Chaotic collection of haphazard collisions anyone?

I went to my first rugby game on Sunday. As anyone who knows me well can tell you, I am not a sports fan. Especially violent team sports. But my friend reminds me that there will be some cute guys playing, so I decide to give it a go.

Before heading out, I take a quick look at the Rugby for Dummies website. The explanation is ominous:

For the first time rugby player or viewer, the sport can appear to be a chaotic collection of indecipherable movements and haphazard collisions. In reality, rugby is highly technical and organized with specific laws governing all aspects of play. 

With the strange words scrum, lineout, maul and ruck swimming through my brain, I dab sunscreen on my nose, take a deep breath and head for le stade in the neighboring village of Castillonnes.

Luckily for this novice, I am accompanied by friends who are fully knowledgeable about the game, meaning they only are confused some of the time.

Also, through the magic of audition de la superpuissance (superpower hearing), I am able to hear and understand what the players on the field are saying.

Pierre is bringing the buns. Jean Paul said he'd
pick up the hot dogs. I'm bringing the potato salad.
Now, who's bringing the beer?

Last one to the end zone is a scrum rucker!

Please don't step on my head! Please don't step
on my head! Are they gone yet, Antoine?

Thanks for helping me look for my contact lens,
guys. My mom said she'd kill me if I lost another one.

Hey, that tickles!

You put your right foot in, you take your right foot out,
you put your right foot in and you shake it all about...

A tour of Montaigne’s tower

The value of life lies not in the length of days, but in the use we make of them…

Whether you find satisfaction in life depends not on your tale of years, but on your will.

— Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592)

Perhaps you’ve seen the sign to la Tour de Michel de Montaigne enroute to or from the Bordeaux airport. If so, like me, you may have have been in too much of a rush to take the time to visit. I timed a recent airport pickup to include a couple of extra hours and hung a right off of D936 in Lamothe-Montravel, a few kilometers before Castillon-La-Bataille.

Tour de Michel de Montaigne

Michel de Montaigne was a renown humanist author and philosopher of the 16th century. His writings, according to a biography on the Université Bordeaux Montaigne website, remain relevant, possessing contemporary messages of “the qualities and faults of humans.”

His most famous work is Les Essais. He also kept a detailed journal of his travels to Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy, which was stowed away in a trunk and not discovered until nearly two centuries after his death.

The tower is where Montaigne did much of his writing and where he died in 1592. It is just across a large courtyard from the château, where distant relatives of Montaigne now live. (The château is not open to the public.) Before or after a guided visit, guests can walk through the gardens and admire a panoramic view across la valée de la Lidoire.

Water tower on the grounds of Tour de Michel de Montaigne

Garden décor at la Tour de Michel de Montaigne

Garden passage at Tour de Michel de Montaigne

View of the Lidoire Valley from the grounds of Tour de Michel de Montaigne

I am the only English-speaker in the group, but I have little trouble understanding our guide, a British university student, who has provided me with a written translation. We start our visit in la barbacarne, a fortified area with two doors, designed to trap unwanted visitors so they could not get inside the grounds or escape.

Exterior of la barbacane at Tour de Michel de Montaigne

Within la barbacane at Tour de Michel de Montaigne

From here we enter the writer’s private chapel. Montaigne lived during the Wars of Religion, and he was a Catholic in Protestant territory. In his last years, Montaigne was confined to his bedroom in the tower due to ill health. In order to be able to hear mass from his bed, he had an acoustic channel installed between the chapel au-dessous and his bed chamber au-dessus.

The bed chamber of Michel de Montaigne. The acoustic channel
is located to the right.

The trunk where the travel journals of Michel de Montaigne
were found and published 182 years after his death

An alcove in the bedroom of Michel de Montaigne was
designed to avert drafts.

Our guide shows us a replica of Protestant vestments that
belonged to the Catholic Montaigne.

We proceed up the tower’s narrow winding staircase to Montaigne’s library. Here, at the time surrounded by thousands of books, Montaigne did most of his writing. Greek and Latin writings are engraved in the ceiling beams and Montaigne would gaze up to ponder them. There was no glass in these windows, so he spent colder days in an adjacent, much smaller chamber, which contains remnants of the room’s original murals.

View from the Tour de Michel de Montaigne

Statue of Michel de Montaigne

A replica of “Les Essais” at the Tour de Michel de Montaigne

Latin and Greek phrases on the beams of Michel de Montaigne’s private library

Portion of original mural on the walls of Tour de Michel de Montaigne

In addition to being one of France’s most important writers and thinkers, Montaigne also had an impressive career in public service including 15 years in the Parliament of Bordeaux and four years as the city’s mayor.

Tour de Michel de Montaigne is open February through December. Visit chateau-montigne.com for days, hours, tarifs and directions.

For hundreds of Montaigne quotations, visit goodreads.com.

Where were you on the first day of fall?

My husband and I are thinking the same thing on our way to Jardiland to buy some gold fish for our pond: Let’s stop in that little village!

The bourg de Colombier is located between Bouniagues and Bergerac, just 1 km off N21.

Colombier in the Dordogne near Bergerac

The tiny village is home to the winery Le Domaine de l’Ancienne Cure, which for the longest time, I mistook for a spa for those looking to get sober.

Here are some first-day-of-fall photos from Colombier:

Colombier in the Dordogne near Bergerac

Colombier in the Dordogne near Bergerac

Colombier in the Dordogne near Bergerac

Colombier in the Dordogne near Bergerac

Colombier in the Dordogne near Bergerac

Where were you on the first day of fall?

Sunny September canal ride

This glorious weather we've been enjoying — in the U.S. we most respectfully call it Indian Summer — has allowed for summer activities to continue into autumn.

The Canal de Garonne, dates from the 19th century. It is the extension of the Canal de Midi running northwest from Toulouse to to Castets-en-Dorthe near Bordeaux.

Here are some photos of a recent bike ride along the Canal de Garonne.

Bike path along the Canal de Garonne

Bike path along the Canal de Garonne

Bike path along the Canal de Garonne

A boat goes through a lock along the Canal de Garonne

A lock along the Canal de Garonne

One of my favorite places to ride is along the canal — probably because of the lack of hills. I'm envious of my friends who have ridden the entire Canal de Midi, as well as many other places in the world. Where's your favorite place to ride bikes?

Maybe they were praying to find a man

There is never a shortage of churches in France. This one, Église Saint-Léger, located near Saint-Pardoux-Issac, caught my eye while on a bike ride last month. Ken and I were trying a new route home, sur nos vélos, to avoid some hills and traffic. (Feel free to give a hearty "hah!" when I use the term "traffic," because I actually mean the half dozen or so cars that may have passed us. Often I see no cars at all on bike rides, especially when I ride during the lunch hours.) 

L'église Saint-Léger dates from the 13th century and was restored in 1992. It is now locked up tight, but the sign at its gate says that at one time, the church contained a wooden statue where femme jeunes célibataires (young single women) would gather. They'd light candles and pray; if the candles went out then it was a sign they would find husbands.

Alrighty, then!

On another note, if you haven't checked out the blog I write for the AngloINFO Dordogne website, "Lot of Livin'." please do so when you have the time. The link is here.

And you can subscribe to this blog (below) so new posts appear, as if by magic, in your very own email inbox. 

Sisterhood of the traveling fans

What began as a celebration of women’s changing roles since the beginning of World War I a century ago, evolved over the months into an impressive exhibition designed to raise awareness of serious women’s issues including body image, education, health, and domestic violence.

Red poppy fan commemorating WWI, created by Marian Jarvis

The idea was conceived by Jennifer (Jennie) Whetton, the owner of Hôtel de Cours de Thomazeau, a château in Castillonnes, a charming bastide village in the Lot-et-Garonne (47). Jennie has collected antique and unusual fans for two decades. Each year, in association with France’s Journées du Patrimoine (Heritage Days), which takes place this year September 20-21, Jennie and her husband open the doors of their beautiful home to visitors. To highlight the tour, Jennie decided to display her personal fan collection, which she began when she was an antiques dealer. Throughout the year, the lower level of the château is the setting for various exhibits and events, and Jennie thought a second fan collection — fans created by an array of people — would be the perfect complement to the exhibition upstairs. This collection of handmade fans will be on display every day from September 15-21.

Antique and unique fans will be on display at Hôtel de Cours de Thomazeau
in Castillonnes for Heritage Days.

Fans in progress

The idea was embraced by local organizations including Lundi Lunches, a group which raises money for cancer support, and the Vendredi Club, an arts and crafts group. The call for fans was effective: A steady stream of amateur fan makers turned up at the château to make fans out of an array of materials. And more … many more … arrived in person and by post. When doors open on September 15, more than 200 fans will be on display.

Fan created by Karolina Trzcinska, 14, Bialystok, Poland

Fourteen-year-old Karolina Trzcinska from Bialystok, Poland, created and sent a lovely pink fan, adorned with flowers.

“I have no idea how she even heard about the project,” Jennie says. 

Breast cancer awareness fan, created by Sue Brenner

Fans were created by women and girls (and a handful of boys) of all ages and artistic talent. The youngest contributor is 11-month-old Xenia, who decorated her fan with handprints. Her contribution is even more noteworthy because Xenia has Downs Syndrome. The oldest fan-maker is Eve, 90. Some fans are clearly made by seasoned craftspeople, others are primitive and pretty, but also poignant.

Fan created by Xenia, 11 months

Fans on display in Castillonnes

Two fans by Bernice Lomas call attention to environmental issues.

Nothing will be for sale at the exhibition.

“This truly is about raising awareness about important women’s issues,” Jennie explains. “Domestic violence seems to be on the rise, probably because of the shame victims feel. She says she hopes the exhibit inspires a dialog about domestic violence and other important challenges women have faced for the past 100 years, and are facing today.

Fan on display in Castillonnes

“My happy place” fan, created by Carol Lyon

Fan calling attention to the important role of education in
women’s lives, by Marian Jarvis

The entire collection has been photographed and cataloged by volunteers Susan O’Rourke and Ian Cook.

After the exhibition in Castillonnes closes, Jennie hopes the word spreads. She says she’d be more than willing to bring or send the fans to other communities that wish to host an exhibition. With good word-of-mouth, this “fan-tastic” collection might go on the road. Organizations or communities interested in hosting the fan exhibition can contact Jennie Whetton at jennie@decoursdethomazeau.com.

Fan draws attention to body image issues

Fan made of gloves is designed to raise awareness of domestic violence.

The Language of the Fan Exposition is open 10 a.m. to noon and 2-6 p.m. September 15-21, 2014 at Hôtel de Cours de Thomazeau, Promenade de la Mouthe in Castillonnes. Jennie Whetton’s fan collection will be on display on the Journées du Patrimoine weekend, September 21-22, during the same hours. Admission to the exhibition and to the château are free.

A fan calls attention to the issue of domestic violence.