 |
| Gypsies are an amazing culture |
Today, The Jones have said goodbye to Noelia Jones, the member of the family who has decided to return to Scotland.
Before the last goodbye, the family has revised some aspects of the English Grammar like the Future Simple and the Relative Pronouns.
The Jones have read another chapter of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray and they have received a surprise when MJ has appeared to talk about calendars, exams and other proposals.
More information: Future Simple
After this interesting visit, The Grandma has explained a long story that connects two amazing cultures -Gypsy and Occitan- and one target: secrets to be revealed. She has talked about poetry, metric, music and about the capacity of guessing the future using 22 interesting cards.
 |
| An Occitan troubadour in the royal court |
She has also remembered Frederic Mistral, the Occitan Nobel Prize and Victor Hugo, one of the best writers in the universal literature, the author of The Miserables and The Hunch of Notre-Dame.
Finally, The Grandma has told how important is to pay attention about the lyrics of the poems and the songs, about the real meaning hidden in them, about the great quantity of secrets that can be revealed thanks to them and about the importance of the popular culture and the oral tradition to keep cultures alive and avoid their extinction.
More information: Relative Pronouns & Do/Make List
Oral tradition is around us: in our lullabies, in our legends, in our popular songs, in our names and surnames, in the names of our streets and squares because something lives as time as the last person who remembers it. Don't forget your past because it's the key to understand your present and to try to fight a better future.
 |
| Frédéric Mistral |
Mistral received the 1904 Nobel Prize in Literature in recognition of the fresh originality and true inspiration of his poetic production, which faithfully reflects the natural scenery and native spirit of his people, and, in addition, his significant work as a Provençal philologist. He was a founding member of Félibrige and a member of l'Académie de Marseille.
A troubadour, in Occitan trobador, was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word troubadour is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a trobairitz.
The texts of troubadour songs deal mainly with themes of chivalry and courtly love. Most were metaphysical, intellectual, and formulaic. Many were humorous or vulgar satires. Works can be grouped into three styles: the trobar leu (light), trobar ric (rich), and trobar clus (closed). Likewise there were many genres, the most popular being the canso, but sirventes and tensos were especially popular in the post-classical period, in Italy and among the female troubadours, the trobairitz.
A troubadour, in Occitan trobador, was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word troubadour is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a trobairitz.
The texts of troubadour songs deal mainly with themes of chivalry and courtly love. Most were metaphysical, intellectual, and formulaic. Many were humorous or vulgar satires. Works can be grouped into three styles: the trobar leu (light), trobar ric (rich), and trobar clus (closed). Likewise there were many genres, the most popular being the canso, but sirventes and tensos were especially popular in the post-classical period, in Italy and among the female troubadours, the trobairitz.
Read, listen to and watch everything you can.
Explore the corners of popular culture and the arts.
Tom Freston
Victor Marie Hugo (1802 -1885) was a French poet, novelist, and dramatist of the Romantic movement. Hugo is considered to be one of the greatest and best-known French writers. Outside of France, his most famous works are the novels Les Misérables, 1862, and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, 1831. In France, Hugo is known primarily for his poetry collections, such as The Contemplations and The Legend of the Ages.
 |
| Víctor Hugo |
Hugo was at the forefront of the romantic literary movement with his play Cromwell and drama Hernani. Many of his works have inspired music, both during his lifetime and after his death, including the musicals Notre-Dame de Paris and Les Misérables. He produced more than 4,000 drawings in his lifetime, and campaigned for social causes such as the abolition of capital punishment.
Though a committed royalist when he was young, Hugo's views changed as the decades passed, and he became a passionate supporter of republicanism; his work touches upon most of the political and social issues and the artistic trends of his time. He is buried in the Panthéon in Paris. His legacy has been honoured in many ways, including his portrait being placed on French currency.
This afternoon, The Jones are visiting Notre-Dame de Paris. This wonderful building, meaning Our Lady of Paris, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris. The cathedral is widely considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture, and it is among the largest and best-known church buildings in the Catholic Church in France, and in the world. The naturalism of its sculptures and stained glass serve to contrast it with earlier Romanesque architecture.
 |
| The Jones on the top of Notre-Dame Cathedral |
Many small individually crafted statues were placed around the outside to serve as column supports and water spouts. Among these are the famous gargoyles, designed for water run-off, and chimeras.
The statues were originally colored as was most of the exterior. The paint has worn off. The cathedral was essentially complete by 1345.
The cathedral has a narrow climb of 387 steps at the top of several spiral staircases; along the climb it is possible to view its most famous bell and its gargoyles in close quarters, as well as having a spectacular view across Paris when reaching the top.
In the 1790s, Notre-Dame suffered desecration in the radical phase of the French Revolution when much of its religious imagery was damaged or destroyed. An extensive restoration supervised by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc began in 1845. A project of further restoration and maintenance began in 1991.
More information: French Moments
Music expresses that which cannot be said
and on which it is impossible to be silent.
Victor Hugo
