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Claudia Curran
A Coup Deauville
Last week, the Normandy town of Deauville has hosted its 50th Festival of American Cinema. Created in 1975, the 10-day event annually presents around 100 American films and welcomes actors, directors and the public to the upmarket seaside resort. Located a handy two and a half hours by car or train from Paris, Deauville itself has been a favourite weekend getaway destination for well-heeled Parisians since the mid-19th century, such that it’s often referred to as ‘Paris-sur-Mer’ or the Queen of the Normandy coast. It is prized for its long and sandy beach, beautiful Belle Epoque hotels, casino and...
Claudia Curran
Farewell Françoise Hardy
Comment te Dire Adieu: Farewell to French cultural icon Françoise Hardy Recently, France farewelled one of its favourite cultural figures, Françoise Hardy, who passed away at the age of 80. The shy, stylish Parisian pop singer and fashion icon first rose to fame in the 1960s with her chart-topping singles including “Tous les Garçons et les Filles” and “Le Temps de l’Amour”. No mere pop prop, Hardy also wrote almost all of her own songs. She also starred in films, most notably Grand Prix and Une Balle au Cœur, as well as writing several books on astrology and nonfiction works. Hardy’s...
Claudia Curran
Why do the French celebrate Bastille Day?
Why do the French celebrate Bastille Day? 🇫🇷 Bastille Day, celebrated annually on July 14, is celebrated as the most important day in France’s modern history. It commemorates the storming in 1789 of the Bastille prison in Paris by a mob of some 900 Parisians, the event that ignited the already simmering French Revolution (1789-’99). This led to the abolition of the French monarchy and the birth of France as a sovereign nation, initially with the First French Republic in 1792. The storming of the Bastille symbolises the struggle against oppression and the quest for freedom. Bastille Day...
Claudia Curran
Our strong ties with France Lest We Forget - Ne l'oublions jamais
Lest We Forget - Ne l'oublions jamais At dawn on the 25 April in cities and towns around Australia, people gathered to remember those who served our nation in conflicts dating back to World War 1. An ANZAC Day highlight for many others is to attend the dawn service at the Villers-Bretonneux military cemetery, one of the key Somme battlefields of both the first and second world wars, located 140km north of Paris. The recapture of the town of Villers-Bretonneux in WW1 cost more than 1200 Australian lives. These soldiers are among the 2,142 compatriots buried at the military...