Nursery Rhyme Time – Le Pont d’Avignon

Every child in France knows of Avignon.  It isn’t because it is a decent-sized town.  It isn’t because it has a bunch of history or housed the papacy.  It isn’t because the bridge stops in the middle of the Rhone River (it was washed away by floods and not rebuilt).  It is because of a nursery rhyme.

Just like “Ring Around the Rosie” or “London Bridge is Falling Down” it has a dance that goes with it.

The refrain goes:

Sur le pont d’Avignon
 (On the bridge of Avignon)

l’on y danse, l’on y danse  (we all dance there, we all dance there)

Sur le pont d’Avignon (On the bridge of Avignon)

l’on y danse tout en rond. (we all dance there in a circle)

1st Verse – Les beaux messieurs font comme ci 
et pui encore comme ca…. (The handsome young gentlemen do like this (bow)
 and then like that)

2nd Verse – Les belles dam’s font comme ci . . .
 (The beautiful young ladies do like this …(curtsying))

3rd Verse – Et les soldats font comme ci . . .
 (The brave soldiers do like this (salute)
)

4th Verse – Les cordonniers font comme ci . . .
 (The musicians do like this (play violin))

There are many more verses, but you get the idea.  Everyone is doing something with an accompanying gesture.  Someone who is a better scribe than I put them all down with instructions if you want to give it a go.

By the way, song was actually “Sous le Pont d’Avignon” (Under the Bridge of Avignon).  In medieval times, it was a happening place with cafés with dancing and other pleasure activities under the bridge’s arches of the bridge.  “Sur” means on and sounds a bit similar…

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Movies Filmed In London

Avi:                     Eighty-six carats.

Rosebud:           Where?

Avi:                     London.

Rosebud:           London?

Avi:                     London.

Avi’s Colleague: London?

Avi:                     Yes, London.  You know: fish, chips, cup ‘o tea, bad food, worse

                           weather, Mary ____ Poppins… LONDON. (from Snatch)

It’s no wonder that some of the city seemed so hauntingly familiar.  After we returned, I looked up some of the places we saw to see what movies were filmed there.  Recent movies include: The Great Muppet Caper, The Muppet Christmas Carol, Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels, Die Another Day, The Bourne Ultimatum, Elizabeth, The Man Who Knew Too Little, The Bridget Jones Movies, The Harry Potter Films, Sliding Doors, Bend It Like Beckham, Layer Cake, Love Actually, Closer, Match Point, Shaun of the Dead, Casino Royale, V for Vendetta, Sherlock Holmes, Run Fat Boy Run, Penelope, Children of Men, Eastern Promises, The Queen, Young Victoria, Atonement, The King’s Speech…

Willis Group Building Trinity Square was in Laura Croft: Tomb Raider. It was the mansion of villainous Manfred Powell.

Westminster Bridge was eerily deserted in 28 Days Later.

Whitehall from Trafalgar to Parliament appeared in V for Vendetta.

The stunning Millennium Bridge has been featured in tons of movies including: Harry Potter And The Half Blood Price, Bridget Jones Diary, and Love Actually.

Tower Bridge is easily recognizable in:  Sweeney Todd,  Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason and from about ten million other things.

The London Eye was seen in Run Fatboy Run, Wimbledon, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and Love Actually.

30 St. Mary Axe (dubbed The Gherkin for its resemblance to a pickle) was in Match Point and Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

The Admiralty Arch (situated close to Trafalgar Square) was the heavily guarded checkpoint passed by Clive Owen in Children Of Men.

You saw Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square in Love Actually.

Of course, the Tower of London was featured in The Tudors.

The Royal Court’s of Justice were in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.

Usually, I like to watch movies set in the destination before a trip.  Given that our tech system is not fully functional, we didn’t do that this time.  Before we go back to London, we will definitely rewatch some of the above films.