Renault but I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't have to break the bank to do a little touring around the country. Now I know when I go on holiday in August I won't have to worry too much about how much I'm going to spend on petrol.

I do keep in mind my fuel consumption when driving and try to following these fuel efficient driving tips.

French Formula 1 Schedule

I had trouble finding out what events were on a what time before I went to the F1 so I thought I would post it for future reference. Not that I would be going to that filthy, smelly, poorly organised event again but I assume the timetable is similar for other grand prix races around the world.

This schedule is for the Sunday of the French Grand Prix:

8am - 8:45 Public Pit Walk
8:55 - 9:25 Mini Challenge Race
10:00 - 10:45 GP2 Race
11:00 - 11:10 Centenary Parade
11:25 - Midday Porche Supercup
12:15 - 1pm Clubs Pit Walk
12:30 - 12:45 Driver Parade
2pm Formula 1 Race
4pm Podium Presentation

Good luck getting out of the car park!

Magny Cours - World Class Facility?

I read somewhere that the French Grand Prix circuit at Magny Cours is a world class facility, the best in the world. I don't think so! Well, if that is the case then I'd hate to see what the others are like.

Here are a 10 reasons why you should never go to the French Formula 1 Grand Prix.

1. There is no public transport. They might have some shuttle buses organised but it is no where near enough to lighten the traffic.

2. If you choose to sleep in your car or in a tent, seeing there are not enough hotels to go around, then be warned, the toilets are FILTHY. Filthy to a point of being unusable. I almost vomited just walking by them let alone going inside. Not to mention no toilet paper and soap.

3. No showers in the car park/camping area. I think some areas did have showers but not at the Parking Sud. I can imagine the showers that are there are pretty disgusting anyway so who'd want to use them.

4. Poor quality food. The only food available are crappy baguettes, chips, and sausages. Pretty disgusting.

5. Ridiculously expensive food and drinks. 6 euros for a baguette, 4.50 for chips, and worst of all 4 euros for 500mL of water. There are taps around the circuit but some of them smelt of urine!

6. Disgusting toilet facilities. I know there are a lot of people at the event but still. Why weren't there cleaners working not stop? I went to the toilet first thing in the morning and there was no toilet paper or soap. Some of the doors didn't have locks on them. There were some other toilets near Tribune K which had toilet paper but still no soap. Not to mention the disgusting urinals which were out in the open. Who wants to see, and smell, men standing around against this thing peeing? Weren't they embarrassed to go in front of thousands of people? Plus there was clearing no chance of washing their hands afterwards.

7. No soap anywhere. I can understand that they might run out of soap at the end of the day but there wasn't any to start with. This was just another reason not to eat anything as how did the people wash their hands if there was no soap in the toilets? I won't be eating that food, that's for sure.

8. Not enough shade and seating. The race is held in the middle of summer and so was pretty hot. There were lots of grassed areas but not many trees for shade. People were burnt to a crisp. I couldn't believe how red some were. Have they heard of skin cancer? They should have had the Red Cross or someone giving out free sunscreen. It was really dangerous and some people would have been quite unwell afterwards. There weren't many places to sit either as the grass wasn't in very good condition.

9. Cars getting blocked in. The organisers in the car park told people to park behind my car meaning I couldn't get out until they left. What if I had to leave early? That was unacceptable.

10. A 3 hour wait to get out of the car park. There was one exit from the car park for at least 20,000 cars. How can that be? Plus they only let one row leave at a time so if you were at the end you were looking at a 4 hour wait, at least. I got out in 2 and a half hours by going around the back of the paddock and crossing a ditch. I pity the poor people who continued to wait in the queue.

Overall the facilities were very poor and the organisation was very poor. The tickets were very expensive but you don't get much for your money. I'll never go again.

French Grand Prix - F1

I left Paris on Saturday to see the French Grand Prix in Magny Cours. I hired a car from Hertz, which as usual was no problem, and drove towards Orleans. We stopped for a bit of sight seeing there and enjoyed a walk around a very beautiful city. I'm sure I say that about all the French cities I have been to but it's true. There is a pretty centre square with plenty of cafes and shops and a huge gothic cathedral. I even ventured inside which provided a nice relief from the heat. I would have liked to stay a while but we had to move on.

From Orleans we went straight to Nevers. You could immediately tell the F1 is the biggest event of the year for Nevers and the surrounding towns. There were people everywhere who were entertained by Renault's F1 stand and at least 6 or 7 bands playing around the town. We queued up to eat at a little Italian place and had a tasty pizza and insalata caprese, my favourite salad.

As usual, I do things without thinking too much and booked the Formula One tickets at the last minute. This meant there was no chance for me to find accommodation in the area. We decided to spend the night in the car and considered staying in Nevers but decided, at the last minute, to move on to Magny Cours. I thought it might be a bit of a drive but it only took around 10 minutes. I didn't have a ticket for the parking, which is compulsory, but was lucky in that they were selling them at the gate. That set me back 30 euros which seems like a lot of money to pay to park in a paddock with the stinkiest toilets I have ever seen and no showers. We preferred to find our own 'toilet' by a quiet road as using the ones provided would have meant putting your life at risk.

The good thing about spending the night in the car park was that we got up a 8am and only had a 10 minute walk to the circuit. Once inside I bought a 500mL bottle of water for 4 euros because I was dying of thirst and then bought some F1 gear. Ferbent got a black Ferrari cap and red t-shirt and I got a BMW cap which was great. The caps were 25 euros which was fine. The hats were by far the best thing we bought because it was stinking hot. They said it was 34C but it seemed a lot hotter. I guess because the stands were uncovered the constant sun made if feel worse.

We didn't make it in time to do the pit lane walk as that started at 8am. That was a bit of a shame but not that big of a deal. There were a few races during the day including the GP2 and the Porche Supercup. I thought those cars were going fast until I saw the real deal later in the day! These were followed by the driver's parade where they do a lap in vintage cars. The actual formula 1 race started just before 2pm.

We had seats in stand (tribune) J and the tickets cost 220 euros. They weren't the most expensive but not the cheapest either. From that stand you can see the hairpin corner in the distance and the straight (well they weren't going flat out but I think you could call it the straight) in front of us. I think there are better stands. There was a big screen tv in the distance but you could barely see it. I think stand L would have been better as it is right next to the hairpin or maybe stand C near the start/finish line. Of course those 2 stands were much more expensive at 330 euros per ticket.

The race got off to huge cheers which were soon drowned out by the noise of the F1 cars. I had no idea they were so loud. It was literally deafening. Schumacher was first and stayed in position 1 throughout the race. I saw a couple of cars spin off the track in front of me in the earlier races and the same happened in the main race. I think it was Webber but I'm not completely sure. He retired shortly after so it must have been him. The race was interesting at first, seeing how quickly 'Schumi' got ahead of the others but as soon as he started lapping people if became difficult to follow. It was hard to work out which cars were racing for position and which were at the end of the race. Plus I couldn't work out which drivers were which in the same teams. I know they have different helmets but it was impossible to tell at the speed they went by. I got pretty bored at the end and was just waiting for it to finish so I could get out of the heat. Everyone stood for Shumi's victory lap and then we left.

The real disappointment of the day were the poor facilities and organisation. We were stuck in the car park for more than 2 and a half hours. We weren't budging at all. I only got out when I did because I left the queue I was in and went through a ditch to get to a moving line of cars. If I hadn't done that I might still be there! It was really difficult because it was so hot, there was no water, and no toilets. It was really bad. I don't know how they could let some people leave and not others. It's not like we were moving slowly, we weren't going anywhere. It was really ridiculous. One exit for 10s of 1000s of cars is not a well organised event. I think this problem was caused by the lack of public transport. The circuit is in the middle of nowhere and so there are no trains, or regular buses. Everyone had to go by car, except for the previledged few who went by helicopter. I understand it is a difficult task to get so many cars out of one place quickly but that situation was completely unacceptable.

Once on the autoroute it was pretty smooth sailing. There was a lot of traffic as it was the end of a long weekend but I was still able to travel at the speed limit. I didn't want to pay any tolls so took the scenic route back to Paris. It took a lot longer but was well worth it. We went through some really beautiful villages and if we hadn't been held up leaving Magny Cours then we would have had time to stop. All French towns and villages are beautiful. They always have cute little streets and squares and the obligatory church. It seems the most beautiful villages had views of the not so beautiful nuclear power stations. I wonder if they get extra government funding as some kind of compensation.

The weekend was hot, dirty, tiring, and expensive. Parts of the F1 were enjoyable but was it worth it, no. They filthy toilets with no toilet paper and no soap and the unacceptable wait in the car park ruined it for me. Never again!

Bastille Day Fireworks in Paris

At the last minute I decided to go to the fireworks for Bastille Day. I didn't want to go because I knew it was going to be packed but seeing I hadn't been before I thought I should at least once. I got the metro to Ecole Militaire which was a good station to get off. The Champs de Mars is only a short walk from there and even though it was full of people, who had seemingly been there most of the day, I still found a spot fairly close to the Eiffel Tower.

I got there at 9pm but the fireworks didn't start until 10:30pm. I had to stand during that time which wouldn't have been so bad if there wasn't a million other people around. People kept pushing to get a better view but once things started it was fine. I was surprisingly close to the action as the fireworks went off between the Champs de Mars and the Tour Eiffel. I'm sure the view I had was better than that from any other vantage point. If you want to see the fireworks and don't mind being people breathing down your neck then that is the place to be.

As for the fireworks themselves - they were great. I haven't seen any fireworks displays for quite a few years so I don't know how they compare but I was really impressed. They went off in time to classical music which was fantastic. I'm used to seeing fireworks in Australia for Australia Day and that is always to Australian music so this was quite different. I like classical music and this was perfect, especially with the Eiffel Tower in the background.

Naturally there was a huge number of people trying to get into the one metro station when I was leaving but after a little pushing and shoving I was inside. Once inside there were hardly any people and it was a quiet ride home.

It's hard to say if I would go again because I can't stand crowds but I think ultimately it was worth it. I won't go every year but now and again would be fine. They really were beautiful, better then any fireworks I have every seen. As the guy next to me said, 'belissimo'.

French Formula 1 Grand Prix - Nevers Magny Cours

I'm not much of a fan of the Formula 1 but have taken a mild interest in it since meeting my husband. Ferbent loves the F1 and watches every race. He is a Schumacher fan which I can't understand. The guy is arrogant and boring. I support Webber but only because he's an Aussie. He doesn't seem to have much going for him other than that.

I thought it would be exciting to see a race in person so I've booked tickets to see the French Grand Prix on the 16th July. It is in Nevers which is about half way between Paris and Lyon. It seems Magny Cours is in the middle of nowhere so I've had to hire a car for the weekend. I booked everything at short notice so all the hotels in the area are already fully booked. We are either going to have to stay a couple of hours away from the track or spend the night in the car. I'm not too keen on option number two so it looks like I'll be doing a lot of driving on the day. The other thing I haven't booked is parking. They are not selling parking tickets on the internet anymore so I'm not sure how to get them. I hope I'll be able to get them on the day or else we might be in for a long walk.

It should be a great day as I have never been to this kind of event before and never imagined I would. I find the races quite boring unless there is a lot of overtaking or a spectacular accident. I think the enjoyment will be more in the atmosphere than the actual race itself. We'll see.

First Impressions Count

When I first saw Zidane I thought for sure he would be the type to lose his temper quickly. When I heard him interviewed I was surprised that he is quite softly spoken. I thought perhaps I had misjudged him and he was a quiet guy after all. Wrong!! I couldn't believe he head butted that Italian player in the World Cup Final tonight. Especially seeing it was such an important match. For one thing being the final but also being his last match ever before retirement. So he threw away the match because he got angry at some guy. What a waste. He got a red card and was out of the match and France subsequently lost. I guess they won't be building a statue of Zidane on the Champs-Elysees after all!

Another cross against Zidane from me is that he smokes. I never would have thought a top athlete would do that. Plus he is a hero for so many young boys in France and probably in Algeria. I was pretty disappointed to see that.

There's complete silence coming from my bedroom window which means France is in mourning. Italy won the World Cup. Viva Italia!

Bastille Day In Paris - 14th July

Bastille Day, the 14th July, is a national holiday in France. It commemorates the storming of the Bastille and the beginning of the French Revolution. It's great to be in France for this day, especially in Paris, as there are many celebrations taking place throughout the country.

The day starts at around 10am with a military parade on the Champs-Elysees. Jets fly overhead while the parade takes place. The parade starts at the Arc de Triomphe and then heads to the Place de la Concorde. The President leads the parade which also include members of the Foreign Legion and the Fire Brigade. You have to be VERY early to get a good spot and, depending how interested you are in the military, it is probably worth it.

Many attractions throughout the city are free on this day, including the Louvre and many other museums. If you're not interested in the parade then go straight to your favourite museum and get in ahead of the crowds.

Later in the evening, don't miss the fireworks at the Champ-de-Mars. They start at around 11pm but people start gathering at lunchtime. If you are going to go early then don't forget plenty of water, sunscreen, and a hat. You can see the fireworks from a number of places and the most popular is the Palais du Chaillot. If you are like me and can't stand crowds then try either the Pont de l'Alma (although this will still be quite crowded) or the Pont Alexandre III, near the Invalides.

If you want to take photos of the fireworks then I suggest you visit the Digital Photography School for tips on how to get the best shots.

I Got My Carte de Sejour

In the end it was easy. I had an appointment with the Prefecture this morning, gave them all my documents (there weren't really that many), and that was it. She printed out the Carte de Sejour and I was finished. It's valid for 10 years so now I can work, study, and come and go as I please. I'm so glad it's over but now I'm onto the more difficult stage - finding a job in Paris...