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Oradour-sur-Glane has risen from the ashes

9th June 20249th June 2024 funtime65

Down this road in the summer of 1944 the soldiers came, nobody lives here now… but Oradour-sur-Glane has risen from the ashes.

For those of us of a certain vintage, Laurence Olivier’s haunting introduction to his groundbreaking Seventies series World At War was our introduction to World War II.

And it was the genius of the programme-makers to choose Oradour to stand for every community that was lost to us in those years.

And Charles de Gaulle, and in particular the people of Aquitaine, who preserved the village as it was in summer 1944 and is now.

Onward from D-Day

Oradour in south-west France, held a fascination for this Scots schoolboy, for whom history was the only class to hold his interest.

And still does as I enquired again of Oradour from the French delegation on the latest round of visits around UK cities last week to showcase France to our travel pack.

History is, of course, always with us but never more so than we commemorate an anniversary.

With the 80th year since the D-Day landings bringing the last remaining survivors and the world’s dignitaries to Normandy.

Lest we forget Oradour

Their duty done, those global leaders have now moved on.

But for those soldiers who landed in Northern France that day back on June 8 there were more battles to fight.

Before they finally defeated Adolf Hitler’s Nazis the following April.

Their backs to the wall, Hitler’s goons, took retribution against those who had resisted them.

And so they ordered the massacre of the 644 inhabitants of Oradour, the men in barns and women and children in church, on June 10.

In retaliation for the killing of SS officer Helmut Kampfe.

The Centre de la Mémoire

It is history tourists who now come down this road, the road to Limoges.

For those who know, they will pay homage to the villagers of Oradour.

Visit the Centre de la Mémoire and the Martyr Village.

The centre will close tomorrow, June 10 to mark the 80th anniversary of the massacre.

Few foreign dignitaries will be in Oradour that day to pay tribute to the victims.

Moderne et ancien Aquitaine

But the residents of the new commune of Oradour near the original village which Olivier reminds us stood for 1,000 years, will be there and will honour them.

And just by existing and continuing they have proven that humanity had prevailed over the nihilism of the Nazis.

And that Oradour-sur-Glane has risen from the ashes.

For the future generations to and show off the charms of moderne and ancien Aquitaine.

All of which we can enjoy for ourselves with Ryanair flights from a range of British airports to Limoges and further afield… London Stanstead to Limoges from £13.53.

And which we will, of course, share with all of you.

Countries, Europe

Picasso it yacht to be Antibes

1st November 20231st November 2023 funtime65

Quite where Pablo would have put the sails, the tiller and the jib is anybody’s guess, but for adopted son of the Cote D’Azur Picasso it yacht to be Antibes.

Port Vauban, for those who don’t know, is the largest harbour in Europe and where the king of surrealism set up home.

And where he would have daily taken in the joys and sounds of the marina which has more than 1,500 moorings for yachts.

T’were Pab here today in France he might well pass Roman Ambramovich’s yacht moored here.

But being the poor painter that he was he’d have likely struggled to pay for a berth on the harbour, at €1m-€1.4m.

Art for sail

You’ll find Pab now down at the Grimaldi Castle.

Where you would have found him in 1946 working in his studio in the chateau.

Pab was living in nearby Golfe-Juan with Françoise Gilot.

Picasso was prolific in his time in Antibes, producing a portfolio of work, including Les Clés d’Antibes (The Keys of Antibes), covering an entire wall surface.

When the artist moved back to Paris, he left 23 paintings and 44 sketches in the Castle’s custody, the Picasso Museum.

Now that Antibes doesn’t figure on the most Instagram-worthy yachting destination in a study by comparison site InsureMy seems an oversight.

But it also means you can enjoy the harbour without having to dodge out of the way of selfie-takers.

Insta success

That said, there’s a reason why old favourites Sicily draws 17.4m Instas and Bodrum in Turkey 12.2m.

And Marseille along the coast from Antibes boasts 9.5m.

Pick your own fave out of this list, knowing only this that Antibes still holds pride of place as the marine capital of Europe.

With the added extra of it being the surreal thing for artists.

And if you’re looking for Picasso it yacht to be Antibes.

America, Countries, Culture, Europe

Kiss a Ginger Day

12th January 2023 funtime65

I was crimson-faced the day I mentioned to my auburn-haired cousin that I didn’t care who my kids wed as long as it’s not a carrothead… so I’ll redress that because take it as red it’s Kiss a Ginger Day,

Yes, it’s a thing, and while the rest of the world has its tanned and toned carnivals in the sun, us Celts (Scottish, Irish, Welsh) and Northern Europeans have our fiery festivals.

Red raver: Irish legend Maureen O’Hara

Because with the most gingers anywhere in the world, and Scots are out front, then gingers like nothing better than getting together to celebrate all things red.

With us Celts and Northern Europeans having gone out and multiplied around the world you can even team it with a holiday.

So there’s where they shout… come on you Reds.

A reddy night in Georgia

Chat-up lines: Do you fall for them?

Ginger Pride Parade, Rome, Georgia, USA: And when a ginger in Rome, Georgia, in March then it’s all about the Annual Ginger Pride Parade.

The free parade kicks off in the morning from Broad Street in Downtown Rome.

The spectacle which has been running since 2011 is described as a lighthearted approach to anti-bullying.

A dab of rouge

Let’s hope he’s not playing: Ed Sheeran

Festival des Ch’tis rouge, Arras, France: In France’s northern city of Arras, redheads galore gather for two days.

They have a fashion show, a ‘redheads got talent’ show,stall and more.

And in 2019 Miss France the raven-haired Maeva Coucke flicked her mane in Arras to show that red est magnifique.

An Italian red

Da Vinci code: Leo was a redhead

RossItalia, Milan/Redhead: Sicily And, yes, of course we love a full-bodied Italian red.

RossItalia has been running since 2012 in the fashion capital of Italy, the perfect backdrop for redheads to gather, mingle and celebrate their ginger hair come May time.

In Sicily, in Favignana to be precise it’s all about la famiglia.

And the ginger family lets their red locks down in July/August with a party filled with music, stalls, games, photography, a parade.

And even a ‘Miss and Mister Red Head Sicily’ contest!

The future is oranje

Come ear red: Vincent Van Gogh

The Redhead Days, Tilburg, Netherlands, August: And in the land where they celebrate the Oranje Army, who follow their national soccer team, then it’s not surprising that your colouring is popular.

Redhead Days, or ‘Roodharingendag’ is known as the world’s largest ginger weekender.

And it holds the world record for the largest number of natural redheads in one place.

Red for Hamburg

Look who I met on the Reeperbahn in Hamburg

Redhead Days Germany/Das Rothaarigentreffen Deutschland, Hamburg, Germany, September: And yes, we all know about the Reeperbahn, the Red Light District in Hamburg.

So, I guess too we shouldn’t be surprised that redheads are looked after too.

With hundreds of redheads and their friends attending previous events, Redhead Days Germany is expected to once again bring you group photo opportunities, a pub crawl, exhibitions, talks and plenty more!

But, of course, you don’t have to wait for any of these events because we’ve got today.

So get out there because take it as red it’s Kiss a Ginger Day.

America, Caribbean, Countries, Europe, Ireland

Five republics to escape the Platinum Jubilee

2nd June 20222nd June 2022 funtime65

And continuin our series, and because we’re not all pliant subjects, here are five republics to escape the Platinum Jubilee.

There are 159 republic in the world and only 43 sovereignty ikstates with monarchies. Go figure.

Vive La Republique

France: Mais oui, there were republics before the French, only they shout Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité a little louder.

So much so that the French are onto their fifth since We the First in 1792, followed we should remember by Emperor Napoleon.

And there is more than a touch of the regal about the French President’s official residence, the Élysée Palace in Paree.

The Battle Hymn

Mr President: Issy Conway, George Washington and the Pres’s right-hand man

America: And some 16 years before the then-royalist French helped the colonies form mthe Republic.

George Washington and his Vice-President John Adams had discussed how the new Pres should be addressed.

Adams had leant towards His Excellence but Washington insisted on just Mr President.

And he rejected his pal jGeneral Lafayette’s idea to erect an ornate monument in DC to him complete with horses.

Instead he had an obelisk, the Washington Monument installed instead. Pure class.

Italy’s republics

The holy of holies. At the end of the Francigena in Rome

Rome: Now La Citta Eterna is credited as the cradle of Republics although Athens might have something to say about that.

We all associate Classical Rome, of course, with the Caesars, but the Republic ran Rome’s affairs from 509BC to 27BC.

While the lyCaesars looked down from their plinths from 46BC-476AD.

YNow I was more a Latin student than a maths expert but that seems roughly the same and the Republic won out in the end.

The Irish Republic

On a pedestal: With Charles Stewart Parnell in Co. Wicklow

Ireland: And because the Free State didn’t scream self-determination (OK, it was a bit more complicated) they became a republic in 1949.

They had formed an ya constitution in 1937 with an elected non-executive president before breaking with the crown in 1949.

After a fractured relationship in the 60-odd years after the Irish brought back the Queen… but only for a visit in 2011.

Barbados, the new Republic

Barbados: And on November 30, 2021, Barbados took the momentous decision to replace the uQueen with a Bajan, President Sandra Mason.

Y the After 396 years, although Barbados had taken the first step with independence in 1966… and I even saw the seal in the Archive Offices.

The date, November 30, was arbitrary but in my wee country it is our national day, named for St Andrew, our patron saint.

Just returned from a third visit to Barbados I reacquainted myself with our joint heritage which includes a region of the island called Scotland. I

We sang Scots and Soca songs, ceilidhed and jumped and toasted the Barbados republic with rum and whisky.

My reason for going, well I didn’t need one, but it was to celebrate the renewal of the Barbados Celtic Festival.

And thought dreamily of a Scotland having their day one day.