Montpellier : Jardin du Peyrou

A few photos taken during a course organised by this company :

http://www.sunny-school.eu/cours-langues/cours/photo/photo.php

Les Hivernales in Montpellier

Not only there is a Christmas Market but this week end "l'Esplanade" is transformed into a small ski resort for the pleasure of children and alike.

Montpellier Ski Resort

Montpellier-Brooklyn

Last news : I've found a room in a Victorian house in Brooklyn ! I'm delighted ! So I'm not looking any more for a swap but I'd like to rent my flat. 750 € / month all inclusive, broadband internet, unlimited phone calls within Europe.

Please have a look at :

http://www.globalpacificvacationhomes.com/listings/viewListing.php?listingID=22280&page=view

Christmas Montpellier Lights

From top to bottom : The Opera, one of the trees on the Esplanade, Pyramide and the Opera, The Pyramide.

Christmas Fair 1 hour from Montpellier

Last Sunday a friend and I we went to a Christmas Fair held in the XIIth Century Royal Priory of Cassan :

http://www.chateau-cassan.com/index_eng.html

This event was organised by Blablablah... magazine (www.blablablah.org/). There was a lot of people and an opportunity for me to meet up with clients and friends. We went to Pezenas (www.ot-pezenas-valdherault.com/) for lunch afterwards.

Nimes is only 20 minutes from Montpellier

Top to bottom : Place du Chapitre, la Maison Carree, le Jardin de l'Eveche (Maison du Vieux Nimes), les Jardins de la Fontaine et la Cathedrale St Castor

My last English Homework : World War II

World War II : 1939-1945

The facts :

1/ Political context

Germany had lost the 1914-18 World War and since 1933 was ruled by Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party. Other dictators were heads of governments in Europe : Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union , Benito Mussolini in Italy and Francisco Franco in Spain.

2/ Belligerents and their leaders

a) The Allies

France (Pétain and Charles de Gaulle *) , United Kingdom (George VI and Winston Churchill), USA (Franklin D. Roosevelt) , Canada (William Lyon MacKenzie King), Belgium (Leopold III), Brazil (Getulio Vergas), Australia (Robert Menzies and then John Curtin) and China (Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedonf)
This is only a shorten list as every continent has been part of this conflict somehow and at some point.
(*) de Gaulle was the leader of « Free France » from London and from June 1940 and Pétain in Vichy until 1944.

b) The Axis

Germany (Hitler), Italy (Victor Emmanuel III and Mussolini) and Japan (Hirohito and Fumimaro Konoe).
Here again there were more countries involved and from every continent. One’s shouldn’t forget that during this period there were empires on each side.

3/ What happened

Germany and Italy wanted to gain more territories. France and Britain actually conceded Austria and Sudetenland( some regions of Czechoslovakia) in the hope that Hitler wouldn’t go any further. Well, on 1st September 1939 German troops started to invade Poland and so GB and F. declared war on Germany.
From then on followed different battles on various fronts. For details please refer to your history books.
The Nazis not only wanted to increase their empire. They had a cynical and machiavellian plan : to eliminate people who – in their view – were « unworthy of life ». Populations in their target were : Jews, ethnic Poles, disabled and mentally ill, Soviet POW’s, homosexuals, Freemasons, Jehova’s Witnesses and the Roma. Approximately 12 million people were deported and then killed in concentration camps.
France, thanks to his official ruler Pétain, helped out Hitler to gather and send people into camps.
On the other hand de Gaulle from London organised networks of fighters against partial occupation of France by the Germans. Because I forgot to tell you the deal concluded in 1940 between Pétain and Hitler : France was to surrender its northen parts so that the German soldiers wouldn’t go further south. The new french government took its Head Quarters in Vichy.
Meanwhile there were conflicts in the South East as well. In December 1941 Japan attacked British, Dutch and American military bases and particularly in Pearl Harbor. That’s when the U.S.A. , along with other Western Allies and China ,decided to declare war against Japan. In the following years more and more battles were won by the Allies in different parts of the world.
On June 6, 1944 (D-Day) the Western Allies invaded northern France to liberate the country from German occupation. And it worked.
It’s actually in Japan that the World War II ended on August 15 1945 when Japan surrended after the USA dropped atomic bombs on the japonese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

4/ What happaned to the leaders

During the year 1944 : President Roosvelt (USA) died and Harry Truman took his vacant seat.
Mussolini (Italy) was killed by Italians partisans.
Hitler commited suicide.
Pétain was taken to court and emprisoned for life and de Gaulle became president.

5/ Family anecdotes

First of all I have to point out that – still to this day – memories of the war are very difficult to deal with. During this period people were either gaining from the black market, participating in some ways to Hitler’s evil plot or being involved in underground networks managed by de Gaulle from London.
On my father’s side my grand father was a volonteer amateur journalist. He was among the last people to cross the river Loire before the bridge was bombed by the Allies. His wife and 2 chidren fled by car to Bordeaux during the Exodus. On my mother’s side the 3 generations – my great grand mother, grand mother & mother - went on their bikes. I can’t remember how far they went but I do know the following story :
On their 1st stop overnight, in a town called Issoudun, my great grand mother went straight to seek help from the bishop. Claiming that her grand daughter was poorly (nothing really serious, just one of those infant illness) she actually got the bishop’s own bed for my future mother !
And then I know very little about what my grand parents did or not to give a hand to Free France Forces. One of my grand mother’s was a school teacher in a catholic school. She hosted Jewish children under false names in her classroom. Her husband was in the Air Force and when German soldiers occupied their house she managed to get respect from them thanks to the photo of my grand-father-to-be in his uniform. He was a prisoner of war for a while but went back to his home safe and sound.

Flat for exchange or rental February-April 09

So here is the link for info on my flat :

http://www.globalpacificvacationhomes.com/listings/viewListing.php?listingID=22280&page=view

New York ! New York !

This blog is going to be live from New York next year ! Here is the email I sent to my friends in the U.K. :

Hello everybody !

Hope you are all right. I don't usually do email list but this is a bit of a special occasion. I'm going to go to New York City next year and stay there for 3 months : 1st February-28th April. This idea was going through my mind for sometimes like "one day I'd like to live in NY for a while". One of those thoughts you have and you tell yourself "one day when I'll retire". Well a couple of months back I said to myself "why not now ?"
I broke the news to my assistant a week ago and she took it very well, looking into the pratical issues straight away. The pretext being to promote French Help Services. I mean deep down I am going over there to live new experiences and meet people. And if along I can as well get new clients for the business, great ! I'd like also to do some volonteer job - anything except with children, extreme situations or physical work - and teach French.
As for the accomodation I 1st thought about house swaping. For 3 months and for New Yorkers (who ever heard of Montpellier over there ?) it's not obvious at all. So I'm considering room-shared in any borough except Manhatan. I actually quite fancy Brooklyn... I started to look on the web ads like craiglist or village voice but it's too early for February and not easy to make people trust you from over the Atlantic... In a way i'm more worried about the cold weather than find somewhere to sleep. I can always book a B & B for a couple of weeks and look round there and then.

So anyway I wanted to share those news with you. And if you happen to have any contact in "The Big Apple" even only to have a chat with - like "what do you wear to keep off the cold ?" - I would be more than grateful.

I don't know when I'll go back to the U.K. Will be from May now...

All the best.
I'll write to each of you individually on my Chritsmas cards.

Love
xx

Benoit / Ben

Jean Jaures : photos

We do like Jean Jaurès in Montpellier don't we ? He has a sculpture on the square bearing his name and a monument on the Esplanade between the Tourist Office and Le Corum.

Jean Jaurès

From the Hutchinson Concise Encyclopedia 1991 Edition :
« Jaurès Jean Léon 1859-1914. French Socialist Politician. In 1893 he joined the Socialist Party, established a united party, and in 1904 founded the newspaper L’Humanité, becoming its editor until his assassination. »

Jaurès was from a middle class rural family in South West France.. He was a brilliant student and became a teacher in philosophy. He was elected Republican deputy at 26 years old and actually kept a seat at the National Assembly until his death. He was originally quite a moderate Republican even opposed to extremist ideas but gradually became a socialist defending the working class in their battle for a better life. Jaurès had a very important role in the 1905 law on the Seperation of the Churches and the State. From then on in towns and villages school teachers and clergymen had to be public enemies in most people’s minds…
JJ created the still going on newspaper « L’humanité » which since has been took over by the Communist Party. JJ was against the War and went as far as trying to provoke strikes both in Germany and in France to encourage the governements to negociate.
JJ was assasinated in Paris by the young nationalist Raoul Villain at the age of 55. This « Villain » was tried and acquitted !

In Montpellier where there is a long tradition of Socialism JJ had his sculpture soon after his death. And in 1941 some radicals and « villains » students pulled down the monument. In 1991 a copy of a sclupture from his birthplace was inaugurated by our local Socialist figure head : GF.
As for the square itself – named after JJ of course – in the Middle Ages there was a church. Nowdays it’s full of nice cafés and restaurants at middle class prices.

Fim Script

For my 2d homework my teacher asked me to write a film script. Here it goes :

Location : Nottingham, Old Market Square
Period : Spring
Protagonist : Bill, 35, single, self-employed
Bill is working away on his laptop on a terrace café. 10 : 00 a.m.
Story :

Bill finds a diary on the ground with a phone # but before phoning in he starts to imagine who this person might be.
The camera then focuses on 4 different people in the square. One at a time. Follow four 2 minutes films on the background of each one.
Bill googles the owner of the diary and finds out that this person is one of his former lover’s. He wonders what to do because he doesn’t want to see this person again but on the other end he knows how precious a diary can be. Even in a way more precious than a credit card.
All Bill’s thoughts are told through a voice over.
Eventually Bill phones up the owner’s mobile’s number (hiding his own number) and it turns out that the diary belongs to someone only a couple of tables from Bill’s.
No voice over. Only a close up on Bill’s perplex expression. No music. Only real background noises.
At the end Bill goes over to the table where a man in his late 40’s has just hung up his phone. Bill hides his face with his hat, and drops the diary in front of his former lover and runs for the next tram which is just arriving at the square stop.

The True Story of Saint Roch

Saint Roch was born in Montpellier late 13th or early 14th Century. He was an orphan from a wealthy family at a very early age but as an adult decided to give all his belongings away and to go to Rome on a pelgrimage. From there on starts his legend. Before to set out for Italy, quite wisely, he filled up his flask with water from the family well. Along the way he met sick people who he is supposed to have cured thanks to this Holy Water. St Roch caught the plague as well and consequently hid in a forest. Maybe you’ve seen a sculpture of St Roch with a dog ? I’m sorry to say nobody knows the name of this pet. He actually saved Roch by stealing away food from his very rich master and feeding this brave man from Montpellier. A socialist dog no doubt.
Well here is the twist : Karl (I decided to give a name to this animal after all he deserved it) went back to his aristocratic master. Roch, walked back to Montpellier (he was running out of water you see) and in front of the Opéra House was arrested by a nasty policeman who accused him of transporting illegal substances ! The poor Roch died in prison (at the estimated age of 80) without being able to make a last farwell to Karl.

Since then the City of Montpellier celebrates its patron saint mid-August every year . The famous well is open to the public. It is now located in a shoe shop. Quite appropriate to praise a former pilgrim after all…

St Roch church is in the middle of a medieval area of the City. The shop keepers around the church organise regurlaly events to promote themselves. This time round, between the 23d October and the 15th November, 30 different artists are displaying their paintings, sculptures, ceramics or photos in St Roch shops. Roch was from a trading family so it is relevant as well.

Tokyo

Last night I had suggested my own weekly cinema outing on On Va Sortir. I was on my own. Never mind I still had a good time watching : Tokyo ! You actually get 3 films for the price of 1 ! Three directors (Leos Carax, Bong Joon-Ho and Michel Gondry) have set their movies in the City of Tokyo. Far from a picturesque view of this fascinating City (I had the chance to go there 3 times) the different stories are very original even sometimes funny and moving.

The Lying Tongue

I finished to read last night "The Lying Tongue : A Death in Venice" by Andrew Wilson. First novel by this young author. It tells the story about an accounter between a young writer, Adam , and a-once-famous-novelist Gordon Crace. It then embarks you in very unsettling and bizarre waters...
It's definitively a page turner and the twist is very good.
I'm not telling you more about it right now as it's the book we are going to discuss on at the Book in Bar Book Club next Wednesday.

Central America at the Polygone

They made a - small - replica of the desert in Central America in Montpellier would you believe it ? In front of the Polygone shopping center.

Desert in Montpellier

Books

I always have a good companion with me. No it's not a partner. It's not a pet. It's a book. I read everywhere anytime whenever I have a minute... even on the tram. Reading is like living several lives.
This week end I have finished "The Road Home" by Rose Tremain. It's about Lev who emigrates from Eastern Europe to London. For a change this story is full of hope, the characters are larger than life.
I actually lead 2 different book clubs. One for Britsnîmes (www.britsnimes.com) and one for Book in Bar (www.bookinbar.com) but I'll tell you more after the next meetings:)

Busy day

Today over lunch I met a lady from Aix en Provence. She wanted to discuss about French Help Services because she would like to set up a similar business in her area.
I then went back to the office. I had a post visit report to write down for Tots To France.
And eventually I went to a "vernissage" which is in fact a free aperitif on a 1st day of an art exhibition. It was a "On Va Sortir" event in the St Roch quarter. The shopkeepers of this lively old part of the City organise every year art exhibitions in about 30 different shops of their neighbourhood. I was - once again - a nice opportunity to meet new people.

Flooding in the area

It rained last night over the Cévennes - north east of Montpellier - the equivalent of 6 months of rain in Paris... Consequently all the rivers in the area are getting much bigger all at once including le lez opposite my flat ! There has been serious flooding in the past but lately the worst has been avoided thanks to a lot of prevention works : digging ditches and artificial reservoirs.
Nevertheless if you are considering buying a property down here it's worth looking into this issue. French Help Services - www.frenchhelpservices.com -can certainly advice you. We know our area and how to get specific information.

Heavy Rain in Gard last night

Le Lièvre Gourmand

They bought off the house next door as well.

Le Lièvre Gourmand

Sunday lunch time we went out again : I invited my Mum for her birthday... This restaurant is right in the middle of nowhere in a village in Sologne. The Chef is from Australie. The cuisine is soooo good ! Exquisite ! You have the flavor, the smell... very original presentation. They only have set menus with small and well balanced courses.

http://www.lelievregourmand.com/

River Loire in Orléans

Bottom : my parent's garden

Chez Jules

Friday night my Mum invited a few friends and myself to the restaurant. It was her birthday earlier in the month but they were in Portugal. This restaurant is behind the cathedral and near the Préfecture in one of the most lively pedestrian street - specially at night with its numerous bars and restaurants - of the City. See a colleague blogger : I agree 100 %

http://fr.wordpress.com/tag/chez-jules/

Orléans by night

My portait on line

One of my friend who's a journalist and a webmaster did a web called "Gens de Montpellier". Here is the link to my own portrait :

http://www.vie-de-montpellier.net/montpellier/revue/culture/benoit-ivernel-1.php

Please not that since it was made last summer the activities of "TicketOui" have been switched to www.onvasortir.com

Week end in Orléans

I'm having a 3 days and a half break in Orléans where is my family. Orléans is 100 kms south of Paris at the top of the river Loire. It's the Préfecture of Loiret and Capital of the Région Centre. And of course famous for Joan of Arc : in 1429, following the instructions she heard from voices Above this virgin shepheard from East of France kicked out the English invaders... It's a short cut but that's what we learned at school...

Orléans : Cathédrale Ste Croix

Orléans : Eglise St Paterne

Orléans : Place du Martroi

Orléans : Joan of Arc

The Other Side of The Big Apple

As expected I was on my own tonight... I re-scheduled it for Sunday 2d November over a brunch.
Last night I went to the pictures. "Chop shop"is set in New York more precisely at Willer's Point, Queens. According to NYC's mayor it's actually the most helpless spot of the Big Apple ! Waow ! Although it's a fiction - to keep it short Alejandro, 12, and his teenager sister are struggling (to say the least) to survive in a junkie garage - the debutants actors are making this story larger than life...
For the records : USA 2007, director Ramin Bahrani. This film was selected in several festivals : Cannes, Toronto, Berlin and won the "Someone to watch Independant Spirit Awards 2008"

On Va Sortir

I found out lately www.onvasortir.com . It's a great scheme to go out and meet people around different activities. You can either go along to outings proposed by members or create your own. I'm organising tomorrow evening a meal out in a Brasserie revolving around a discussion topic : sharing experiences from stays in New York. So far nobody has said he/she will come but wait and see... I'm probably going to do it again anyway on a week end day.

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