Un bon week-end!

Saturday morning I woke up to drizzling rain. I had had a great sleep and nothing was going to dampen my spirits. After breakfast, I took the tram to the market at Les Arceaux. I've written about it in an earlier blog and "c'est un marché très intéressant". I stopped by one of the kiosks, a boulangerie of sorts, to buy le pain complét that Patricia and I so enjoy. The boulangère is a lovely man and he and I had a brief, but most agréable chat. In the fall I had bought Patricia a beautiful red cyclamen that continues to thrive on her tiny exterior shelf outside the dining room window. I decided to tell the vendeuse who sold it to me about how happy we were with the cyclamen. While I was there, I noticed she had some beautiful spring primulas in vibrant colours for sale. Patricia is so kind and generous and I thought I would buy her some for the window shelf. Both the vendeuse and Patricia were most pleased. My other encounter of note was with the man who sells the honey Keith likes so well. When I purchased a jar in the fall, the honey was amber and liquid. This time, en hiver, the honey was crystallized. The man, in French, explained the differences to me. He too, was most delightful.

The afternoon was spent doing a little more shopping with Patricia, homework and getting ready to go to the wine tasting and art exposition at the caviste Tires-Bouteilles. It just poured in the afternoon, but by the time I walked back to the tram, it had eased a bit. I arrived at Tires-Bouteilles around 6 p.m. It turns out that the artist was a woman from Nîmes. Unfortunately, I did not catch her name. Her work was hung along the walls above the wine. Most of it was done on metal with a few pieces on canvas. She told me she uses paint bombs, stencils and other media to produce her art. The wine featured this evening was a flight from the small domaine Monplézy from Pézenas, France. The white was very good. I was not keen on the rose or the first red I tried, but I very much enjoyed the Félicité and Emocíon reds. Before I left, I bought a bottle of Félicité made from Grenache, Carignan and Syrah grapes that are grown on gravel soils, handpicked and aged in barrels. Whilst there, I met quite a few interesting folks including Delphine's husband (co-proprietor of the caviste) and two English couples who spoke very little French. After a couple of hours, it was time to head home for a delicious meal with Patricia.

Sunday, I spent most of the day visiting some of main attractions in Montpellier.  Le Musée Fabre (below) is an amazing art museum founded in 1825 by a Montpellier painter François-Xavier Fabre.

It underwent a massive renovation that was completed in January 2007 and now houses a large collection of sculptures and paintings from the Renaissance to modern times. There are works from Flemish, Italian, French, Dutch, Spanish and American artists. Here are just a few of the photos I took.

I can't recall the painter, but I appreciated the rubenesque women in the tableau.

"La negresse aux pivoines" 1870 by Frederic Bazille.

"Le gateau des rois" 1774  by Jean-Baptiste Greuze. The cake in the painting looked just like the one we ate recently to celebrate Epiphany.

The picture below gives you a sense of the size of some of the rooms filled with paintings and lovely sculptures such as this one made from marble.

Needless to say, this was in the contemporary section. The painter, Pierre Soulages has donated a significant number of works from his collection to the museum. Quite frankly, I liked the 17th century paintings better.

As part of the expansion of Le Musée Fabre, l'Hôtel de Cabrières-Sabatier d'Espeyran (1874-75) is now hosting a new department dedicated to the Decorative Arts. It is an historic residence, also recently renovated, that exhibits a remarkable collection of furniture, ceramics and silver. 

This is the entrance to the Hôtel de Cabrières-Sabatier d'Espeyran.

The Red Salon with incredibly ornate furnishings.

Another salon filled with period pieces. Everything was a "bit over the top".

This was an Italian table located in the anti-chambre.

Another view of the exterior of the building.

I thought I might take in one more exhibit at L'Espace Dominique along the esplanade. I had been there in the fall to see a small, but entertaining exposition by Albert Dubout. However, as I passed by, the title of the exposition was "Sexe, Cannibale" by André Cervera. There were a number of huge murals in the windows which gave me a pretty clear picture of what the exhibit was about. Guess what...I decided to give it a miss. Regardless, it was a wonderful week-end filled with new experiences, new people, wonderful food, wine and art!

School.... ugh!

You can probably gather from the title that school hasn't been going particularly well since I returned in January. Last Friday, I made the decision to return to B1 because the higher level was just too difficult for me. My anxiety level was so high that I couldn't learn anything anyway. I was with a very strong group of students, a prof I didn't understand and there was no doubt, I was the weak link. It was time to get out, not only for my mental health, but for the sake of the other students as well. I felt like a liability and that I was holding them back. 

After making the decision, I had a wonderful week-end. On Saturday, Patricia and I watched a terrific French film "The Intouchables" albeit with English sub-titles. The next day, I went across the street to the local theatre to see the film "Belle & Sébastien". What was exciting to me was a brief conversation in French that I had with a woman in the theatre prior to the show. I actually understood what she said and she understood me. At the end of the film, she asked me how I liked it. Although I didn't understand all the dialogue, I told her that I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. There was a bit at the end I didn't understand and she was kind enough to explain it to me. I can't believe how those simple exchanges can be so rewarding. I am trying to capitalize on as many opportunities as possible to listen to the language hoping that maybe, just maybe, one of these days I will be able to understand. I have been thinking about this recently and wondering if it is akin to being deaf. I realize I am hearing sounds all around me, but they often don't make sense. And when I speak, I am often not understood. It is all a bit isolating when people around me are communicating with one another and I am unable to. I'd like to hear from others who have struggled learning another language to know if your experiences have been similar or not and more importantly, what suggestions you might have for me.

On Monday, I returned to B1 and unfortunately, the move hasn't been as positive as I had hoped. This prof also speaks very quickly and once again, I find myself in the "dark" much of the time. The activities and discussion topics haven't been very inspiring either. My class is different too. Half the students are very serious and pretty strong. The other half spends a great deal of time texting, regaling stories of their visits to the bar in English or avoiding classes altogether. A couple of them left after the break today because they were tired and two didn't even bother coming. I am sort of somewhere in the middle. There are seven weeks left and at this point, I really have to push myself to go every morning.

On the bright side, I have had some most enjoyable meals and coffee dates with friends and acquaintances. Yesterday, I sat with a lovely young woman who lives and works in Paris. She was having lunch on her own and I asked if I might join her. We had a lovely chat for an hour in French. Then I met my friend Sarah and we too spent much of our visit conversing in French. To top it off, she had brought me a beautiful rose - très gentille! Last, but not least, I struck up a brief conversation with a gent on the tram. It turns out he was a history professor and his fiancée teaches math. All of these somewhat small experiences out of school have been very positive and somewhat encouraging. 

For some fun this week-end, I have a few things planned. Keith would like more of the honey I bought him so tomorrow morning I'm going back to the wonderful market at Les Arceaux. Saturday night, I've been invited to attend a wine tasting and art exposition at the caviste Tires-Bouteilles. If all goes well, I'd like to visit the Le Musée Fabre and possibly L'Hôtel de Cabrières Sabatier D'Espeyran on Sunday. This should be another good week-end. Until next time....

Nîmes

This week, the school offered another excursion that interested me; a trip to Nîmes. We passed it last week on the way to Arles. Our guide was a different prof from the school named David. He took our small group on a walking tour of the major sites providing us with some historical information and then gave us a couple of hours of free time to explore on our own. One of the stories he told was most interesting to me and it concerned the origin of the word denim, as in denim jeans. Back in the day, Nîmes was known for its textiles. At the time, more than 60% of the inhabitants worked in the textile industry. They would import cotton from Egypt and then spin it into a blue serge material that they would then export. It was called "serge de Nîmes", hence "de Nîmes" which became denim, the fabric we know so well today - cool, n'est-ce pas?

One of the shortcomings of these school trips is the very short period of time you have to take in the sites. Knowing I only had two hours after the tour, I made the best of it. First stop, Les Jardins de la Fontaine. This beautiful garden was built around the Roman thermae ruins in the 18th century. Although the fountains weren't operating and there were no flowers blooming in the pots, it was still a very pretty and relaxing place to wander.

From the picture below, in Les Jardins de la Fontaine, you can see the stairs that I took to get to the Tour Magne or "Great Tower". After the stairs there were zig-zag paths that I walked up to reach the tower. 

Here is the Tour Magne, a Roman ruin. Unfortunately I didn't have time to climb the 141 steps to the top because I think I would have been able to take some great photos of the city. However, I was able to take in some breathtaking panoramic views from here.

After my descent, I headed back to the old city passing through the beautiful gates to the garden...

... the picturesque canal.....

....beautiful bushes with berries...

and then my next stop, the Maison Carée, a small, well preserved Roman temple built in 19 B.C. Today it houses a museum.

The Arènes de Nîmes, a Roman ampitheatre, is the best preserved Roman arena in France. In the beginning it was used for events such as gladiator combat. Eventually it was filled with medieval housing and the walls served as ramparts. The remnants of the village were finally cleared out in the 19th century and it was converted to its present form. The arena now is used for bullfighting and concerts. It was an impressive place, but I found it difficult to manage some of the steps which were very deep. There often weren't any railings either so I landed up negotiating some of the steps on my hands and knees - especially to get to the top. I was hoping to use an audio guide in English, but for whatever reason, none were available for my use. Unfortunately, I didn't understand everything the woman said to me at the entrance, but I think it was because it was too close to closing time. 

By this time, I had to head back towards the bus. I walked through the esplanade on the way and took a picture of the fountain. Many of the cities and villages in France have beautiful fountains. This is one of them.

The old city of Nîmes is charming with a variety of historical sites, narrow streets, cafés and plenty of shops. It is well worth visiting.  I just wish I had had a little more time. 

My perspective 2/3 in

It is hard to believe that I have just under two months left in this French adventure. The time has literally whizzed by. Parts of this journey have been extraordinary, while others have been rather arduous. With such a short time left, I know that I will not be fluent in this beautiful language, but I now have come to understand that it was unrealistic to think that I could. What I initially thought possible to accomplish in six months i.e. fluency, will more likely take years. When I arrived, I had very little French "under my belt" - school was such a very long time ago. Most of the students in my classes, even those as young as sixteen years of age, have studied French for several years and speak at least a couple of other languages. They definitely have the advantage. Lately, it has not been fun for me. This prof speaks too quickly and I don't understand a lot of the material. I would even go so far as to say it has been more stressful than enjoyable. However, every time I think about returning to B1, someone talks me out of it. 

I now wonder if all the grammar I have learned (and I use that term very loosely because I seem to forget or become confused) hasn't impeded my language acquisition. My head is so full of pronoms demonstratifs, complément objet direct, plus-que-parfait, adjectifs possessifs, articles partitifs etc. etc. that it is difficult for me to string a complete sentence together. When you think about how children learn a language, they don't question if they should use the passé composé, they just speak. I feel like I am a child learning a language, but at an old age. I don't have the vocabulary either and that will take time to acquire. After school is finished here, it will be time for me to just practice, practice, practice without the stress by spending time listening to French radio, watching French films and TV, reading some simple French books and finding people to listen to and talk to in French. I don't think I will open another grammar manual for awhile. 

In case you hadn't caught on, that was the arduous part. The extraordinary part has been living in southern France. The culture, the architecture, the history, the weather, the food and of course the wine have been amazing! I feel quite at home in this apartment and community. I have met some wonderful people, most especially, Patricia. Recently I have gone to a few French films. Although I don't understand a lot of the dialogue, I get the general gist of the stories. I also paid a visit to the caviste my prof had recommended. I met Delphine, the co-owner who originally comes from Ottawa. Her wine store or cave specializes in wines from small operations in the Languedoc-Rousillon region. I enjoyed a glass of wine while we chatted. Before I left, I purchased a couple of bottles of reasonably priced wine that were very good. She also invited me back to the cave Feb 1 for a wine tasting and art appreciation event. I think I'll go. This weekend, one of the local women is hosting a ladies night for women in the community. Patricia and I were invited. Once again, I probably won't understand much, but I'll give it a try. Last week, I went to my first Babel group and I'll return this week. Hopefully there will be a few more people who want to converse in French. My new friends have also been very kind inviting me to join them for coffee or whatever. 

As you know, I have travelled extensively while I've been here. France is a beautiful country with so much to see and do. This Friday, the school is hosting another excursion to the city of Nimes. I haven't been there yet so I think I'll take advantage of the opportunity. I'm running out of time and I realize there are still so many places to visit. Oh well, if I don't see it all this time, I guess I'll just have to come back....oh, darn!

A school excursion to Arles

Today was the first time I have gone on an excursion with the school and my first time travelling by bus. Angélique, one of the profs and a lovely person, accompanied us on the trip. Arles is a relatively small city about an hour on the autoroute from Montpellier. On the way, I think we passed through three toll booths. I guess it will be important to have some cash on hand when we travel these roads by car. En route, I noticed many vineyards and some small independent wineries. There were also lush looking fields of green, but I have no idea what they were. The landscape was pastoral dotted with farms and grazing horses. 

When I woke up this morning I was hoping for good weather. Yesterday morning, it just poured in Montpellier and the weather reports for Arles didn't look promising either. Quelle surprise! When we arrived in Arles, contrary to the reports, the sun was shining, the sky was blue and flowers were blooming. It was downright balmy. Initially we visited some of the highlights as a group led by Angélique. She served as tour guide providing us with some of the history of Arles, in French of course. After her introduction, we were free to explore on our own for a couple of hours before the return trip. Immediately, I went to find Espace Van Gogh. As mentioned in a previous blog, I am a fan of Van Gogh's. As a side note, the French pronounce his name Van Gog, not Van Gogh. He lived here from 1888 -1889 and during this prolific period, he produced 300 paintings and drawings. Espace Van Gogh is the site of the hospital Hôtel- Dieu where Vincent stayed a couple of times following the infamous ear severing incident. You can see the name Hôtel-Dieu over the portal. On the other side, you can see the courtyard.

While there, I bought a book telling his story along with pictures of many of his paintings. His painting "The Garden of the Arles Sanitorium" April 1889 looks almost like this picture of the courtyard that I took today. Take note of the blooming flowers too.

Next stop was the Place du Forum and Le Café La Nuit made famous because Van Gogh loved to go there to paint the place and the people who frequented it. There are several paintings including "Café at Night", "Café in the Evening" both September 1888. The café exists today, but unfortunately was not open for business Fridays.

According to Angélique, Arles is home to the greatest number of Roman remains after Rome. Many of the Roman and Romanesque monuments were declared UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1981. Hence, my next stop was the Théâtre Antique. From this picture, you can see the modern platform in front of the original columns that is used for plays and concerts today.

Here are a few other pictures of the site.

The Théâtre Antique is on the left of the picture below. I walked up this street.....

....to the nearby grand Ampithéâtre. At one time, there was a small village that existed within the walls of the Ampithéâtre. Today it is an arena used for for bullfighting (ugh!), as well as concerts and plays.

 

I climbed to the top of the tower (seen here)...

... and took a few panoramic photos of the city of Arles and the landscape beyond. In the next picture you can see the Rhône river....

..... and in the following, the mountains, les Alpilles, in the background

As in most of the cities I have visited in France, there is a public square in the city centre. In Arles, it is called the Place de la République. In the centre of this square, in front of the town hall or Mairie, there is a 20 metre Roman obelisk of red granite built in the 4th century. L'Obélisque d'Arles.

In this same square, there is also the Romanesque L'Église Saint Trophine. I didn't find the interior remarkable, but the doors were quite interesting. 

The next few pictures are rather random shots. This charming building on a tiny street caught my eye. It turns out that it is a pottery shop called "la main qui pense".

At the end of the afternoon, I had just enough time to grab a cup of coffee before our departure. This was the building just outside the café.

As you enter the old city centre of Arles, there remain two ancient Roman walls on either side of the road. Here is one of them.

Just beyond these walls, there is a lovely fountain in the middle of a round-about. You can also see the green grass and the blue skies.

I enjoyed my short visit to Arles primarily because of my admiration for Van Gogh's art. On the way home, I read some of the book I bought on Vincent and thoroughly enjoyed looking at his paintings once again. He led such a troubled life suffering from mental illness compounded by alcohol and nicotine abuse. In the end, he died at 37 years of age in July of 1890 of an infection from a self inflicted gun shot wound to his chest. During his short and tragic life, he sold only two of his 2000 paintings. Today, they are worth a small fortune. 

La Galette des Rois

Until last week, I had never heard of la galette des rois. However, on my first day back at school, all the students were invited to a la galette des rois celebration at the end of the school day. There were two different types of cakes along with cider and other beverages for us to enjoy. Gold paper crowns decorated the table. That evening, I watched a T.V. progam about the production of these traditional cakes on the news. Then Patricia told me she was going to host a gathering for la galette des rois this weekend. She briefly told me about the history of the celebration. Curious to find out more, I headed to that source of all information - the Internet. Here is a bit of what I discovered.

La galette des rois ("King cake", Kings' cake) is associated with the feast of Epiphany January 6, and celebrates the visit of the Magi to the Christ child. French boulangeries and patisseries begin to make these cakes in December through the month of January. In the south of France, two versions exist. The first, la galette des rois, is made with layers of puff pastry filled with almond cream called frangipane.

The second is called a gâteau des rois or royaume. It is a circular brioche cake topped with sticky candied fruit and sugar. Apparently, it is more popular here in the south of France although I have certainly seen both.

 

A lucky charm or trinket (originally a bean or une fève) is placed inside the cake. Whoever finds it in their slice of cake is crowned king or the queen for the day and often wears a paper crown that accompanies the cake when it is sold.  It is customary to consume these cakes with white wine, cider or champagne. 

Today, Patricia hosted a celebration for 12 - 8 adults and 4 kids. There was one of each type of cake and cider to accompany both. I tried a small piece of each - delicious!  Interesting to note, the party began at 5:00 p.m. Eating cake before an evening meal is contrary to what I'm used to, but then again there are a lot of "firsts" for me on this journey. 

Here's to la galette des rois!