London, GB | Formerly of New York, Buenos Aires, Fife, and the Western Cape. | Saoránach d’Éirinn.

2022 August

L’Élysée à la plage

The Fort de Brégançon: Riviera Retreat of France’s Presidents

When France’s head of state needs to let his hair down every summer, the Republic has a convenient presidential residence just for him to do so: the Fort de Brégançon on the Côte d’Azur.

There has been a fortress here since at least mediæval times, and Gen. Buonaparte (later emperor) ordered its ramparts renewed after the retaking of Toulon in 1793. It continued to serve military purposes until 1919, but in 1924 it was leased out to a local mercantile family, the Tagnards.

They passed their lease on to the former government minister Robert Bellanger, who improved the island greatly, connecting it to the water and electricity supply, building the causeway linking it to the mainland, and laying out the Mediterranean garden. Bellanger’s leased expired in 1963 and Brégançon returned to the property of the state.

President de Gaulle stayed a night on the island in 1964 but found the bed too small and the mosquitos too bothersome. Nonetheless, his wartime comrade René-Georges Laurin (mayor of Saint-Raphaël up the coast) convinced him it would make a suitable summer residence that befitted the dignity of France’s head of state.

The architect Pierre-Jean Guth was seconded over from the Navy to adapt and update the fort to this end. The rooms are a little small, but their cozy intimacy adds to the fort’s informality. The presidential bedroom features a Provençal bed facing the sea with a view towards the nearby island of Porquerolles.

Pompidou and Giscard enjoyed the island but Mitterand mostly neglected the island except when welcoming Chancellor Kohl and Taoiseach Garrett Fitzgerald. Chirac and his wife took up Brégançon and were often seen by the locals on their way to Mass.

Sarkozy liked to be photographed on his jogs from the island but after he abandoned his wife and took up with his mistress he preferred holidaying at Carla Bruni’s far grander and more comfortable summer residence.

Hollande opened the fort up to public visitors, hoping to recoup some of the costs of maintaining the property. Macron has taken to the island frequently for his summers, for meetings with foreign leaders, and for working weekends with his ministers.

With summer fires raging, a minority in parliament, and myriad other problems brewing, no doubt Macron has much on his agenda.

All the same, for France’s sake, we can’t help but hope Monsieur le Président has a happy holiday. (more…)

August 16, 2022 2:15 pm | Link | No Comments »

The Accident of Birth

A king is a king, not because he is rich and powerful, not because he is a successful politician, not because he belongs to a particular creed or to a national group. He is king because he is born.

And in choosing to leave the selection of their head of state to this most common denominator in the world — the accident of birth — Canadians implicitly proclaim their faith in human equality, their hope for the triumph of nature over political manoeuvre, over social and financial interest; for the victory of the human person.

— Fr Jacques Monet SJ FRSC

August 12, 2022 12:15 pm | Link | 2 Comments »

A Few Quick Questions

F.L. has an electronic newsletter (“It’s not a Substack! It’s private!”) that goes out every Monday which includes a few quick questions shot at a different person every week.

Here are my answers from today, republished with the kind permission of the editor.

How do you like to begin a Sunday?

Always begin with Mass – I dislike leaving it to the evening. Usually at the Brompton Oratory, or at St George’s Cathedral right across the street from me in Southwark.

Following the news or taking it easy this August?

Picked up Le canard enchainé this week, which I do from time to time. Good to add words to my lexicon (flache-baque) and try and keep up with things the other side of la Manche.

Other than that, avoiding the news like the plague.

Breakfast plans?

Cappuccino and pain au chocolat. Boring but reliable.

What’s on the soundtrack lately?

‘Albi Ya Albi’ by Nancy Ajram and some beautiful Stradella arias.

And the bookshelf?

Just finished another Maigret, some Robertson Davies, and Seb Faulkes’ Bond novel. Now on Tom Gallagher’s bio of Salazar, Jan Morris’s Venice, and one of the Zen detective novels.

Been reading a lot of Leonardo Sciascia lately – his name is such a pleasure to pronounce – and I’ve got some John B. Keane and Anthony Levi’s biography of Richelieu on the way. Jaan Kross is sitting on the pile. And Juan Gabriel Vasquez, who I’ve enjoyed greatly.

A glass of something?

A good cold glass of white Burgundy outdoors, although in this heat a gin-and-tonic is always a welcome relief.

Lemon or lime?

Lemon, always – unless it’s Archangel, a delicious gin a mate of mine makes in Norfolk. Always a slice of orange with Archangel.

Sunday evening routine?

I usually try to have a night in on Sunday, but yesterday ended up in Hampstead meeting Isaac and Joe for a pint before Tijmen got us round for a Scotch (or “uno Scotch-ito” as he confusingly calls it) on the terrace as the sun went down.

The NW3 crew usually refuse to ever leave their postcode, but I drop in often and I can see why.

What’s on the menu lately?

A friend came round Saturday night for a quick dinner pre-pub session. I made some pappardelle, chopped up the leftover sausage I’d had at lunch and threw it in a pot with some sun-dried tomatoes, rosemary, thyme, lots of butter, pinch of dried Italian peppers, red pesto, mixed it all up and served with some ripped leaves of basil. Went down pretty well.

What’s the week ahead hold?

Two dinner parties – one Hungarian-Jewish/French in Putney, the other Welsh/German/French in Soho – and hoping to make it to ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ at the Prince Charles Cinema this Wednesday.

Other than that, a fair bit of work and writing and I hope a lot of reading in the garden.

Enjoy!

Thank you!

August 8, 2022 12:55 pm | Link | 5 Comments »

A Desk in Sweden

The desk of Claes Lagergren, Tyresö Palace, Sweden.

(In honour of his descendant coming to London for a coffee last month.)

August 8, 2022 12:40 pm | Link | No Comments »

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