Living in history

How many nights have I danced by this building during the summer street dances? How many times have I sat in the café across the street on a hot day and had a cold beer or on a cool day and had a hot chocolate?

Currently it is the music school, but once it was the village mairie, the village hall.

Only this week I discovered this plaque although it does look new. For those that don't read French, it says on 29-30 April, 1942 50 brave women demonstrated against the Vichy government. It is a tribute to those women who contributed to liberty.



At that time there were still close to 100,000 people in refuge camps on the Argelès beach. All were refuges of the Spanish Civil War that had streamed over the border in January 1939.

It so easy to think of what exists today, a tranquil village to enjoy and not remember the horrific events that went on in the past.

Yesterday, in Perpignan, I discovered something wonderful about Rick. Many French cities have signs telling about the place where people are standing. Some of the information goes back to the ninth, tenth centuries although more involves the 1200s and 1300s.

He loves to read them too. We talk about what life must have been like then combining our historical knowledge.

Just another reason to keep him.