An alphabetical introduction to France (part 2 – N-Z)

This is part 2 of the not entirely serious look at the important things to know about France. (See HERE for part 1)

N is for…Napoloen Bonaparte. What is there to say about the most famous French leader in the history of the Republic that has not already been said? Born in Ajjacio,Corsica in 1769 he has arguably been the biggest influence on modern European history, and his civic Napoleonic Code has formed the basis of civil law in countless countries besides France since its inception in 1804.

O is for… Occitan, the ancient name given to the stretch of land which covers 31 departments in southern France from Limousin down to Gascony, and as far eastward as the Languedoc (whose people spoke the ‘langue’ or language of the Occ). Interest in the Languedoc region has been revived following the publication of several novels involving the Knights Templar and the Cathars , notably Dan Brown’s ‘The Da Vinci Code’.

P is for… Paris. City of love, city of light, Paris has probably been mentioned in more songs, novels and poems than any other city in the world, and no matter how many times you may go there, in whatever season of the year, it still has a magic all of its own.

Q is for… Quasimodo. The tragic hero in Victor Hugos’ 1831 novel ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ is forever associated with Paris and the cathedral of Notre Dame. The story of the deformed Quasimodo and his unrequited love for the gipsy Esmeralda has been portrayed in no less than 6 movies, from a silent version in 1923, to a Disney adaptation in 1996.

R is for…riots and revolution, the twin weapons the French man-in-the-street uses to arm himself against things he doesn’t agree with. The bloody Revolution of 1789-99 changed the face of France for ever, and the student riots 200 years later(1969) had a similar, but less brutal effect. To this day the French still take to the streets to express their disapproval of anything which affects their civil or fiscal rights.

S is for…San Tropez, a pretty, but otherwise insignificant fishing village on the French Riveira which might still be just that, were it not for the ’50s film star Brigitte Bardot. In 1956 the film director Roger Vadim chose ‘San Trop’ as the location for his film ‘And God Created Woman’ which was to launch his wife(the iconic BB) on the international stage and transform the sleepy village into the jet set haven it still is today.

T is for …the Tour de France. For a cycling-mad country such as France this is the highlight of the sporting year. A cycle race covering some 3,500kms with, on average, six mountain stages and 11 flat stages, with speeds up to40.276 kph ( a record held by Lance Armstrong), and all staged during the hottest month of the summer must be the ultimate challenge between man, nature and the elements.

U is for…Unesco World Heritage Sites. There are 31 designated sites in France. Chartres Cathedral was the first to be listed in 1987, with the old port of Bordeaux being added as recently as 2007. Others are being put forward (see X for xenophobia further down this list.)

V is for… Voilà ! A useful little French word which is officially translated by Cassell’s English-French dictionary as meaning: there, behold, there now. Very handy, along with ‘eh bien’, if one is having difficulty conversing with a French person and one has a limited knowledge of the language. Neither words mean very much, but they sound good.

W is for… Wilson (Thomas Woodrow). President of the United States of America from 1913-21. Dozens of French towns and cities have a Boulevard Wilson, a Place Wilson or an Avenue Wilson somewhere near their centre. He laid the foundations of the post WW1 peace settlement which gave birth to the League of Nations, so a grateful French nation honoured him by having streets and squares named after him throughout the country .

X is for…xenophobia . The French are fairly laid-back about foreigners. They seem to take them or leave them, but they are xenophobic about their language and their cuisine. French music stations are only allow a tightly controlled amount of American/British pop in their playing schedules and the older generation openly deplore the insurgence of ‘Franglais’ into the language… le weekend, le sandwich etc. They have the same fears over their food. In an effort to preserve their regional dishes the French governmenthas approached UNESCO ( see U is for …. ) to have French cuisine declared an ‘ World Heritage’.

Y is for …yachting. After cycling, rugby, and football the Frenchman’s next sporting passion is sailing, and they will turn out in their thousands to wave off, or welcome home, a returning sailor. In 1994 a million people lined the waterfront in St Malo, in Brittany, to watch the start of the Rum Route race, and 300,00 welcomed home Bruno Peyron and his crew when they completed a round the world voyage in less than 80 days. There was nationwide mourning when the legendary single handed sailor Eric Taberly was lost at sea in 1999.

Z is for … Zinedine Zidane… Born 1972 in Marseilles of Algerian parents, Zizou (as he’s known to millions of French football fans) was an integral part of the national team which won France its first-ever World Cup in 1998. Named FIFA World Player of the year for 1998,2000 and 2003 he seemed bound for glory again in 2006 when France made it to semi final of the World Cup. Unfortunately he took exception to a remark by his opponent, head butted him and was sent off. France lost, Zizou retired from football,and France had another hero.

So there, from Asterix to Zidane, you have some idea as to the nature of the great, diverse country that is France, and the individuality of its people.