Beret



Look! Mr. with his Casquette Beret and Mrs. with her Classic Black  Beret.

 

Another beret (look at how she stand,
 the french just has it in their blood.)


A beret ( /ˈbɛreɪ/^[1] BERR-ay or /bəˈreɪ/^[2] bə-RAY; French: [beˈʁɛ]) is a soft, round, flat-crowned hat, designated a "cap", usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, or wool felt,^[3] or acrylic fiber. 
The Basque style beret was worn by Basque shepherds in the Pyrenees, a mountain range that straddles the border between southern France and northern Spain. The colors originally varied by region (red in Gipuzkoa, white in Álava, blue in Biscay), but eventually the Basques settled on blue berets, and the people from Navarre adopted red berets as part of their folk costume while the black beret became common headgear in France and Spain. ^[3]

  

So chic, isn't she?





 

This is a Basque Beret as there is a little knot on top.

The black beret was once considered the national cap of France in Anglo-Saxon countries and is part of the stereotypical image of the Onion Johnny. It is no longer as widely worn as it once was, but it remains a strong sign of local identity in the south west of France. When French people want to picture themselves as "the typical average Frenchman" in France or in a foreign country, they often use this stereotype from Anglo-Saxon countries. There are only two manufacturers left in France (the world-famous Hoquy family among them). (source: wikipedia)



In my opinion, Beret is more a hat for the older generation but getting more fashionable these days with it's large selection of colours and materials in shops. As for the men, I see more Casquette Beret then the Basque Beret. I have yet to spot any hot pink beret or animal print beret on the street.. A little advise for the tourist, if you want to experience the everyday french life and don't want to look ridiculous while visiting France then don't wear a beret unless you are Sarah Jessica Parker who can pull off wearing bizarre headwear.

Even the winemaker wear a beret

A better option is.. go to the Boulanger (Bakery) pay 1 Euro for a Baguette (french loaf) which is wrap and twisted in a little piece of paper. Please just carry it in your hand, don't put it in plastic bag.. only fish and salads are allow to be in plastic bags. Next,  go to a near by supermarket, grap a bottle of wine and some cheeses..oh yes! do not forget your wine glasses and cutleries. Nobody drink wine from bottle, unless you want to look like alcoholic. If you want to be show that you have class, a napkin (not paper napkin) would be great.

Next, go to any green and cheers!!



Parc de Pignorolle

Parc de Pignoroelle
there is a castle too (not in the picture, I didn't manage to get a good picture of it. Trop de monde /many ppl)
.. oh yes, how chic it is to have a real castle (now museum) next to the park??
 I know I'm getting spoilt..

In Angers there are a lot of parks and gardens. Each day walking LM to school, I would pass by at least 3 little parks/playgrounds. We are also not too far from Parc de l'Arboretum. Which I promise to take you for a virtual tour of this little paradise..Yes! just you and me.. plus a bottle of Dom??

Big or small, it never fail to have trees, I mean old, gigantic, majestic, glorious trees. Most common trees are Oak, Fir and Chestnut but I saw Almond, Walnuts also Hazelnut.. May be it's me coming from the tropical country where hazelnut is only in chocolates tablettes or Chestnuts are only with street vendors.. To be able to pick up nuts from the ground is like eating Durian under the Durian tree. The sensation of touching the trees, admire what nature can provide while listening sweet melodies of Mesange and now Rouge Gourge..

So today, I'm taking you to Parc de Pignoroelle..


Rouge Gourge ( Red Throat) such a beauty, it sing so well..


 Oh boy, this little bird call Rouge Gourge. Not only is a sweet eye candy but the melody that it compose is.. is like what people say it's like when Angles sing.. compare to our well dressed Tuxedo Pie who says noting but "paca paca paca" all days..

Another look at it, it is always hiding in the blackberry bush for protection
 as the bush has thorns.

 There were a lot of children due to school holiday and here's what I saw..


3 boys plus their grandpa



Redhead angel

The magic of bubbles

Hello Kitty is for girls and Spider man (pronounced as Spi-da-maan) for boys
I almost burst out laughing the first time I heard what LM's friend said spider man.




Trees are staked to have a neat look as well as save space.




Another look at it. I saw apple and pear trees in this shape too.
I guess it's to make picking easier??




Gigantic!!




Grandparents enjoying school holiday with their grand-children





 


Little girl with a Beret. See how she stand??
Beret is a typical french hat which i will save it for another post. See how she stand??




Now turn around and still a pose.

Isn't she Chic??

The French just has it, even from this young age.




Parc is not just for kids but it's also for those who re-live their courtship days after the nest is empty..
Yes! they are romantic.. may be mine has eaten too much curries..




Playing in the woods




Artificial tree vs hundred year old tree




Clean park, fresh air, bird chirping


Picnic tables (clean, no leftover from previous user), bins (emptied regularly, there is no plastic bottles or tissue papers to be seen around), outdoor play equipments (for all age groups and in good condition), birds, nature and fresh air.. What else can I ask for?? free champagne for everyone?? not a bad idea.. have to note it down to propose to the next presidential candidates.



Who is walking who??




A sign of spring




A brunch is much better then a plastic sword

 What nature can give is way too much..

Surely no compare to shopping malls and quality time being with family.