Tenses of verbs in French are different to those in English. to differentiate between done in the past (ended) and done in the past (and still doing) the phrase 'en train de' is used. Which also nicely fits with travelling on the train from Avignon to Leamington Spa. An early morning start from Avignon TGV …
Reflections on … street signs
In which the reader will find disconnected jottings and musings that wouldn't make much of a post on their own ... Street signs are a mark of a city or town, they can be styled, stylish, coded and co-ordinated, but they must also be functional, visible and readable.Following is a random selection of street signs …
L’Abbaye de Saint-Ruf …
Staying with the theme today I visited the ruins of the abbey; they are in a decent sized park with plenty of seating, paths, shade and petanque courts and if you are coming by tram (from October 2019 onwards) it's only a short walk from Place Saint-Ruf. Saint Ruf was a fourth century missionary to …
Avenue Saint-Ruf …
Saint Rufus was a disciple of Paul the Apostle, and was reputedly the first Bishop of Avignon, although there is no evidence to support that. However, the Abbaye Saint-Ruf ruins are nearby and the avenue is certainly not named after the footballer Nicholas Saint-Ruf! Looking away from Avignon, along the Avenue Saint-Ruf. The new Avignon …
Reflections on … recycling
In which the reader will find disconnected jottings and musings that wouldn't make much of a post on their own ... Recycling is obvious, yet not obvious, in France. There are street places where sorted recyclables can be put, they are used by some, but not by all as it's (insert your reasons here). Glass …
Avignon, mercredi …
I've been in Avignon for several weeks now, going for walks most days, studying some French, hiding from the late afternoon sun sometimes and generally keeping 'busy'. Everyday that I go into the city centre I walk along Avenue Saint-Ruf, through Porte Saint-Michel and along Rue Saint-Michel towards Les Halles or Place de l'Horloge, depending …
Dying to be here …
Rue des Teinturiers starts near the ancient city walls, at the point were the Sorgue enters the city under the walls. The Sorgue is a small river originating at the Fontaine de Vaucluse; in the 10th century and later water from the Sorgue filled the moats around Avignon. In the 14th century a textile industry …
Train à vapeur …
Whilst wandering through the bamboo forest I was pretty certain that I could hear the occasional steam whistle, but it only when we came out to the final section that I could see a little building that looked like a rail halt, with benches made from rail wheels and axles. Further investigation was required! It …
Bamboozled …
I was collected on Sunday morning for an outing to where I knew not ... as I dozed along the way I'm still not sure exactly where we went, but we ended up near La Roque-Gageac, at Bambousaie en Cévennes, the Bamboo Forest. I think that calling it a bamboo forest underrates the place, a …
Cavaillon …
A last minute invite to dinner turned into a great evening in a place I would not have otherwise visited. About fifteen kilometres from Avignon, Cavaillon is in an area known for producing good melons, and I can attest to that! My hosts lived in a two story building on a main road across from …
EUlogising Europe 2019 