The Bugle Dordogne - Aug 2013 by The Bugle

Six dead in worst train crash since 1988 A Paris to Limoges commuter train has derailed at rush hour just outside the capital before ploughing into a packed station platform, leaving six dead. >> Page 7

Dordogne August 2013 - Issue #2

Femen activist the new face of France President François Hollande has unveiled the latest version of the French stamp at a Périgueux print shop, but controversy was not far behind when the designers’ inspiration was revealed as a controversial female rights activist.

Health authorites in the region have warned against the dangers of Portuguese man o’ war >> Page 6

One enterprising town is looking to beat the financial crisis by introducing a new local currency... the radish! >> Page 8

BILINGUAL - Anyone for cricket?

We take a look at this quintessentially British sport and at how the game is faring on this side of the Channel. >> Page 16 © FEMEN Women’s Movement (WikiCommons)

>> continued on page 5

NEWS - Man o’war incidents spark warning

NEWS - Paying with radishes

he printing presses at Boulazac, just outside Périgueux, have been busy churning out the newest generation of French stamps. The Dordogne printer owns the monopoly on the printing of postage stamps and timbres fiscaux in France, but also produces stamps for other nations such as Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia. The new stamps, which were unveiled by François Hollande and officially entered service on the 15th July, use a much more youthful representation of Marianne, the symbol of the French Republic. The depiction of Marianne was chosen by high-school children from a shortlist, and François Hollande hoped that it would reflect his Socialist government’s promise to help the younger generation. “The youth are a priority of my government, and these stamps are an indication of that,” President Hollande told students at the unveiling. “You have chosen your Marianne, symbol of this Republic, and you have chosen a youthful Marianne.” For two months, staff at the Boulazac print shop have been working on the new stamps under the utmost secrecy - in fact, staff even had to sign a confidentiality agreement. “In the last two months, we have printed about 25% of our annual average which is close to 3 billion,” said Philippe Gateau, director of the print shop. “Because it has been a new launch, we have had to print every value at the same time so that all the post offices have the new stamp for the 15th July.” Following President Hollande’s surprise announcement, stamp collectors were queueing up to buy the new Mariannes

INSIDE > > >

WHAT’S ON - Events in August

3 pages of events to enjoy this summer from across the region >> Pages 21-23

2 ♦ IN THIS EDITION

Welcome to

The Bugle

o, the UK has a new heir to the throne - King George the Umpteenth. Surely only the Louisobsessed French can claim to be less original when it comes to choosing their monarch’s moniker. I honestly thought that William and Catherine might be slightly more original and pick a less traditional name, but in hindsight, my punt on King Brian 1st was always a long shot and is probably the easiest 5 quid Ladbrokes has ever made!! And as for guessing the sex of the baby, I need only have asked the neighbours. An elderly couple live opposite me who are the epitome of what old-fashioned country folk should be like: they are warm, friendly and infinitely knowledgeable. I popped across the other day to say hello and was congratulated on the birth of my future king. “Of course, we knew a week ago that it was a boy. As they say round here: if it is early, it’s a girl, if it’s late, it’s a boy!” The bookies should have stopped taking bets as soon as Catherine went past her due date! I love this kind of logic. It flies in the face of everything I learned

studying science in my youth. late August or early September, I Rules that are guaranteed to be right will have a conversation with my 50% of the time. Years ago, in my neighbours that goes along the lines less mellow days, of: “See, I told you I may have stood it would rain after up to statements Saint Roch!” To be like this and quoted fair, they have never a few formulae been wrong. Every and statistics, but year I have lived these days it just here it has rained at makes me smile. some point after the The best part is that 16th August!! they are absolutely I know I convinced that probably sound these sayings and like I’m taking the superstitions are proverbial, but I true. Then again, do actually love all who am I to say these little traditions otherwise?! and superstitions On 16th August that exist in the each year, there is a Saint Roch - the Rainmaker!! countryside. celebration of Saint It was tragic Roch in a village near me called to hear about the recent train Moutier-d’Ahun. It is an absolutely derailment in France that claimed 6 stunning little village with a lives. I spent the best part of a year wonderful Roman bridge over the commuting to and from Brussels river. Each year, they take a statue and I have taken that very train of Saint Roch from the church, many times. It is strange how the carry it the few hundred metres public reacts to accidents of this down the hill to the river and dip his nature when there are multiple feet in the water. Once this is done, casualties. Someone pointed out the rains will come - guaranteed!! to me in the aftermath that more It may take a while, but you can people died on the roads of France rest assured that at some point in that day than in the train crash,

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ AUGUST 2013 but that those deaths would go largely unreported. It is a sobering thought, not one aimed at diluting the tragedy of 6 people dying, but highlighting the fact that there are tragedies every day of the year on the country’s roads. I had a funny feeling for a few days after the train crash: “Wow, I used to get on that train. What if I still worked in Brussels?” And yet I have never read of a death on the roads locally and thought, “Wow, I drove down there just the other day”. On a lighter note, I do hope that you enjoy reading this second edition of The Bugle Dordogne. Please help us to spread the word by letting others know that there is a new community paper for English speakers in the department. Finally, if you have any comments or feedback, I would be delighted to hear from you!! Until next month! Steve Martindale, Editor email: editor@thebugle.eu

INSIDE this edition 1 & 3-6 Local News 7-11 National News 12-15 French Life 16 Bilingual 17-19 Directory 20 Language/Games 21-24 What's On

CONTACT us Tel: 05.55.41.17.76 General: editor@thebugle.eu Advertising (EN): sales24@thebugle.eu Publicité (FR): publicite@thebugle.eu Subscriptions: subscriptions24@thebugle.eu Editor: Steve Martindale Write to: The Bugle Les Quatre Chemins 23150 St-Yrieix-les-Bois France

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LOCAL NEWS ♦ 3

AUGUST 2013 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

200 million Dordogne moves to attract next Chinese watch generation of rural doctors the Dordogne

Source: YouTube

n October 2012 a film crew from Chinese station Hunan TV arrived in the Dordogne to shoot parts of an upcoming romantic drama series, “Flowers in Fog”. The eagerly anticipated show is now being broadcast in China and an estimated 200 million viewers will be watching the drama unfold against a Périgord background.

For the Chinese, France is seen as the land of love, one of the reasons the production company chose to film sections of the romantic drama on these shores. Filming took place at a number of locations across the department, including Bergerac Airport, Cadouin Abbey, the Gardens of Eyrignac and the Château de Commarque. During the 42-episode drama, the lead female character, played by Li Sheng, travels to France to find a long-lost friend, only to discover that she has been murdered. In order to uncover what happened to her friend, she seduces the brother of the man suspected of being behind her murder. But, as is the way with these things, matters are complicated when she falls in love with the man she is tricking, before returning to China. “Everything is different here compared to China: the countryside, the architecture, the culture,” explained the show’s producer, Jissie Ho, speaking via an interpreter. It is not the first time a Chinese drama has been filmed in rural France; the same crew shot another series here in 2006 entitled “Dreams Behind a Crystal Curtain”. ■

commission has been established in the Dordogne to find a solution to the problem of attracting young healthcare professionals to the department. Today, 50% of all general practitioners in the Dordogne are over 50 years old, and attracting younger doctors is proving difficult. The problem is repeated across similar healthcare professions, with a lack of dentists, ophthalmologists, paediatricians, physiotherapists and nurses. Compared to the other departments of the Aquitaine region, the Dordogne and Lot-et-Garonne are particularly affected by this phenomenon. The number of doctors is on the decline, retirements are on the increase and the number of new practitioners setting up is not sufficient to buck this trend. To tackle the problem, the Commission départementale de la démographie médicale et paramédicale (CODEM) has been established. “The commission has a purely investigative brief. Its aims are to report on the ways we can best coordinate our actions to fight against this lack of healthcare professionals,” explained Michel Laforcade, director of the regional health authority. In Bergerac, the city most affected in the Aquitaine, there are an average of 71.6

doctors per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to a national average of 96.9. There are also 78,000 people in the Dordogne who live more than 30 minutes away from emergency care. One area that the commission will be looking closely at is the recent emergence of rural maisons de santé, or private hospitals. There are already a number of these spread across the Dordogne with further hospitals planned at Vélines, Villefranche-du-Périgord and

Montpon. “These maisons de santé represent an attractive option for young doctors looking to move here,” said Mr Laforcade. “20% of doctors who have set up in the Dordogne recently have done so

via a multi-discipline private hospital. They meet the aspirations of the younger generation of doctors.” The commission is due to deliver its first report on 7th October. ■

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4 ♦ LOCAL NEWS

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ AUGUST 2013

Dordogne abbey Bergerac deputy mayor accused leading the way of 1998 Tour de France doping for blind tourists

A Dordogne tourist destination has unveiled the world’s first touchscreen audio guide for the blind and visually impaired. Cadouin Abbey, a world heritage site on the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela, is offering iADV Visit via touchscreen phones and tablets. The application can be downloaded from the internet, or devices with the app pre-installed can be hired on site. Once activated, users are guided around the Abbey via an audio interface which tells them the number of steps to the next point of interest and describes exactly what is around them. “In order for the application to be suitably adapted for use, we have developed the content and the interface with the association Groupement des intellectuels aveugles et amblyopes,” explained Pierre Croiset, director of GMT Editions which makes iADV Visit. “Rather than a bland commentary, the guide describes in detail what is in front the person, the colours, the shapes, the history.” ■

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he mayor of Bergerac has given a public vote of confidence to one of his deputies, Pascal Chanteur, who has been accused of possible doping in the 1998 Tour de France. Dominique Rousseau announced at a meeting of the Conseil municipal that he wanted to restate his “continued support and confidence” in his deputy in charge of sport and leisure and said that there was absolutely no possibility that Mr Chanteur could be removed from office over the suspicions which date back 15 years. “To be an elected official does not make you a judge, nor does it put you above the law. But I will not blur the lines between public and private life.” The controversy arose in July when a report into the effectiveness of anti-doping policies was published by the French Senate. The report included a list of riders who had used illegal substances during the 1998 Tour de France and a further list of cyclists “likely” to have been doping. One of those identified as “likely” to have cheated was Pascal Chanteur, who has been on the mayoral council since 2008 and is president of the National Professional Cyclists Union (UNCP). Also on the list was Bobby Julich, who came third overall that year. “It’s a disgrace,” said

an angry Mr Chanteur, who runs a cycle shop in Bergerac. “I am ‘suspected’ of doping... that doesn’t mean anything. I would prefer to have been accused outright, at least then it would be clear. They are throwing people to the dogs.” Chanteur, who came

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35th in the general classification in 1998, went on to accuse the authorities of “stigmatising” cycling before complaining that the report gave him no power to defend himself. “I am like a second-class citizen,” he said. “I would also like to ask how much this report cost.

Because, after 6 months of work, they have restricted themselves only to the cyclists. What about everyone else? It’s always the cyclists who are highlighted.” The report includes 60 proposals in the continued fight against doping in cycling. ■

LOCAL NEWS ♦ 5

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New Marianne stamps unveiled amid controversy >> continued from pg 1 outside the print shop at Boulazac. But unfortunately for the president, like so much that has taken place during his presidency, within hours controversy had stuck. The designers, David Kawena and Olivier Ciappa, had previously said their inspirations ran from the Renaissance to French comic strips and were even influenced by Japanese manga. But after the stamp’s launch, Ciappa tweeted: “For all those who are asking who the model was for Marianne, it’s a mix of several women, but above all Inna Shevchenko, founder of Femen.” Femen, a group of feminist activists who often stage bare-breasted protests, was founded in Ukraine but is now based in Paris after its leader Shevchenko was granted political asylum in France, following outrage at her felling of a giant cross in Ukraine in support of the Russian band Pussy Riot. “Feminism is an integral part of the values [of the French

Republic] and Marianne, at the time of the revolution, was bare-breasted, so why not pay homage to this fabulous Femen,” Mr Kawena subsequently said through the Huffington Post website. Femen have been involved in a number of high profile protests, most notably in May of this year, when one of its members staged a mock suicide in Notre Dame Cathedral with the words “May Fascists rest in Hell” painted on her naked torso. The stunt took place exactly 24 hours after Dominique Venner, a 78-yearold right wing essayist and historian, had taken his own life in front of the altar at Notre Dame after posting a blog condemning France’s recently passed law allowing samesex marriage and adoption. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen subsequently tweeted her “respect” for Venner and said his death was an “eminently political” gesture. For their part, Femen appeared to be delighted with the unexpected publicity: “Femen is proud to be the new official symbol of France.

Liberté, égalité, femen!” the group announced via its Twitter feed. “France has always recognised the role of women who stand up for their rights.” Femen’s leader Shevchenko later tweeted: “Femen is on French stamp. Now all homophobes, extremists and fascists will have to lick my a** when they want to send a letter!” The revelation of the inspiration behind the new image on French stamps caused outrage in many quarters. The right-wing Christian Democrat Party called for a boycott of

the stamps, with Christine Boutin, a former minister under Nicolas Sarkozy and founder of the party, calling the design an attack “on the dignity of women and the sovereignty of France” before demanding that they should immediately be withdrawn. For now, it is business as usual for the print shop near Périgueux, which continues to print millions of the new stamps. Its director played down the controversy, telling reporters, “It is the Marianne of the people and everyone can see her as they like. In any case,

it has got people talking about the new stamps which has got to be a good thing, does it not?” Several French artists have inspired different Mariannes for French stamps in the past, most famously Eugène Delacroix, who depicted a barebreasted Marianne brandishing a tricolour flag and leading her people over the bodies of the fallen in his famous painting “Liberty Leading the People”. The current incarnation, however, is thought to be the first version inspired in part by a woman who isn’t a French national. ■

6 ♦ LOCAL NEWS

First car designed for quadriplegics unveiled in the Dordogne

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ AUGUST 2013

Health authorities issue warning over Portuguese man o’war

Thomas Veillon became paralysed from the neck down following an accident in 1996, aged 15, when he dived into a pond that was only 4 feet deep. He has gone on to lead an independent life and can now, for the first time, drive a car. The car is operated via a joystick that Thomas moves with his forehead; other basic controls on the vehicle, such as indicators, are voice operated. “It’s a world first and it took place in the Dordogne!” pronounced Vincent Panier, president of the Ellipse group, a partner in the project, before presenting Mr Veillon with a cheque for €21,120. “The money is only 10% of what we need to complete this project, but it’s a good start,” said Mr Veillon. “We will get there. You do not predict the future; you make it happen.” There is still plenty of work to do before the prototype car becomes a commercial reality, most importantly the development of software to account for any involuntary sudden movements by the driver. Thomas Veillon is confident, however, and says that once the vehicle is finished his aim is to use it to pass his driving test and become a regular - and independent - road user. ■

A group from the Dordogne has unveiled a prototype car that can be driven by quadriplegics - those paralysed in all four limbs. The idea, which may appear slightly crazy at first, came about following a meeting between Thomas Veillon, a quadriplegic, and Pascal Candotto, from Gironde company ACA which specialises in vehicle adaptations.

ealth authorities have released a warning to be on the lookout for Portuguese man o’war after swimmers have been stung off the coast of the Aquitaine, particularly in the Landes. Although it looks very similar, the Portuguese man o’war is not actually a jellyfish. It is often a blue colour with a body of around 10cm. Its tentacles, however, can reach many metres in length and can deliver a nasty sting, which although excruciating is rarely fatal. The man o’war should be avoided even when they have washed up on beaches and appear dead as the tentacles still contain the painful poison. Authorities have been careful not to create undue concern and have pointed out that the man o’war are not necessarily here for the summer. If they are seen on a beach one day, it does not mean that they will be there the next - they cannot propel themselves independently and travel on the warm currents of the sea. Although large white jellyfish are a common sight off the coast of France, they are more of a nuisance than a danger. “As the tide rises, they are brought up onto the beach, and when the tide goes out again, it carries them with it,” explained Guillaume Christ, a lifeguard from Lacanau (33). “But with these, there are no dangers. They are inoffensive, at most a little irritating. People either have fun with them, or stay away

from them. But the man o’war is a completely different problem!” “It is more of a burning sensation than anything else,” said Mr Christ, describing the painful sting. “With the man o’war, we know that in 90% of stings to the skin, everything will go back to normal very quickly. But in 10% of cases, there can be complications.” Should you be stung by a man o’war, the best treatment is as follows: - Avoid any further contact and carefully remove any remnants of the organism from the skin (taking care not to touch them directly), then gently scrape the skin with the flat of a knife or a bank card to remove the

stinging cells. - Apply salt water to the affected area (not freshwater, which tends to make the the sting worse) - Follow this with the application of hot water (around 45 °C) for 15-20 minutes. This eases the pain of a sting by denaturing the toxins. Contrary to popular belief, applying vinegar (or other slightly acidic fluids that may be easily available!) actually increases the poison delivery, making the pain worse. In 2011, several beaches in the Landes were inundated with man o’war and a number of bathers had to be taken to hospital after being stung. ■

New average speed camera enters service near Sarlat A new average speed camera system has been brought into active service on the D704 near Sarlat, heading towards Cahors. The series of cameras cover a 1.7km stretch where the speed limit is 90 km/h. The average speed camera, or radar tronçon, calculates the time taken to travel from the start of the zone to the end and measures a vehicle’s average speed between the two points. If this average speed is greater than the designated speed at that point, a penalty is issued in the usual way. The other stretch covered by average speed cameras in the department, on the A89 between Périgueux and Saint-Laurent-sur-Manoire, heading towards Brive, is still in a test phase, but is expected to also start delivering tickets in the near future. According to the Prefecture, the move “allows us to actively battle for better road safety by reducing speed, an aggravating factor in most accidents”. As well as the new average speed camera, the Dordogne currently has 21 fixed speed cameras and 5 red light cameras. ■

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NATIONAL NEWS ♦ 7

AUGUST 2013 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

ore than a hundred people were injured in July, and six killed, when a Paris to Limoges train derailed at rush hour and crashed into the Brétigny-sur-Orge station, just south of the capital. Confusion still surrounds exactly what caused the accident on Friday July 12th - France’s worst railway accident since 56 were killed at Lyon in1988 - with some experts suggesting foul play may have been involved. It is known that three of the four bolts fixing a hefty steel plate joining two sections of rail - a so-called “fishplate” - are believed to have broken or come loose, something which is regarded as being almost impossible. “In the memory of railwaymen, bolts have never given way on their own,” said Didier Aubert, leader of the railway section of the CFDT trades union federation. “A deliberate act of sabotage cannot be excluded.” Officially, equipment failure is still regarded as the most likely cause of the accident, but union leaders and railway experts say the provisional explanation put forward by the state railway company, the SNCF, is difficult to swallow. The axles of the third and fourth carriages of the crowded train, which was travelling at 130 kph at the time, struck the metal plate and the last four carriages derailed. Four people on the station platform and two passengers on the train were killed. For a long time, the platform clock remained frozen at just after 5:10pm, the moment of impact. Shortly after the crash the head of the SNCF, Guillaume Pépy, gave a

tearful address in front of TV cameras and talked of a “rail catastrophe”. “The SNCF considers itself responsible,” he said later. “It is responsible for the lives of its clients.” The following week, speaking in Limoges, Mr Pépy confirmed that 15 people were still in hospital, two with serious injuries, and that investigations were ongoing as to the cause of the accident. In the Dordogne, a spokesman for the SNCF said that 80 sets of points in the department had been verified since the crash, with absolutely no anomalies found. Two sets of points, similar to those responsible for the crash, were singled out for close inspection. “These fishplates are checked very regularly, but we have performed extra checks as a safety precaution,” explained the spokesperson. Witnesses described the scene as like something out of a disaster movie. The mayor of Brétigny, Bernard Decaux, told Le Parisien: “Three carriages were tangled up one behind the other, with a fourth lying on its side. Everyone was running in all directions. It was panic. It was an apocalyptic sight.” Michael Lesaunier, the owner of a café beside the busy suburban station told iTélé: “The train approached very, very fast, knocking out everything in its path. It was rush hour, the platform was full.” French transport minister Frédéric Cuvillier had said human error was not to blame. He told RTL radio: “Fortunately, the driver of the locomotive had absolutely extraordinary reflexes in that he sounded the alarm immediately, preventing a collision

Six dead in huge train derailment

with another train coming in the opposite direction and which would have hit the derailing carriages within seconds.” The track had been checked eight days before the accident and railway experts have been quoted as saying that it is conceivable for one bolt in a fishplate to break or come loose, but almost impossible that three out of four should fail at the same time. In the aftermath of the tragedy, anger at France’s two-tier railway system has been mounting. For years, a series of reports has sounded the

alarm about the chronic underinvestment in France’s regular rail lines, described as the “poor cousin” of the much vaunted high-speed links launched to great fanfare in 1981. High-speed trains carry fewer than 20% of travellers and account for just 1,900km of a total network of around 30,000km of track. In 2005, a report by the École Polytechnique de Lausanne warned that France’s regular, non-high-speed train lines were so degraded that 60% of them would be unusable in 2025. The government of François Hol-

lande has already signalled the end of an era by putting the brakes on ambitious TGV expansion plans, many of which were implemented by Hollande’s predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy. These would have almost doubled the high-speed rail network over the next two decades. Three investigations are under way into the accident, one of which is criminal. It remains to be seen whether the failure of the fishplate was down to sabotage, technical faults, ageing equipment or maintenance failures. ■

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8 ♦ NATIONAL NEWS

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ AUGUST 2013

Gay serial killer marries in prison

The radish becomes new local currency!

the idea behind this ultra-local currency is to persuade residents to circulate their money within the commune and to trade with local businesses: “It is a complement to the traditional currency, to encourage us to spend locally and to

One radish has been fixed as the equivalent of one euro and the bank notes being produced by the town even have anti-counterfeit measures to dissuade fraudsters. The commune has printed 2,000 notes ranging in value from 1 to 20 radishes. In total 8,000 radishes will eventually be in circulation. The name for the currency is presumably a play on the French expression “ça ne vaut pas un radis”, which literally translates as “that's not worth a radish” and is commonly used to imply that something is worthless. Ungersheim radishes officially came into service on the 13th July, and local businesses are already proudly displaying signs that they accept the new form of payment. According to the town's mayor,

improve local interactions. At the moment, the commune's 2,000 residents only buy 5% of their goods from local businesses.” So far, 90% of those businesses have signed up to the trial scheme, some of whom are offering a 10% discount to anyone paying with radishes. And on top of that, businesses are also offering a 10% bonus on the exchange rate, so 20 radishes are worth €22, giving a total saving of 20% to those using the fledgling currency. It may sound like a hare-brained scheme, but Ungersheim is just one of 30 towns in France that have launched complementary local currency schemes since the credit crisis took hold in 2008. The currencies are perfectly legal and no different to luncheon voucher schemes. ■

serial killer and a convicted murderer have married each other in the first behind-bars gay wedding to be celebrated in France, with one of the world's most notorious terrorists as their witness... you couldn't make it up! Convicts Alfredo Stranieri and Germain Gaiffe said “Oui” in a ceremony held inside the walls of the Maison Centrale de Poissy prison near Paris. Their witnesses were controversial comedian Dieudonne M'bala and the Venezuelan terrorist Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, otherwise known as Carlos the Jackal. Italian-born Stranieri, 56, was labelled the 'small ads killer' after targeting victims through classified adverts. He was given a life sentence in 2003 for killing four. Gaiffe, 45, was sentenced to 30 years in 2003 for the murder of a man whose body was later found hacked into dozens of pieces. Gaiffe originally turned up to the wedding wearing a white dress but was eventually asked to change into men's clothing. Comedian M'bala, who has been an outspoken critic of samesex marriages in the past, also arrived in a dress, but was ordered to change out of his gown by prison guards. “It was emotional and very funny,” M'bala

he town of Ungersheim, in the Haut-Rhin department of Alsace, has developed a novel way of tackling its current economic woes - by introducing its own currency... radishes!

Among the witnesses was Carlos the Jackal, seen here in court in 2000, who is one of France's most notorious terrorists said of the ceremony. “Love has spoken. This is the France of tomorrow and the family of today.” The prison staff union described the wedding as a nonevent organised “to generate buzz”. A prison official has refused to reveal whether the newly-weds will now be allowed to share a prison cell. The couple met in prison but

this is not the first time they have hit the headlines while behind bars. In 2010 they made the bizarre claim that they had fathered a child with France's then-justice minister, Rachida Dati, and demanded paternal access. Miss Dati subsequently launched a prosecution for “causing outrage to a public servant” - the pair had four months added to their sentences. ■

NATIONAL NEWS ♦ 9

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ore than six million people visited the Eiffel Tower in Paris last year, but if you don't have a head for heights, or simply don't like the idea of the queues and the stairs, then why not take a virtual sightseeing tour? Internet giant Google has launched a service that allows virtual visitors to explore France’s bestloved landmark and see the French capital laid out at their feet. The project is part of the Google Cultural Institute, a project aimed at cultural preservation, and includes 360 degree views of Paris, maps, engravings, archives and photos. The Eiffel Tower is the first French monument to sign this type of contract with Google. “That’s what interested us because the Institute is also exhibiting the historical side of the Eiffel Tower online,” JeanBernard Breau, the president

of the Société d'exploitation de la Dame de fer, told RFI. “The tower has to be modern. It was modern when it was built for the Universal Exhibition in 1889. The tower should also be universal. Besides, it’s also something great we can offer to Eiffel Tower fans from all over the world. It’s added value for our guests!” In order to obtain the impressive panoramas, a European Google StreetView representative spent six hours filming the tower from a 60-kg trolley. The unveiling of the online tour comes shortly after the Eiffel Tower reopened following a 2-day strike by disgruntled staff who were complaining about the length of time being taken to fix an elevator going up to the first floor. “In 2008, renovations to the West Pillar elevator were agreed upon,” said a union representative. “The work was supposed to last for two years and cost

Google launches virtual Eiffel Tower tours

€18 million. After five years, the elevator is still out of use and the cost of the works is now close to €40 million.” The union said the delays have reduced the ability for the tower to welcome

Burger King hoping for a Whopper of a comeback in France

rance's love affair with fast food is well known: the French spend more per capita on McDonald's than any other country and France is the company's largest market outside of the United States. But a name more familiar to British expats will soon be taking on the Golden Arches as Burger King launches a comeback this side of the Channel. Burger King, the second largest fast food company worldwide after McDo, once owned 39 restaurants in France, but closed these in 1997 because of lacklustre sales figures. McDonald's currently has 1,200 franchises operating in France, and although one-sided, the battle between Le Big Mac and Le Whopper looks set to begin again on French soil. A single Burger King restaurant was opened at the end of last year at Marseilles Airport and a second restaurant has just

opened at a motorway service station close to Reims. The fast food company has now announced that it will shortly be returning to the capital, opening a branch in Paris' Saint-Lazare train station

and they have picked a prime spot; an estimated 1 million people pass through the train station each day. More restaurants are sure to follow across the country. The comeback is being made in partnership with Italian company Autogrill, which now owns the rights to Burger King in France at train stations, airports and service sta-

tion food outlets. The initial signs for lovers of the flame-grilled Whopper are promising, with one airport worker from Marseilles telling Le Figaro: “A lot of customers come to the airport in the evening or at the weekend just to eat lunch or dinner at Burger King”. The restaurant reportedly has an average 1,500 customers per day, far beating the 1,200 forecast. The newest 450m² Burger King in Saint-Lazare station will be set over 2 floors and is expected to open by December. It will, however, be in direct competition with the McDonald's and Quick restaurants already established next to one of the capital's most important transport hubs. Burger King’s return to Paris comes shortly after a recent study revealed that, for the first time ever, sales of fast food in France have overtaken those of traditional sitdown restaurant dishes. ■

more tourists, leading to “long queues, impatient visitors, and deteriorating working conditions”. Despite attracting up to 25,000 visitors every day, the

Eiffel Tower is a long way behind Notre-Dame cathedral (13.6 million) and the SacréCoeur basilica at Montmartre (10.5 million) in terms of overall annual visitor numbers. ■

10 ♦ NATIONAL NEWS

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France remains the world’s most visited country The number of European visitors to France was up 2.1 per cent, but the number of Asian tourists grew at a rate of 9.9 per cent. And a key new market that is emerging is Chinese tourism. Although the number of visitors from China is still a relatively modest 1.4 million, this figure has leapt by 23.3 per cent and is set to increase dramatically over the coming years. Last year the Hurun report in China showed that there are 2.3 million dollar-millionaires in China and that France was their preferred tourist destination - Britain came in fifth. It helps that France is part of the Schengen area, the bloc of 26 European countries that requires only a single visa - a group that Britain has refused to join. British business leaders have already branded the UK's visa system “bureaucratic madness” and the UK China Visa Alliance, a lobbying group made up of retailers hoping to force change, has claimed the rules are costing Britain around £1.2 billion each year. “Chinese tourists can fill out a relatively simple form to get a Schengen visa for 26 European countries, yet have an incredibly complicated process to get a UK visa, so many of them don't bother,” said Simon Thomas, chief executive of the Hippodrome Casino in London's West End. “Let's be perfectly clear, this is a competition with London, this is a battle between cities,” François Navarro, spokesperson for the Ilede-France regional tourist authority, recently told The Observer. “Our goal is that Chinese visitors come to Paris, stay for longer and spend more money. Of course, we prefer that Chinese tourists come to spend

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their money in Galeries Lafayette and not in Harrods.” The French authorities have recently gone even further, establishing a joint visa office in Beijing last October with the Germans, in order to help Chinese visitors obtain travel documents

booklet called “Do You Speak Touriste?” which encourages them to be “even more welcoming” to foreigners. The guide - available in hard copy and online - offers a few phrases in the languages of the 11 most popular countries of origin for tourists to Paris. Perhaps more

quickly and easily. “Our figures show a rise of about 20% in the number of visas given since then, but it's still not enough,” Navarro added. “We have fewer visa problems than London because of Schengen but we have asked the French government to make it even easier for the Chinese to obtain visas. And our goal is to give them the best welcome possible.” The Chinese market is important for the future of French tourism as when they are on holiday, they spend! Chinese visitors spend 40% of their holiday budget in Paris on shopping, mostly for luxury goods. Britons, who make up the biggest number of Parisian tourists, spend 7%, and Americans 25.7%. To this end, Paris, which alone attracts 33 million tourists a year, has gone on a charm offensive, sending hotels, cafés, shops and even taxi firms copies of a new

importantly, it also offers clues as to what tourists are looking for: a Brazilian wants to feel he is seeing the “hidden” Paris, for instance, and a German appreciates a handshake. The guide also warns visitors about pickpockets in the metro and gangs of youths who pretend to be deaf and dumb to raise money for apparently reputable organisations.

rance has once again topped the world league table in 2012 for the most number of tourists. In fact, the 83 million visitors who stayed more than 24 hours is a record, beating the 81.4 million who came to l’Hexagone in 2011, according to the annual report on tourism by the French government’s tourism arm, DGCIS. “The economic and political problems that are affecting many parts of the world continue to spare the tourism sector,” the report said, noting that the number of global tourists was up four per cent in 2012. France’s attractions extend beyond its world-famous museums and historic monuments. Visitors also come for the food - French gastronomy is recognised by Unesco as part of the world’s heritage - as well as the wine, the shopping, the mountain skiing and the Riviera beaches. For the record, Britain was ranked seventh in the tourism league table, with just under 30 million foreign visitors. Europeans made up the vast majority of France’s tourists, some 83 per cent, and for the first time since 2006, Germany (12.2 million) has dethroned Britain (12.1 million) as the top visiting country. While the number of tourists from America, Africa and Oceania fell after growing in 2011, visitors from the emerging Bric economies (Brazil, Russia, India and China) leapt by 21 per cent. The report shows that tourists spent €35.8 billion in France last year, a figure that equates to 7.5 per cent of GDP at a time when recession has hit other sectors.

an apparently racist attack on Asian wine students near Bordeaux, which interior minister Manuel Valls described as a “xenophobic attack”. In May, there was a riot near the Eiffel Tower, during which a bus full of tourists was attacked by a group of looting football fans. In March, 23 Chinese visitors were robbed of their cash and passports shortly after arriving in the capital. And in April, the world-famous Louvre art gallery was forced to shut down for a day when employees staged a walk-out in protest against

The high tourist figures from Asia come despite a series of thefts and muggings involving foreign nationals, the latest being

pickpockets at the museum, who were “becoming more numerous and more aggressive”. The police are cracking down - 200 officers have been specially recruited to protect tourists this summer. Although France is the most visited country in the world, it is languishing in third place for the amount spent by tourists, behind the U.S. and Spain. International visitors spent more than double in the U.S. than they did in France in 2012, despite the fact that France welcomed 20 per cent more people. Spring may have been raindrenched and there may be ongoing economic gloom at home, but the tourism ministry is still predicting good results for 2013: visits to ski resorts over the winter of 20122013 were apparently up by 7 per cent and France looks set to keep its place atop of the tourism table for some time to come. ■

Controversial Hadopi piracy law scrapped

rance's controversial Hadopi law, introduced by Nicolas Sarkozy in the battle against illegal downloaders, has effectively been scrapped by the present government. The Loi Hadopi was introduced in 2009 and aimed to tackle the downloading of copyrighted material with a 'three strikes' policy - the first two strikes were written warnings and the third strike was to cut off an offender's internet access. The law proved controversial from the outset. Shortly after its approval in 2009, the French Constitutional Council defined internet access as a basic human right. Confirming the move, culture minister Aurélie Filippetti announced that the internet cut-off option - the central tenet of the law - will no lon-

ger be applied. In a statement, the government acknowledged that internet access has become a major means of access to culture, especially for young people. Instead of targeting individuals, more will now be done to tackle “commercial piracy” and “sites that profit from pirated material”, a government spokesperson said. Despite costing millions to set up and run, the cut-off option was only ever used once: an individual was given a €150 fine and had their internet access disconnected for 15 days. With more and more services moving online - including important government ones - many would now agree that denying a person internet access comes close to infringing their human rights. In 2009, Sarkozy defended the

Hadopi law, insisting that the government should protect “lawlessness” in all parts of its territory, including in the online world: “How can there be areas of lawlessness in areas of our society? How can one simultaneously claim that the economy is regulated but the internet is not so? How can we accept that the rules that apply to society as a whole are not binding on the internet?” With the 'restructuring' of the controversial law, the government's report says that instead of simply disconnecting users, those suspected of copyright could be fined if they did not reply to warnings, with a relatively low fine (€60) to begin with, followed by gradually increasing fines depending on the number of infractions. ■

NATIONAL NEWS ♦ 11

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Are the French falling out of love with the baguette?

hen you think of France, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Putting aside childhood stereotypes of men in stripy tops, cycling along wearing berets with a string of onions around their necks, your next thought may well be the baguette. Is there a greater symbol of France... with the possible exception of strikes and the Eiffel Tower?! Recent figures, however, have shown a marked decline in the popularity of the humble 'French stick'. A century ago, the baguette was a staple of every Frenchman's diet, with three being eaten on average by every person, every day. By 1970 this had dropped to just one and today, the average person is surviving on a meagre half a baguette a day! And all this despite bread being one of the cheapest staples available - nationwide, the price of a baguette is currently around 89 cents. One thing the French are also well known for is not taking anything lying down and true to form France's bread lobby (yes, that does exist and it's called l’Observatoire du pain), has launched a campaign to encourage people back into their local baker's. Under the banner “Coucou, tu as pris le pain?” or “Hi there, did you get your bread?” (for our American readers, think “Got Milk?”), the slogan will be seen on more than 7,000 billboards across France, printed on bread

bags and will even be written in “clean” graffiti on the pavements of major French cities. “The baguette is losing ground to rival products like cereals at breakfast, biscuits at tea time, pasta and rice at other meals,” said Valérie Mousqès-Cami of l'Observatoire du pain. “Lifestyles are changing,” explained Pascale Hébel, head of the consumers' department at Crédoc, the French living conditions research centre that conducted the study of bread consumption. “More and more French people skip breakfast, notably young adults, whereas it's the meal where the largest quantity of bread is typically consumed,” she told Le Parisien newspaper. Organisers of the campaign hope that the public will see the slogan at opportune moments during their day: “The question will be posed as people go about their daily lives at a key moment when, if they don't have any bread, they can still take action and get it at the boulangerie,” explains the campaign website. One selling point is to “remind people that to pick up fresh bread on the way home is a simple way of showing loved ones that you are thinking of them at the end of the day.” Although overall consumption is on the wane, 98 per cent of the French eat bread, with the vast majority bought at France's 26,000 boulangeries, where the range of choice has never been greater. ■

Norwegian terror suspect arrested in the Limousin terrorist act”. Kristian “Varg” Vikernes, a black-metal musician and writer, was convicted in 1994 of stabbing another metal band member to death in Oslo and burning down several churches. He moved to France in 2009

with his wife and three children on his release from prison and settled in the Corrèze department of the Limousin. He continues to produce music and write online about his philosophies. Authorities described Vik-

entral France was on high alert in July, as well as hitting the international headlines, when authorities announced that they had arrested a Norwegian neo-Nazi musician who they believed was “preparing a major

ernes as a “sympathiser” of Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in Norway in 2011. On his blog Vikernes admits reading the right-wing extremist's manifesto accusing Muslims of destroying European society, but appears to distance himself from Breivik and at one point refers to him as a "nutcase". Mr Vikernes was arrested at his home along with his wife, who had just bought four rifles. Officials later said that questioning of the suspect did not bring to light any evidence of a terrorist plot and the pair were released. Vikernes will apparently have to answer charges of incitement to racial hatred over the content of some of his writings on the internet, but no charges relating to terrorism have been filed. His wife allegedly had a valid firearms permit when she bought the weapons. The interior ministry said at the time of the arrest that Vikernes was “close to the neo-

Nazi movement” and could have been preparing a “major terrorist act”, although French interior minister Manuel Valls later conceded that no specific target or project had been identified and that authorities had decided to “act before and not afterwards”. Speaking after his arrest, Jean-Claude Chauffour, the mayor of the commune where the couple live, said that they kept to themselves and did not participate in village life. “He doesn’t speak much French,” Mr Chauffour told Le Nouvel Observateur. “He used to dress in military clothes, and she also liked camouflage gear.” Vikernes' lawyer, Julien Freyssinet, said that the Norwegian was far from preparing a terror act, and described his client as a “survivalist”. Survivalism is a movement of people who actively prepare for emergencies - for instance stockpiling food, water and medicine or building protective structures - often believing a social, political or natural catastrophe is imminent. Mr Freyssinet said the weapons seized by officers at the couple's home had been acquired “completely legally and without hiding a thing”. ■

12 ♦ FRENCH LIFE

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So who really did invent the

prinkled with salt, dunked in ketchup, soaked in vinegar, covered with gravy or dipped in mayonnaise, everyone has their own specific way of enjoying the humble, crisp strips of fried tuber known the world over as French fries! The origin of the fried potato, or chip to the British, is a matter of dispute among experts; both France and Belgium - where they are the national dish - have laid claim to the invention of fries, but until now there has been no definitive answer. According to French legend, the frite was invented by street merchants on the Pont Neuf in Paris, just after the French Revolution in the late 18th century. “Fries, they are the orphan of street cooking, of low birth. That is why it's hard to establish where they really come from,” says French historian, Madeleine Ferrière. This Parisian genesis story is popular in France and has been often quoted, but is bitterly disputed by the proud Belgians, who claim that fried potatoes were invented on their side of the border. Belgian folklore states that the chip was invented by accident in the 17th century by the people of Namur, in what later became southern Belgium. The story goes that people there needing a cheap meal would fish in the river Meuse, frying what they caught. One day, when the river was frozen, local fishermen chopped potatoes up into slices

resembling small fish and fried those instead. As part of a festival of food in the Belgian capital called Brusselicious, culinary experts and historians from both countries have examined the competing claims. Pierre Leclerc, a professor at the University of Liège, admitted that there was little proof of Belgium’s paternity. “Belgians adore chips but serious scientific research on the subject has only just begun,” he said. Then there are the Spanish. They once controlled the area that is now Belgium and claim that the recipe for French fries first appeared in Galicia, where it was served as an accompaniment to fish dishes. From there they say it traveled aboard Spanish galleons to Belgium. Looks like the jury is still out on this one... What's in a name? The exact origin may remain unclear, but where does the “French” part come from? One theory is that the term “French fry” is a shortening of “French fried potato” meaning a potato fried in the French style. In 1802, Thomas Jefferson had “potatoes served in the French manner” on the menu at a White House dinner. Adventurous farmer, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and former ambassador to France, Jefferson had indeed brought the fried potato back to America with him

from Paris. In fact, the recipe can still be seen today in a manuscript written in Jefferson’s own hand (although it almost certainly came from his French chef, Honoré Julien). When he served these fried potatoes to his guests using this trans-Atlantic recipe... voilà, the French fry was born. Some Belgians dispute this and believe that the term “French” was introduced when American soldiers arrived in Belgium during World War I, and consequently tasted Belgian fries. They supposedly called them “French” as it was the official language of the Belgian Army at that time. Today, Belgian culinary experts insist that chips have achieved their pinnacle, in terms of both quality and cultural importance, in Belgium. The French use them as something to eat with meat. The British insist on fish. “We, the Belgians, have made the chip something noble in itself,” says Albert Verdeyen, co-author of a book on chips. “Above all, we have mastered better than anyone else the art of double-cooking them until they are golden and crunchy.” Frites in the south, or frieten in the north, are an institution in Belgium - do not try to tell a proud Belgian that they were invented anywhere else! The Belgians are also the largest consumers of chips in Europe. They are eaten at any time of the day, usually from a cone with a large dollop of sauce on top and can be a meal in themselves. You

Bugle Editor, Steve Martindale, looks at the origins of the humble chip. As a proud Belgian resident for 6 years, but now raising a family in France, his loyalties are torn on the topic of who exactly did invent the French Fry...

have not eaten chips until you have had twice fried chips from a friterie or frietkot on a square in a Belgian town. “To go to a frietkot, that is the very essence of being a Belgian,” says Philippe Ratzel who owns the Clementine stall, one of the most popular in Brussels. “Here, you can meet anyone - the old lady who is taking her dog out for a walk, students or even the government minister who lives nearby.”

In the garden - jobs for August

inally the summer is well and truly here!! Long forgotten are the dull wet days of June, and bonjour le soleil ! Which, for the gardener, means its own set of challenges. This is one of the main differences between gardening here and in the UK. Let’s face it, how often does it get into the thirties there? But we love the good weather, so it’s a question of adapting our actions to suit it. The first is trying to make sure your plants don’t get critically thirsty. You can do this by cutting back stalks or leaves, so the plant has a smaller mass to maintain. It won’t hurt it at all, and will in all likelihood just delay flowering. This works especially well for large leaved plants like rhubarb, or long flowering spikes like campanulas. You can go down the watering route but this can be costly, both in time and euros. Much better is to mulch. You can do this with a variety of organic and non organic materials. The road verges are lush at the moment with

by Michelle Pierce

bracken, so why not collect a few armfuls to spread on your borders to protect the roots from heat? Flowering is a bit advanced this year, as the sudden good weather in July ‘told’ the plants it was August or September. If your heleniums, asters and so on are in flower, you can also cut them back to try and retard flowering. It’s soon time to get sowing, or organised for winter crops and next year’s biennials. The shops will have transplants in and it’s a good moment to sow, as long as you can keep the seedlings watered. Remember the cooler crops don’t like to be too warm, so put young plants in a shady place in times of heat. The fruit trees and bushes in our gardens are laden with fruit, so thin some out to ensure the remaining fruit is large and of good quality. Having picked the blackcurrants, prune the bush back, and stick the twigs in the ground as cutting to give away to friends and family. It’s important to be able to be generous in your garden,

without completely giving it away. A good idea is to have a visitors’ bed where you can propagate things that you have plenty of, on the basis that one man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure. Raspberries, other berries and soft fruit are having a hard time with the dry conditions so make sure you water and mulch, to keep them producing fruit as long as possible. Judging by the quantities of

berries undevoured by birds this year, our feathered friends have been hard struck by last winter’s weather conditions, and the catastrophic decline in insects. Few of us can say we’ve seen clouds of butterflies this year, after all. As for ladybirds, I think I’ve seen two so far. So, in the interests of biodiversity, and a garden where a certain number of pests are eaten for you, think about how you can help them. This may mean putting

Whatever their origins and however they got their name, let’s stop fighting and just agree that at their best they are hard to beat. John Calvi, in a 1982 poem called French Fries, perhaps said it best, in his final stanza, when he wrote: Some think the army, the bombs and the guns Will one day save all of our lives, I don’t believe it – heat up your pans Make peace, and lots of French fries. up shelter for over-wintering, feeding with bird or chicken food (a lot cheaper) or deciding not to prune back bushes that provide winter shelter. Try and wander round your garden regularly with a pen and paper, making notes about what you want to split up in the autumn, what hasn’t done so well, what has outgrown its space, etc. Make a wish list of plants you must have. There will be a new spate of plant fairs and exchanges at the end of the month and in to September, and it’s much better to go out to them with a little (!) list - you never know what you’ll find, but it’s especially nice to come across something you’re looking for! Continue harvesting your crops for as long as possible. This stops the plant from saying to itself “my work is done here”. If you can’t cram another pot of jam into the larder, it makes a fab present for a neighbour. So, dry and hot as it is, things are pretty good in the garden, but most of all, take time to enjoy your space and the swallows wheeling overhead – and remember to protect your skin if you go out in the midday sun, like the rest of us mad dogs... Good gardening !! ■

FRENCH LIFE ♦ 13

AUGUST 2013 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

French fry...?

Oven poached peaches with lemon & thyme Pêches pôchées au thym-citron

This is a quick and easy recipe for a summer dessert, using fresh or tinned peaches. Serve with a big dollop of vanilla ice cream or crème fraîche.

Ingredients (Serves 4):

Large tin of peaches or 2 large peaches 120g/4oz Sugar 4 Sprigs of thyme 100ml/4floz Water Juice of 1 lemon 60g/2.5oz Unsalted butter 1. Preheat the oven to 150°C/300F. If you are using fresh peaches halve and stone them, then place the peaches into an ovenproof dish, cut side up. If you are using tinned, tip the syrup into a pan and put the peaches cut side up into the dish. 2. If you are using fresh peaches put the water, sugar, half the lemon juice and 2 sprigs of thyme into a pan. Heat until the sugar has dissolved. If you are using the syrup, add half the lemon juice and 2 sprigs of thyme to the syrup and bring to a simmer to infuse with the lemon and thyme. 3. Pour the syrup over the peaches, cut the butter into knobs, and place into the hollows of each peach. Place the other 2 sprigs of thyme over the top of the peaches. 4. Place in the oven and cook for about 20-25 minutes until soft, leave to rest for a few minutes, then serve with vanilla ice cream or crème fraîche.

Wine Tasting in Dordogne Reaches New Heights with Bergerac Wine Tours “Great Wines, Fresh Local Produce, Scenic Routes & Exceptional Value”

Bonjour!

We are Christelle, Alex and Jessica and together we are Bergerac Wine Tours. We are three young wine enthusiasts with extensive knowledge of the Bergerac wine region and the Dordogne terroir. Our company is about fun, excitement and love. Located in the South-West of France, we established Bergerac Wine Tours as a reflection of our desire to use our talents, enthusiasm and interests to share our love of wine

and the terroir with as many people as possible. We have thoroughly researched this region’s vineyards and their associated local areas to bring you the very best specialities Bergerac has to offer. Our aim is simple: to make each day of your tour a truly unforgettable experience. Based in Eymet, Christelle’s father Jacque Combaud is an old-fashioned winemaker. He has been using organic growing and production methods since 1979. His vineyards were one of the first to produce organic wines in France (and Europe) and offer truly unparalleled pallets and tastes. His core methodologies have not changed to this day. We operate solely within the Bergerac appellation because we know the area really well and are the first and are unique in our approach. We live here; we have tasted the nectars; we have met the winemakers; we have sampled the food. Our daily lunches are prepared with fresh seasonal ingredients from local gardens. Needless to say, our tours offer great value for money. They are full of passion, knowledge and above all, fun!

The Bergerac Wine Tasting and Terroir Tour Bergerac Wine Tours present an excellent opportunity to enjoy the Bergerac wine tradition which started over 2000 years ago and guided daily excursions allow people to get to know more about the Bergerac area and its magnificent wines. Because the region is rather large and diverse in nature we have worked hard to come up with a relaxed “no rush” daily tour by liaising closely with established winemakers with impeccable reputations. Our chateaux have award winning labels, they are family run and you will learn about (and taste) organic wines and organic production methods. Did you know that, currently, there are around 2,000 producers of organic wine in the world and over 900 of these are based in France? With over 200 wineries located in the area, we are spoilt for choice! In order to get the most out of your visit, Bergerac Wine Tours limits the number of participants per tour. Our smallscale, intimate approach enables you to fully absorb the information given by the winemakers during our tasting ses-

sions. In addition to our wine tasting schedule, the tours include a visit to several local, food producing farms. Here you can sample some of the delicacies the Bergerac region is most famous for, including plums, chocolate or goats cheese; each product is made by farmers with generations of experience.

The tours cost €60 per person per day. Children are welcome! The price includes: pick-up around 10am (within a 40km radius of Eymet – contact us if you are coming from further afield); a visit to a château, including a walk through its vineyard, finding out about the terroir and production, followed by a wine tasting session; a visit to a local food producing farm; time to relax and enjoy our home made alfresco lunch overlooking the majestic Eymet vineyards, served with a local red, rosé and white wine and coffee; a short stop at a nearby vineyard to learn more about one of the first organically producing vineyards in France; a visit to a local CO-OP, including a walk through its vineyard, a tour of its cellars and an introduction to its production methods. This CO-OP too is proud of its organically produced wines, which will be tasted afterwards; drop-off around 6pm. For more information about the tours, an introduction to Bergerac wines, tasting tips and our blog visit:

www.bergeracwinetours.com

14 ♦ FRENCH LIFE

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ AUGUST 2013

Madame Guillotine the terror of France

he guillotine is an iconic execution device that made its name (and indeed, took its name) during the French Revolution. In reality, beheading machines had already been around for centuries. The ‘Halifax Gibbet’ and the ‘Scottish Maiden’ are well-documented devices that date back as far as 1286. These machines were not as precise and efficient as the guillotine and whilst the Halifax Gibbet is documented as having performed a total of 53 executions, the guillotine regularly performed that many a day in Paris alone. In pre-revolutionary France, executions were public, lengthy and often gruesome affairs. Common methods of execution included hanging or burning at the stake. You could also find yourself bound to four oxen that were then driven in four different directions, effectively tearing you into quarters. In the most extreme version of this type of execution, you would first be tortured in public in a practice known as being ‘hung, drawn and then quartered’. If you were rich, you could buy your way to a manual beheading – a death that was usually reserved for the upper classes. The guillotine in its most famous form is credited as the creation of Dr Joseph-Ignace Guillotin. Dr Guillotin was not a fan of executions. In fact, he was one of a growing number of French philosophers

during the Enlightenment that argued for a more humane form of capital punishment. It is not even known if Dr Guillotin was a supporter of capital punishment at all and certainly abhorred it in its current form at the time. The new execution machine was originally proposed as a more humane, egalitarian form of execution. In the early months of the French Revolution in 1789, Dr Guillotin proposed the principle of the machine, along with a few crude sketches, as a universal method of execution across France - one that involved no torture, would be performed in private and would be used irrespective of class or wealth. Although initially rejected, his proposals were eventually accepted a few years later, but executions would continue to be public affairs. The design of the machine was then given to Tobias Schmidt, a German harpsichord maker who used Dr Guillotin’s sketches as his starting point. In 1792 he completed his prototype, and after numerous tests on animal and human corpses, the machine was finally ready to be used. The completed machine comprised two fourteen-foot uprights joined by a crossbar, whose internal edges were grooved and greased with tallow. The weighted blade was either straight, or curved like an axe. The system was operated via a rope and pulley and the whole construction was mounted on a high platform.

The first execution by guillotine took place on April 25, 1792, when a convicted highwayman, Nicolas Jacques Pelletie, was executed in Paris. At some point in the following years the machine came to be called a Guillotine, even though Dr Guillotin had very little input in its actual design. Exactly when and how this came about is not known. The blueprints were sent to all parts of France, exact replicas were created and soon all public executions were being performed by Madame Guillotine. By the end of the revolution in 1799, the guillotine had executed up to 45,000 people. The period 1793-1794 became known as The Terror in France, a time when “anyone who either by their conduct, their contacts, their words or their writings, showed themselves to be supporters of tyranny, of federalism, or to be enemies of liberty” could be executed. This loose definition could and did cover almost everyone, and during the years 1793-4 thousands were sent to the guillotine. Historians have argued whether this bloody period in French history would have been possible without the guillotine, and whether its invention led directly to the huge scale of these mass executions. The history of the guillotine does not end with the French revolution and as well as being used in France for a further 150 years, it was also

wagons, carriages, horses and above all… people. The majority of these sunless passages still, as in Medieval times, depended on streams running in gutters in the middle of the streets to carry rain, the dregs of stagnant water, garbage, raw sewage and everything else besides to the nearest, hopelessly inadequate, underground sewer. These underground sewers in turn deposited their cargo into the river Seine, from where the population then took their drinking water. More than a quarter of the city's streets had no water conduits at all. It is no wonder then that people started dying. In 1832, Paris’ Hôtel Dieu hospital began to receive a steady stream of patients. They had a wide range of symptoms including apoplexy, fever, chest pains, vomiting and headaches. Most of them were dead within a day or two and before long 19,000 people had died… of cholera. The victims were said to look like corpses in the days before they died, and some had ice-cold tongues. With hindsight, the cures of the day probably did little to arrest the spread of the disease: a hot bath infused

with vinegar, salt and mustard, some lime tea and a sensible diet? “With these precautions, we need not worry about an epidemic,” an official declared with wild optimism in August 1832. As the cholera swept through the city, there was little to be done, but when the outbreak was finally under control, Paris’ town planners did their best to make sure the disaster was not repeated. “Cholera became an important factor in urban planning,” says historian Oleg Kobtzeff. “The idea of wider streets and sidewalks came as a result of cholera, as well as having a proper sewage system.” Streets were widened, pavements were created, more and more sewers were buried and hygiene became the major factor in town planning. By 1870 the rebuilt city had the sunniest, most beautiful and functional streets ever seen, and the results were copied throughout the world. So good were the results, that many areas of Paris have not been altered to this day. In the older parts of Paris such as the Latin Quarter, it is still possible to see the grooved gutters, which used to carry

adopted by many other European countries. In 1939, Eugen Weidmann became the last person to be publicly executed using the guillotine and on 10th September 1977 the guillotine was used for the last time in France when it was used to execute Hamida

Djandoubi. Four years later the death penalty was abolished in France. Contrary to popular belief, Dr Joseph-Ignace Guillotin did not fall foul of his own creation and lived on to die a natural death in 1814. ■

The epidemic that shaped a city

aris may be world-famous for architecture such as the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame or the SacréCoeur, and it is justifiably celebrated as a city of art and culture, but next time you visit this nation’s capital, why not take a trip to a museum that celebrates a human achievement that trumps all else in terms of the impact it had on quality of life and which shaped the landscape of the Paris that we know today. Beyond a small kiosk located at the Pont de l'Alma, not far from the Eiffel Tower, is Paris’ sewer museum. Paris now has 2,100 kilometres of tunnels and has the capability of processing more than 2 million cubic metres of wastewater each day – but it was not always so. For centuries Paris had grown with no street planning, and after the Revolution Paris' population exploded in the early 1800s as people entered the city in search of jobs. Before long, the city’s population had doubled to 1 million people and had become a labyrinth of alleys and passages with hundreds of narrow, airless roads clogged with heavy

How a newspaper of the time pictured the cholera epidemic of 1832

the sewage, running down the centre of the streets. Fortunately, these only carry rain nowadays. It is safe to say that the

Paris of today owes its broad and beautiful boulevards to a devastating outbreak of a deadly disease, 180 years ago. ■

FRENCH LIFE ♦ 15

AUGUST 2013 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

Keeping cool this summer Our regular Environment contributor, Arthur Smith from Harlequin Developments, takes a look at what can be done to keep cool this summer, without resorting to expensive and ecologically questionable solutions like air conditioning.

hew it’s a scorcher!! It finally arrived, what we’ve all been waiting for. After what seems like an endless and very wet winter, summer is here, and things have started to really heat up in our corner of rural France. Unfortunately, houses here haven’t always been constructed, insulated or positioned correctly in order to maintain bearable indoor temperatures throughout the hottest times of the year. Although many houses, like my own, are built from stone which helps balance out the seasonal difference in temperatures, there are many who when renovating, have converted their greniers into bedrooms. My (French) neighbours would never think about doing that as they say that one of the main purposes of the attic is to keep the house cool in the summer. Keeping homes cool is set to become an increasing challenge in the near future as global warming really starts to kick in and developing nations will have increased access to luxuries, or in some cases necessities, such as air conditioning. Millions more people will start using air conditioners and for longer periods. Aside from the big surge in electricity and water consumption connected to air conditioner use that costs consumers and the environment a great deal, power company transformers are well known to overheat and explode when air conditioning usage hits its peak during a heatwave, often causing massive blackouts and fires. So what practical steps can we adopt to avoid having to turn to industrial means of keeping our homes cool in summer? Some basic tips for staying cool indoors Dark roof tiles and summer heat aren’t a really good combination, so instead of running an air conditioner for many hours a day, invest in roof insulation, and if possible,

‘green insulation’. It’s a great investment, not only keeping you cooler during summer, but warmer during winter and it could possibly increase the value of your house. Additionally, it will help to reduce noise from outside, especially the noise from my cockerel who starts crowing at some ungodly hour when it starts to get light. But even with good insulation in place, houses can still became quite hot at times, especially if built facing east-west instead of north-south. Houses built facing north-south take advantage of passive solar warming during the winter months and present a side of the house to the sun, with fewer windows, during the summer. To further help keep the mercury down inside during the summer, leave some doors and windows of the house (ideally with security screens on them) open from the evening through to early in the morning to let out pent up heat and cool down the core of the house. Then shut the house up and draw the curtains as the temperature rises during the day. Here are some other tips for staying cooler indoors: • Ceiling and pedestal fans. While a fan on its own doesn’t reduce temperature, the movement of air over your skin evaporates perspiration causing a cooling effect. If you decide to install a ceiling fan, try to buy one that has a reverse feature; it can then be useful in winter too. • Fill in any gaps around doors and windows. • Turn off any appliances that you’re not using. All electrical appliances generate heat, so if you’re not watching the TV, switch it off (this will also reduce standby power consumption). • Switch from incandescent bulbs to LED or Compact Fluorescent Lamps as 8090% of the energy consumed by incandescent lighting is wasted through heat. This will also save you money in

Managing Editor: Steve Martindale Editor-in-Chief: Steve Martindale Registered Address: Les Quatre Chemins 23150 St-Yrieix-les-Bois France SIRET: 514 989 748 00017 Printed by: Charente Libre 16340, L’Isle d’Espagnac France Monthly circulation: 11,000 copies All copyright, unless stated otherwise, is reserved to The Bugle. Reproduction in whole or part of any text without permission is prohibited. Dépôt légal à parution.

electricity. • Prepare foods that require the least amount of cooking as possible and use a microwave where you can. • Wear clothing that breathes, such as cotton and linen. Avoid wearing shoes as our feet are also designed to be efficient heat exchangers. In fact, the less clothing you can get away with, the better. Just bear in mind that you have neighbours… • Curtains and blinds should be a light colour and of heavy material to help reflect/ block the heat. Blackout curtains can also help keep heat in during winter. If you have roof windows, fit them with a blind, and keep it closed during the day. • Keep rooms you don’t use often closed off. • Plant trees around your house to provide a shade buffer between the sun and your walls. • Avoid excessive opening and closing of external doors. Each time the door is opened, a substantial blast of hot air will follow. • Drink plenty of fluids, but steer clear of alcohol (sorry) and sugar laden drinks. • A spray bottle full of water kept close at hand can be a great way to get a bit of relief, particularly if there’s some air movement. Lastly, don’t forget about your pets! Dogs, for example, don’t perspire, but cool themselves by panting. If your dog is panting rapidly and salivating heavily, this could be a sign of heat stress. Make sure your pets have plenty of water and in the case of dogs, a spray every once in a while from a bottle containing water, or a shallow tub with a few inches of water in it that the dog can stand in, can be a big help to our canine chums. Arthur Smith Harlequin Developments harlequindevelopments.com Tel: 05.55.68.67.56 Mob: 06.06.60.46.97

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The Bugle cannot accept responsibility for the claims of advertisers or their professionalism. We strongly advise readers to verify that the company you are dealing with is a registered trading company in France or elsewhere in the world.

There are plenty of cheaper options available before resorting to aircon

PHOENIX ASSOCIATION - Adoption

TOY – 1 and a half Year Old Boxer x Labrador Boy Funny that Toy should be called Toy, as all he wants to do is play! He'll never be able to tell us what happened, but somewhere in his past, he must have sadly had a swipe to the head, which has left him blind in one eye and deaf on that side. Has it affected his looks or his behaviour? Oh not a jot! (the only treatment he requires are eye drops and eye cleaning) Toy would absolutely adore another lively dog to play with - all he wants to do is have fun, fun, fun! Toy is very friendly with cats too. Children, of course, are great as far as he's concerned! If you are interested in adopting Toy please call Jackie & Andy on 05 53 52 06 23 or email Jackie.Axford@gmail.com. More photos and videos of Toy are on the Phoenix website: www. phoenixasso.com Thank you, The Phoenix Team Check out our ADOPTION PAGE at www. phoenixasso.com or FACEBOOK www.facebook. com/PhoenixAssociationFrance for other Phoenix animals available for adoption.

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Anyone for cricket?

here are few things in Britain that conjure up the image of summer more than cricket. If you drive through England on a Sunday afternoon you will see games of cricket taking place on most village parks and greens. The game, considered by much of the world to be incredibly complicated and far too long, is part of British culture and is in fact the national sport. Explaining cricket to a French person is difficult. It is often a mystery to those who do not understand the game how you can play for 5 days and still have a draw! In France, the sight of 22 men dressed in white and standing around a field all day may be rare, but the game is still played here. In fact, cricket is becoming more and more popular. According to David Bordes from France

Cricket, the national cricket association, today there are more than 1,200 registered players – up from 500 players just eight years ago. Mr Bordes says 40% of the members are French with the rest being expats from cricketplaying nations like England, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka. “The internet and satellite TV are helping to make cricket more popular,” said Mr Bordes, who himself learned to play while at school in France. One of his teachers had studied at Oxford University where he had learned the game and had brought his passion for cricket back to France with him. “I enjoyed the friendship and fun of cricket,” he said. “I discovered the tactical aspect, which I love, and I was lucky enough to play for France.” In fact David Bordes is featured in a list of the 100 best matches of the 20th century in the “Wisden

The Bugle thanks French teacher, Sophie Arsac, for the translation of this month's bilingual article on a topical aspect of FrancoBritish culture.

Cricketers’ Almanack”. During the match in question – when France beat Germany in the final of the 1997 European Nations Cup - he scored the winning run despite having a fractured skull! Elsewhere in France, celebrity supporters have helped to increase the popularity of cricket. In Saumur, western France, the local team’s most famous supporter is Mick Jagger who owns a nearby château. Saumur club’s manager, Vincent Buisson, is also a musician and was also introduced to cricket through watching TV in England when touring with his band. “The only thing we had to do in the afternoons was watch the cricket on the BBC. I thought to myself, ‘that’s my sport’. I saw Shane Warne for the first time and I said, ‘Anyone can do that. You don’t have to be a super athlete. All you need is a good brain!’” ■

Bilingual Crossword Clues in English - answers in French

u Royaume-Uni, peu de choses n’évoquent d’avantage la saison estivale que le cricket. Si vous circulez en Angleterre un dimanche aprèsmidi, vous pouvez voir des matchs de cricket dans la plupart des espaces verts. Une bonne partie du monde considère que ce jeu est incroyablement compliqué et beaucoup trop long. Il fait partie intégrante de la culture britannique et est, de fait, le sport national. Il est difficile d’expliquer le fonctionnement de ce jeu à un Français et c’est souvent un mystère pour ceux qui ne comprennent pas les règles de voir qu’on peut jouer pendant 5 jours et trouver le moyen de faire match nul! En France, bien qu’il soit rare de voir 22 hommes tout habillés de blanc qui passent leur journée debout autour d’un champ, ce jeu y est malgré tout pratiqué et il est de plus en plus populaire. Selon David Bordes,

Across:

membre de l’association nationale de cricket «France Cricket», il y a plus de 1 200 licenciés contre 500 il y a exactement 8 ans. Selon lui, 40 % des membres sont français et le reste des joueurs sont des expatriés de nations joueuses de cricket comme l’Angleterre, le Pakistan, l’Inde et le Sri Lanka. Toujours selon Monsieur Bordes, Internet et la télévision par satellite ont contribué à populariser ce jeu qu’il a luimême appris alors qu’il était dans une école française. L’un de ses professeurs, ancien étudiant à l’Université d’Oxford où il avait appris à jouer, avait rapporté cette passion avec lui en France. «J’ai aimé l’esprit de camaraderie et de rigolade» dit-il. «J’ai découvert l’aspect tactique que j’adore et j’ai eu la chance de pouvoir jouer pour la France». En fait, David Bordes figure sur la liste des joueurs des 100 meilleurs matchs du 20ème siècle dans «l’Almanach Wisden

des joueurs de cricket». Pendant le match en question, lorsque la France vainquit l’Allemagne lors de la finale du championnat d’Europe en 1997, il marqua un point décisif lors d’une course malgré une fracture du crâne! Ailleurs en France, des supporters célèbres ont contribué à augmenter la popularité du cricket. A Saumur, à l’ouest du pays, le supporter le plus célèbre de l’équipe locale est Mick Jagger qui possède un château dans le voisinage. Le secrétaire du Club de Saumur, Vincent Buisson, également musicien, a découvert le cricket alors qu’il regardait la télévision en Angleterre lors d’une tournée avec son groupe. « Nous n’avions rien à faire de l’après-midi, à part regarder le cricket sur la BBC. Alors je me suis dit «C’est mon sport ». J’ai vu Shane Warne pour la première fois et j’ai pensé: N’importe qui peut faire ça. Il n’y a pas besoin d’être un super athlète. Tout ce qu’il faut c’est un cerveau qui marche bien! » ■

5. oak tree (5) 6. wound (5) 8. cabbages (5) 9. rooster (3) 12. computers (11) 13. ten (3) 14. parks (5) 17. pen (5) 18. hedges (5)

Down:

1. tea (3) 2. anchovy (7) 3. island (3) 4. drawers (7) 7. hurricane (7) 10. artist (7) 11. cradle (7) 15. wheat (3) 16. worm (3)

Bilingual crossword solution can be found on page 23

A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO CRICKET « …Alors il y a deux équipes, une qui est en dehors du pitch, l’autre qui est dedans. Chaque joueur de l’équipe qui est dedans va dehors, et quand tous les joueurs qui étaient dedans sont dehors, l’équipe qui était dehors va dedans et l’équipe qui était dedans essaye d’avoir les joueurs qui sont maintenant dedans dehors… » “…So, there are two teams, one which is out in the field and one which is in. Each player in the team that is in goes out, and when all the players that were in are out, the team that was out goes in, and the team that was in tries to get the players from the team that just came in out…”

DIRECTORY ♦ 17

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ADVERTORIAL

Ivan Petley - 3D Puzzle Maker E

xpat Ivan Petley is a traditional puzzle maker, but one with a difference. All his puzzles are handcrafted and one of a kind - nothing too unusual there - but Ivan’s puzzles are also three-dimensional, multi-layered and fully interlocking. That stands him apart from the crowd; in fact, it stands him alone - to the best of his knowledge, he is the only person in the world currently handmaking puzzles in this way. In essence, Ivan’s puzzles are incredible. Each one is hand-cut from a single piece of hardwood, typically beech, maple, yew or sycamore (frustratingly, with so much of it around, oak is not a great wood for the intricate cutting required). The individual pieces are then hand-finished by Ivan’s wife, Alison. No chemicals, varnishes or treatments are used on the wood at any time, just natural oils and beeswax, a process that maintains the natural colour and feel of the wood. These are puzzles that will last a lifetime… and far beyond! So, the puzzles are ‘simple’ to make and naturally treated… but are they simple to solve? Absolutely not!! Part of the challenge of assembling a threedimensional puzzle is that not only do you have to fit the right piece in the correct place, but it must also be assembled in the correct order! Solving a simple one may take less than an hour, but for larger puzzles be prepared to set aside a good chunk of your day! Don’t be put off, however, if you are not a seasoned puzzle enthusiast. Although Ivan does make puzzles for connoisseurs around the world that he estimates could take months to solve, the vast majority are relatively simple. For example, a 2-layer, 12-piece puzzle was solved in The Bugle’s offices in around 15 minutes. And for such unique, complex and beautiful creations, Ivan’s puzzles are very reasonably priced. A small 12-piece yew log sells for a mere €9. Ivan also produces handmade key rings for just €2 so you are sure to find a gift to suit every budget. Ivan can turn absolutely anything into a puzzle - just tell him what you want and he can make it! A favourite car and the name of a loved one are just two of Ivan’s recent custom-made creations. The puzzles can also be pyrographed with a name or a date to mark any occasion. These handmade masterpieces make the perfect gift! ■

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ADVERTORIAL

Dave Cardwell - professional builder/designer

ave Cardwell, professional builder/designer, is able to undertake all building works, including bespoke handmade Abri’s, Carports, Field Shelters, Stables or Animal Housing. In the north and the east of the Dordogne, whatever your needs, look no further! Whether you require basic stables or desire a complex design, we can create to an exact brief. Digger and driver also available for hire. Our company is based on the belief that our customers' needs

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Dave Cardwell www.limousinbuilder.webs.com dave.cardwell@yahoo.co.uk 05 55 98 24 12 - 06 06 44 35 28 Find us on facebook: www.facebook.com/CardwellArtisan

ADVERTORIAL

ow in their 5th year of business in France, PRINCE SARL trading as Jon - the carpet man, continues its rapid growth, gaining more and more satisfied customers throughout the country. The company is owned and managed by Jon and Andrea Prince from their home in the Limousin. “The past few years have seen tremendous growth in the business,” says Jon, “and although working in France can often be very frustrating - we were recently without our office phone number for nearly 2 months because we made the mistake of trying to move to a better provider! - we as a family love living here and it is definitely home”. Jon - the carpet man carry a full range of carpet, vinyl & laminate samples in their purpose-built warehouse, which they bring to you to give a no obligation quote. “The desire for decent carpets, fitted over quality underlay, remains a priority for many expats who have either a permanent or holiday

home here,” Jon adds. “We have over 35 years’ industry experience in the UK and have direct accounts with many of the major manufacturers, along with a network of wholesalers who supply us with just about all we want from all over the world.” All goods are brought over from the UK

in the company’s own vehicles with return trips at least every fortnight. As Andrea explains: “This constant contact with those at the forefront of product development keeps us up to date with the latest trends

and styles. For example, many new ranges available are made from 100% recycled plastic bottles - in fact one of the most outstanding collections we have recently brought over is made from recycled maize (corn)!!” Jon & Andrea made their decision to offer their service throughout France and have subsequently worked all over the country, on all sorts of projects, from mobile homes to grand châteaux, small cottages to maisons de maître, and from narrowboats in the Midi to seafaring cruisers on the Med!! So, whether you want quality carpets for your home, or a cheap cord to tide you over during renovations, give Jon & Andrea a call!! ■

BRONTE CARPETS As partners in France with Bronte Carpets of Colne, Lancashire, Jon - the carpet man can even offer carpets any width up to 12 metres, in any colour!! This family run business can also hand carve designs into your carpet or inlay a coloured design of your choice. www.brontecarpets.co.uk Click on the links page of our website for more details on other companies we work with.

web: www.jonthecarpetman.com tel: 0033 (0)5 55 73 63 16 mob: 0033 (0)6 42 19 82 12 email: jonthecarpetman@gmail.com CARPET FITTERS Because there is such a vast difference between accepted French methods of gluing carpets directly to the sub-floor and our preferred system of stretching carpets over underlay & gripperrods, Jon - the carpet man only uses UK trained fitters. This ensures that the flooring is fitted in the best way, by the best fitters available in France.

ADVERTORIAL

“SolarVenti”- the solar solution to Harlequin damp and humidity Developments A E

stablished and registered in France since 2006, we specialise in all aspects of property renovation and refurbishment, along with barn conversions and extensions. No job is too big or too small and we will provide you with a detailed devis at a competitive rate. Our work includes full renovations, extensions, insulation and plaster boarding, tiling, replacement windows and doors, re-pointing walls, parquet flooring, staircases, kitchens and bathrooms fitted. We undertake insurance work floods, fires etc - and send regular up-date emails, together with photographs, to clients who may live outside France, to keep them fully up to date with their project. References are gladly given from previous/

current clients. We are now able to offer an even wider range of renewable energy products from some of the world’s leading manufacturers. With summer coming, why not think about putting a roof over your terrace/patio area? We will be happy to give you a quote for a traditional oak framed structure, with a roof finish to your specification. All bespoke to your requirements, and using the best local materials. It could also double as a car-port during the winter, and bring an end to scraping ice off car windscreens. We have several satisfied clients from 2012, who will happily provide references for the quality of our workmanship. For more information, a devis, or simply to discuss your project, please feel free to contact us.

simple solar energy system that runs on its own, even when you are not there and provides a free heat supplement in winter. The SolarVenti air panel was invented more than 20 years ago to use the sun’s energy for airing and ventilation of the thousands of holiday homes on the West coast of Jutland, houses that were left empty and unheated for long periods, houses with damp problems, mould and bad odours. How it works The principle behind SolarVenti is simple: a small, built-in solar cell powers a 12V fan that is connected to an air vent, a control unit and an on/off switch. Whenever the sun shines, the air in the solar panel is heated and the fan, receiving power from the collar cell, introduces warm, dry

air into your home at the rate of 20 to 100 cubic metres per hour. In Southern Europe, SolarVenti is not only used for ventilation/ dehumidification purposes; with far more winter sunshine hours, it also provides a substantial heating supplement. A DIY Solution? The installation process is very straightforward and should only take two or three hours. All that is needed is a drill, hammer and chisel to make a hole in the wall. Roof installations are also possible. There are no electrical or water connections and it can be safely left running, even when the property is empty. With a range of panel sizes, and the option for wall or roof mounting, SolarVenti is suitable for all types of buildings, caravans or even boats!

SOLARVENTI - Available in the Dordogne From Harlequin Developments Tel: 05 55 68 67 56 Mobile: 06 06 60 46 97

20 ♦ LANGUAGE & GAMES

Bilingual Food Wordsearch Try to find the 20 items of food in the letter-grid below. Clues are in English, answers are in French.

www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ AUGUST 2013

The most famous libel case in history? Condemned as an indulgent socialite and publicly executed, was Marie Antoinette really such a tyrant...?

pon hearing that the people of Paris were starving because they could not afford to buy bread, Marie Antoinette famously shouted at her advisers, “Let them eat cake!” This solution to a growing

peach mushroom lemon corn spoon to drink bread

juice cucumber cup rice onion tomato garlic

herb vegetable butter salad oil champagne

French Trivia • France has 101 departments - 96 in metropolitan France and 5 overseas departments, often called DOMs (départements et régions d’outre-mer)

SUDOKU - EASY

questioned whether she really was quite such a tyrant. Whilst the common translation is a good approximation, brioche is not cake. At that time in France, the law forced bakers to sell all loaves at the same price in order to

autobiography, Confessions, in which he wrote: “At length I recollected the thoughtless saying of a great princess, who, on being informed that the country people had no bread, replied, “Then let them eat brioche!”.

Marie-Antoinette was publicly executed for cake crimes problem fuelled her image as a callous, indulgent socialite, disconnected from the people and ignorant of the reality of day-to-day hardships in pre-revolutionary France. The exact quote is:

S’ils n’ont plus de pain, qu’ils mangent de la brioche. Historians have since

stop them selling only expensive breads. So a loaf of brioche from the baker cost the same as a loaf of bread. Marie Antoinette may have meant that the law should be enforced so that, if plain bread was running out, the poor could eat brioche for the same price. In fact it has since been established that she did not say these words at all. They are a quote from Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s

SUDOKU - MEDIUM

Rousseau doesn’t name the ‘princess’, and Marie Antoinette didn’t arrive at Versailles until 1770, three years after Rousseau had written the above passage. This didn’t help Marie Antoinette, though, and shortly after the Revolution she lost her head. Reports that she went to the guillotine with the revolutionaries shouting “Flour to the people” have never been officially verified! ■

SUDOKU - HARD

The solutions to this month’s sudokus can be found on page 23

To advertise in The Bugle 05.55.41.17.76 / sales@thebugle.eu

WHAT’S ON ♦ 21

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WHAT’S

in August Ciné-Rencontres 31st July 11th, 14th & 21st August

Since its release, LE DERNIER PAYSAN PREHISTORIEN (The Last Farmercum-Prehistorian), a film shot by Sophie Cattoire, has been a hit at documentary film festivals, winning numerous awards including Best Film for Creative Research at the ICRONOS Festival in Bordeaux. A film shot “up on top” and “down below” on a farm and in a cave in the Périgord Noir, it tells the story of Gilbert Pémendrant, the owner of the seventh painted cave to be discovered in the world: the Bernifal Cave in Meyrals, Dordogne. Discovered on his property in 1898, this cave contains 130 figures (including horses, bison, mammoths and ibex) sculpted, painted and engraved by Magdalenian artists over twelve thousand years ago. This film is fast becoming cult, with the audiences snuggling into the safe, warm cocoon of farm life and prehistory, in total harmony with the endearing main character. Don’t miss the upcoming “Ciné-Rencontre” evenings - with drinks to follow - in the presence of Gilbert Pémendrant, the owner of Bernifal Painted Cave and Sophie Cattoire, the filmmaker. To celebrate the release of the DVD in English, the film will be shown, with English subtitles, at the Cinéma Lux in Le Buisson on Wednesday 31st July at 9pm and Cinéma Vox in Montignac on Sunday 11th, Wednesday 14th and Wednesday 21st August at 9pm. Entry 5 euros.

REDFEST 2013 1st-4th August

Programme: • La Cie d’Eux (France): a piece about a couple and their therapist using circus skills and choreography. • Proyecto Otradnoie (Chile - Spain France): a piece about a man in the midst of objects that live in the sound, a man who feeds his obsessions among frequencies, using music and circus. • Betti Combo (France): a comedy with two men and a woman looking for the perfect structure using lots of plastic buckets and a Chinese pole... • La Compagnie Si J’y Suis (France): a piece about gravity using circus and choreography. • Apocalyptic Circus (Sweden - Great Britain): a dialogue between performer and technician, an experimental new circus duet. • Levantes Dance Theatre (Italy - Great Britain): a duet exploring the idea of a human partnership, using dance and bungee.

August sees the first ever Generating Company circus, dance and theatre festival taking place at their Creative Centre in Alles-sur-Dordogne. Featuring six international companies, the REDFEST is a celebration of new work. It is an opportunity for different companies with different styles of performance, from traditional to experimental, to come together and exchange views and ideas about contemporary circus. The festival is FREE and everybody is welcome but all donations will be gratefully received as you leave. There will be a new performance every 30 minutes from 7pm to 10pm. You are welcome to stay for the whole evening or you can just pop in to see different shows.

Festival takes place at the Centre de Création - Les Joncailles 24480 Alles-sur-Dordogne For more information visit www.generatingcompany.co.uk or Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/TheGeneratingCompany

About The Generating Company - The Generating Company breaks down the barriers between circus, dance and theatre. Formed from the Millennium Dome Central Show in 2000, it was born from an idea by Dome Creative Director Mark Fisher and Production Manager Paul Cockle. The company created ‘Storm’, its first show which opened in the Combustion Chamber at The Circus Space in Hoxton (GB) in 2001. From these beginnings The Generating Company grew, making its own shows and delivering worldwide events. In 2006 and 2007, it played live to over a million people with original shows performing and touring on three continents. The company has now branched out to the South West of France (Périgord region) with a new purpose-built Creative Centre, and has become internationally recognised for producing original physical and circus productions.

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www.thebugle.eu ○ THE BUGLE ○ AUGUST 2013

Battle of castillon August 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 14, 16

Spectacular sound and light show commemorating the last great battle of the Hundred Years War, when France took back Aquitaine from the English in 1453. Performed on a natural arena encompassing 17 acres, within firing range of the original battle ground, 800 volunteers, including 500 actors and 50 horseback riders, re-enact the Battle of Castillon. For two hours, spectators are captivated by battle sequences with stunts, special effects and explosives. The spectacle also depicts everyday life of the Middle Ages, including rural scenes set in a farm or an inn or by the well, the grape harvest, shooting practice and market day. “The Battle of Castillon” has become one of the most popular cultural events in Aquitaine and has attracted more than 700,000 spectators since its inception. It is performed, as the producer Eric Le Collen says, “With the precision of the cinema, the sensitivity of the theatre and the dimension of the opera”. The show takes place at the foot of the Château Castegens. Belvès-de-Castillon is 3 minutes from Castillon-la Bataille, on the Gironde/Dordogne border. The performance begins at 10:30pm and lasts for two hours with a 20-minute interval – it is recommended that you arrive one hour before the start. An open-air restaurant offers dinner from 7:30pm (light refreshments and drinks are also available on site and picnics are allowed). For more information and tickets: Tel 05 57 40 14 53 or visit www.batailledecastillon.com Tickets: Adults €22; 13-17 year olds €15; 5-12 year olds €9; FREE for Under 5’s

Festival des Musiques Epicées - 2nd & 3rd August Since 1996, the association Swing in Eulalia has been orgainsing the Festival des Musiques Epicées at the Château de SaintAulaye. This unmissable event for all lovers of Latin music and reggae attracts a larger crowd every year. For more information visit www.musiques-epicees.com

DID YOU KNOW...? Nontron Knives are traditional forged folding knives with decorated wooden handles made in Nontron, in the heart of the Périgord Vert. The methods and techniques used in making these have remained virtually unchanged since the fifteenth century when they were first in manufacture; in fact the workshop where they are hand made by local craftsman is the oldest continually running cutlery forge in France. Each pocket knife is an original work by one of only six artisan knife makers. The boxwood used for the handles of Nontron knives is cut only in the immediate region and allowed to air dry for at least five years before being cut, shaped and finished as a handle. Each knife is hand decorated with a circle of pyrograved figures of ancient and unknown significance.

Flamenco Festival,

Bergerac - 2nd-4th August Castanets at the ready, the town of Bergerac and the Chicas del Sol are organising the fifth Festival Flamenco pourpre, with a diverse programme of FREE events, including an Andalusian parade through the streets and performances from local, regional and national flamenco artists. Visit http://flamencopourpre. canalblog.com/ for more information.

THE festival of classical music, the Festival of the Black Périgord showcases musical talent from France and around the world. The theme this year is La Voix des anges (The Voice of Angels) and is packed with exciting music, with a wide variety of events taking place across the region and 160 artists of all nationalities. For more information visit www.festivalduperigordnoir.fr

Not to be missed this month is the Nontron Knife Festival, which is one of the largest cutlery showcases in France and Europe, with over 100 exhibitors from all over the world. The Festival concludes a week dedicated to the rich heritage of iron and forges in the region. The 3rd and 4th August sees the Festival Forges et Métallurgie at Etouars, with demonstrations of metalwork and visits of local forges. From 5th to 9th August there will be workshops, exhibitions and visits of Nontron, culminating in the Fête du couteau on 10th and 11th August. Entry to the Fête des forges at Etouars: Free on Sat 2nd; €2 on Sun 3rd - Entry to the Fête du couteau at Nontron: €5/ day; €7 for both days

WHAT’S ON ♦ 23

AUGUST 2013 ○ THE BUGLE ○ www.thebugle.eu

POP SUR BONNES - Live @ Longeveau Sunday 11th August - An Evening with Les Dennis

The comedian, TV presenter and actor shares the highs and lows of a career that began in the working men’s clubs of the North West, to winning New Faces and then being the face of Family Fortunes for 15 years. His career has taken him from TV screen to roles in the West End including ‘Chicago’, ‘Me and My Girl’, ‘Art’ and ‘Hairspray’. Les received rave reviews and standing ovations for his role as “Jigsy” at the Edinburgh Festival in 2012, and his starring roles in Ricky Gervais’ “Extras” and “Life’s Too Short”, have won him new audiences and critical acclaim. Les will share stories of working with the good, the bad and the ugly of the entertainment world and it will also be an opportunity for you to quiz him as he takes questions from the audience in what promises to be a ‘revealing’ evening. Tickets limited to 100, so please book early.

Wednesday 14th August Justin Currie

Founded in 1982, Del Amitri enjoyed a successful run of internationally acclaimed albums with worldwide sales in excess of five million records, including such hits as “Kiss This Thing Goodbye”, “Nothing Ever Happens”, “Always The Last To Know” and the US Top 10 hit “Roll To Me”. Since the amicable parting of Del Amitri, Justin has continued to write and record a number of solo albums including the critically acclaimed “What Is Love For” in 2007 and “The Great War” in 2010 which further cemented Currie’s status as one of the UK’s most ambitious and versatile solo artists. In October last year Justin travelled to Austin Texas to work on material for his next solo album which is due for release this August, titled “Lower Reaches”.

Wednesday 21st August Alvin Stardust

“Alvin unplugged and in conversation. A chat and play through 60 years of music”. Alvin performed in the sixties as ‘Shane Fenton & the Fentones’ alongside the likes of Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, Johnny Kid, Billy Fury, Joe Brown, Marty Wilde, Chuck Berry, Bill Haley, the Rolling Stones plus John, Paul, George and Ringo. He re-emerged in 1973 as Alvin Stardust and a legend was born. Throughout the seventies, Alvin enjoyed worldwide number one hits with “My Coo Ca Choo”, “Jealous Mind”, “You You You”, “Red Dress” and “Good Love”. Success continued into the eighties with a further Top Ten hit, “Pretend”, in 1981.

Andy Davies, ex producer and co-host of the Jonathan Ross BBC Radio 2 show moved to South West France almost 4 years ago. He stopped working with JR almost 2 years ago and now works as an executive producer for Radio 2. Since moving to France he has set up ‘Pop Sur Bonnes’ with his wife, Abigail, to bring intimate music gigs to audiences in the Poitou-Charentes, using his contacts and experience. This month, the Manoir de Longeveau plays host to three unmissable evenings of entertainment in the atmospheric courtyard of the original manoir. Ticket price: 40 euros - includes all food and drink in the courtyard, the gig, plus a glass of fizz to kick off the evening, EXCEPT FOR the Les Dennis evening, which is entry to the gig only (€15) with a paid bar available. Venue: Manoir de Longeveau, 16390 Pillac For more information & ticket sales visit www.popsurbonnes.com - tel 05 45 78 98 79 - email abigail@speak.ltd.uk

Fête de l’huître et du vin blanc d’Eymet - 15th August This year’s White Wine and Oyster Fair takes place all day in the Place de la Bastide. Taste and buy oysters and local Bergerac wines. Slurp your way from stall to stall enjoying two of France’s gastronomic delights. Phoenix will be at the event holding a Books & Plants Sale as part of the Foire à tout – all books just €1 each!!

Monday

Market Days

Beynac Le Fleix Les Eyzies Ste-Alvère From 26th to 31st August, the 23rd edition of the Sinfonia Festival takes a musical voyage through time. Some of Europe’s finest musicians will be on hand to transport you back through the centuries, against the backdrop of Périgord’s most beautiful locations. Abbeys, churches, museums and châteaux all become places of discovery and exchange between audiences and artists. Over the last twenty years Sinfonia has established itself as an unmissable event for lovers of Baroque music, with an everchanging line-up designed to offer audiences a week of unforgettable experiences. For more information visit www.sinfonia-en-perigord.com/

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Tuesday

Beaumont du Périgord Bergerac Brantôme Cénac-et-Saint-Julien Lanouaille Le Bugue Mareuil Neuvic Ribérac Salignac Eyvigues Trémolat Villefranche-de-Lonchat

Wednesday Bergerac Hautefort Jumilhac-le-Grand La Tour Blanche Montpon-Ménestérol Montignac Périgueux Piégut Pluviers Razac Sarlat

EASY

Siorac-en-Périgord Ste-Nathalène (26/06 – 28/08) Vélines

Thursday

Domme Excideuil Eymet La Coquille Lalinde Monpazier St Astier St-Julien-de-Lampon Terrasson

Friday Bergerac Brantôme Cubjac Le Buisson Ribérac Sarlat Sigoulès Vergt

Saturday

Agonac Beaumont du Périgord Belvès Bergerac Lalinde La Roche Chalais

MEDIUM

Le Bugue Montignac Mussidan Neuvic Nontron Périgueux Razac Sarlat St Aulaye Thiviers Verteillac Villefranche du Périgord

Sunday

Angoisse (03/07/0-011/09) Bergerac Calviac (15/06 – 31/08) Couze St Front Daglan Issigeac Jumilhac-le-Grand (03/07/ 28/08) Limeuil (30/06 - 25/08) Pontours Pressignac-Vicq Rouffignac Sarlat Sorges St Cyprien St Génies St Pardoux la Rivière

HARD

24 ♦ WHAT’S ON