France

Links: A. France Wikipedia
           B. Angouleme Tourisme

I am French.  I'm also a Texan.  It's safe to say that I'm passionate about both bloodlines.

I can't count the number of people who have told me that unless I'm a rare Socialist American, that my mixed heritage is incongruous.  I always tell them not to worry, that I'm doing just fine.  In reality, France is much more conservative than people realize.  I was right in the middle of a series of posts about Al-Qaeda in 2015, and I have abruptly inserted a discussion which is in no way connected to international terrorism.  I apologize.  My actions are the result of circumstance.  I have been watching  live television feeds from for the past twenty-four hours.  Sadly, the screen is usually filled with the same video clips, on a loop, for hours.  It's a pitiful comment on the state of our media that it took CNBC and CNN some time before they edited the video of the French policeman getting executed, but we are a nation of voyeurs.  Today we were treated to a visual buffet of French police: the Gendarmerie, federal agents, police from the local department, military police, and some uniforms that frankly I didn't recognize.  I didn't mind seeing the parade of cops.  Since Thursday, January 7, the terrorists have murdered two unarmed police officers and one unsuspecting traffic cop.  It's a very dangerous job, regardless of the country, and until you've put it a hefty number of years, it rarely pays well.  But when the calls come in, they suit up and go stand in the line of fire to protect innocent people.  French or American, they have my sincere gratitude and my prayers for a happy, long life.

The events of the past two days have brought parts of Paris into the living rooms of the American people.  Many Americans have been to Paris; hell, the Greatest Generation actually liberated it from the Nazis in 1944.  It's an exceptionally unique, fascinating city, which never fails to surprise me.  Personally, I prefer Montmarte and the 18th Arrondissement as my favorite piece of "Paris within Paris".  The 18th Arrondissement is home to the breathtaking Sacre Coeur Church, and also to the famous (or infamous) Moulin Rouge show club ("there's a place in France, where the naked ladies dance.....").  For persons visiting Paris for the first time, I always say that you will have the time that you expect to have.  Paris is FULL of rude, nasty waiters who speak perfect English, but usually won't speak anything but French to Americans.  Well, I have had my share of rude wait staff

 Kontaktmöglichkeiten: über Wikimedia Commons oder über

 www.sojka.photo.

in Chicago and also Rome.  Approach Paris with the proper attitude, and Paris will show you the time of your life.  Lately, though, I 've been strongly recommending that visitors to France take advantage of the TGV (high-speed train) station in Charles De Gaulle Airport, and head to the southwest of France.

Unless its for historical purposes, I don't spend much time on the beaches of Normandy, and northern France has never carried any particular charm for me.  I love the southeast, with Aix and Provence and Monaco and Nice, but the holiday season has started to last year-round, and I can't help but be annoyed when I see touristy cheap trinkets made in China being sold in front of a 16th-century Chapel in Provence.  Please don't misunderstand; all of France is still lovely.  The hills and forests of the Ardennes, the magnificent mountains of Chamonix, Megeve and Val d'Isere, and the colorful fishing fleets home to Cherbourg and Brest must be visited by all Francophiles.  But if you are looking to spend a relaxing, peaceful, inspired and Gallic month in France, my advice is to head to the Département of Charente.  Yes, Charente is part of my heritage.  Most of my French family continues to live in Charente, which makes me a bit of an expert.  I provided a limited portrait of the town of Angouleme in a previous post, and I will try not to repeat myself too often.  Angouleme sits on top of a hill, like a nipple on a breast.  It is the seat of Charente Province, and a tremendously historic place.  The Romans were not the first to recognize the strategic significance of the hilltop location, but they were the first to build ramparts.  As far as my memory serves me, there are now three separate rings of ramparts, and the

Cathedral that overlooks the entire valley was originally a small Church built in the fifth-century.  The Cathedral was consecrated in the 11th-century and contains a multitude of invaluable stonework.  Angouleme is home to roughly 50,000 souls, and has just the right number of hotels and Bed & Breakfasts.

The Charente River bisects both the Département  of Charente and the city of Angouleme.  For many years it was the lifeline for the inhabitants, as it provided transportation and food to the locals.  Many times Queen Eleanor d'Aquitaine sailed her royal barge down the Charente, as she courted Henry II of England.  The real beauty of

Charente is found outside of Angouleme.  Little villages, each with its own identity and church, seem to be around every corner.  The roads are small but more than adequate, and suited to the forests and glens that mark the Charente countryside.  Castles are so numerous that you begin not to notice them, with the spires and towers reaching above the tree lines.  When I was a child, my family would take trips to the country and go castle-hunting.  Most were not occupied, as it is very expensive to heat and electrify old, large buildings.  I remember my mother taking us to her old swimming hole, under the ancient stone bridge in the tiny charming village of Marsac.  Every little village has a bar (and usually a modest, adjoining restaurant), a bakery, a butcher and a small Tabac (tea room or store).  I remember as a child, imagining that we were going back in time as we would leave the wider roads of Angouleme and enter the spotless, green, sun-filled countryside.  With the cobble-stone streets, and the constant smell of fresh bread, and ancient townspeople dressed in traditional attire, it was as if we had taken a trip backwards.  We never even turned on the car radio; everything we needed for our distraction and enjoyment was outside.  When I start to write about Charente and Angouleme, I invariably run out of space.  Maybe its time to start a new book, but for now, please accept this humble view into a France that you weren't able to see on the television these last two days.  It truly is a place of magic.  Evil never ceases in its efforts to attack peace and beauty, and we must all stay resolute and not forget what is in our hearts.         

Post-Scotland: Crisis for Independence Movements in Europe?

List: Scotland Independence Referendum Complete Results


I was one of the many who anxiously followed the Scottish Independence Referendum results as they were announced. I'm not Scottish, but I love Scotland and I'm a bit sad that the voters rejected outright independence.   I'm also surprised.  I can't explain why, but I had this feeling that the voters would surprise the pundits.  Actually, they did.  The vote wasn't really close.  So I'm stuck humming "Loch Lomond" with a permanent vision of Queen Elizabeth and those ugly little dogs in my head.  Back on the continent, different folks with a variety of agendas set about interpreting the results.  Personally, I don't believe the referendum on Scotland is a precursor to anything (accept possibly another go by the Quebecois to separate from Canada).  Those persons keeping an eye on the various European independence movements now turn their focus on Catalonia, Spain. 

In 2012 the state government of Catalonia signed an agreement stating that a referendum on independence from Spain would be held in 2014 unless "socio-economic and political context make a postponement necessary".  Madrid is doing everything possible to legally combat the independence movement, which shouldn't be a surprise.  I will not get into the nuts and bolts of the Spanish financial crisis, except to say that I believe high domestic growth and international financing confidence indicate that the economy is on the mend.  The recent modest improvements in the economy have not discouraged the movement for Catalonian Independence.  Many Catalonians believe that Catalonia provides more to the Spanish government than it gets in return, especially when Barcelona is factored into the equation.  If Catalonia manages to hold the referendum in 2014 (which becomes less likely everyday), there is little doubt that the people will vote to secede by a statistical majority.  Even if the referendum is postponed for a year, I can't envision a scenario in which the Catalonian people vote against independence.  I'm going out on a limb here, but I believe the only way that Madrid can avoid a separation with Catalonia, is by proposing increased autonomy, and hoping that the Catalonians won't act unilaterally.  Frankly, I don't see this ending well.  With the Basque question presently on the back-burner ("hey, we were here first!"), the Spanish people are beginning to resent the Catalonian independence movement.  Most Spaniards have felt the pinch of austerity in recent years, and the Spanish media never misses an opportunity to portray Barcelona as the Bacchanalian capital of Europe, with plenty of drunk students and money from tourists to go around. My biggest concern, is that Madrid will be obliged to provide Catalonia with virtual independence, and the Basques will be right behind.

In all honestly, the so-called independence movements in mainland France (Brittany and Normandy being the only two that have received any media attention) are used as platforms to attract tourists.  Both Brittany and Normandy have fascinating and unique customs and dialects, but so does every region of France (trust me on this one; my family is from Angouleme).  The one exception is Corsica.

Since 1960, Corsica has suffered through periods of unrest highlighted by violence committed by Corsican nationalist groups.  Because of its location, the culture of Corsica incorporates traditions from France, Spain, as well as Italy.  In the mid to late 1970s, the underground independence movement was responsible for a number of assassinations, including mayors and policemen.  The government in Paris reacted aggressively and many arrests were made.  In the 1990s, the independence movement collapsed due to internal conflict, and in 2000, French President Lionel Jospin granted increased autonomy to Corsica.  Since then steps have been taken to protect the indigenous language, which is close to extinction.  One issue that has consistently caused problems is the building of summer/vacation homes in Corsica by wealthy Parisian families.  The last time I checked, the Parisians were winning, I'm sorry to say (of course, there's nothing wrong with a polite, half-French, half-Texan buying a vacation house in Bastia, right?).  You can commit the Corsican independence movement to history; France has won.

I am fascinated by the case of Belgium.  Fifty-five percent of Belgians (the northern side) speak Flemish (Dutch), and forty-five percent (the southern side), speak French and call themselves Walloons.  I once read an article which described Belgium as suffering from a case of "linguistic apartheid", which, ironically, is a Dutch word.  Basically, Belgium is a country made up of two separate nationalities, the Flemish and the Walloons, and neither side wants to play with the other.  Belgium is a wealthy country of 11.2 million souls, and (more irony), its capital Brussels is considered the de facto capital of the European Union.  Having spent some time in Belgium, I must say there seems to be a bit of snobbery at play on the part of the Flemish.  What keeps Belgium together?  More than anything else, its royal family.  Don't misunderstand; the Belgians don't adore their royals as the Dutch love the House of Orange.  Its just that the royal family seems to be the one thing that presides equally over both sides.  The rational thing to do would be for the Netherlands to annex north Belgium and for France to annex the south.  Brussels (and its environs) could remain a city-state, continuing its important functions relating to NATO and the EU.  But for something this prolific to happen, enough folks on both side would have to make the effort.  And no one cares enough to make the effort.

I won't delve into the examples of German "independence movements", because they follow the same examples of mainland France.  Bavarians want to talk about independence, but only if you come for Oktoberfest and drink lots of beer.  If you enjoy history as much as I do, you will appreciate the case of South Tyrol.  This situation involves Austria, not Germany; but I took advantage of the shared language to build a nice segue.  Time for a bit of history.  In 1914, The Austro-Hungarian Empire and the German Empire went to war against France, Russia, England, and Serbia (the Ottoman Empire, the United States, Italy and a few others joined later).  At the time, Germany and Austria-Hungary (Central Powers) were bound by a mutual-defense treaty with Italy.  The Italians chose to interpret their obligations quite narrowly and announced neutrality.  In 1915, Italy renounced its neutrality and declared war on the central Powers (Italy's former allies).  After the war, the victorious Allies dismembered Austria-Hungary, and, in payment for services rendered, gave Italy large swaths of Austrian territory including South Tyrol.  Even though another World War has occurred (in which the Italians switched sides AGAIN), many Austrians still resent Italy's land grab.  The former province of Tyrol is now split into North Tyrol (Austria) and South Tyrol (Italy).  Even today, seventy percent of people in South Tyrol speak German and identify themselves as ethnically Austrian.  Austrians in Tyrol take this issue very seriously, and at times groups of armed men have gathered in the mountains, anticipating hostilities.  Why won't Italy act sensibly, and return South Tyrol to Austria?  It has everything to do with the fact that South Tyrol is a wealthy province, with a booming tourist industry and a robust agricultural sector.  Unfortunately for Austrian Tyrolians, the government in Vienna is more pacifist than Heidi, and does nothing more than occasionally mention the issue politely through diplomatic channels.  In 1866, Italy demanded an end to Austrian rule in Venice because Venice was obviously an Italian city.  In 1918, the situation repeated itself with Trieste.  How about a little fair play from Rome?  Don't hold your breath.

I began this post with a bit of reflection on the Scottish referendum, and really never made any correlations.  I guess that was the point.  Every circumstance is different, and the independence issues on the mainland bear more similarities to the late problems in northern Ireland than they to do the temporary family disagreement over Scotland's status.  I do believe the issues mentioned above will attract the attention of the European media some time before the end of the year (with the exception of Corsica), as some dispensation has been debated.  Personally, I'm anxious to see the Quebec independence movement (Mouvement Souverainiste du Quebec) reassert itself and call for another referendum.  In 1995, the vote was razor-thin, with fifty-one-percent voting against independence and 49 percent in favor.