Skywatch Friday....... La Tour des Pins

Skywatch Friday blogs

Nice weather for "le 1er mai" in 2013. The monument is "La Tour des Pins"
Long ago, Nostradamus predicted that Montpellier would be destroyed if (or when)  the pines
on top of the "Tour des Pins" died.

Image found on Montpellier Herault

  La Tour des Pins a changé de nom à plusieurs reprises au cours des siècles. 
D'après Nostradamus, si un jour les pins au sommet de la tour meurent, 
 la ville de Montpellier disparaîtra..

Orthodox Church

This is the pediment of the Orthodox Church of Montpellier, which is located in the park of the Château de Grammont. I think it used to be the chapel of the castle, in former times.

War memorial

This war memorial (monument aux morts) was once located where the Corum stands now. It was moved to the other end of the Esplanade.

Thank you very much, M. Benaut!

Fontaine Putanelle

In his Journal, John Locke mentions the Fontaine Putanelle several times. During the few years he spent in Montpellier, he used to conduct physics experiments in that fountain.

The name "Putanelle" might mean that prostitutes used to gather near the fountain. But I am sure it is not to meet them that Locke went there.

The first two photos show the fountain as it is now. After my translation into French of the part of the Journal devoted to Montpellier and Languedoc was published in 2005, it was announced, in Le Midi Libre, that the fountain was going to be restored. I hope the people at the city hall will keep their promise.

I have written two posts about the fountain on my other blog (Marie's weblog):
http://www.marieweblog.com/log/index.php?2006/01/28/115-la-fontaine-putanelle-2
http://www.marieweblog.com/log/index.php?2005/08/10/23-la-fontaine-putanelle


Dans son Journal, John Locke mentionne la Fontaine Putanelle à plusieurs reprises. Au cours des quelques années qu'il a passées à Montpellier, il a effectué des expériences de physique dans cette fontaine.

Le nom "Putanelle" pourrait vouloir dire que des prostituées se réunissaient près de la fontaine. Mais je suis sûre que ce n'est pas pour les rencontrer que John Locke y allait.

Les deux premières photos montrent la fontaine telle qu'elle est à l'heure actuelle. Après que ma traduction en français de la partie du Journal consacrée à Montpellier et au Languedoc eut été publiée en 2005, on a annoncé dans le Midi Libre que la fontaine allait être restaurée. J'espère que la mairie va tenir sa promesse.

J'ai écrit deux posts sur la fontaine sur mon autre blog (Marie's weblog) :
http://www.marieweblog.com/log/index.php?2006/01/28/115-la-fontaine-putanelle-2
http://www.marieweblog.com/log/index.php?2005/08/10/23-la-fontaine-putanelle

Freedom of speech

I am speechless.....

The Three Graces were gagged last year during one of those (famous French) strikes.


Je reste sans voix....

Les Trois Grâces ont été baillonnées l'an dernier au cours d'une (de ces fameuses) grèves à la française.

Saint-Pierre Cathedral

I had to cut it into pieces as it was too big for my camera :-)

Octroi

In former times one had to pay a toll to enter the city of Montpellier. This building is the place (l'octroi) where that toll was paid. I do not know whether it was located at that time. A few years ago, it was moved right in the middle of a traffic circle on the road to (or from) the sea. This is certainly the most beautiful traffic circle in Montpellier.

It is difficult to photograph because of the traffic.

Cathedral

This is the back of Saint-Pierre cathedral in Montpellier. A bit strange, isn't it?

Tomorrow I am going to Villefort, Lozère, where I will present my translation of philosopher Locke's Journal. I will be back on Sunday evening and will visit my friends' blogs then.

Have a nice weekend!

Sculpture

This is one of the statues that adorn the roof of the Musée Fabre, in Montpellier. This statue is a sculpture that pays homage to sculpture. I found that funny, sort of redundant.

I was a potter and a sculptor in a former life. I loved it.

Arc de Triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe stands at the end (or beginning :-)) of the avenue Foch, before the entrance of Les Jardins du Peyrou. As you can see, it is perfectly aligned with the statue of Louis XIV and the water tower.

Before it was restored a few years ago, the stone was white, or rather grey and black. We were first surprised at seeing this ochre color but we were told that it was the original color of the Arc when it was erected in the seventeenth century.

You can read a complete description of the Arc de Triomphe on the site of Montpellier Hérault.

The Sun King

The statue of Louis XIV has been placed so high that it is impossible to take a good shot of it. It is right in the middle of the Jardins du Peyrou.

Can you imagine a Sun King riding a horse, without spurs?

The cherub and the lion

I like this statue of a cherub and a lion, which seem to be guarding the Jardins du Peyrou. Usually cherubs are obese but this one is handsome and almost thin. The lion looks young and powerful. I thought the statue dated to Louis 14th's time but actually it was made by sculptor Injalbert in the 19th century and was installed in le Peyrou in 1883. Its name is "L'Amour domptant la Force (love taming strength). On the other side of the gate, there is another statue called La Force domptant l'Amour (strength taming love). I need to photograph the second statue.

By the way, in France, "young lions" are younger socialist leaders, whereas those of the previous generation are called "elephants." The lions want to drive the elephants away from their positions, but the elephants stick to them. I don't think French right-wing politicians are compared to animals...

I found the information regarding the statue on the site Montpellier Histoire.

Hôtel de Ganges

I took this photo of the Hôtel de Ganges on July 14th (le 14 juillet). It had been decorated with dozens of French flags for the occasion, which seemed to me a little anachronistic as the drapeau tricolore had not yet been designed when the hôtel was built.

The Hôtel de Ganges dates back to the 17th century. It is the Cardinal de Bonzi who had it built for his mistress, Jeanne de Gévaudan, comtesse de Ganges. In the seventeenth century, and certainly before and after, cardinals could have mistresses. John Locke, whose Journal I have translated, reports it, adding that Bonzi had also a few "fine boys" in his suite.

Nowadays the hôtel houses the préfecture de région. It is also the résidence of the préfet.

I have just added the photo of the portraits of Bonzi and Mme de Ganges. I was unable to place it at the bottom of my post......

Water tower

At 9 AM on Saturday, the water tower in Les Jardins du Peyrou, one of the largest plazas in Montpellier, looked almost disquieting against the clouds. But the sky is never grey for long here. After one minute or two, I took the second shot.

Les Trois Grâces

Another view of Les Trois Grâces, our most famous statue in Montpellier, which is located on La Place de la Comédie (in front of a McDonald's restaurant). Aglaea represents Beauty, Thalia is Good Cheer and Euphrosyne is Mirth. But the people who meet next to the statue do not know much about them. I didn't but Wikipedia helped me! :-))

The fountain around the statue was built a few years ago, to prevent homeless people with their dogs from gathering around the statue. These people then established their headquarters before the entrance of the theater, which led to the creation of a café with a terrace.

Place de la Comédie, Montpellier - 1

This is the Place de la Comédie, in Montpellier. The statue in the middle of the fountain is a replica of the famous "Trois Grâces", the original of which is now located in the hall of the Opéra Comedie in the background.