Mende a beautiful town in Lozere France. There is so much to see. We got a circular, information leaflet that took us on an historic tour of the old town! Boy it was old! There is evidence that there have been people living in the town since 200BC. Read about it here it is very interesting.
This is the narrowest street the ancient town of Mende.
We followed the map and found it very interesting. We visited the Cathedral , It was Pope Urban V who started work on the cathedral (1368), for a completion in 1467.
As you can see the two towers are completely different, one was destroyed during the religious wars. I am totally miffed as to why they did not replicate the old one?
Here they are restoring part of the old ramparts of the town. This time unlike their predecessors they are honouring what was there before.
This is the the oldest water pump in town apparently it is the best water in the Town!!
This spectacular moment in time is painted on the side of a house in the old town it looks as if the guy with the flag is about to step on to the street! The scene in the painting actually depicts a scene from Voltarra an Italian town that Mende is twinned with . We have visited Voltarra too.
Well that is all the photos the internet here will allow me to upload right now .
Dale at Diary of an internet nobody said :”It’s the first full working week of the year and time for your Monday morning dose of photographic artistry from K’lee and Dale’s Cosmic Photo Challenge,with this week’s theme set by me; Straight lines.
Two images from our holiday in France. The natural and the tinkered with. One day we were driving betwixt and between and we could not believe how straight the road ahead of us was ! and what a glorious sky was above us ! I took the photo from the passenger seat!
The same photo with a black and white filter .
The photo above was a beautiful tree lined road, not much wider than our car lined with trees on both sides again typically french!
Welcome everyone especially Sheri who arrived last night sleeping bag in hand. Now I have explained that the internet is very sketchy around here, in the Rhone Alps!
Now I have decided that we shall travel back to Boussay and that beautiful Chateau that I felt so sorry for! Let’s bring it to life for a few hours if only virtually. We can throw cushions and drapes around , maybe you could all bring your own! We can have a party here a tea party and breath some virtual life into the sad empty place.
Don’t worry everything is as it always is with tea and coffee from all over the world not to mention all our cakes and muffins and as Paul calls them sweets! Every single one is calorie free! Plus of course we now have spirits and liquors to warm the coldest of you.
If we were having Coffee: I would ask you what has been going on in your world this week, has anything deeply affected you, have you need a sympathetic ear, a shoulder to cry on or just needed someone to make you laugh! If yes feel free to talk it out here with us. We will all help if we can.
Lets join everyone here and all the other “IF WE WERE HAVING COFFEES”
If we were having Coffee: I would remind you that there are lots of other coffee mornings all shared and organized By Diana and Gene’O over at,Part time monster
Paul who is over at Mark Bialczak in Syracuse this week and all this month. So don’t forget to visit him over there! I shall be later!
If we were having coffee: I would welcome you to this wonderful place and ask you how you have all been. Now although we are not still in Boussay my thoughts are dragged back there by the beautiful but empty Chateau. The owner who was 95yrs old and lived in two rooms of the Chateau toward the end of his life only died in May of this year….. imagine that old man alone in a huge chateau with all his memories and ghosts.
Now If we were having coffee : although we are in a wonderful place with mountains, swimming pool and lovely hosts I am still drawn back to the chateau. I hope you are enjoying our sojourn here! I have to dash off now as I have not enough time to stay as long as I would like also not enough wifi! So please stay and enjoy I am with you in spirit …just like the ghosts of the chateau!
I shall love you and leave you all to enjoy I am putting my feet up now and taking in the view so come and join me or wander over to see Paul who is over at Mark Bialczak in Syracuse this week and all this month. Let us see what they are all discussing ! It has been lovely as always to have you all here and I hope, as does Paul that you will all join us here and at Mark Bialczak ‘s again next week.
Welcome to Willow’s weekly coffee and tea garden. My name is Paul, I’ll be your barista today and I’m happy to be here once again. Please come in and make yourself comfortable. Willow has plumped the cushions and started a cozy fire so we can warm ourselves while we have a cuppa and chat. As usual, I’d be pleased to bring a pot of whatever beverage you prefer – we have a wide range of teas and coffees to satisfy our world-wide readership. We can relax with a cuppa and calorie free electronic sweets while we discuss the affairs of the week both personal and/or worldwide. How has your week been?
The horror of the terrorist killings in France this week has thrown a pall over international news. My heart and prayers go out to all those who have been hurt or killed and their families and friends. I abhor this behaviour on the part of those terrorists who are hiding behind the label of “Muslim”, a religion that is, at its heart, a study of peace. That said, I won’t elaborate as there has been ample coverage in the media and I am sure many are overloaded with the images and pain. As a non-practicing Christian I have some questions, though, and I wonder if any of you have wondered the same. Given that the Muslim religion makes it clear that it is forbidden to create an image of Mohammed, and the terrorists have made it clear that they will attack anyone who does, then why do people continue to create those images?
The examples that I have seen of those who have created images mocking Mohammed, have done so for purposes of creating controversy while being paid to make profits for companies. I don’t understand why they feel the need to mock the beliefs of a religious group. Is it the money they are paid to do their “jobs”? Is that the reason? Is it a hatred of Muslims that drives the need to produce cartoons of Mohammed? Those producing these images know before they do, that what they are doing is abhorrent to about a billion people. They know that there is a faction out there who has sworn to kill anyone who does this. What is the driving reason to produce those images? It is certainly not helping anyone else, other than providing a target for derision for those who enjoy belittling others.
Would you like a refill of your cuppa? A sweet perhaps?
Many of the world’s first nations media and leaders are standing solid on freedom of expression or freedom of speech as an inalienable right. That may be so but at what point does that turn into the promulgation of hatred? And even if one believes freedom of speech is inalienable, why would anyone do something that they are basically guaranteed will result in their death? As an old truck driver, I am reminded of a common adage that many drivers live: it is far better to go home alive than it is to be right and dead. That is used daily by virtually every driver out there. How many times do we avoid accidents when we have the right, legally, to kill someone? Answer: many times a day. There is a higher order of understanding above the rules- and that is “be safe”. Human life and life in general, is more valuable than any principle. The rules were made for Man but Man was not made for the rules.
Many will argue that if the Muslims are living in our country, then they should obey our rules. And really, that is a good perspective, generally. However there is an even higher perspective and that is: can we accommodate their beliefs without damage or harm to anyone in our current society? Are we big enough to look at ourselves through their eyes and understand what is important to them? By doing so, we can solve many of the confrontations and adversarial views. There are some things that we cannot accept for it would lead to the death or harm to others – such as Sharia Law. But there are other things, such as refraining from producing images of Mohammed, that are easy to do and do not reduce us one whit.
I do not believe that principles should have a higher importance than human life. And that goes for the Muslim terrorists who are attacking journalists and cartoonists. It also applies to us – we do not need to make images of Mohammed – it is not a valid argument, in my mind, that the Freedom of Speech trumps human life. In fact, this has been proven many times in our own courts – that the safety of people comes before any principle. The law is made to keep people safe, when it is doing otherwise, then we make an exception to that law. There is a legal argument in some jurisdictions that that which is necessary (saves lives for instance) is legal regardless of the written law. Freedom of Speech is NOT inalienable, human safety is inalienable.
Personally my week has been rather uneventful – hiding inside from the bone numbing cold of -34 earlier in the week. Other than that, not much exciting. How about you? Anything exciting in your world this week?
That’s about all we have room for this week, so it’s time to settle in with another cuppa and watch the fire. Sweets anyone? Please join me in thanking Willow for her invitation to tea. We are all honored that you dropped by today to visit. I hope you’ve enjoyed yourself and the conversation and please look around at Willow’s other posts while you’re here. Willow is over there serving her guests and chatting it up. Let’s go see how she is today. Have a great week. We look forward to seeing you back here for tea again next week.
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If we were having Coffee: I would ask you what has been going on in your world this week, has anything deeply affected you, have you need a sympathetic ear, a shoulder to cry on or just needed someone to make you laugh! If yes feel free to talk it out here with us. We will all help if we can.
willowdot21 
