Invitation à la danse

Dancing on a Sunday afternoon

At the north end of Bordeaux is le Jardin Public. The park occupies over ten hectares of land and was built in 1756 as a classic French garden, but later transformed into an English one. In addition to 3,000 species of plant life, le jardin is a major cultural center for les Bordelais. People come to the park pour faire un pique-nique et se promener (stroll around). Last Sunday, the sounds of Blues and American rock could be heard throughout le jardin. A DJ was blasting music (all American) for a couple dozen dancers.

Dog Day Afternoon

Before I left Chicago, I looked at the weather forecasts for Paris and southwest France. The weather forecasts indicated that the weather was unusually cold, cloudy and damp. I think Bosco can testify that those forecasts were inaccurate. Bosco was making the most of a Dog Day afternoon in Lauzerte, France on Tuesday.

Le Marche de Montcuq

Montcuq is a small town in the Lot department in southwestern France. Located 25 km outside of Cahors, and about 200 km southeast of Bordeaux its residents are known as Montcuqois. The town's name may come from the Latin Mont Circus Vallium, Mont Cuneus or montem cuci, meaning "cuckoo mountain". Until the period following World War II, Occitan was the primary language of southwest France and parts of northern Spain and Italy. Occitan related to Catalan and sounds more like Spanish than French.The village name, when pronounced correctly has the 'q' pronounced as 'k', Mon-cuk.



I hope these photos give you a reflection of the spirit and atmosphere of Montcuq’s market.

Montcuq

In 1229, the French king rebuilt the walls of both the town and castle. All that remains today is the castle keep.. Montcuq has several medieval churches, and many buildings date back to the middle ages. Montcuq's streets are narrow and winding. You will often see men playing "boules" dans le centre ville. This town resembles a set designer's vision of a small French town.

Dimanche, 5 Juillet 2009, the market in Montcuq is alive with the activity of the weekly market. The townspeople shop for their weekly supply of fruits and vegetables. Equally important is meeting their neighbors to exchange gossip and news. Mixed in with the local citizens at the market are tourists and other visitors.. English can be heard frequent along with French and Occitan. Over the last twenty five years, the English have reinvaded southest France. This time their weapons are Pound Notes and Euros, rather than longbows and swords.

Marché à Montcuq

Montcuq’s market has a variety of fresh produce grown in the Lot Valley. Everyone in the area buys their fruit and vegetables at the market. Shoppers can also find baskets, clothing and handicrafts. The large cities all have supermarchés such as Monoprix. In small towns these chains cannot compete with the local markets when it comes to fresh produce Terroir, which refers to the characteristics a place impart on the tastes of produce or wine, is as important as the price of an item.

Sweeter than Honey

This satisfied young shopper has discovered the joys of sampling the local honey. While her parents are haggling over the price, she is busy enjoying the product.

Marianne of France

Here you see Marianne rising over the umbrellas of the Montcuq Marché. Marianne, is the national emblem of the French Republic, and by extension, an allegory of Liberty and Reason. She represents France as a state, and its values (as opposed to the "Gallic rooster" representing France as a nation and its history, land and culture). She is displayed in many places in France and holds a place of honour in town halls and law courts. She symbolises the "Triumph of the Republic", a bronze sculpture overlooking the Place de la Nation in Paris. Her profile stands out on the official seal of the country, is engraved on French euro coins and appears on French postage stamps; it also was featured on the former franc currency. Marianne is one of the most prominent symbols of the French Republic.
The most recent model for the official sculpture of Marianne was the French model Laétitia Casta. Here is a shot of her posing next to the official bust of Marianne. Not long after this bust was created Laétitia created a stir by moving to London. She claimed the move was for business purposes. Other people suggested that she moved to avoid the high taxes France imposes on wealthy people.

Est-il un acteur ou un vrai homme français?

Is this man an actor or a real Frenchman? I have been coming to France for ten years now. This is the first time I have ever seen someone who resembles the stereotype of a Frenchman. I see more men wearing berets in Chicago than in Paris. This gentleman looks like he came from central casting, but I was assured that he truly is a local farmer.