Ruby Tuesday........ Red Light

Françoise Mariotti's guest during the Comédie du Livre 2013 was Paula Dumont who talked about her new book ((Les Convictions de Colette). The Café du Genre took place at the very colorful Martin's Club in the "Ecusson".

Ruby Tuesday blogs

Petite lampe rouge façon lampe de magicien que j'ai photographiée au Martin's Club où Françoise Mariotti interviewait l'auteur Paula Dumont dans le cadre du Café du Genre pendant la Comédie du Livre 2013. Paula a déjà écrit cinq ouvrages. Elle présentait sa dernière publication, sur Colette, son auteur fétiche.

What did Shakespeare drink ?

OLIVIA What's a drunken man like, fool?
CLOWN Like a drowned man, a fool, and a madman: one draught above heat makes him a fool, the second mads him, and a third drowns him.
Twelfth Night (1.5.127-30)
(http://www.shakespeare-online.com/faq/shakespearedrinking.html)

The Shakespeare is a British pub, located rue de la Petite Loge, in the Ecusson (medieval district of Montpellier).

Olivia. — À quoi ressemble un ivrogne, fou ?
Le Bouffon. — À un homme noyé, à un bouffon ou à un fou : une première rasade de trop en fait un bouffon, une seconde en fait un fou, une troisième le noie.
La Nuit des Rois (Acte I, Scène V)
(http://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/La_Nuit_des_rois/Acte_I)

Le Shakespeare est un pub anglais situé rue de la Petite Loge, face à la salle Pétrarque.

Il faudra que je relise la traduction de l'extrait de la pièce...

The Hun of the U

Le Hun de l'U (literally: The Hun of the U) is an art bookshop I have discovered today. A very nice place, located 1 rue de l'Université, in Montpellier. In French the word "Hun" is pronounced like "1" (un). The name of the bookshop is a play on words! Or is it a pun? My literal translation is just for fun (not a serious one).

If you visit Montpellier, you should pay a call to the owner, Jean-Pierre Albe, who is much more friendly than he looks in the photo (he was speaking when I photographed him). Mr. Albe sells used books.

Tour de la Babote

This is "la Tour de la Babote," one of the most famous buildings in Montpellier. You will find everything about its history here.

It's a strange-looking tower, isn't it?

Adam and Eve

Do you remember this statue, which I showed you a few months ago. My post was entitled "Mystery statue." I did not know who the characters were.

Francis Lopez, the owner of an interesting site I already mentioned, Les Rues de Montpellier, has answered my question.

The characters are Adam and Eve and the name of the statue is Le Paradis Perdu (Paradise Lost). It was sculpted in 1882, by Jacques Augustin Dieudonné. The characters were damaged by hoodlums. Another sculptor was contacted to replace their noses but apparently he never did the job.

This is what M. Lopez wrote :

[...] Un peu plus loin, encadrée par les rues de Fantanon, de la Confrérie et du Four Saint Eloi, la place de l'Université nous surprend. Une très belle statue en marbre, le Paradis perdu, représentant Adam et Eve tendrement enlacés avec, à leurs pieds, deux bambins s'élève en son milieu. Mais écoutons Roland Jolivet décrivant cette œuvre : « Créée en 1882 par Jacques Augustin Dieudonné, Adam et Eve perdirent leur nez et quelques doigts. Le sculpteur Montpelliérain Auguste Baussant fut contacté pour réparer les dégâts et c'est ainsi que l'on put dire qu'Adam et Eve eurent un nouveau nez. En 1956 le marbre fut transporté place de l'Université où il se trouve toujours près du magnolia. »

You can see more photos of the statue on M. Lopez's site. You need to click on the photo of the cathedral (la cathédrale Saint-Pierre) in the menu on the left-hand side, and then to double-click on the photo of the door of the cathedral (the photo under which this is written : "Le porche latéral de la cathédrale est ouvert. Profitons-en pour visiter en cliquant sur le cliché ci-dessus.").

Mystery statue

I saw this statue a few weeks ago on a square in the Ecusson. I could not find out "who" it was supposed to represent. The two characters are very graceful (although the man has lost his nose). The group includes two babies and the hide of an animal.

Tchou tchou

The little trains take tourists to all the important historic places in Montpellier. The driver of the train that is partially hidden is patriotically-minded, which is quite rare in France nowadays.

This is my 100th post!

Les petits trains emmènent les touristes sur les principaux lieux historiques de Montpellier. Le conducteur du train qui est en partie caché a l'esprit patriotique, ce qui est tout à fait rare en France de nos jours.

Ceci est mon 100e post !

Rue de l'Aiguillerie

The "rue de l'Aiguillerie" is one of the oldest streets in l'Ecusson. In the past few decades it has become one of the most cosmopolitan streets in the city. Shopkeepers from every country in the world or almost give the street a very friendly ambiance... I have photographed the signs of their shops. Some of them are really funny.

La "rue de l'Aiguillerie" est l'une des plus anciennes rues de l'Ecusson. Au cours des dernières décennies, elle est devenue l'une des rues les plus cosmopolites de la ville. Des commerçants originaires de tous les pays du monde ou presque rendent l'atmosphère de la rue très chaleureuse. J'ai pris en photo les enseignes de leurs boutiques. Certaines sont vraiment marrantes.

Within "the most exciting city....."

This post is for the blogger friends who are allergic to rugby :-))

Two days ago I strolled around in the Ecusson (the oldest part of the city) with my friend Maggie. The weather was very nice.

The narrow street in the photos is one of the cutiest streets in the Ecusson. There is an English café/bookshop that I like in that street whose name I have forgotten.

On the website of a newspaper addressed to British expats in the area, Blablablah, I have read that Montpellier has been dubbed "the most exciting city." I am not sure Montpellier deserves that nickname, especially as the article relates its exciting aspect to money (the money spent to make it look exciting).

An old door in the Ecusson

In the Ecusson, you will find a lot of famous hôtels particuliers whose inner courtyards sometimes include such architectural treasures as this old "door frame".

Click on the photo to see the details of the elements above the door. I need to inquire about their meaning.

Have a nice Sunday!

Saint-Pierre Cathedral (2)

The oldest parts of Saint-Pierre cathedral date back to the 14th century. Originally it was the chapel of a Benedictine monastery. It became a cathedral in 1536. It is a very impressive, massive building.

It is the only church in Montpellier which survived the Wars of Religion between Protestants and Catholics.

Place de la Canourgue

Yesterday I spent some time on the very beautiful "Place de la Canourgue," which is close to the cathedral, the Court of Justice, the Arc de Triomphe, in the most elegant part of the Ecusson. I loved the color of the parasols at the terrace of the "Comptoir de l'Arc" (trendy café). The wind was gently playing with the branches of the trees of the micocouliers (nettle trees, the name is definitely more beautiful in French). I watched them dancing through the parasols.

A few years ago, the mayor had decided to build an underground parking lot under the Place de la Canourgue, and one morning bulldozers came and pulled down the old plane trees that lined the square. But there were riots, upheavals, revolutions (we are good at that!). People were very angry and they eventually managed to have the project cancelled. The mayor had young micocouliers planted (back). The square was a bit disfigured for a few years but now it's beautiful again.

I'd like my photos to appear bigger on the screen when one opens the blog....

Roofs

I took these photos last year, from the attic of the Opéra Comédie. They show the roofs of the oldest district of Montpellier, "l'Ecusson", literally "the Escutcheon," which was named that way because of its shape (on a map).