Posts under Geography

French Regions - Montpellier

Posted by Chanda
Jun
24
2009

While I was studying in Paris, I went home with a friend for a weekend to Montpellier and it was really a beautiful city.  Montpellier is located in the south of France on the Mediterranean coast and is the capital of Languedoc-Roussillon.  Its name refers to the fact that it sits up on hilly ground.  The hills make for beautiful pictures of the city from different altitudes.  It is not a huge city (approx. 300,000 residents), but that’s probably part of what makes it so appealing.  It is a popular destination for language programs and exchange students perhaps because of the openness of the locals, the fact that one out of every two residents are under 35 and also because its University is one of the oldest in the world.

When I visited, the city was undergoing several infrastructure projects including the tramway, which is now in full operation and makes it much easier to get around.  There are many things to do in and around Montpellier besides enjoying the beautiful beaches.  You can tour the University, Saint-Pierre Cathedral, huge centuries-old private mansions that were built by noblemen, the Arc de Triomphe (which is quite similar to the one in Paris), a 13th century Jewish bath, the Montpellier follies (castles) and violin workshops as it is the violin-making capital of the world.  My two favorites are the squares - the Peyrou royal square and la Place de la Comédie which is the city’s egg-shaped main square featuring a magnificent Opera house and one of the largest pedestrian areas in Europe.   The official website of the Montpellier Tourist Office can be found here in English and French.  There you can get more information on what the city has to offer and book hotels and vacation stays.

Right now and until July 4th, it is hosting the International Dance Festival during which over 300 dance troupes from around the world put on 3-10 shows daily.  Later in July, it will host the Radio France and Montpellier Languedoc-Roussillon Festival when it will be the site of over a hundred concerts featuring all genres of music.  There are more than a dozen museums to take in around the city and around the same number of large parks, including the Botanical Garden, which is one of the oldest in Europe.  The city’s restaurants offer excellent food and wines. Montpellier can also be your base for touring several World Heritage sites including le Canal du Midi, the Roman aqueduct Pont du Gard and the medieval city of Carcassonne.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnV5X5oFBCI

Finally, it is interesting to note that many cities around the world have been named after Montpellier, including the capital city of Vermont in honor of the French, who were very highly regarded in the United States after the American Revolutionary War because of their assistance in the struggle against the British for independence.

 
Posted under Geography, History
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French Regions - Oh, ce conducteur du dimanche conduit trop lentement!

Posted by Chanda
Dec
28
2008

Today I came across this expression ‘conducteur du dimanche‘ which is the same in French as English…the ‘Sunday driver’ and I began thinking back to my time living in the outskirts of Paris and how I loved to take the car on Sunday or go with a friend on a Sunday on a drive to Versailles or Saint-Germain-en-Laye or another such history-filled place and just stroll around.  One of my very favorites was Fountainebleau.  I’m not sure if this is because the royal grounds are so very charming or because I was always on the lookout for Charlotte or Caroline of Monaco as supposedly that is where they reside most of the year (at least at the time) and where the children went to school.  In any case, it always seemed as we had our coffee at a café in the town center or walked up to the gates of the residence that you could really feel the history there despite all the people walking about in their very modern and fashionable clothes.

For some, Fountainebleau, which is located about 34.5 miles to the southeast of Paris and is home to one of the largest royal châteaux (castles) in France, evokes the palace.  Others quickly think of the dense woods and yet others, of the horse competitions.  It is a remarkable place really and one where you can quickly become lost in thoughts of being invited to a great royal hunt or a glamorous royal ball.
The Castle was lived in by all French Queens, Kings, Emperors and Empresses from François I to Napoleon III.  The state apartments are open daily to the public except on Tuesdays.  On certain days, there are tours of the small apartments which house the Napoleon I museum.  The five main courtyards, gardens and parks are open every day and I recommend taking a horse-drawn carriage ride around them.  Despite the somewhat kitschy commentary, the feeling you get is quite majestic.  Click here for some panoramic views of Fountainebleau.

 
Posted under Geography, History, Vocabulary
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Quebec Elections

Posted by Chanda
Dec
9
2008

Yesterday, the people of Quebec headed to the voting booths for their provincial elections.  Due to the extremely cold weather, voter turnout was not great, but a majority liberal government was elected.  Besidesthe independent candidates, candidates from 9 different political parties could be found on the ballot.  These parties are Action démocratique du Québec, Parti durable du Québec, Parti indépendantiste, Parti libéral du Québec, Parti marxiste-léniniste du Québec, Parti québecois, Parti république du Québec, Parti vert du Québec and Québec solidaire.  As can be seen, many of the parties are quite liberal and you even have separatist parties as is often the case with provinces or regions like Québec that have such strong cultural roots that are not very much in line with the rest of the country.  

Québec was founded in the Royal Proclamation of 1763 after France ceded the colony of Canada to Great Britain through the Treaty of Paris, thereby ending the Seven Years’ War.  The only official language in the province of Québec is French and just like France, it has a civil law legal system.  Civil law legal systems as opposed to Anglo-Saxon common law systems are often found in Europe as they derive from Roman law.  And nationalism plays a very large role in its politics.  The Canadian House of Commons has officially recognized the province as ‘a nation within a united Canada”.

 
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Monegasque National Holiday

Posted by Chanda
Nov
19
2008

The members of the Royal Family of the Principality of Monaco celebrated their November 19th national day today in Monte Carlo.  It is also known as The Prince of Monaco Holiday as it commemorates Prince Ranier III’s coronation as the 30th ruling Prince of Monaco on November 19th, 1949.  Although many events have taken place and are planned for the entire month to celebrate, today’s main events included a military parade which took place in the palace courtyard and an invitation-only mass with various royals in attendance including His Serene Highness The Sovereign Prince Albert of Monaco, HRH Princess Caroline of Hanover, her children Andrea, Pierre and Charlotte Casiraghi and Princess Stephanie of Monaco.  An invitation-only Gala Evening is to be held at the Palace this evening.

The small sovereign city-state is the smallest French-speaking country in the world.

 
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L’Hexagone

Posted by Chanda
Sep
30
2008

France is a country to love as no matter what you are looking for: mountains, beaches, rivers…you will find it all in France.

The entire country is roughly 80% the size of Texas, so you have so much available geographically and you can can get to it all in very little time.  It is bordered by Italy, Spain, Andorra, Monaco, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium which means it is a great base for European travel.  Two-thirds of France is covered with mountains and hills including the famous Alps, the Jura, the Vosges, the Pyrenees and the Massif Central.  As far as beaches, there’s the English Channel to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Bay of Biscay to the southwest and the Mediterranean to the southeast. 

Mainland France, also known as the Hexagon due to its shape, is administratively divided into 22 regions: Alsace, Aquitane, Auvergne, Basse-Normandie, Burgundy, Brittany, Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Corsica, Franche-Comté, Haute-Normandie, Île-de-France (where the largest city and capital Paris is located), Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin, Lorraine, Midi-Pyrenees, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Pays de la Loire, Picardy, Poitou-Charentes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and Rhône-Alpes.  It also has four overseas departments: French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion.  Its overseas countries and territories include New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna Islands and the French Southern and Antarctic Territories among others.

Côte d’Azur is well-known as the French Riviera and its hot, dry summers and mild winters make it a very popular beach area that attracts people from all over the world.  The mountains tend to be colder with a lot of rain and snow which means there are some great ski resorts.

Besides Paris, its largest cities as far as population are Lyon, Marseille, Lille, Toulouse, Nice, Bordeaux, Nantes, Strasbourg, Toulon, Douai-Lens, Rennes, Rouen, Grenoble and Montpellier.  All of these cities have rich histories and customs and we’ll take virtual tours of them in later blogs.

Here is a 1980 song by Renaud entitled Hexagone that makes various satirical references to French society and geography.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGyZKgKig6Q

You can read the lyrics here.

And here is a heated French discussion on the song.

‘Être né sous l’signe de l’hexagone’ ça veut dire quoi pour vous?

 
Posted under Geography, Music
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