Bastille Day

If I had to say what was the best public holiday I'd ever experienced, it would have to be a 14th July in France. I've been lucky enough to be in France twice over the years on Bastille Day, once in Cannes on the French Riviera with the most amazing firework display over the bay, while the other was a crazy night in Chambery in the French alps.

The festival celebrates the 1789 storming of the Bastille and subsequent end of French Monarchy and the setting up of a Republic in France. The Bastille was a medieval fortress which later became a notorious prison and it's destruction at the height of revolutionary unrest left little remaining.  Apparently, by the time of it's demise, the prison was not as bad as it once had been. Half a century before the revolution, it had been described by a former inmate as "hell of the living", while Voltaire popularised the story of one of the prison's most famous detainees, Eustache Dauger, or the man in the iron mask. However, the main reason for its storming in 1789 was probably for the ammunition stored in the fortress.

Claude Cholat's "Siege of the Bastille" (from wikipedia)

Essentially, the Bastille became a symbol of the repressive monarchy and geographically it was situated on the tinderbox front line between affluent and impoverished areas of Paris. The first celebration of July 14th was held in 1790 as an anniversary of the event. Since then the celebration has become a fixed event on July 14th with probably the 1989 bi-centenary being the biggest of them all. I remember trying to hitchhike to Paris that year to join the celebrations. I left the ferry in Dover and saw a line of about 50 hitchhikers with signs for Paris. So I turned my board over and wrote Amsterdam on the back and spent a great few days there instead.

Anyway, enough of the past. Next year I'm planning on visiting my family in England, and while there, I intend to spend some time in France with Caroline. She's been to the West of France before, while I've spent time in the East, so we're planning a drive around the country to take in some French culture. Last week I went to the French stall in the Victoria Market and today Caroline and I got into the 'quatorze Juillet' celebrations with a French meal (Baguette, Camembert, Champagne ham and Pommery mustard) and we'll be watching the Tour de France tonight and hoping for a French victory on tonight's stage. Vive la France!

Wonderful rich wholegrain French mustard

A creamy Camembert with an earthy flavour

Polish Festival in Melbourne

It was a lazy Sunday morning where I had few plans, so I thought I'd head into central Melbourne and visit the Polish Festival in Federation Square. My father is Polish, though he has lived in England for over 60 years, so I have an affinity with Polish culture. I have never learned the language, but I do know a few words, and even more than I realized I knew started coming back to me as I wandered around the festival. The stage in Federation Square hosted a series of traditional Polish folk entertainment (I thought I could hear Chopin at one point, though it was probably coming from a stall I was passing). There were children singing when I was there this morning, but adults were waiting in the background in traditional dress.

There were a number of stalls around Federation Square where local Polish businesses were selling goods, such as Polish language books, jewellery (a lot of amber), and homewares. There were some handmade gifts being made as you waited, and stuff for the kids.

Carved wooden gifts, and hand loomed materials

Along the Yarra, there were plenty of food stalls. For me, this is always one of the highlights of the various cultural festivals held in Federation Square.

 Mmmmm, pretzels

 Granny's (Babcia) Kitchen

 Europa Bakery

Lots of stalls spread along the Yarra River

There was an excellent Festival Guide given out for free with loads of information about Polish culture, history, language and contacts around Victoria. I live fairly near to a large Polish community in Bentleigh. In Centre Road, Bentleigh, the excellent Europa Bakery and cakeshop is situated, though there is another in Acland Street in St. Kilda.

Poland and Chess

Of course it also interests me to follow Polish chess players. Poland have never had a chess World champion, but they have certainly had their share of great players. Perhaps top of the list was Akiba Rubinstein, who for a couple of years before the First World War was considered among the very best in the World. He won a string of strong tournaments, but didn't get a shot at the World Championship. A contemporary of Rubinstein's was Savielly Tartakower, who was a probably a greater writer than he was a player (though he was a strong enough player). These 2 spearheaded Poland's victory in the 1930 Olympiad, and Tartakower was the teacher of the next great Polish player, Najdorf. Although Najdorf lived for most of his life in Argentina, he was born in Poland and represented Poland at an Olympiad before the Second World War. During the Soviet dominance of Eastern Europe after the Second World War, no great Polish players emerged, and it was not until recently we have seen an upsurge in Polish chess again, most notably with Wojtaszek being chosen to be part of World Champion Anand's team. But he is just one of a number of young strong Polish players, so the future of chess in Poland looks pretty bright.