French Wednesdays

[ahinton]

Inevitably after the rather good news (or was it just the least worst?) from across the Channel surely a dedicated thread is called for?

Let's just hope ff doesn't spot it and corrects our rather grave accents

Or indeed that she circonflexes her editorial/moderatorial muscles and locks it in the basement...

[ahinton]

Politics may always be a compromise, always The Art of the Possible, but I felt like cheering and punching the air seeing Macron's big victory, even if - perhaps especially if - it was largely driven by keeping out Le Pen and FN. Moderate, centrist political views seem to have few representatives in what's left of the UK Parliamentary democracy now, but they seem still to be finding their voice in France. And if Macron's victory further frustrates Brexit negotiations, so lacking in all subtlety, cooperation, or even stealth and political cunning from the UK's team, all the better. The complex, drawn-out damaging truth may finally overwhelm the rhetoric of The People - or government by Daily Mail decree.

My feelings were the more intense after hearing Farage on last Friday's Any Questions, trumpeting his loud anticipation of a Le Pen triumph. The first time I ever felt like throwing a brick at the radio.

You should have been in the audience where you could have made better (and less costly to you) use of your brick...

That said, with Mr Farage's party in more disarray than Mr Corbyn's and extreme right wings having mercifully failed to take flight in Austria, Netherlands and now France, it might now seem not unreasonable to assume that such dangerous rubbish won't succeed in Germany either.

[Lat-Literal]

Lo Cor de La Plana - Nau Gojatas - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmsyJB0_gFY

[Globaltruth]

Lo Cor de La Plana - Nau Gojatas - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmsyJB0_gFY

Thanks Lat.
In "A Filetta" area of course. Who being Corsican, one of the regions, can be counted too...or should that be 'also'?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmrDOn7aVbo

[Lat-Literal]

Thanks Lat.
In "A Filetta" area of course. Who being Corsican, one of the regions, can be counted too...or should that be 'also'?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmrDOn7aVbo

Yes indeed GT.

I have seen both of them live and as regular readers will know I think both are excellent.

[ahinton]

Mercredible.

[johncorrigan]

I'm not sure if Olivia Chaney is French - don't think so - but 'Ballade' certainly is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBQYZf1wW3o

[vinteuil]

I'm not sure if Olivia Chaney is French - don't think so - but 'Ballade' certainly is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBQYZf1wW3o

... but so much better done by the Master -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca75nGFSYBk

... or the Master again-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeG1CpuhVsQ

Dictes moy où, n’en quel pays,
Est Flora, la belle Romaine ;
Archipiada, ne Thaïs,
Qui fut sa cousine germaine ;
Echo, parlant quand bruyt on maine
Dessus rivière ou sus estan,
Qui beauté eut trop plus qu’humaine ?
Mais où sont les neiges d’antan !

Où est la très sage Heloïs,
Pour qui fut chastré et puis moyne
Pierre Esbaillart à Sainct-Denys ?
Pour son amour eut cest essoyne 1 .
Semblablement, où est la royne
Qui commanda que Buridan
Fust jetté en ung sac en Seine ?
Mais où sont les neiges d’antan !

La royne Blanche comme ung lys,
Qui chantoit à voix de sereine ;
Berthe au grand pied, Bietris, Allys ;
Harembourges, qui tint le Mayne,
Et Jehanne, la bonne Lorraine,
Qu’Anglois bruslèrent à Rouen ;
Où sont-ilz, Vierge souveraine ?…
Mais où sont les neiges d’antan !

Prince, n’enquerrez de sepmaine
Où elles sont, ne de cest an,
Qu’à ce refrain ne vous remaine :
Mais où sont les neiges d’antan ?

[vinteuil]

.

... and talking of Brassens - one of my favourites -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eztSYUFUe8I

[vinteuil]

.


... and let's have a Belgian Wednesday -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULwbHL8td84

Avec la mer du Nord pour dernier terrain vague,
Et des vagues de dunes pour arrêter les vagues,
Et de vagues rochers que les marées dépassent,
Et qui ont à jamais le coeur à marée basse.
Avec infiniment de brumes à venir
Avec le vent d'ouest écoutez le tenir
Le plat pays qui est le mien.

Avec des cathédrales pour uniques montagnes,
Et de noirs clochers comme mats de cocagne
Ou des diables en pierres décrochent les nuages,
Avec le fil des jours pour unique voyage,
Et des chemins de pluie pour unique bonsoir,
Avec le vent de l'est écoutez le vouloir,
Le plat pays qui est le mien.

Avec un ciel si bas qu'un canal s'est perdu,
Avec un ciel si bas qu'il fait l'humilité
Avec un ciel si gris qu'un canal s'est pendu,
Avec un ciel si gris qu'il faut lui pardonner.
Avec le vent du nord qui vient s'écarteler,
Avec le vent du nord écoutez le craquer,
Le plat pays qui est le mien.

Avec de l'Italie qui descendrait l'Escaut,
Avec Frida la Blonde quand elle devient Margot,
Quand les fils de Novembre nous reviennent en Mai,
Quand la plaine est fumante et tremble sous Juillet,
Quand le vent est au rire quand le vent est au blé,
Quand le vent est sud écoutez le chanter,
Le plat pays qui est le mien.

[Pianorak]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdRZL_Q3ujs

I'm glad I found this on YouTube - one of my favourite Jean Ferrat songs.

[Alain Maréchal]

.


... and let's have a Belgian Wednesday -

Dank u Mijnheer, although for me Belgium is always distinctly Thursday-ish, and my pays was not at all flat. Nevertheless the photos brought back memories of childhood holidays in Blankenberge - I'm certain I know that very outfall, I was there last winter.

May I mention to all that the coast is a wonderful holiday area, in case you needed ideas. 40 kilometres of flat sand, dunes, and resorts for every taste and pocket. Plus food even the French admire (apart from She WMBO). Please don't speak French, it offends the Flemish*. They all speak excellent English, which I am ashamed to admit is not true of Wallonie.

*It's not the use of French itself, its the assumption by foreigners that Netherlandish is a second-rate tongue and French is a substitute, which upsets them. I understand that.

[teamsaint]

Dank u Mijnheer, although for me Belgium is always distinctly Thursday-ish, and my pays was not at all flat. Nevertheless the photos brought back memories of childhood holidays in Blankenberge - I'm certain I know that very outfall, I was there last winter.

May I mention to all that the coast is a wonderful holiday area, in case you needed ideas. 40 kilometres of flat sand, dunes, and resorts for every taste and pocket. Plus food even the French admire (apart from She WMBO). Please don't speak French, it offends the Flemish*. They all speak excellent English, which I am ashamed to admit is not true of Wallonie.

*It's not the use of French itself, its the assumption by foreigners that Netherlandish is a second-rate tongue and French is a substitute, which upsets them. I understand that.

The Belgian coast also has the longest tram line in the world. I actually couldn't resist a trip on this, ( see my " I'm not an anorak , honest thread, )at €5 for an all day ticket.
It starts at Knokke, IIRC, which is kind of like Lee on Solent, but with a very large shopping area attached. It runs via Zeebrugge, through a lot of reasonably dull Belgian coastal suburbs. We stopped at De Haan, I think, which is a pretty little town with some nice parks, and excellent ice cream sellers.
And went back.
An easy way to get a taste of everyday Belgian life, away from the tourist delights of Brugge.

[vinteuil]

.

... and those wanting a particular feel for the area, two very potent books - Simenon's le Bourgmestre de Furnes and Pierre Mac Orlan's le Bal du Pont du Nord (la Nuit de Zeebrugge)

,

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Bourgmestre_de_Furnes

.

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Bal_du_Pont_du_Nord

[Alain Maréchal]

The Belgian coast also has the longest tram line in the world. I actually couldn't resist a trip on this, ( see my " I'm not an anorak , honest thread, )at €5 for an all day ticket.
It starts at Knokke, IIRC, which is kind of like Lee on Solent, but with a very large shopping area attached. It runs via Zeebrugge, through a lot of reasonably dull Belgian coastal suburbs. We stopped at De Haan, I think, which is a pretty little town with some nice parks, and excellent ice cream sellers.
And went back.
An easy way to get a taste of everyday Belgian life, away from the tourist delights of Brugge.

For some, but by no means all, of the journey it runs along the dunes and is not to be missed. I have never been to Lee on Solent, but Knokke-Het Zoute is chic and rather costly. De Haan is pretty but over-manicured and the resort of wealthy Germans. I can never resist pointing out that their fathers twice discovered how easy it was to reach the coast in the last century.

Furnes = Veurne and for many years was the destination of British "boozecruisers" seeking cheap cigarettes (the tobacco tariffs in Belgium were, still are, much lower than in France). It may still be the case. I remember a shop about 100 metres from the border.