Friday, February 19, 2010

Memorial to Jean Moulin the resistance fighter

It seemed to be a day for discovering memorials of the atrocities of World War II .

Copied from the internet:

Jean Moulin, the son of a professor of history, was born in Beziers, France, on 20th June 1899. He was conscripted into the French Army in 1918 but the First World War came to an end before he had the opportunity to see action.

After the war Moulin joined the civil service and rose rapidly to become the country's youngest prefect. Influenced by his friend, Pierre Cot, a radical pacifist, Moulin developed left-wing views. During the Spanish Civil War Moulin helped to smuggle a French aircraft to the Republican Army fighting against the Royalists.

Moulin refused to cooperate with the German Army when they occupied France in June 1940. He was arrested and tortured by the Gestapo and while in his cell he attempted to commit suicide by cutting his throat with a piece of broken glass. After recovering he was released from prison.

In November 1940, the Vichy government ordered all prefects to dismiss left-wing mayors of towns and villages that had been elected to office. When Moulin refused to do this he was himself removed from office.

Over the next few months Moulin began to make contact with other French people who wanted to overthrow the Vichy government and to drive the German Army out of France. This included Henry Frenay, who had established Combat, the most important of all the early French Resistance groups. He also had discussions with Pierre Villon who was attempting to organize the communist resistance group in France. Later, Moulin was accused of being a communist but there is no evidence that he ever joined the party.

Moulin visited London in September, 1941 where he met Charles De Gaulle, Andre Dewavrin and other French leaders in exile. In October 1941, Moulin produced a report entitled The Activities, Plans and Requirements of the Groups formed in France. De Gaulle was impressed with Moulin knowledge of the situation and decided he should become the leader of the resistance in France.

Moulin was parachuted back into France on 1st January, 1942. Moulin brought with him a large sum of money to help set up the underground press. This included working with figures such as Georges Bidault and Albert Camus who had both been involved in establishing the Combat newspaper.

Moulin's main task was to try and unite all the different resistance groups working in France. Over the following weeks he arranged meetings with people such as Henry Frenay (Combat), Emmanuel d'Astier (Liberation), Jean-Pierre Lévy (Francs-Tireur), Pierre Villon (Front National), Pierre Brossolette (Comité d'Action Socialiste) and Charles Delestraint (Armée Secrete). After much discussion Moulin persuaded the eight major resistance groups to form the Conseil National de la Resistance (CNR) and the first joint meeting under Moulin's chairmanship took place in Paris on 27th May 1943.

On 7th June 1943, René Hardy, an important member of the resistance in France, was arrested and tortured by Klaus Barbie and the Gestapo. They eventually obtained enough information to arrest Moulin at Caluire on 21st June. Jean Moulin died while being tortured on 8th July 1943.

Below the monument is this little cage containing an urn of the soil from where he was murdered.

Below the memorial an urn of the soil that Jean Moulin was murdered on.

Earlier I had walked by the Theater and noticed this plaque on one corner.

Memorial on the front of the Theatre

The word Biterrois is what the people from Beziers call themselves. Like if you are from Toronto you are a Torontonian. On the last day of World War II the Nazies murdered ten people from Beziers at this place.

In between visits to monuments I attended all three of Beziers Friday Markets The Flower Market, The Food Market and the everything else Market. Here are a few of the pictures there are more on my flickr account just click on any of the photos and it will take you to them.

In the everything else category:

Friday Market Day in Beziers

Still with the everything else category:

Friday Market Day in Beziers

Lots of livestock:

Friday Market Day in Beziers

Friday Market Day in Beziers

Friday Market Day in Beziers

And of course the good stuff:

Friday Market Day in Beziers

Friday Market Day in Beziers

Had lots of fun just looking around but of course I had to make some purchases.

My days shopping.

Steps leading up to the Pont du Canal where my three day hike began.

My three day hike from Beziers to Sete began on February 16, 2010 at the steps which lead up to the Pont du Canal, literally the Canal bridge. This viaduct carries the Canal over the River Orb, high up in the air. In this photo you can see the river to the left below the Canal.

Pont du Canal at Beziers

Day one of my walk was gray with very light rain all day gave me a good chance to test out my new rain gear the rain suit and my water proof Tilley hat both worked really well. Not far out of Beziers I saw my first boat moving on the Canal. Before I got to the end of the Canal I saw a few more looks like people are starting to get their boats ready for summer.



Day one was Beziers to Agde 25.2 KM and I was very relieved at the end of the day. I had been concerned that I might not be able to carry the back pack, I'm two years older since I last carried a full pack. I only had the pack off for a coffee in the morning and while I ate my lunch other than that I walked from 0930 to 1630 without any problems. My feet and legs were tired that night but a nights rest takes care of that.

Agde is a nice little town but just as you enter you pass in front of the church, often I see church architecture which doesn't do much of me but this one was just bug ugly. I didn't get inside so perhaps all the beauty is on the interior.

Bug ugly church at Agde

Day two from Agde to Meze a cool day and cloudy all day but no rain. I enjoyed walking along the canal there was always something new to see. Walked past this floating B&B I suppose if they didn't like you they could always move to a different location while you were out.

Floating B&B

For a while I though I had taken a wrong turn and walked into Spain. You see these large bull cutouts on hillsides everywhere in Spain advertising a brand of Sherry.

Thought I was in Spain for a minute

All of these boats are rentals and this is just a small area of them there were lots more. The Canal must be bow to stern boats in the height of summer.

All of these and many more in this area are rental boats, must be stern to bow on the canal all summer.

Half way through the day I came to the end of the Canal du Midi at Marseillan the canal empties into the Etang de Thau and boat traffic headed to the Mediterranean go the lenght of the Etang and then through the short Canal Du Rhone into the Sea.

Where the Canal du Midi enters the Etang de Thau at Marseillan

Where the Canal du Midi enters the Etang de Thau at Marseillan

From here on in the trail leaves the water edge and for the most part follows along highways also the guide book needs to be updated in one place it tells you to follow the N113 which would have been a rural road however it no longer exists it has been update to the D613 which is a major highway with lots of traffic. I carried on because I wanted to get the practice in but I wouldn't do that part of the walk again or recommend it.

Bernie chillin in the hotel at Meze.

Bernie chillin in the hotel in Meze

The last day from Meze to Sete had some nice points to it I enjoyed the little town of Bouzigues on the Etang and had lunch of Moules et Frit (Mussels and Fries) at a water side restaurant with this lovely view of the Etang.

Bouzigues

Shortly after lunch I had a good view of Sete across the Etang only 14 KM to go, all of those structures in the water are Oyster Farms.

Sete in the distance across the Etang de Thau with oyster farms in the Etang

Arriving in Sete there were a few boats out sculling on the Canal du Rhone. All day today the weather had been perfect I didn't see a thermometer anywhere but it must have bee around 20 degrees. It was great to get the rain gear off. According to the guide book I walked 73 KM but with the amount of wrong turns I made it must have been a bit more than that. Three days to walk it and around 30 minutes by train back to Beziers.

Boating on the Canal du Rhone at Sete



I didn't take time to explore Sete just as I arrived at the station there was a train ready to return to Beziers so I took the train. It is only a half hour trip by rail and I hope to go back there the next sunny day to walk along the sea shore and explore the town.