The Senate

A grand palace now housing the workings of government. It is on one edge of the Luxembourg Gardens and is usually so well guarded by armed men and women that you even look at it with caution. 

So to be able to go inside today, and at no cost, was an invitation difficult to refuse. 

We went toward the queue, but the normal path was fenced off. To gain access you needed to exit the gardens and rejoin them further round. 

First the armed check on your bags. Then a half hour wait in the queue (not too bad on a nice day). 

Blocks of queuing people were released along the fenced path to the entrance. Once inside, all accessories went through the x-Ray machine and us through the metal detector. 

If anyone used to own this place before the French government did, they have been completely forgotten. Everything here is French government, even down to the amazingly painted ceilings, and at times, the walls. 

Here are some phone pictures. The library, the reception hall and central dome, and the senate meeting room itself. I have often seen this in the news, it looks just the same in reality but the high half dome is out of shot. 

We walked round it all and retired home well walked out. 

The Senate. 

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How to Luxembourg Garden

Luxembourg Gardens. 

And there are lots of events on to celebrate world heritage day. Our first stop is the Orangery. 

Here are exhibits and explanations about the planting in the gardens. There are outside displays too. 

The photos show the pot plants, and how they have to be repotted every 10 years (if I remember correctly). Looking at the roots here, this tree is due for a new pot, but it is huge! There is a gantry system just to put it in this place. 

Then they explain how to graft and train fruit trees, and why. But more exotically, and very Frenchly, they show how to mask the fruit so that it grows with the producer's badge coloured on its skin. 

Next stop is the Senate, France's seat of government. 

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Do it yourself lunch

You can see some lovely food being cooked in some tiny frying pans. This is our lunch date and our French host quipped "you can blog your friends that you were invited to lunch and had to cook it yourselves!"  So I have. 

In fact there is a lot of preparation involved before we arrived and started cooking. The meat is beef but is quite red from the delicious marinade. There are peppers and vegetables cut up and marinaded too; and with some rice on the side. 

And we have 2 sets of chopsticks each. A short pair to select and place food in our pan(s), and a long pair to eat with. 

And so we spent a happy lunchtime with our French host and his Filipino wife. But the food is Taiwanese. 

The cooker on the table is an electrically heated hot stone where you can fry on top or grill below. It is for cheese dishes but our hosts did not find that to their taste. So here it is adapted to their Asian menu, and very nice it was too, as you can tell from the smiles on our faces!

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Cup final

I am ready for bed but the cup final between France and Portugal has no score after normal time. I came intro the bar at 8pm to watch it but here it starts at 9pm. I forgot about the time difference. 

I was 36 centigrade outside today. It felt like walking through an oven. So the air conditioned bar is a pleasant change. As I wait for the match to start, I am given a piece of cake. It's the owner lady's birthday today. There is a little party celebrating but she is also serving. I wish her a happy birthday. 

In the second half, the ex-owner (the lady owner's father) offers me a brandy. I chose the 1886 special and pour a little in the warmed glass. It changes as it sits in my mouth becoming light and oily and quite delicious. 

The match is even. Most of the Spanish, but not all, appear to support Portugal. I elect to be among them which is clearly a pleasing decision. I can't lose, if Portugal win, I am among friends. If not, I can return to Paris and celebrate there. But so far it is even. Whatever the number of chances, it will be the one who puts it in the net in the end; and as I write, no one had done that yet. 

The brandy is refreshed for extra time (or is it to celebrate the birthday?). I should sleep well tonight. 

Terence Westoby

terrywestoby@gmail.com

+33 6 75 91 87 71

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For the record, Portugal 1,France 0 after extra time.
The statistics had France on top. 

2 o'clock and the world is still

Or at least it is here in Spain. Earlier in the day there were people everywhere, some, like me, relaxing in the shade of a tree. And as I was reading, moving slightly to stay in the shade, I became aware that fewer and fewer people were passing. As you can see from the photo below, the promenade is now empty. 

The children's play park is empty. 

The paths are empty.
The fountains have been turned off. 

The traffic has all but stopped.

But the noise is still there! 

Because just below this park area are the cafes and bars that offer tapas and fast food; and the noisy sound can still be heard coming from there. As a Spanish lady told me on Friday, "Spanish people are noisy". Before you consider this description too badly, remember that she was speaking her second language,  and know that she was contrasting the English on holiday who she found noisier still.

That said, the voices from down below suggest that the eating places are doing a roaring trade!

And here on the promenade all is still.  

Terence Westoby

terrywestoby@gmail.com

+33 6 75 91 87 71

Sent from Samsung tablet

Lollipop Trees

If I cut a corner walking to my Spanish workplace, there are some lines of trees at the perimeter of a small park. Their shape is particular and so regular as to have required the careful attention of a Spaniard who knows about these things.

Reaching the tops must have been difficult!

Terry

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Frailes and Sin

Saturday; Clare's moving day but I can't be there since I am in Spain. Hope it went well!

And this Saturday I went to a village party. It was at the invitation of a work colleague who is an officer of the village and, if his friends can be trusted, who was the sole organiser of the event.

The village was "Frailes" in the Jaên district hence part 1 of the title. The event hosted 2000 people.

There were some local product stalls and the eating was to start at 2pm when the gates were opened to the covered seating. At 2:20pm I still had not found the people with my ticket so Antonio, Mr Organiser, called me on my phone and met me at the gate. He must have some influence since on his word I was admitted without question.

I was seated among Spanish people with 3 of whom I could communicate since they spoke English.

We sat down and, if your hearing was good, conversed below the noise of 2000 other conversations all around you. It was probably after 3 that the first dish arrived. Up to then we enjoyed bread dipped in olive oil and unlimited wine.

The appetiser was a selection of black and red puddings and cubes of local cheese. The black pudding was surprisingly creamy and very rich.

Amazingly the organisers managed to then serve bean and meat stew hot to everyone. It came from one of the largest pots I have ever seen and it compensated a little for the effects of the wine. Many people were local and could walk home but I had come an hours drive in a brand new car.

Course 3 was meat and potato, shared in the centre of the table, then the sugary pastries so loved in this region.

There was seconds of everything if you wanted to be a pig.

I found that it was the done thing to mix the wine with lemonade. "Do-it-yourself sangria" I joked but it was taken seriously and I was put right that this was "summer wine" and sangria was quite different.

I am sure it is so.

So it finished when I guessed it would at around 6pm. Up in the hills (1000 meters they said) it was getting a little cooler and I was glad of my jacket. "Now we have part 2" Antonio informed me. "We go down to the pub". And so we did. It was quite a long way down too.

The pub was just as noisy as the open-air meal, but indoors! At 10pm I was informed that it was too late to sleep so we would eat. Tapas Spanish style. I sampled everything and it was all good. The pub had a children's room to one side and the children in our party helped polish off the sweeter dishes.

I made sure I drank "Sin beer", that is, without alcohol. It was a late night for me and a long drive.

I was almost glad when we could settle up with the bar and head off home at 11pm. I had an hours drive and the walk back up the hill to the car felt much longer than the walk down. I wondered if the hotel would still be open at midnight or whether I would have to ring the bell, but whilst the key was in the lock, the hotel door was open and the bar still running when I returned. I waived them good night so they knew I was back and left them to it. Spain parties late I remembered.

So my afternoon out in the mountain village also took half the night. I photographed the rustic village from the pub, and here are some of the other photos too.

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