ABC Wednesday........................ A

A is the greatest letter in the French alphabet. That must be why it arrived first. It is the initial letter of Amour (love), Amitié (friendship), Affection, Action, Art......... and many other words I like, many of which are common to the French and the English languages.

Today I picked up a few photos of Arles, which is one of my favorite cities in this region.

The ABC Wednesday blog has changed a lot for the better. You should definitely have a look at it.

Nedim Gürsel

Türkish author Nedim Gürsel listening to a young Türkish translator during the Assises de la Traduction in Arles in last November.

L'écrivain turc Nedim Gürsel écoute un jeune traducteur turc au cours des Assises de la Traduction, à Arles, en novembre dernier.

Big Bone

This is a very big bone, isn't it? That must have been a part of the leg of a mammoth. We had a lot of mammoths here. Very big ones. Everything is bigger in Southern France. Did you know that once a sardine blocked the entrance to Marseilles "Vieux Port"?

No, actually, the bone is false. It is a sculpture, which was exhibited in the beautiful chapel where the Assises de la Traduction took place in Arles last November. To tell the truth, I think that some artists make fun of us.

Of course the story of the sardine is false too as you can read here:

The Sardine That Blocked the Port Entrance.

“We” say, in France (understanding that the “we” excludes the people of Marseilles), that the people of Marseilles have a tendency to exaggerate their stories. And it is stated, by these local people, that one day a sardine (the little fish!) blocked the entrance to the port. But this is not said in jest, a slight distortion maybe! In 1778, the Viscount of Barras, officer of the marine infantry regiment from Pondichery in India was captured by the British. Benefiting from special accords for prisoner of war exchanges, he embarked the following year on a boat, named the “Sartine”, which was not armed. To prevent potential attacks upon it, the captain would raise certain cartel flags that the enemy would recognize. However, the rule was not respected, because on May 1st, 10 months after being at sea without incident, a British war boat attacked the “Sartine” with two fatal canon volleys. The ship finished its trip and ran aground at the entrance to the old port. It is therefore not a “sardine” that blocked the port of Marseilles but a ship named “La Sartine”, on a beautiful spring day in 1780!
MarsBaRFAQ

Cet os n'est pas un os de mammouth comme j'ai tenté de le faire croire à nos amis anglophones. C'est une sculpture qui était exposée dans la belle chapelle où se sont déroulées les rencontres des Assises de la Traduction, à Arles, en novembre dernier. Moi j'ai tendance à penser que certains artistes se foutent de nous.

Bon je leur ai un peu parlé aussi de la sardine qui a bloqué le port de Marseille, et ça m'a permis de découvrir que cette histoire était basée sur un fait réel.

BAM

Too cold to take outdoor photos :-))))

This is the "lobby" of Arles city hall. I took the photo in last November.

Le hall d'entrée de l'hôtel de ville d'Arles. J'aime beaucoup Arles. Il fait trop froid pour prendre des photos d'extérieur !

I hope Ed Ward won't mind my posting a paragraph of his most recent post on his blog, City on a Hill:

Finally, I set up a Google Group for the issue, which now has 19 members, including one in Montpellier's twin city of Louisville, Kentucky, which had helped the library out in the past. The outraged citizenry will be meeting at 7:30 at Lawrence McGuire's homey used bookshop, the Globe, on Tuesday night. If anyone reading this has expertise in getting grants for library projects, or has any juice with people who do, or feel they have something to contribute to this, just send me your e-mail address as a comment, which I won't publish, and I'll send you an invitation to the group. And if you're in Montpellier or environs and want to come to the meeting, the store's at 2, rue de Carbonnerie (opposite l'Heure Bleu, up the hill from that insane toy store, corner of rue de Canneau).

Réunion demain mardi à 19h30, à la librairie Le Globe, 2 rue de la Carbonnerie.


Save the American Library in Montpellier

Sunset on the river Rhône

I took this (grey) photo last Novembr as I was walking towards the railroad station at the end of the Assises de la Traduction in Arles.

J'ai pris cette photo de coucher de soleil sur le Rhône alors que je me dirigeais vers la gare à la fin des Assises de la Traduction, fin novembre.


Please help us save the American Library of Montpellier. Join us on:
Save The American Library In Montpellier, a Google group set up by Ed Ward.

Save the American Library of Montpellier Facebook page

S'il-vous-plait, aidez-nous à sauver la bibliothèque américaine de Montpellier en vous inscrivant aux groupes dont les liens sont ci-dessus. Ca ne coûte rien.

Please visit the Sky Watch Friday blogs.

Bonnes résolutions

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY BLOGGER FRIENDS AND MY FRIEND BLOGGERS!

What have you resolved to do in 2010? I have resolved to enjoy life. In French we say "prendre son pied" (although the meaning of this expression is sometimes "ambiguous"). "Prendre son pied" literally translates as "take one's foot". I took (a photo of) my feet in Arles last November, during the Assises de la Traduction. I had a wonderful room at the Hôtel La Muette. I like old houses so much.

Of course, I have also made other decisions than enjoying life (which is a bit selfish). But they will remain secret for a few days :-)))

Quelles bonnes résolutions avez-vous prises pour 2010 ? J'ai résolu de prendre mon pied. Et je l'ai pris (j'ai même pris les deux quand j'étais si bien dans la belle chambre de l'hôtel La Muette en novembre dernier pendant les Assises de la Traduction à Arles).

Bien sûr j'ai pris d'autres résolutions (prendre son pied, c'est à dire à mes yeux "profiter un peu de la vie", c'est un peu égoïste, ce que je ne suis pas naturellement), mais elles resteront secrètes, du moins pendant quelques jours. :-)))

ABC Wednesday...... T is for Translators

Every year many translators from all over the world meet in Arles for the Assises de la Traduction, organized by ATLAS.

I took these photos in November 2007. They show the yard of the Espace Van Gogh, which was formerly the Hôtel-Dieu-Saint-Esprit.

Tous les ans, des traducteurs se réunissent en Arles pour les Assises de la Traduction, organisées par ATLAS. J'ai pris ces deux photos en novembre 2007. On y voit le jardin de l'Espace Van Gogh, qui fut autrefois l'Hôtel-Dieu-Saint-Esprit.

If you want to participate in the ABC Wednesday, leave a comment on Mrs. Nesbitt's blog.