Douce France by Charles Trenet, for lyrics scroll down

ABC Wednesday F for France.

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Friday 3rd August 2007.
After a long drive from our home in Holland, my daughter, Superkid, his father and I arrived very late at a campsite in the middle of France,where we were setting up tents at 23.00 hours in the dark.

Our place of destination was Messanges 45 kilometres north of Biarritz and 150 kilometres south of Bordeaux on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.

Saturday,4th August 2007.
A long day of travelling on roads with one traffic jam after the other took us to Messanges where we arrived at 23.00 hours. The owner of the house found us in the middle of the village and guided us to the house. She is a wonderful person and so is her partner. After having a glass of wine together we settled in the house and went to bed.
These were the surroundings of our holiday residence: Sea, forest and a kind of lake formed by the sea. We walked, cycled and swam and had a pleasant week together.

Saturday, 11 August 2007
On our way back to Holland we came through the town of Montbazon and saw this castle ruin, so we went to have a closer look. The lady who sold us the tickets, told us that a team of archeologists has been working in the ruins for four years now.


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that's My World: French Chansons

This week I dedicate all my posts to France. Cette semaine je dévouerai tous mes posts à la France.

My ancestors came from various countries, among them was France! When I was young I collected grammaphone records with French chansons. They were certainly part of my world then and are now. Among my favourite records were those with chansons by Aznavour, Gilbert Bécaud and Charles Trénet.You can hear one of these chansons on the video in the one of the next posts.

Par: Charles Trenet

1. Il revient à ma mémoire
Des souvenirs familiers
Je revois ma blouse noire
Lorsque j'étais écolier
Sur le chemin de l'école
Je chantais à pleine voix
Des romances sans paroles
Vieilles chansons d'autrefois
--------------------------------------------------
There are familiar memories coming back in my mind,
I see again my black blouse
When I was a schoolboy
On my way to school I sang aloud
Romantic songs without words
Old chansons from the past
--------------------------------------------------
Douce France
Cher pays de mon enfance
Bercée de tendre insouciance
Je t'ai gardée dans mon coeur!
Mon village au clocher aux maisons sages
Où les enfants de mon âge
Ont partagé mon bonheur
Oui je t'aime
Et je te donne ce poème
Oui je t'aime
Dans la joie ou la douleur
Douce France
Cher pays de mon enfance
Bercée de tendre insouciance
Je t'ai gardée dans mon coeur!
---------------------------------------------------
Sweet France
Precious country of my childhood
Cradled in carefree blissfulness
I have kept you in my heart!
My village with bell tower and model cottages
Where the children of my age
Have shared my happiness,
Yes, I love you
And I give you this poem
Yes I love you
In joy and in sadness.
Sweet France
Dear country of my youth
Carefree rocking tenderly
I have kept you in my heart
-------------------------------------------------
2. J'ai connu des paysages
Et des soleils merveilleux
Au cours de lointains voyages
Tout là-bas sous d'autres cieux
Mais combien je leur préfère
Mon ciel bleu mon horizon
Ma grande route et ma rivière
Ma prairie et ma maison.
----------------------------------------------------

I have known landscapes
And miraculous suns
During far away travels
Yonder under other skies
But how much did I prefer
My blue sky, my horizon,
My grand route and my river,
My meadow and my cottage

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The Keep of the Count of Anjou.

 
 
 
 

The first photo shows us the history of the count of Anjou, who was called the black falcon or Le Faucon Noir.

Le Donjon du Faucon Noir, the Keep of the Black Falcon

 
 
 
 

On our way back to Holland we came through the town of Montbazon and saw this castle ruin, so we went to have a closer look. The lady who sold us the tickets, told us that a team of archeologists has been working in the ruins for four years now.
The history of the castle is to be seen on the photos with the texts.

Descartes:"Je pense, donc je suis."...

On our journey back to Holland we found a camping site in the town of Descartes, named after the philosopher by that name! His most famous statement is: Cogito ergo sum (French: Je pense, donc je suis; English: I think, therefore I am).


He lived from 1596-1650.
Descartes was born in La Haye en Touraine (now Descartes), Indre-et-Loire, France. When he was one year old, his mother Jeanne Brochard died of tuberculosis. His father Joachim was a judge in the High Court of Justice. At the age of eleven, he entered the Jesuit Collège Royal Henry-Le-Grand at La Flèche. After graduation, he studied at the University of Poitiers, earning a Baccalauréat and License in law in 1616, in accordance with his father's wishes that he should become a lawyer.

Descartes never actually practiced law, however, and in 1618, during the Thirty Years' War, he entered the service of Maurice of Nassau, leader of the United Provinces of the Netherlands. His reason for becoming a mercenary was to see the world and to discover the truth.
René Descartes died on February 11, 1650 in Stockholm, Sweden, where he had been invited as a teacher for Queen Christina of Sweden

Everybody has his favourite country, for many it is France...

Par: Charles Trenet

1. Il revient à ma mémoire

Des souvenirs familiers

Je revois ma blouse noire

Lorsque j'étais écolier

Sur le chemin de l'école

Je chantais à pleine voix

Des romances sans paroles

Vieilles chansons d'autrefois
--------------------------------------------------
There are familiar memories coming back in my mind,
I see again my black blouse
When I was a schoolboy
On my way to school I sang from the chest
Romantic songs without words
Old chansons from the past
---------------------------------------------------
Douce France

Cher pays de mon enfance

Bercée de tendre insouciance

Je t'ai gardée dans mon coeur!

Mon village au clocher aux maisons sages

Où les enfants de mon âge

Ont partagé mon bonheur

Oui je t'aime

Et je te donne ce poème

Oui je t'aime

Dans la joie ou la douleur

Douce France

Cher pays de mon enfance

Bercée de tendre insouciance
---------------------------------------------------
Sweet France
Dear country of my youth
Rocking in tender carelessness
I have kept you in my heart!
My village with bell tower and modest houses
Where the children of my age
Have shared my happiness,
Yes, I love you
And I give you this poem
Yes I love you
In joy and in sadness.
Sweet France
Dear country of my youth
Carefree rocking tenderly
I have kept you in my heart
-------------------------------------------------

2. J'ai connu des paysages

Et des soleils merveilleux

Au cours de lointains voyages

Tout là-bas sous d'autres cieux

Mais combien je leur préfère

Mon ciel bleu mon horizon

Ma grande route et ma rivière

Ma prairie et ma maison.
----------------------------------------------------

I have known landscapes
And wonderful suns
During far away travels
Yonder under other skies
But how much did I prefer
My blue sky, my horizon,
My grand route and my river,
My prairie and my house

Cher pays de mon enfance.....

 
 
 
 


These were the surroundings of our holiday residence: Sea, forest and a kind of lake formed by the sea.

We tried to swim in the ocean, but there was a strong current so we swam in the lake. We cycled in the forest opposite the house.

Douce France

Our place of destination was Messanges 45 kilometres north of Biarritz and 150 kilometres south of Bordeaux on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.

Saturday,4th August 2007.
A long day of travelling on roads with one traffic jam after the other took us to Messanges where we arrived at 23.00 hours. The owner of the house found us in the middle of the village and guided us to the house. She is a wonderful person and so is her partner. After having a glass of wine together we settled in the house and went to bed.

After a long drive the four of us arrived very late at this campsite, so that we were setting up tents at 23.00 hours in the dark. We had two cars. My daughter and superkid were in the one guided by the navigator and the voice of John Cleese, which was of course very funny every now and then. "After 800 metres, I would say half a mile, but we have to say meters these days, because of that bastard Napoleon...."
Or " Bear right, beaver left..." Sometimes we had to leave the " route à péage" because of the traffic jams. In that case he aws confused and shouted:' Make a U-turn, so that you are facing in the opposite direction of the direction in which you are directing your vehicle"...


Alex, Superkid's father woke us up with a cup of coffee, which was a great beginning of the day.
We took some photos of the two tents. The big one is the "male tent" and the other one of my daughter Thyme and me.

Vive la France

This is the little tent we shall take tomorrow to France.We have to go to Bordeaux, where we rent a holiday cottage, and where we will stay for a week. As the trip from our house to Bordeaux is rather far we decide to stop somewhere on our way on a camping site. Fortunately I still have this little tent and some camping outfit. It's quite different to prepare a holiday by car and with a tent than preparing one by plane. Anyway I shan't be able to write on my blog or read what you have written. I'll be back on Sunday,12th August or the day after. So have a nice week. Take care!