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France stages funeral for 200-year-old royal heart
French royalists staged a pageant-filled funeral yesterday for a tiny, rock-hard relic they hailed as the heart cut from Louis XVII, who died of tuberculosis at 10 in a filthy revolutionary prison.
A hearse brimming with lilies – the symbol of the French crown – delivered a crystal vase containing the heart to the Saint-Denis Basilica. There, it was placed in a royal crypt containing the remains of Louis XVII’s parents, Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI.
After 200 years of mystery surrounding the boy’s fate, DNA tests have convinced many historians that the relic passed secretly from person to person is truly the royal heart.
Marianne – National Emblem of France
Marianne is a national emblem of France. She is present in many places in France and holds a place of honor in town halls and law courts. She symbolizes the “Triumph of the Republic”, a bronze sculpture overlooking the Place de la Nation in Paris. Her profile stands out on the official seal of the country, is engraved on French euro coins, and appears on French postage stamps; it was also featured on the former French franc coins and banknotes.
Who want to talk to interesting student-girl? I'm 20 years old.
Hello everybody! Let’s talk about everything! I thing we can find alot things to tell to each other. If you live in different countries we can be international friends. It’s cool! Maria
Site for French learners
Hi,
This is to inform you that a brand new little site has opened, which is intended to promote exchanges between francophones and non-francophones, and to aid French learners in perfecting their mastery of the French language.
The main features are a chatroom and several forums. The chatroom is a dynamic tool for non-native French speakers and a meeting place for native speakers. Don’t hesitate to drop in and practice your French – no one will make fun of you and I promise that it will help you to speak French better!
World Leaders Gather in France to Remember D-Day
CAEN, France (Reuters) – Seventeen world leaders and thousands of World War II veterans gathered to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy Sunday under blue skies and amid tight security.
The heads of state and government attending the ceremonies in Normandy have underlined the importance of reconciliation as well as remembrance as they prepare for one of the biggest security operations staged on French soil.
Some 30,000 soldiers were deployed in the area around the Normandy beaches and army helicopters patrolled overhead. Combat jets were ready to shoot down any aircraft violating the no-fly zone around the event if requested to do so by Paris.
Corsica Information ASAP Please
Hi – My name is Rainne and I am once again writing a research report. Anyone know any good resources about the island Corsica? Please respond soon!
French move to annul gay 'wedding'
Stephane Chapin, dressed in a white suit and dabbing tears of joy from his eyes, and Bertrand Charpentier, in deep gray pinstripes, embraced, kissed and smiled broadly after the brief civil ceremony in the Begles town hall in southwestern France, near Bordeaux.
The justice minister quickly said that the Bordeaux court would be petitioned to declare the marriage null, while the interior minister said the mayor who performed the ceremony — a Green party politician known as a provocateur — would be sanctioned.
Begles Mayor Noel Mamere defiantly wore the blue, white and red ribbons — France’s national colors — that are conferred on mayors as representatives of the state and used during all official functions.
Thousands Rally in Paris Against Bush, Iraq War
PARIS (Reuters) – Thousands of people in the French capital demonstrated against the war in Iraq on Saturday as President Bush met France’s Jacques Chirac ahead of ceremonies commemorating the D-Day landings in Normandy.
Wearing T-shirts depicting Bush as a war criminal and carrying banners reading “Bush — Terrorist number one!” and “U.S. troops out of Iraq,” a colorful crowd of students, housewives and office workers marched through central Paris.
Police estimated 12,000 took part in the protest. Organizers were not available to give their own estimate.
Demonstrators chanted “Go home” and “Bush — Assassin,” but were banned from the area round the Elysee presidential palace, where the two leaders held their talks.
France, U.S. find common ground with D-Day
GRANDCAMP-MAISY, France — His name was Frank Peregory. He came from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia to France, where he fought bravely and was killed. Sixty years later, heroism like his is still bringing people together.
Under the warm sun of a waning afternoon, French and Americans – hardly the closest of friends this past year – gathered before a stone monument that tells how the Medal of Honor winner captured a German machine gun nest outside this Normandy town on June 8, 1944 – two days after the D-Day invasion.
A tricolor sash draped from one shoulder, the local parliament member, Jean-Marc Lefranc, spoke in English to the aging veterans from Peregory’s 29th Infantry Division who joined with townspeople to honor his memory.
Bush Looks Past Differences With France
PARIS (AP) – President Bush sought on Saturday to move beyond bitter differences with a Western ally, yet French President Jacques Chirac said Iraq remains “extremely precarious” and he again questioned America’s justification for the war.
On the eve of celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of D-Day, the two leaders highlighted areas of agreement, from Afghanistan to the Middle East, Haiti and Africa.
Citing the lesson of World War II, Bush said at a joint news conference, “Free nations working together can overcome danger.”
Chirac sought to play down friction between Washington and Paris, and said his talks with Bush, which included the fight against terrorism, were “sincere” and “trusting.”