Travel evenings

The scenic vista of Denali, Mt McKinley in Alaska: (from wikipedia)

Recently I have attended travel evenings which have been enjoyable
and also impressive.  The standard of presentations has been excellent
with talks, discussion and slide shows given by the speakers.

Last night I attended a travel evening of Canada/Alaska which was quite
fascinating for me.  I have not visited Canada or Alaska but after having
read in books of the early colonial era I am interested in visiting
these places.

To see the magnificence of the glacier fields and the gold rush towns in Alaska,
to go ice-skating around an ice-castle on Lake Louise which becomes a winter wonderland at
Christmas would be thrilling.  The colours of the early frontier towns and early quaint architecture
appeal.

Niagara Falls, the Rocky Mountains and attractions of the wild life and bears must be spectacular
for visitors to the region.  The colours of the leaves in fall must also be a splendour in Canada.  I have read that there are leaf festivals held.  I think of beautiful Prince Edward Island where Anne of Green
Gables was set and the beauty of the wonderful pristine and forested landscape of Canada, the shore-line and the magnificent wild-life.  The east coast also appeals and Quebec and Montreal for the early
French colonial architecture and history.  The chateau Frontenac in Quebec City looks magnificent from its pictures:  This looks like a fairy-tale with its magnificent spires:

Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City from wikipedia:

I have also attended a travel evening at the library which I found enjoyable.
One story was of a pilgrimage from the Pyrennes in France to a Cathedral in Spain.
This is quite a long journey which can be undertaken by foot or by horse and the
traveller is rewarded with a certificate from the Cathedral.  This is the Way of St James
or Camino de Santiago which was all very interesting to learn about.  The destination is
the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela:

Santiago de Compostela, a destination for pilgrims: (wikipedia picture)

All fascinating to learn of these places and events from attending travel evenings.
More places to think about for future travel.  The Pyrenees area of France is very
beautiful and I once visited Lourdes, which was quite beautiful.  This town is famous
for the story of Saint Bernadette.  A beautiful place set in the Pyrenees and a cross
could be seen in the distant mountains at night.

This is a picture of Lourdes from wikipedia depicting the Rosary Basilica.  It is quite beautiful to wander
around the beautiful old town and also view the living quarters of St Bernadette and her family which
was a small house in the town.  The setting of Lourdes is pleasant and it is also beautiful to visit the
site of the grotto which is famous for the water.

Angelique and the Ghosts

Angelique and the Ghosts

I love reading the Angelique series of books because they seem so real.

The wonderful settings and beauty of prose give these novels

a dimension which is magical. Once again, following on from

the adventures and misadventures of Angelique and Joffrey de Peyrac,

I loved reading

Angelique and the Ghosts by Sergeanne Golon, which also gave an understanding

of the goals which Joffrey de Peyrac was setting for himself.

Joffrey has given assistance

and passage on his boat to people who are agents of the government of France, also

the governor of one of the provinces, Ville d'Avray, who again makes an appearance with his

quite welcoming and also

sometimes (for Angelique) over the top personality. However, he proves as always to

be a good companion. Joffrey also assists traders with their goods.

Joffrey hopes to meet with officials in Quebec, and hopefully one day

would wish to return to France. He has explained this to Angelique. He does not

always wish to be an exile from his country of birth. Angelique was also made

to understand this. Even though they had a new life in Canada, it was important

that one day they would be able to return to France and their children would also

be able to return. It was a dream on the horizon.

From the beginning of this novel, acting on intuition, Angelique rescues Joffrey

from a trap which endangered his life. Joffrey had given Angelique a set of

very finely crafted pistols at the end of the last novel, “Angelique and the Demon,”

which came into good use so early in this new adventure of “Angelique and the

Ghosts.”

Angelique and Joffrey de Peyrac travel the St Lawrence river en route to Quebec,

stopping at various small towns and communities on the way. Angelique befriends

 Marguerite de Bourgeoys, a nun who was renowned for the work she did for

setting up schools in early Canada.

Angelique had a talent for helping people with

cures for their ailments.

For early colonial history of the New World,

these books of Angelique are well worth reading and would serve as excellent study

guides in an educational forum for early history of the time and also literature.

Angelique reminiscences about her early days in Paris, the Court of Miracles (which

was the Paris underworld and best forgotten as Angelique moved on from these

troubled times) and her acceptance at the glittering court of Louis XIV at Versailles

as Madame la Marquise, Madame du Plessis-Belliere,

after her marriage to a distant cousin, the Marquis, Philippe du Plessis-Belliere.

How far Angelique had journeyed in life since these

early days!

She has not forgotten her poet, who had such a great fondness for Angelique. She had

met him early one morning on a river barge on the River Seine, when she did not have a home.

Unfortunately, perhaps as being a poet it may have been inherent in his nature to write of

truth, which in seventeenth century France may have been upsetting certain persons in

authority and her poet paid the ultimate price for his truthfulness and bringing misdemeanours

and crimes to attention in the gutter press.

This is a fictional novel, though the story is quite

believable which is set in “Angelique- The Road to Versailles” which was one of the earlier books of Angelique's

adventures and a magnificent novel to read.

One of my all time favourites is “Angelique and the

King” as there are so many wonderful depictions of the court of Louis XIV at Versailles and

references to many of the people at the court at the time, including Louise de la Valliere, Madame de Montespan (who Angelique has an altercation with) and Madame de Maintenon who acts as a

peace-maker between the two women.

(There is a reference to an altercation between Madame de Montespan and Madame des Fontanges in one book I was looking at on google books of the history of the court of Louis XIV.

Perhaps Madame de Maintenon may have been a peace -maker in such a situation.)

The scenes

of court life, decorations, dress and etiquette described in the book seemed to ring with authenticity.

In “Angelique and the Ghosts” Angelique also recalls her good friend, the police inspector,

Desgrez, who has come to her assistance in the past. Perhaps it is difficult for Angelique

not to think of the many good people from her past as she travels on her new path in life with her

husband.

Angelique and her husband also save good friends from a depraved captain as they had been taken

prisoners on the river. Angelique also looks out for her good friend and his bear, who decides to hibernate

for the winter at an inconvenient time.

All in all, a marvellous read. Full credit to Anne and Serge Golon for another magnificent story.

The next three books in the series have not been translated into English at this time.

I look forward to reading “Angelique in Quebec” when an English translation becomes available.