A short while back I was thrust into the local community spotlight via a microphone and a badly rendered version of Sonny & Cher’s “I got you babe”. My partner in crime even had her photo in the local paper as a result. This was a part of our ongoing effort to integrate into our surrounding community and learn more about the local French culture … [Read more...]
In photos: the 2012 Occitan Piégut Félibrée!
The title of this post is possibly a little boggling if you’re not familiar with some vaguely old French history, which I wasn’t until I did a bit of reading up around the subject. Here’s what I learnt. (Warning – history ahead. Feel free to skip to the photos section if you’re not into it. I won’t tell anyone!) Félibrée & Occitan Facts! Back in the day, some time … [Read more...]
Free music at France’s Fête de la Musique
There is a reason I am standing in front of an entire French village clutching a microphone and preparing to launch into a rendition of Sonny and Cher’s “I got you babe”. That reason (other than beer, and the effect it has on my perception of my singing capability) is the insidious figure that society generally refers to as “the man”. Allow me to explain. Wherever you go in … [Read more...]
Angouleme–wanders around the ramparts
This is my third post on Angoulême! Who would have thought one French town could hold so much appeal? Admittedly, Angoulême cheated slightly, by seducing me with awesome street art. That’s a good way for any city to get my attention, and more than one post. See Berlin’s street art for example. So I have now thoroughly covered the paintings on the walls of Angouleme in this … [Read more...]
Nontron – French town of the knife
Were I a knife aficionado, (of the pen knife, rather than the Crocodile Dundee variety), then I could not have picked a better place to locate myself in France than where I am now, near the town of Nontron. Because as it turns out, Nontron is home to France’s original folding knife creators, a cutlery making tradition which dates all the way back to 1653. I’m not … [Read more...]