September in Paris

Posted on October 1, 2011 by Paul
Orsay Museum in Paris

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It is stifling hot in Paris – about 20 degrees hotter than when we first arrived in July. It’s supposed to cool off on Tuesday, the day we fly to London. London is also hot at present and will benefit by the cool front moving in.

Yesterday we revisited the Musee d’Orsay to see some of our old favorite paintings and see what was new. They are still in the midst of remodeling, so the exhibits are a bit mangled. A special exhibit of art and architecture surrounding the turn of the 20h century had a few pieces of interest, but mostly it wasn’t very exciting. The Impressionist pastels that we loved so much are no longer on display. Many other works also weren’t available. The new floors are set to open later in October, so the works are probably already hung in their new space where no one can see them. At least the museum is air conditioned.

It was very hot walking to and from the Metro. We stopped for a while in The Tuileries Garden to enjoy the shade and the birds flocking around the pond. It was cooler under the trees. On our drive north from Provence we noticed that the trees became more yellow and brown as we approached Paris. The advent of fall was most evident in The Tuileries Garden. The chestnut trees simply turn an drab brown and then the leaves fall off. There were piles of leaves ready to be whisked away by the efficient public employees who maintain the park. We haven’t seen any colorful leaves in the countryside or in the city. It must be the types of trees that grow in Europe aren’t as colorful.

In the evening JP invited us to go with him to a vegetarian Indian restaurant in the north part of the city near Gare du Nord. We took two subways to shorten our walk and arrived near 7:30 at a little restaurant that was filled with happy eaters. Luckily one table was open and we grabbed it. After some serious deliberation we ordered and the food arrived soon. It was delicious! We shamelessly stuffed ourselves.

After dinner JP suggested that we walk downhill to the old north gate of Paris and catch the Metro there. It was a longish walk after our afternoon trip to the museum, but we agreed. We walked through the south Asian district with shops and restaurants filled with people speaking Hindi, Urdu, French, English, and other unidentified languages. The spicy aromas wafted across the sidewalk. Large groups of people gathered in front of particularly popular restaurants or night spots. It was a delightful walk. The gate is a imposing structure built in 1673 to set the city limits. In years after that it was also used as a toll booth to tax merchants bringing wares into the city for sale. Now it sits in the middle of a broad avenue without a use other than marking history.

Today we did an initial packing and weighing of our bags to determine what we need to readjust, send home in a box, or jettison. It looks like we’re in pretty good shape. The items we sent home from Ireland and those things we’ve used compensate for the new things we are taking home. The only difficulty is that we still will have three bags each to lug through the airports.

Tomorrow we intend to take advantage of the free day at The Louvre. (First Sunday of every month.) If we wait until midafternoon we think the lines will be short and we can have enough time to see the things we want to see. That’s our plan.

Next stop London.

Paul

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Last Day in Provence and Driving to Paris

Posted on September 29, 2011 by Paul
Self-Portrait by Paul Cezanne-1875

Our last full day in Provence we went to Aix-En-Provence, the birthplace and longtime home of Cezanne. There are so many Cezanne places in the city that one could go crazy trying to see where his sister lived, where his father did his banking, etc. We chose to concentrate on some locations where he is known to have painted.

Our first stop was his house. We couldn’t find it. However, we did learn later that he did in fact live in about 7 different houses in Aix. Perhaps that’s why the GPS had difficulty finding it! The second stop was Cezanne’s final studio. This large building was built for him by his sister. It is a glorious 2 story structure that is every artist’s dream. Unfortunately, it is small, crowded with tourists, and no photos are allowed.

Our third stop was a hill 2 kilometers from his studio where Cezanne painted almost 40 paintings of Mount Sainte Victoire. The city has made it into a walking park and displays 10 prints of the oil paintings done from this location. The city has spread out and covered Cezanne’s hay fields with houses, but the view is still quite spectacular.

Our fourth “stop” was a bridge that he painted from. However, there was no parking nearby and the picturesque bridge is overgrown with shrubs and trees. Therefore, we did a drive by.

Our fifth stop was a series of stops along a road that Cezanne favored for views of Mount Sainte Victoire. It is a small country lane that drives toward the mountain, so as you go it looms larger in your face. We found one place with beautiful perspectives. To our astonishment we discovered that the field in which we were standing was filled with snails. Those little white things you see all over the plants are not flowers! I have attached a few photos from the day.

The last couple of days we spent taking a leisurely (although on toll roads) drive north to Paris. We followed the Rhone River north to Lyon and then crossed over to the Saone River valley and followed that to Beaune. From there is was through Burgandy to Paris. We stopped overnight in the village of Nitry, just a few kilometers from Chablis. Guess what wine they serve! A delightful dinner at Auberge La Beursaudiere topped our day.

Today we arrived back to our Paris home, and it does feel like returning home. After unpacking the car we successfully found our way to the rental place to return it. We put almost 5,000 kilometers (3,000 miles) on it in the last six weeks.

JP greeted us at the apartment and to our surprise we found that Elli received a kidney transplant yesterday! She has a long recovery process ahead, but the surgery went well. This has been long awaited with no prediction when matching kidneys would become available. We’re not sure if we will be able to visit her before we must leave for London. However, we certainly hope so.

Just a few days here and then back to London. In three weeks we will be in Seattle.

Paul

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Art In Southern France

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Paul
Roussillon en Provence

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It hasn’t all been sight seeing in southern France. I have taken the time to paint as well. Here are a few small studies from the last few weeks.

I’m also including a photo of the front of our 3 bedroom Provence home. It is quite spacious, but very old fashioned. The house reminds me of the old Victorian houses I used to visit in Richland Center Wisconsin with my grandparents. The sinks are quite low. There is no shower, just a handheld spray. No microwave. A small old stove. Not a single sharp knife and old silverware that is quite tarnished. It’s like someone moved out 30 years ago and it hasn’t changed. It even has a bidet in the bathroom! It also has screens – a first for us in France. This is because this area has mosquitoes and the residents fear diseases from them.

Only 3 1/2 weeks left before we return to Seattle!

Paul

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Camargue National Park

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Paul

Sunday we spent the day at Camargue National Park. Most of our time was spent hiking in a bird sanctuary within the park. This is home to thousands of flamingos and hundreds of other types of water birds as well as the wild Camargue horses and bulls used in local bullfights.

The Camargue is a huge saltwater estuary at the mouth of the Rhone River. The river forms the eastern border of the Camargue which is a vast network of shallow ponds that flood with saltwater at high tide. There are few trees, rather it is a plain of waving grasses and bird-filled ponds.

Flamingos are the star attraction. Having never seen them in the wild we didn’t quite know what to expect. They are colorful, agile acrobats that could fit right into the Cirque du Soleil. When moving from one location to another the flocks frequently walk slowly in single file, creating a long parade of pink strutters. There are so many birds that the water looks pink from their reflections.

Herons, bitterns, egrets, ducks and other birds round out the show. There are hundreds of them and they all seem to be oblivious to the people hiking by, looking through spotting scopes, and taking pictures. No one feeds these birds! They are wild and the park wants to keep them that way.

Another curiosity is the European beaver. It looks a bit like a North American beaver, but is smaller and does not have a flat tail. The front incisors are big and red. However, these beavers do not gnaw at trees or build dams. I don’t know why they need such big teeth.

Of course the horses are another attraction. A small band of horses live in the bird sanctuary. We spotted them from a distance. Camargue horses are smaller than a standard bred horse. Most of them are white, but there are grey variations as well. There are dozens of horseback riding places around the Camargue and we encountered many groups of helmeted riders when we drove the back roads after leaving the sanctuary.

Enjoy,

Paul

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Saint Remy De Provence and Vincent Van Gogh

Posted on September 26, 2011 by Paul
Les Alpilles (1889), painted by van Gogh while...

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On Saturday we visited Saint Remy de Provence, the site of Saint Paul de Mausole Hospital where Vincent Van Gogh was committed for 13 months in the year before he died. During his time there the artist painted some of his most well-known and best works. The Provence Alps that surround the site provided a place to walk and reflect as well as a backdrop for his paintings.

The former monastery is now run by a non-profit group as a functioning mental health treatment facility. Other than management and treatments provided the setting has changed little in the last 150 years. The French Revolution and two world wars failed to destroy this healing site that has had a Christian Church since the 9th Century Romans built it and pre-Christian Roman and earlier healing sites by a nearby spring. Albert Schweitzer was imprisoned here during World War I. It was after he was released that he went to Africa to begin his mission. The peace and tranquility ooze from the ground and make you relax. It will take us some time to completely process our experience here.

In the words of Doctor Jean-Marc Bouton, the Director, “Every day since 1988, since I started working as a resident psychiatrist in the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole Home in Saint-Remy-de-Provence, I have walked round the fountain basin where the fish and squirrels chatter then crossed the French-styled park where Vincent Van Gogh used to assemble his easel, in all weathers, during the four seasons, he spent in Saint-Remy. Every Spring I come to a standstill under the Judas trees in bloom and am moved by the pink color of the flowers which is both unimposing and luminous. I marvel at the white butterflies as they flutter their wings and execute a ballet on the peculiar deep purple velvet scarves of the irises like ballerinas up on points. My feet sink into the carpet of fresh moss and cracking pine needles and I sit down on a limestone rock which was taken from the Alpilles’ Roman quarries and which still remembers Vincent’s breathing. I silently contemplate the surroundings that he observed so delicately. I take a deep breath of this subtle, distinctive fragrance of damp undergrowth and of the strong scent of lilacs which has not altered over the century. I carefully listen to the symphony of the seasons, from the time when the carpet of autumn leaves muffles the murmurings of the wind to the time of the summer choirs of cicadas who dance and sing whilst they hide in the ivy covering the umbrella pines. I then try to understand how the laity and the nuns from Saint-Joseph, present at the time of Van Gogh’s stay, were able to provide him with an environment which was not only propitious to health care but allowed his creative work to blossom. In order not to disturb the site’s magic, I tread very softly.”

Van Gogh wrote that he felt the best in his life here.  Beautiful prints of the artist’s works from this period are displayed throughout the grounds and buildings. Often you are looking at the same scenes that brought Van Gogh the peace enabling him to create. The healing and creative capacity of this place continues. Today the Home encourages creative arts as a means of healing. The Home displays and sells works of art created by patients as part of their art therapy. They are amazing artists! The artists receive payment for their art as well as the healing satisfaction of creation and appreciation. This is must see place if you get to Provence!

We stopped for a late lunch at a café downtown. The streets were covered with signs warning of the impending running of the bulls. Yes, here in southern France bullfights are popular and this is the month for big fetes in every city, town, and village. Many towns have bull rings and part of the celebration is a running of the bulls through the town. We removed our car just as the gendarmes were coming through with tape and tickets for cars still on the street. No, we didn’t stay to see the bulls or the following parade of townspeople in traditional costumes.

Au Revoir!

Paul

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Van Gogh’s Arles With a Little Roman Ruin For Chaser

Posted on September 24, 2011 by Paul
Cafe Terrace at Night

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Thursday we visited Arles, site of Vincent Van Gogh’s brief, but productive, stay in Provence the penultimate year of his life. He painted many pictures here and the locations are marked by easel-shaped plaques depicting the paintings in the place where they were created. Unfortunately, not a single Van Gogh original is on display anywhere in Arles. Strange, isn’t it?

We parked on a side street next to the old city wall, paid our parking fee, and walked upward through one of the old gates into the old city. Winding along narrow lanes we approached the Roman coliseum that is relatively intact or rebuilt. It now houses bullfights when it’s not entertaining tourists with tales of Roman gladiators. We didn’t wish to pay to go inside, so contented ourselves with pictures around the outside. The coliseum is undergoing major restoration, so if you are coming to this place in the next two years, expect lots of scaffolds and plastic wrap.

The Foundation Vincent Van Gogh across from the coliseum houses modern art created contemporaneously to interpret Van Gogh. These artists aren’t copying Vincent, merely gaining inspiration from him while working in their own style. We weren’t sure whether we wanted to view it, but the decision was taken out of our hands when we encountered locked doors despite signs that said open. It was well past the typical siesta from Noon to 3, during which most museums and businesses close. However, the Foundation’s doors were still locked without explanation. There is no understanding the French ethics about business hours or responsibility to customers.

The main part of our day was spent walking the streets in search of the places Van Gogh painted. We followed the footsteps in the concrete to find some of the plaques, but we didn’t go in order or try to see them all. There are many of them and they cover lots of ground. Instead we tried to focus on a few highlights as suggested by Rick Steves. The two most interesting were Le Jardin de la Maison de La Sante a Arles and Le Café Nuit. Le Jardin is a wonderful painting of a small courtyard in winter. The trees have no leaves and the light pours into the scene. On this day the trees were fully leafed and the courtyard was deeply shadowed. However, it looks much as it did in Van Gogh’s day. We stopped for lunch at Le Café Nuit, now also called Café Van Gogh. The biggest change from the painting is that they have added many more awnings and tables on the sidewalk. Since French law banned smoking inside public buildings no one wants to sit inside anymore! We ordered two different salads and split them. One was ham, tuna, and an assortment of vegetables on a lettuce base. The other was grilled eggplant and red pepper on a lettuce base. Both were delicious, but the eggplant pepper salad was the best.

After lunch we strolled back through many narrow lanes toward the coliseum before returning to our car. We drove back to Saint Martin de Crau by 3:30 and found a café that has WiFi. That allowed us to check our e-mail and take care of some business. Posting this and photos on the blog will have to await another day.

Today, Saturday, I have enough time to go to the bar and find a table close to the WiFi router. That means I can put up these posts I’ve been saving.

Paul

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Forests, Wild Horses, Flamingos, the Sea, and Another Walled City

Posted on September 24, 2011 by Paul
Aigues-Mortes Ramparts

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Our last day in Cuxac we drove the back roads nearby, enjoying the Montagne Noir’s dark forest, rushing mountain streams, waterfalls, and a couple of quaint villages tucked into river gorges. It was a lovely afternoon with Christina, who then had to hurry back to Chez Providence to prepare an evening meal for that night’s guests.

The next morning we packed up and headed southeast. The landscape changes quickly when one leaves the mountains and reaches the plain stretching to the Mediterranean. Vineyards become much larger, olive groves appear, and the landscape takes on more delicate hues.  We drove the toll road for a time along the sea to make good time into Provence. Once we reached Montpellier we turned onto secondary roads and followed the coastline. This route took us over estuaries and into some small towns.

The estuaries were dotted with flamingos and other sea birds. Most were too far away to photograph easily, but it’s still thrilling to see them in the wild. Aigues Mortes is an intact large fortified city that sits on the edge of the sea. We didn’t stop, but drove around the outside of the walls. The inside is closed to cars.

Our final stop before reaching our new home was a bird sanctuary in the Camargue National Park. This is a large estuary formed by the delta of the Rhone River. Driving into it we passed fields of marsh grass. Often small herds of the Camargue’s wild horses were grazing among the shrubs. We stopped to photograph one herd that was close to the fence along the road. At the sanctuary we stopped to get a map and talk to the informative man at the ticket booth. Visits to the sanctuary require a ticket while the rest of the Camargue is free access. We want to return to hike the sanctuary trails and see the horses and flamingos.

Paul

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Off the Grid As Predicted

Posted on September 23, 2011 by Paul
Flamingos in the Camargue, photographed 2004 b...

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As I thought we do not have internet access this week. Our only connection is a free one at a couple of local cafes. That is not fast enough for convenient posting of photos. We would get sloshed sitting and drinking while waiting for photos to upload. (Okay, some of you are thinking what’s the problem.) Therefore, we are saving posts and pictures for when we can get a strong signal.

In addition to visiting the Camargue National Park with its wild horses, wilds cows, flamingos, and other birds, we also spent a day in Van Gogh’s footsteps in Arles. You’ll just have to wait for the post with descriptions and pictures. I’ve run out of patience with today’s connection.

Au revoir!

Paul

 

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Off the Grid

Posted on September 21, 2011 by Paul

This morning we leave Cuxac Cabardes for Provence. Our next house does not seem to have internet access, so communication may be sparse for the next week. Hopefully we will find a connection. If not, we’ll talk to you all in a week.

Paul

 

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Walled Medieval Towns

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Paul
Cité de Carcassonne, woman on wall

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Two days this week we visited one of the smallest and one of the largest walled towns in this area: Haut-Poul and Carcassonne.

Haut-Poul is a tiny village of no more than 40 houses terraced onto a cliffside far above the city of Mazamet. This town has two gates: an upper one and a lower one. It is not possible to enter the town from the cliffs so the founders built a wall and gate at the top of the cliff and another at the bottom. In between the gates tiny lanes switchback on the cliff. There are no cars except for couple of tiny golf cart sized vehicles. The houses abut the lane and jut out over the cliff and lane below. Patios stick out on top and have tremendous views of the mountains and valley below. There is a small ruined chateau in the village that once served as a final home for a doomed group of Cathars. This village also saw service as a Catholic stronghold during a time when Mazaamet below was Protestant. The only services in the village are a restaurant and a couple of artisan studios.

Carcassonne was a large walled city with a chateau and church as well as many twisting lanes to a few plazas. The city is not as charming as Sarlat. Most of the buildings have been taken over by tourist shops below and tourist accommodations above. However, the city wall is a marvelous 3 mile walk that gives you a sense of what this place was like, as Rick Steves recommends. Most tourists don’t venture far on this walk. We enjoyed rambling on the battlements. We also explored the city and discovered that the church has live music every day. On this day they had a five voice ensemble singing chants. How extraordinary! The church’s stained glass is beautiful and matched the beauty of the chorus. I hope you enjoy these few pictures of these two unique towns.

Tomorrow we leave Cuxac Cabardes and go to Saint Martin de Crau Provence. We have certainly enjoyed our stay at Chez Providence. Today our hostess, Christina, took us out for a 5 hour drive in the immediate area to see some of the intimate scenes we have missed in the forests and towns nearby. What a wonderful wrap up to our time here.

Au revoir!

Paul

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