This week on The Sound Kitchen, you’ll hear the answer to the quiz about the “love lock” bridge in Paris. There’s listener news, “On This Day”, great music, and of course, the new quiz question. So click on that little “Listen” arrow above, and join in!
Hello everyone!
Welcome to The Sound Kitchen. You can catch the programme on-the-air every Saturday, at our new times: 6:15, 6:45, 14:45 and 16:45 universal time. You’ll hear the winner’s names announced and the week’s quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you have grown accustomed to: your letters and essays, “On This Day”, quirky facts and news, interviews, and great music … so be sure and tune in every Saturday.
Fabulous news! We have a shortwave frequency again! It’s 13725 kHz on the 22m band, and you can hear us between 6.00 and 7.00 UT every day. We’ve had reception reports from Cuba, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Bangladesh, India, the UK, Sweden, the US, Peru, and the United Arab Emirates, and although the frequency is “aimed” (or however that works) towards the African continent, give it a try. You never know …
For those of you observing Ramadan: send photos of your fast-breaking meals to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr I would like to make a photo-collage of Ramadan Iftar meals from around the world for our FaceBook pages. Thanks to Jahangir Alam Manto and Fatima Harkou for the inspiration.
This week’s quiz: On 6 June, I asked you a question about Paris, known throughout the world as the “City of Love”. That week – and it was on the RFI English front page – Paris’ city officials decided there was just a little too much love going on – or at least, too much for our poor bridge, Le Pont des Arts, to carry.
A tradition sprung up here a few years back: couples wanted to leave a sign of their love behind them in this romantic city, so they would attach a padlock engraved with their names on a bridge across the Seine river, and then throw the key into the Seine, as a symbol of the strength of that love. Which is sweet.
But the weight of all those locks - close to 45 tons! - have caused structural damage to the bridges, and one in particular had become dangerous … so the City of Paris decided that this nice gesture of lovers will no longer be allowed, and on Monday, 1 June, the locks were removed.
My question to you was: what is the name of the bridge from which the love locks were removed, and when was that bridge built?
The answer is: Le Pont des Arts. It was built between 1802 and 1804.
I admit the question was a little tricky. Tricky because - and as many of you answered - the bridge was re-constructed between 1981 and 1984. Le Pont des Arts had become structurally unsound following aerial bombardments during both the World Wars, and also from the numerous barges that hit it over the years. Following the re-build, and again, as many of you noted, it was indeed inaugurated by then-mayor of Paris, Jacques Chirac.
But the answer I was looking for was its original date of construction - which was under Napoleon I, between 1802 and 1804.
The winners this week are: A brand new RFI Listeners Club member: Sanjai Aravindhan, from Chennai, India, and two other Club members: Kolawole Olulana from Pretoria East, South Africa, and Samuel Francis from St Catherine, Jamaica. Also on the list: Isaac Sagala from Kampala, Uganda, and Royse Cramton, from Oak Park, Illinois, in the U-S.
Congratulations, winners!
This week’s question... you'll have to listen to the show to participate. You have until 31 August to enter this week's quiz. The winners will be announced on the 5 September program. When you enter, be sure you send your postal address in with your answer … and, if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.
Send your answers to:
or
Susan Owensby
RFI – The Sound Kitchen
80, rue Camille Desmoulins
92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux
France
or
By text … You can also send your quiz answers to The Sound Kitchen mobile phone.
Dial your country’s international access code, or “ +”, then 33 6 31 12 96 82. Don’t forget to include your mailing address in your text – and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.
To find out how you can win an RFI Radio, wireless computer mouse, or Mp3 player, click here:
http://www.english.rfi.fr/culture/20141218-sound-kitchen-essay-contests
To find out how you can become a member of the RFI Listeners Club, or to form your own official RFI Club, click here:
http://www.english.rfi.fr/culture/20141218-how-form-official-rfi-listeners-club
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