[madameshawshank]

The dear woman has died in Paris aged 94. I remember her sense of style. When I was young, France seemed so far away, so so far away. There would be photos of this tall woman wearing midis. Oh my ...such style..she seemed to somehow or other be gazing down on those around her...there but not there sometimes..detatched as it were..

'n at the same time, there was something sad about her eyes...as though she'd been to places heavy...and come back...

Speaking of the Pompidou Centre:

She told Le Figaro that she went there often, "when I am in a bad mood, or a little sad. You feel better when you emerge having seen some paintings. It is the salvation side of art."

http://www.theolympian.com/national/story/152416.html

I love the foreign minister story Can't you just picture it!

Bon Voyage Madame...
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"I've never accepted the external appearance of things as the whole truth. The world is much more elaborate than the nerves of our eye can tell us." - James Gleeson

[gingerpale]

France's new president, Nicolas Sarkozy, said Claude Pompidou had suffered as first lady "because she did not always appreciate the very cruel side of political life."

I thought that was an odd thing to say!

Is "Claude" a usual name for both boys and girls in France?

[madameshawshank]

gingerpale darlin'..perhaps he was saying that she didn't perhaps realise just WHAT politics was like...'n then she found herself in the thick of it all and I imagine it isn't everyone's cup of tea...

I've a friend who was born in France and her name is Claude...she never liked the name, so called herself Claudia. However I think Claude suits her very much.
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"I've never accepted the external appearance of things as the whole truth. The world is much more elaborate than the nerves of our eye can tell us." - James Gleeson

[charlsy]

Gingerpale, Claude is fairly usual both for boys and girls in France, since it's "neutral" and not gender marqued in anyway. Although it's rather considered a boy's name, and very often when a girl is named Claude you can bet the parents expected a boy ! My aunt on my mother's side got that particular deal, she was the 3rd of 4 girls, who were all given feminine variations of boys names (Paulette for Paul, Jacqueline for Jacques, Claude and Françoise for François) ! By the 5th girl they just gave up and named that one Suzanne, a real girl's name !
Whenever you met a french girl with a name like Claude, Frédérique, Pascale or Dominique, you can bet that her parents did not exactly get the flavour they wanted !

[David]

On this side of the french pond I've never run into a Quebecoise Claude unless it's been a double---Marie-Claude.
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Vivant Linguae Mortuae!!