Email Campaign Archive

From www.americansinfrance.net

2007 Presidential Election (update)

In last month's newsletter I handicapped the 2007 French Presidential Election. I left out one major candidate – Ségolène Royal, her husband, François Hollande I placed in the contenders' column. Royal recently announced she would vie for the Socialists Party Presidential nomination. A recent poll placed her second to Jack Lang in possible candidates ahead of her husband, Hollande.
Royal is the President of the Poitou-Charentes region and a member of the French national assembly. She has created a blog Ségolène 2007 to keep her supporters up to date.
Whether a coincidence or not, the present Defense Minister, Michèle Alliot-Marie, expressed interest in running for President, observers aren't sure as to motive. Should either Royal or Alliot-Marie get their party's Presidential nomination it would be the first time in France that a viable female candidate ran for President. Although many women have run for President before none had a chance to win. That might change in 2007.

Weather

France is experiencing a somewhat Indian summer, at least where we live, when the sun does shine. The last weekend in September was a good example. Both Saturday and Sunday morning were on the chilly side. As the days progressed the sunshine turned the afternoon into tee-shirt weather. I'm not complaining mind you, most falls in France tend to be rainy in my experience. I just hope this weather lasts.

Journées européennes du Patrimoine

One very important event I forgot to mention in September's newsletter was Journées européennes du Patrimoine or European Heritage Days in English. This two-day event is held every September throughout Europe; this year 47 countries took part. The basic idea is Europe gets to show off its architectural heritage. Most public monuments are open free of charge and many private ones either are also free or charge a reduced rate for admission.
This year I visited the Hôtel Dieu in Tournus where I my wife was born. This 17th century hospital was closed in 1982 and turned into a museum. The museum was recently fixed up and looked lovely. Not only is there the Hospital Museum, there is also an art museum - Musée Greuze. The Musée Greuze houses a wide selection art from many different time periods – 18th century to today.
I also had the opportunity to visit the Château de Sercy. This Château is only open to the public on select occasions like European Heritage Days. Over the years I've admired the Château and its beauty. The Château is set back off a main road that runs through the village of Sercy and just in front sits a pond with wildlife. During my visit to Château de Sercy I took a number of photos that can be seen here.