Category: France

Ar poull-neuial – The Swimming pool

We went to the swimming pool in Guingamp today. I must say that I am not a big fan of water, and usually avoid this kind of places. But as we say in French: “Il n’y a que les imbéciles qui ne changent jamais d’avis” We all had fun, me included. No pictures to show, as we are not allowed to take pictures there, but you can check on their website: http://www.cc-guingamp.fr/piscine/piscine.htm. It was also quite cheap. We only paid € 9,80 for the four of us (that’s about £8).

It was also a new cultural experience. The changing rooms were mixed, as well as showers and toilets. That’s the kind of things you have to do when you are a missionary. Off course, you don’t get changed in front of everyone, but go in a small cabin. Although I am a Frenchman, I was a bit surprised at first. Maybe I have lived in th UK too long.

Bro Gozh ma zadoù – Mae hen wlad fy nhadau- Land of my fathers (2)

Here are the words, first in Breton, then in Welsh. You can try to compare both, it is an interesting exercise.

Breton:

Ni, Breizhiz a galon, karomp hon gwir Vro !
Brudet eo an Arvor dre ar bed tro-do.
Dispont kreiz ar brezel, hon tadoù ken mat,
A skuilhas eviti o gwad.

Chorus

O Breizh ! ma Bro ! Me ‘gar ma Bro. (Oh Brittany, my country! I love my crountry.)
Tra ma vo ‘r mor ‘vel mur ‘n he zro. (As long as the sea will be a wall around her.)
Ra vezo digabestr ma Bro ! (Be free my country!)

Breizh, douar ar sent kozh, douar ar varzhed,
N’eus Bro all a garan kement ‘barzh ar bed.
Pep menez, pep traoñienn, d’am c’halon zo kaer,
Enno ‘kousk meur a Vreizhad taer !

Chorus

Ar Vretoned zo tud kalet ha kreñv;
N’eus pobl ken kalonek a-zindan an neñv,
Gwerz trist, son dudius a ziwan eno,
O ! pegen kaer ec’h out, ma Bro !

Chorus

Mar d’eo bet trec’het Breizh er brezelioù bras,
He Yezh a zo bepred ken beo ha bizkoazh.
He c’halon birvidik a lamm c’hoazh ‘n he c’hreiz,
Dihunet out bremañ, ma Breizh !

Welsh:

Mae hen wlad fy nhadau yn annwyl i mi,
Gwlad beirdd a chantorion, enwogion o fri;
Ei gwrol ryfelwyr, gwladgarwyr tra mâd,
Dros ryddid collasant eu gwaed.

(Cytgan - Chorus)

Gwlad, gwlad, pleidiol wyf i’m gwlad.
Tra môr yn fur i’r bur hoff bau,
O bydded i’r hen iaith barhau.

(Ail Bennill – Second stanza)

Hen Gymru fynyddig, paradwys y bardd,
Pob dyffryn, pob clogwyn, i’m golwg sydd hardd;
Trwy deimlad gwladgarol, mor swynol yw si
Ei nentydd, afonydd, i mi.

(Cytgan - Chorus)

(Trydydd Pennill – Third stanza)

Os treisiodd y gelyn fy ngwlad tan ei droed,
Mae hen iaith y Cymry mor fyw ag erioed,
Ni luddiwyd yr awen gan erchyll law brad,
Na thelyn berseiniol fy ngwlad.

(Cytgan - Chorus)

John Lichfield: Holidaying en masse: What France can teach us about the Big Society

John Lichfield is correspondent in France for the Independent newspaper. Last Saturday, he published this column on France which has some good insight into French people’s mindsets: John Lichfield: Holidaying en masse: What France can teach us about the Big Society – John Lichfield, Commentators – The Independent. I won’t post extracts because of copyright issues, but read on, it will give you some idea about the people we are trying to reach out to.