francofiled

There was a good crowd at the latest event in this year's programme from the  Cercle français de Belfast   when "yours truly" gave the talk on Grand Marnier.  As usual the Dark Horse Coffee House in the Cathedral Quarter matched the proceedings perfectly. I decided that it might be a fun idea to do a kind of Who Do You Think You Are? approach to the subject.  The concept of the popular BBC ancestry programme has made it into French, in Canada at least, where it is known as Qui Êtes-vous? The first part of the enquiry then looked into the origins of the drink and focussed on Jean-Baptiste LAPOSTOLLE who, in 1827, set up a distillery to make fruit liqueurs in Neauphle-le-Chateau near Paris.  The story moved to his son Eugene who returned from travels with bottles of "burnt wine" - brandewijn - from the Cognac region.  He is said to have offered a taste to his friend Louis-Alexandre MARNIER who hit upon the idea of adding his recipe for bitter o...

Listening in to Francophonie Express.  Loud and clear. Got a minute or two? Check out this link: Francophonie Express, Ecoutez maintenant 24 heures en continu sur le web, la radio au meilleur choix musical, chanson, bossa-nova, lounge, jazz, electro, world, Live radio best music

 

Spending a bit of time browsing recently I came across a post on the Lost in Cheeseland  blog.  It related to a creative arts project that needs funding to ensure its success. No different, you might think, from any other project but what I liked in addition to the theme itself was its funding model.  More in a moment. The project is called The Parisianer and the idea is that 100 artists/illustrators will share 100 pictures capturing the essence of Paris.  At the end of this year there will be an exhibition, a book and posters of the artwork. To succeed the project needs financial backing and rather than chasing grants or money from other sources it uses the concept of CrowdFunding fuelled by social media.  People share details of the project on their social networks and if they are so minded contribute to specified subscription ranges. When the project is realised they are sent the items listed for the respective price bands. If insufficient funds are rai...

A supplement to last post on the repositioning of the Wallace Fountain in Lisburn, to acknowledge the handiwork of Charles-Auguste Lebourg, a sculptor from Nantes, commissioned by Richard Wallace to design the famous water fountains. Read more at Wikipedia here .

The Wallace Fountain that previously stood outside the Linen Museum in Market Square, Lisburn has been moved to a new position in Wallace Park. Refurbished Wallace Fountain now standing in Wallace Park, Lisburn The colour is not the dark green as I remembered it before but is very close to the colour of the one standing at Hertford House, London.  The colour of Les Wallace  was the subject of a previous post that included a  link to comments on a story in Le Parisien . Most people there liked the traditional livery. It's great to see that the tap has also been restored although sadly, given the origins of the fountains, it doesn't appear to be plumbed to supply water. Wonder why? Wikipedia has an interesting article on the history of the fountains along with a listing of where to find them in Paris, other cities in France and world-wide.  The article points out that many of the Parisian fountains deliver eau potable  and is often the only source of c...

Enjoyed last night's Cercle Francais launch of the new season.  Plenty to keep us going until May 2014. And already some suggestions for the following year's programme. Technology worked okay and as ever The Dark Horse in Belfast's Cathedral Quarter contributed its own unique ambiance. French talks just work in this grand cafe styled coffee house. The programme available at www.cerclefrancaisdebelfast.org promises a treat for the senses and the sense of smell was activated last night as participants were scented with a tiny blast of  Chanel No:5 and that's because Coco features in this season's programme. It was nice to greet a strong contingent of French nationals who for the time being are making their home in Belfast. Long may that continue!

Our touring holiday in Cornwall brought us to Mou nt Saint Michael at Marazion, near Penzance. Like its more famous relative Le Mont Saint-Michel it sits offshore and is reached by a rock causeway when the tide is out. We made the steep ascent to the castle home of the St Aubyn family who still live there today. It's open for tours and there is plenty to see. If you do visit and make the short tour of the castle then look out for the framed relics of Napoleon which include a lock of his hair and a remnant of coat sleeve. You can check out things to see and do at Marazion here . Posted with Blogsy

Paris Tales, translated by Helen Constantine, Oxford A friend suggested I read this book of short stories. And I am enjoying doing just that. The collection comprises 22 stories by writers that include Maupassant and Colette and take the reader from mid-19th century to a future undated time - I particularly liked that one, Manuscript Found at Saint-Germain-des-Pres by Frederic Beigbeder. The works have been translated by Helen Constantine who also provides a personal introduction and notes that she has "not chosen these texts for their social or historical interest, but because they evoke particular places."  She has helpfully included a map of the Paris Arrondissements annotated with a numbered reference to each of the stories.  That makes the collection perfect for taking along on that next trip; stopping at a cafe and reading.  Short stories for a short break? Like books about Paris?  Check out this post from a while back.

 A carefully stored bread roll from a get together at Le Grand Villalin, Quincy, Cher. A few years old now, preserve dried with the memory of friends, music, food and wine. Posted with Blogsy