December 31, 2009

Last Sunday in Orléans

After lunch my parents and I we went 45 minutes drive north of Orléans to see an archeological exhibition in the Château de Chamerrolles. While digging to do the A19 motorway - link between A10 Paris-Bordeaux and A6 Paris-Lyon - they discovered a lot of archeological stuff.

See :

http://www.france-voyage.com/en/
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.orleanscity.com/tourisme/chamerolle.htm&ei=tbU8S5WpOMWq4QbH_5yqCA&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CBQQ7gEwAQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dchamerolles%2Bloiret%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26channel%3Ds%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26hs%3D7Eh%26sa%3DG

Château de Chamerolles

December 30, 2009

Knitting away for my niece-to-be (Copyright : Danilèle Cohen)

Centre Pompidou

Fun Fair in Grand Palais (5)

Fun Fair in Grand Palais (4)

Fun Fair in Grand Palais (3)

Fun Fair in Grand Palais (2)

Fun Fair in Grand Palais (1) Copyright : Danièle Cohen

Christmas day : 2d half & the following day

I left my family to meet up with a friend. We had booked to see a play at the Théâtre des Maturins near the Opéra-Comédie (see : http://www.hybride-test1.com/index.php3). We didn't like the play very much. A bit funny at times but quite gross as well. We then had an Indian meal rue Dauphine before to go to my friend's place Av Wagram.
The following day we went to the Grand Palais (http://www.grandpalais.fr/visite/en/) where there is a fun fair. The following photos were taken from the big wheel inside the building !
And finally, before I went back to Orléans, we had lunch at the Café du Commerce. It is in fact a brasserie in a lively area of the 15th district which is mainly residential (see : http://www.lecafeducommerce.com/)

December 29, 2009

Have a go : find a title

Notre Dame de Paris

Préfecture de Paris, Quai des Orfèvres, Facelift cover (2)

Préfecture de Paris, Quai des Orfèvres, Facelift cover (1)

Christmas eve and Christmas day

For quite a few years now we go to my brother's on Christmas eve. He lives on the embarkment opposite Notre Dame. Yes, waou ! My brother always cooks for us. This year we had a "petit salé aux lentilles". We didn't stay very long - back at the hotel shortly after 10 p.m. - because my brother met up afterwards with his girl friend and family.
On Chritsmas day my brother had booked to see the retrospective Soulages exhibition at the Pompidou Center (among French people we call it "Beaubourg"). Soulages turned 90 years old on December 24 and he's still painting. For more info see :

www.nouvellesimages.com/soulages-exhibition-at-the-pompidou-centre-paris-458.html

Then my brother's girl friend met us at the top floor restaurant. I was inviting my family. It is a very nice and very "in" restaurant. See :
goparis.about.com/.../parisrestaurantreviews/.../Georges_resto.htm -

December 27, 2009

On Chritmas day in Paris Firemen divers are doing an excercise from Pont au Double opposite Notre Dame - Photo courtesy of F.

Last concert interview translated

After his first successes in New York, it is now in Montpellier than Benoit Ivernel did his first steps as a singer. In "Le Bookshop" in Montpellier City Center, Benoit Ivernel, with Maren Carlsen at the piano, pleased his public with American songs such as "Summertime", Gershwin's "Someone to watch over me" and - among others - the English transposition of Jacques Brel's "Ne me quitte pas", "If you go away".

At the beginning Benoit Ivernel - who's sensibility when he sings can only move people - was singing "to please elderly people". It has been indeed this kind of public who listened for the first time to his nice resonant and deep voice. After B.I. saw the film "I feel good" he knew what he wanted to do. This film is the true story of seniors American choir. They share their enthusiasm all over the States and even abroad. B.I. was so impressed by this story that he found his vocation : "In January 2009 I had decided to go to New York for a few months. I wanted to volunteer in a N.G.O but I wasn't sure in which area" Thanks to this film he knew.

From then on B.I. took one-to-one voice lesson in Montpellier and New York. And then, eventually, he had the guts to perform in a day center for aged people. His public was over the moon. He had posters made by the association saying "Our very own Charles Aznavour". The retired people liked a lot that he was singing in French. "It reminded them of their holiday in Paris"

How does B.I. feel when he's singing live ? - He smiles. "Quite a tough question." He always loved singing. "When I was a kid I was singing along listening to Jacques Brel, Charles Aznavour, Charles Trenet, Gilbert Bécaud..." Later on he sang in different choirs. "What I appreciated the most ? Classical and light music - well, yes I have always liked light music songs."

The concert in "Le Bookshop" was a first time of its kind : "Until then I sang only either in front of elderly people or friends". But this time round it was in front of a "main stream public". Strangers were listening to him. "Between you and me I had stage frights" said he to "Gens de Montpellier". At least before the start the performance. "Then I was ok, well sort of" said he as well, smiling.
"Gens de Montpellier" wants to know what B.I. is feeling at the end of a performance ? - "To start with I'm relieved that I managed to do it" jokingly and launching his communicating laugh. More seriously : " When I go beyond the technics of the singing I'm more into the song story itself - no doubt one can feel some sensibility when he interprets songs like "Summertime". And what else ? "I'm happy if I have - hopefully - let people have a good time and maybe moved them a bit."

Translated by myself with Doris Kneller's authorisation.


Choir concert in Nîmes last Sunday

My friends E & JF are singing in a choir in Nîmes. They listened to my own concert in Montpellier the day before and I went to see them the following day. The singing was very nice and it was nicely underlined by an accordionist.
For more info see :

http://www.midilibre.com/articles/2009/12/20/NIMES-AUJOURD-39-HUI-F-CONCERT-Concert-de-Noel-avec-Les-triolets-et-Music-en-coeur-a-l-39-eglise-Saint-Joseph-1043447.php5

December 23, 2009

Blog article about my concert

Have a look at some text and more photos on Doris Kneller's blog "Gens de Montpellier". If you're lucky I might take the time to translate it !

http://gens-de-montpellier.blogspot.com/2009/12/montpellier-photos-et-texte-copyright_21.html

Concert at Le Bookshop (3) Copyright : Doris Kneller

Concert at Le Bookshop (2) Copyright : Doris Kneller

Concert at Le Bookshop (1) Copyright : Doris Kneller

December 15, 2009

Britsnîmes AGM

Last Sunday I went to the 7th Britsnîmes AGM. It was held as every year at the Hôtel Vatel in Nîmes. After the President and the Treasurer's speeches we had a very nice meal. And at the end a raffle. I didn't win anything but I did quite a few times in the past.

December 11, 2009

How to spend a day in Bordeaux

Last Wedenesday I had some business to attend to in the suburbs of Bordeaux. I got on a train at 7:44 a.m. It's a "corail Teoz". Only stops at Toulouse, arriving at Bordeaux at 11:44. After a quick lunch near the station we took a taxi for a small town called Carbon Blanc. After we had done what we had to do back to Bordeaux around 3. We had roughly one hour to do a bit of sightseeing. Got on the 4:37 train for Montpellier where I was at 9:00. On the way back it's a bit slower as it stops every so often.

December 08, 2009

Afternoon Tea Concert

Last Sunday I had a few friends round at home - we were 11 - for an Afternoon Tea Concert. I sung Jacques Brel, Charles Trenet and Broadway hits. My friend C. played for me at the keyboard. We then had hot drinks, champagne and sweets. Everybody had brought something to share. All in all a very pleasant and friendly afternoon.

December 06, 2009

Big News

My brother F., who's 30 months older than myself phoned me today to tell me that her girl-friend A. is expecting a girl for next February ! We are all very exited obviously as we didn't expect such a nice surprise in our small family !

December 05, 2009

Swine flu jab

Last Thursday I had the Swine flu jab. Normally you should wait to get a voucher through the post. But I wanted to get it over with before to be off to U.K. in January. So I went to the "Sécurité Sociale" and asked for a voucher : no problem, you just have to ask. Then on Thursday morning around 8:30 I went to one of the vaccination center of Montpellier in the Mairie. There wasn't too many people (about 10, mostly families) and the majority of them didn't have a voucher. Which is not a problem either, they can deliver you one on site but you have to queue up a bit longer. In actual fact when the door opened at 9 I was the 1st one with a voucher. It took me less than 30 minutes to get it done. You have a bit of paper work before and afterwards and of course an interview with a doctor.
I had a slight pain for a few days where I had the injection and now I'm fine.

December 04, 2009

Odysseum Shopping Center

I had been told that it was big but in fact I couldn't believe it : it's absolutely huge. On the tram level there is a hypermarket and a few shops. The main galleries are upstairs with shops, superstores and restaurants. I couldn't help it but do some shopping : I needed a coffee machine and a toaster.

December 03, 2009

Odysseum Shopping Center (1)

Odysseum Shopping Center (2)

Odysseum Shopping Center (3)

Book in Bar in Aix

Last Monday I went to Aix en Provence to meet up with a friend over lunch. I went on the train. Obviously. As you might now there are now 2 train stations : Aix-Ville & Aix TGV. To go to Aix Down Town from Montpellier or Nîmes you have to go first to Aix TGV. There you can catch a bus run by a private company. However most of the time you have to wait something like one hour for the connection. And then, to go back in the afternoon you have to go via Marseille where you have to wait for a connection too...
Anyway, in the morning I went to visit Book in Bar (see www.bookinbar.com), the English book shop of Aix. The owner, A-P, used to run as well until last fall, the bookshop in Montpellier. She sold it to M., her former employee, manageress of the shop. Hence now in Montpellier it's called "le Bookshop" (website under construction). In Aix, in the same street, A-P opened an international book shop. It's J., former sale assistant in Montpellier, who's in charge.

November 29, 2009

Britsnîmes evening : Jason Carter, harp-guitarist

Wednesday night I went to a Britsnîmes evening (see www.britsnimes.com). There was a very unusual concert with Jason Carter, harpist-gutarist. See http://www.jasoncarter.net. We then had tapas and a glass of wine. We were hosted at le Manoir de Courbessac near Nîmes. See : www.lemanoirdecourbessac.com

November 23, 2009

Down Memory Lane

This morning I had to go back to the village where I used to live. It's a lovely place very well situated half way between Nîmes and Sommières and only 45 minutes from Montpellier. It has all shops and services including a supermarket, 4 GPs, 1 pharmacy... I eventually moved to Nîmes and then Montpellier because I like to be right in a City center.
I had lunch in Sommières at l'Olivette. See http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.annuaire-blogs.net/57274_-_L_Olivette.html&ei=x6IKS-DTKdWw4QaKzvnTCw&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CE8Q7gEwCQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dl%2527olivette%2Bsommiers%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26channel%3Ds%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26hs%3DwAG%26sa%3DG
Their lunch set menu - 2 courses - is at 13 €

Sommières

Clarensac from above

Panoramic view 5 minutes away from Clarensac

Clarensac : Temple

Clarensac : my previous house

Clarensac : Church

Clarensac : Place de l'Horloge