Belated Election Thoughts

The election has been big news in France: even our 7th graders know the "yes we can" chant and are die-hard fans of Obama, though if you ask them why they have no idea.

While it seems like Americans came to terms several months ago with the reality that we could have a black president, the French couldn't believe it would actually happen. They seemed much more shocked up to the very last moment. Several teachers remarked on the irony that the French are dying to see Obama become president of the U.S., while they are sure that a person of color or someone from the Maghreb could not become president in France at this point.

America has also always been viewed (by the French) as being more deeply racist because of its history of slavery and segregation. But I think this election has shown people that race issues have just taken a larger place in the public eye in the U.S., meaning, that progress has been much more rapid.

La Nouvelle Observateur published a special issue on United States last month in which one columnist wrote that he sees Obama's election as a renewal of the image of the American dream--a dream that had all but disappeared in the minds of the French.

I have been playing Obama's acceptance speech for all my classes, which they really enjoy. I also made copies of my absentee ballot and have held mock elections in several classes. One class in particular took full advantage of the write-in option. Santa Claus won with 4 votes. None of the kids seems to have any idea who McCain is-- their only comments about him have to do with the fact that McCain name is most closely identified with a brand of frozen french fries...

It is sad to think that I spent much of my life under Bush, and was only politically aware for the last 2 disappointing elections. I wish that I could have been in the U.S. on this occasion.

Foix and Ax-les-Thermes

Train travel is easy and cheap here, so we took another day trip during our visit to the Midi-Pyrénées region. Heading south from Toulouse the landscape changes quickly from pink bricks and busy streets to vast stretches of farmland and the green hills of the Pyrénées.

Our first stop was the tiny mountain town of Foix, a picturesque village with winding cobblestone streets and a fairy tale castle that overlooks the city from a high peak:



The village of Foix hardly looks real tucked in this valley with the snow-capped mountain peaks as a backdrop. Foix is the capital of the Ariège region, the least populous region in France. The region was historically isolated because of the mountains, and even today, there exist significant cultural differences between these small towns in the Pyrénées.

We climbed into the mountains a bit to see the picturesque farmhouses and terraced fields that surround the city in the hillsides.



The castle is one of a few in France that was never conquered by invaders - the same ducal family occupied it for over 200 years. It's literally perched on a rock, with a hundred vertical feet of cliffs separating the castle from the town. Earlier in history, in the 1200s, Foix was one of the last hiding places for Cathar priests, after the Albigensian Heresy had been crushed by the Catholic Church. Catharism was a religious sect that arose during the 10th century in southeastern France - one of the other Cathar strongholds, Montsègur, was called "the Synagogue of Satan".

A view of Ax-Les-Thermes from above. Ax-Les-Thermes is a small community only 10km from Andorra whose main attraction is a series of hot springs, which have been diverted into fountains throughout the town.



The water from the springs is 170 degrees Farenheit, smells strongly of sulphur, and will cure what ails you. It is supposed to be particularly effective for liver problems.



Agrandir le plan

Carcassonne

Brendan on the ramparts overlooking the city of Carcassonne.

The castle in Carcassone is perched on a hill-- you can see it in the background. There is a functioning city with about 100 inhabitants within the castle walls. We had lunch at a restaurant in the medieval city.

Agrandir le plan

Toulouse

We decided to try and escape the cold, damp weather in Tours by heading to Toulouse for our Halloween vacation (here they call it Toussaint, and you're supposed to visit the graves of your deceased relatives).  When we arrived it was cold and rainy here, too, but we've had some nice weather during our stay.

Toulouse is very different from Tours.  It is a much larger city, a university town, and more cosmopolitan than Tours.  It is called the Ville en Rose because all the buildings here, even the churches, are in red brick.  The Spanish influence is evident in the architecture and we often heard people speaking Spanish and Catalan.  

The regional specialty is a dish called cassoulet- a stew of white beans, duck or goose meat, sausage and pork.  We had it twice during our stay- delicious.  

On Saturday night we went to see a concert- Gangpol und Mit, who are worth checking out.

Here are some of the pictures we took:

Mailboxes near Saint Sernin.

L'église de Saint Sernin.

The Place du Capitol in Toulouse is reminiscent of a Spanish plaza.  It is surrounded by an arcade with shops and restaurants.  The day we arrived there was a large flea market going on; with people selling used books, clothing, and other things.

View across the Garonne River in downtown Toulouse.