Rugby World Cup

 Some of the Rugby World Cup matches will be played in Bordeaux, and for this a fan zone has been set up on the quays - this time on the less popular end of town. The bars opposite will be rejoicing. This weekend Ireland are playing Romania on Saturday evening, then Wales are playing Fiji on Sunday evening.

The Opera National de Bordeaux Aquitaine decided to mark the occasion by singing on the steps of the Opera House, accompanied by four aerobatic dancers, contorting through hoops suspended from the roof. The choir sand for each country its national anthem, followed by a popular song. For Wales they sang Hen Wlad fy Nhadau, and Sospan Fach. The choir gave enthusiastic cries of "OÏ OÏ".

We went along, of course, and I dressed in full regalia for the occasion - my Wales cap and a Wales tee-shirt which has a passive Wales flag on a green background. The green background did mean a few people took me for Irish from the back...

As we found a spot two chaps came up and started addressing me. It took a while before I realised they were speaking Welsh. I made a gallant effort to converse, pausing only to replace the little words that come out automatically in French now with their Welsh equivalents. All in all I felt reassured that yr hen iaith has not totally left my neurones.

Two friends from choir came up and we were soon surrounded by festive French and Irish folk. The choir sang well. I joined in Hen Wlad fy Nhadau, of course. To round off the show, we all sang "La vie en rose" for which the words had been usefully distributed.  

Very Bordeaux. An effervescent mix of the posh, the fun, the cheesy and the bizarre.


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