We're out at six. The mercury set to touch ninety today. The mountains already masked in heat haze. In the little market town they've started on a major restoration of the war memorial. Every commune in France has been told to spruce their memorials up before the WW1 centenary commemorations on August 3rd. The memorial is surrounded by red and white roses. There is also a solitary orange rose. An intentional contrast?
A beautiful morning for the D-Day ceremonies. Probably the last to be held on this scale. We watch the grand American ceremony then the intimate Commonwealth one. Outside the village hall the mayor has set up the wide screen television. We wander over in time to hear the French President give a long speech. Then a group of gentlemen in black donkey jackets re-enact the storming of the beaches through mime and dance. This is very French. It also takes an hour. While the ballet troopers perform a number of pre-schoolers, aided by a zealous Jack Russell, perform their own creative dance routine . Bob and Sophie settle down and fall asleep. A vin d'honneur and a rather charming, and heartfelt, toast to absent friends. Life in deepest, deepest France profonde.
Here is this mornings write up on yesterdays French ceremony http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-two/10882909/Amid-the-French-theatrics-a-simple-pipers-lament.html
9 comments:
For a British perspective on yesterday's almost unbearably moving D Day commemorations, I would refer your readers to the link in the Telegraph article to the piece about the veteran who 'absconded' from his care home in order to attend the ceremonies across the channel!
Cheers, Gail.
We only saw a few seconds of the ballet...an hour long? Would have liked a bottle of wine, for that.
XXXOOO Bella Roxy & Dui
The television camera caught the poor Australian PM just closing his eyes for the briefest of seconds. The effect of jet lag, a formal lunch, having to sit for three hours in the sun, unshaded and unhatted, and an hour of creative dance . He had my sympathy.
We watched a recap last evening of the days events with first hand accounts and clips of the ceremonies and speeches. It was mentioned that there is more interest in the events of D-Day now then there was 40 years after the war. But I wondered given the ages of so many attending how they'd managed to stay awake for it all, and I read that (unfortunately) President Obama found his answer in chewing gum.
I watched the whole thing on my computer and was thinking about the veterans sitting in the sun. While incredibly moving, the ceremony was long, very long and I suspect the cheering at the end had a double purpose. I did enjoy watching M. Hollande greet the heads of state (wish I knew who they all were) each with their two young escorts. And I actually enjoyed his speech -- but also long.
I was so annoyed at his gum chewing.
The font decided that it must have been nicotine or caffeine gum. A sensible choice when faced with an hour of men doing an impersination of swimming through treacle.
Perhaps only a cynic would link a President with the lowest approval ratings on record and two hours with the cameras trained directly on him greeting the great and the good. He does however speak French beautifully.
The pensioner was given a hero's welcome when he returned to his retirement home. He said England was a smashing country and he was glad to have served it.
Three cheers for this devoted man!
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