Claire will share her experiences from the two years she spent in Vienne, Isère, France, exploring the city and its 2,500 years of history, its strikingly diverse cultural events and discovering the hidden figures that make it so rich. We will learn about Roman monuments, the history of the fall of the Knights Templar, and the golden age of the textile industry. We will also explore France’s second-largest weekly market and one of the world’s most famous jazz festivals. Those interested can purchase her book, ‘Then there was Vienne’, in French or English, after the talk.

Clare spent her career in teaching and translation. She lived outside Britain for some 35 years, working in Finland, Indonesia, Ecuador, Spain and France. She spent seven years in France, living in Fontainebleau, Montpellier, Grenoble and the Lyon area. While working in Lyon and living in Vienne, she wrote her book ‘Then there was Vienne’, a merry romp through the history, culture and daily life of this “unknown gem of the Rhone valley.” Clare has lived in Nottingham for five years.