Last evening, at 18h38, un séisme, also called un tremblement de terre (an earthquake) occurred about 200km (about 125 miles) southwest of us. Ken and I were in the loft watching television when we both felt the motion. It only lasted a few seconds, but we knew immediately what it was. We lived in San Francisco for many years and experienced many small quakes. We were there when the big Loma Prieta quake hit in 1989.
Here, we heard no sound. No rattling, no bumping. Just a gentle rocking, as if the house were a raft bobbing on a breezy lake. A quick look on the internet confirmed that what we felt was, indeed, an earthquake. The epicenter was just north of the city of Niort and was initially reported at 5.8 on the Richter Scale. That's since been revised down to 5.3. Still, that's a pretty significant temblor for this part of the world. I thought we had left all that behind. Silly me.
Wow. That IS significant. Have you experience tremors before in France. We've felt a number of small quakes off the coast of north Africa in our years here. One even caused some damage in a coastal town nearby. But, so far, nothing serious. Every time it happens, though, I'm reminded of the “great” quake that nearly destroyed Lisbon in 1755. Our Franco-era tourist boom buildings aren't any safer than that I think.
ReplyDeleteThat shakes things up a little. I was in DC for the earthquake a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteYikes!
ReplyDeleteJudy
mitch, apparently they happen all the time, but are just to mild to feel.
ReplyDeletetravel, it's a little scary, given that most houses in France (including ours) are not built to earthquake standards.
judy, you can say that again!
wow! I didn't know france had earthquakes. I learned something.
ReplyDelete