The monument to Ferdinand Foch in Paris, France

I already heard and read the named Ferdinand Foch since last year. I am trying to remember where and how but now it finally came to my mind. During my first visit in Paris last March 2009, the bus where we rode during the trip passed-by at the monument of Foch. I remember that our tour guide mentioned his name. That is the reason why I took an image of him during my second visit. I can't really elaborate more about him but you can continue reading below about what this person had contributed to France during his time.

The monument to Ferdinand Foch in his native Tarbes in Paris, France. I took this photo during my second visit in Paris last August 2010.

Ferdinand Foch (pronounced "Fosh") OM GCB (2 October 1851 – 20 March 1929) was a French soldier, military theorist, and writer credited with possessing "the most original and subtle mind in the French army" in the early 20th century. ] He served as general in the French army during World War I and was made Marshal of France in its final year: 1918. Shortly after the start of the Spring Offensive, Germany's final attempt to win the war, Foch was chosen as supreme commander of the Allied armies, a position that he held until 11 November 1918, when he accepted the German request for an armistice.

He advocated peace terms that would make Germany unable to pose a threat to France ever again. His words after the Treaty of Versailles, "This is not a peace. It is an armistice for twenty years" would prove exactly prophetic; World War II started almost twenty years later. more here

Featured Article: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart toured Italy

It took me awhile to upload this image here. I guess my pc needs a replacement soon. Finally, I was able to upload it. That yellow house you see here is the birthhouse of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a famous musician and composer. This was taken during my second visit in Salzburg, Austria last November 2008.

I decided to share the featured article below because it seems to be very interesting sharing the life of one of the famous people of all times. Feel free to find me in the image below. Have a great weekend too!
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart toured Italy with his father Leopold three times between 1769 and 1773. The first, financed by performances for the nobility and by public concerts, was an extended tour of 15 months to a number of major Italian cities. The second and third journeys were to Milan, for Wolfgang to complete operas that had been commissioned there on the first visit. From the perspective of Wolfgang's musical development the journeys were a considerable success, and his talents were recognised by honours which included a papal knighthood and memberships in leading philharmonic societies. Each of Wolfgang's operas written for Milan's Teatro Regio Ducal was a critical and popular triumph. In the course of the three visits he met many leading musicians in Italy, including the renowned theorist Giovanni Battista Martini, under whom he studied in Bologna. Leopold also hoped that Wolfgang, and possibly he himself, would obtain a prestigious appointment at one of the Italian Habsburg courts. more here

Mozart Monument in Salzburg, Austria

I have been browsing for half an hour now of a picture to share here. I finally found a picture taken in Salzburg, Austria, the birthplace of the famous composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Salzburg, also known literally as "Salt Fortress" is the 4th largest city in Austria. It is the capital of the federal state of Salzburg.

The image I have below is the Denkmal or monument of Mozart located in Salzburg, Austria. This was taken during my first visit in this city last June 2007. I already visited this city twice and the last one was in November 2008.

it's me striking in front of Mozart's monument in Salzburg, Austria last June 2007

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791), was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music. He is among the most enduringly popular of classical composers.

Mozart showed prodigious ability from his earliest childhood in Salzburg. Already competent on keyboard and violin, he composed from the age of five and performed before European royalty; at 17 he was engaged as a court musician in Salzburg, but grew restless and traveled in search of a better position, always composing abundantly. While visiting Vienna in 1781, he was dismissed from his Salzburg position. He chose to stay in the capital, where he achieved fame but little financial security. During his final years in Vienna, he composed many of his best-known symphonies, concertos, and operas, and the Requiem. The circumstances of his early death have been much mythologized. He was survived by his wife Constanze and two sons. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfgang_Amadeus_Mozart