tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33784762387987043142024-03-13T12:06:55.035+11:00victoria2varAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983526403033287127noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378476238798704314.post-36904356744906604742017-07-22T17:06:00.001+10:002017-07-22T17:06:08.715+10:00Provence light in mid-winter<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vsqha6bvNfA/WXLvgFAkUcI/AAAAAAAACWM/6ZNPEO1V3TYeMMFdU90xnX3S_r5GT_rngCLcBGAs/s1600/2015-12-21%2B17.37.39%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1600" height="450" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vsqha6bvNfA/WXLvgFAkUcI/AAAAAAAACWM/6ZNPEO1V3TYeMMFdU90xnX3S_r5GT_rngCLcBGAs/s640/2015-12-21%2B17.37.39%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overlooking '<em>Domaine Les Clarettes'</em>, just outside Les Arcs-sur-Argens.</td></tr>
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This weekend marks the final days of my husband's exhibition of paintings of Provence. Painted over the past eight years, the works brought a little bit of Provencal sunshine to the chilly city of Ballarat.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jydFQUctlxY/WXLwwdiUeJI/AAAAAAAACWc/HtvzJTbID2gKfeu_GhG9DaD1gGFug0ExgCEwYBhgL/s1600/DSCF4877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jydFQUctlxY/WXLwwdiUeJI/AAAAAAAACWc/HtvzJTbID2gKfeu_GhG9DaD1gGFug0ExgCEwYBhgL/s320/DSCF4877.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painting a scene in a Les Arcs street.</td></tr>
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Alan, who has French ancestry, has been painting France since he made his first sketch from the balcony of his mother's house in <em>Menton</em> (Alpes-Maritimes) at the age of five.<br />
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He studied at art school in England, and has exhibited in southern England (including having three works selected for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in London). Since moving to Australia his work has been shown in galleries in Victoria and Melbourne.<br />
<br />
On our first ever visit to Les Arcs-sur-Argens in 2008, he said, quite casually: 'I could paint here for the rest of my life.' <br />
<br />
I was already sold on the village and its lovely ambience, but that comment probably sealed it. We were vaguely looking at houses anyway - and we eventually bought a tiny 18th century terraced house in the village centre.<br />
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Alan paints from life - landscapes, townscapes, still lifes - and loves being in an area where he has ready access to wonderful little galleries like <em>L'Annociade</em> at Saint-Tropez and <em>Musée Bonnard</em> at Le Cannet, not to mention Cezanne's studio in Aix-en-Provence, <em>Musée Matisse</em> in Nice and all the art at St Paul de Vence, Grasse and Antibes - everywhere actually!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yQVOzmHnAFs/WXLv2hVxboI/AAAAAAAACWc/UblpWrimLBc0j0XzCoCpoiYCvFMnyaNMgCEwYBhgL/s1600/October%2B2008%2B122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yQVOzmHnAFs/WXLv2hVxboI/AAAAAAAACWc/UblpWrimLBc0j0XzCoCpoiYCvFMnyaNMgCEwYBhgL/s320/October%2B2008%2B122.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alan painting on the rooftop in Les Arcs.</td></tr>
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<br />
His <em>plein air</em> studio is set up on the roof terrace, where he paints small oil sketches of drawings he has made on his travels in various parts of Provence. <br />
<br />
These sketches return with us to Australia, where he enlarges them in his studio, according to colour notes he has made.<br />
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And this year he put them all together for an exhibition at Backspace Gallery in Ballarat during the month when we avidly watch the <em>Tour de France</em> and celebrate the <em>Fete Nationale</em> (Bastille Day) on July 14.<br />
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It was incredible to see them all in one space and to experience that brilliant Provencal light in the middle of a chilly Ballarat winter.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bzT05P6EeNw/WXLvrD_QknI/AAAAAAAACWk/jPFr5W3571Q8-1MhuV6yXH00G-DkSmTLwCEwYBhgL/s1600/2015-12-21%2B17.38.27%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1266" data-original-width="1600" height="506" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bzT05P6EeNw/WXLvrD_QknI/AAAAAAAACWk/jPFr5W3571Q8-1MhuV6yXH00G-DkSmTLwCEwYBhgL/s640/2015-12-21%2B17.38.27%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>'The Argens in flood</em>.' Looking back over the town, showing the medieval castle tower.</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983526403033287127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378476238798704314.post-91921457803462560762017-06-26T11:33:00.000+10:002017-06-26T11:33:51.405+10:00Medieval mysteries
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hZslHhNfsFI/WVBd8uT8HUI/AAAAAAAACT0/XJCix4LfriENiATIW1qE5RFNcTFMkNT1QCLcBGAs/s1600/strange%2Bbeasts_0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="663" data-original-width="1600" height="264" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hZslHhNfsFI/WVBd8uT8HUI/AAAAAAAACT0/XJCix4LfriENiATIW1qE5RFNcTFMkNT1QCLcBGAs/s640/strange%2Bbeasts_0003.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the strange beasts to be found high above your heads in the cloisters of the Fréjus Cathedral.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of the wondrous things that has inspired me in France is
living with its history. There is no escaping. <em>Les Arcs-sur-Argens</em> was originally a medieval settlement. Provence was invaded by the Romans, the Catalans, the Piedmontese - all of whom have left their mark.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was fascinated by Stonehenge, the white horse on Salisbury
plain, the castles and ancient Roman ruins when I lived in UK in the 1970s and
80s, but probably because I was younger then, they didn’t create the ‘frisson’
they do today.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h9MHsdxxD00/WVBhCHZPzKI/AAAAAAAACUc/9siTS5VHZnAooimbpGZNrMMp4fUjlBJpwCLcBGAs/s1600/strange%2Bbeasts_0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="893" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h9MHsdxxD00/WVBhCHZPzKI/AAAAAAAACUc/9siTS5VHZnAooimbpGZNrMMp4fUjlBJpwCLcBGAs/s320/strange%2Bbeasts_0001.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a fresco from a chateau in Puy-de-Dome.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Perhaps it is since my return to Australia, as I
studied tapestry weaving and the beautiful medieval tapestries that
graced so many castles and chateaux in Europe, that my interest has grown.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Les Arcs stages one of Provence’s leading
medieval festivals – taking place next month – called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘Castrum d’Arcus’</i>, where the entire village ‘becomes’ medieval with
stalls, dances, jugglers, strolling minstrels, re-enactments, a grand spectacle
and street parades – not to mention medieval food and drink!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But just a short trip from Les Arcs-sur-Argens is the
ancient Roman town of Fréjus. Originally located on the sea front, the mouth of the
adjacent River Argens has silted up over the centuries so that the centre of Fréjus is
now three kilometres inland!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UB0DHf8mPFA/WVBgeJxYa4I/AAAAAAAACUY/nZY_MXKfkn8biZhvFW-ch28LL8nc9eEwQCEwYBhgL/s1600/frejus%2Bceiling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UB0DHf8mPFA/WVBgeJxYa4I/AAAAAAAACUY/nZY_MXKfkn8biZhvFW-ch28LL8nc9eEwQCEwYBhgL/s400/frejus%2Bceiling.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ceiling of the cloisters showing the tiny paintings.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the centre of the town is the <em>Cathédrale de Fréjus </em>- and its magnificent cloisters, the wooden ceilings of which have been delicately painted by medieval artists. It is one of the most fascinating cloisters I
have ever seen. Hidden in niches between the wooden beams that support the floor above, are hundreds of tiny paintings. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The figures and mythical beasts were painted directly onto the raw wood
with earth pigments, by unknown medieval artists. Although many are faded - and some were destroyed during revolutions and wars - around 300 have been preserved out of an original 1200. Many were saved because of their position, away from the bleaching effects of strong sunlight.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Known as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘bestiaries
mythiques’ </i>or mythical beasts, these figures are intriguing. They originate (I think) with the fantastical beasts described in the Book of
Revelations as well as myths and legends of weird sea creatures and stories of
exotic animals from other lands.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some are half-human, half-animal, they show the daily life of the times as well as the strange world of gothic imagination. They include a range of themes from wars, religion, music, animals, daily life and work. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I find them
mesmerising and surprisingly modern. In fact I visit the cloisters every time I
am in France, just to refresh my memory and perhaps get another perspective on
them.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nfjXX-dFAqY/WVBeWB7O6FI/AAAAAAAACUI/XWUuU2nyuuEe7MWWOTKFuKYGXLBRaGjywCEwYBhgL/s1600/DSCF8638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1386" data-original-width="1600" height="346" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nfjXX-dFAqY/WVBeWB7O6FI/AAAAAAAACUI/XWUuU2nyuuEe7MWWOTKFuKYGXLBRaGjywCEwYBhgL/s400/DSCF8638.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'La reine'- one of my tiny tapestries in medieval style.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">During your visit, you can gather more information on how these tiny works of art were put together with a film documentary that shows modern artisans replicating the ancient works, plus displays showing the earth colours used and how they would be mixed, the brushes used and how the wood was prepared.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are many other churches throughout France with similar depictions in tapestries and frescoes - not to mention the gargoyles guarding the rooftops!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I knew that one
day I would have to weave them, if only to ‘feel’ how they could be recreated
in woven tapestry. So </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have taken some of the basic designs and modernised them
and am showing them - together with artwork from 25 other women artists of Ballarat - in an exhibition called ‘Sheilas
Reclaimed’ which opens this Friday evening (June 30) at the Fairbanks Eye
Gallery.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983526403033287127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378476238798704314.post-16716149823392270852017-05-07T13:37:00.000+10:002017-05-07T13:40:40.367+10:00Our next-door village<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZhpDqoOUEwI/WQ6Qi7R9hXI/AAAAAAAACQs/YQTAFTULw6QW6-0Yn-CdWb9k60_df2fCwCLcB/s1600/DSCF6711.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZhpDqoOUEwI/WQ6Qi7R9hXI/AAAAAAAACQs/YQTAFTULw6QW6-0Yn-CdWb9k60_df2fCwCLcB/s640/DSCF6711.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ancient double arched bridge that crosses the Nartuby River and links both side of the village.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I have written before about Trans-en-Provence, its <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">puits arien </i>and some general views over
the town.</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zTEz2oqHeGA/WQ6RmTnADwI/AAAAAAAACRE/Sc7D82mmvU8gGWQ-UwcSK4Ko5utRjhlrwCEw/s1600/2015-08-24%2B11.14.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zTEz2oqHeGA/WQ6RmTnADwI/AAAAAAAACRE/Sc7D82mmvU8gGWQ-UwcSK4Ko5utRjhlrwCEw/s320/2015-08-24%2B11.14.54.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fountain in the main square.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Located just five kilometres north of Les Arcs, it is
perfectly walkable, if you don’t mind hills! In any case, it’s just a short
bus-ride halfway to Draguignan. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">But unless you turn into the town itself, you will miss a
real gem. Trans-en-Provence is divided – twice. Firstly it is bisected by the
busy D555 road from the autoroute to Draguignan and secondly by the Nartuby
River that flows down from the north along steep gorges cut into the softer
limestone rock.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It is here, beside the river that the town takes its shape,
and presumably originated as there are old mills located along its shores,
mostly as ruins.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">In summer, the river is a fast-flowing, but softer, gurgling
stream that refreshes. There is nothing nicer that to find a space on the wall
beside the stream shaded by of one of the larger trees and watch a relaxed game
of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">pétanque</i> played on the beaten
earth courts that run alongside the river.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lmc1w-BCvY8/WQ6RBYTIkcI/AAAAAAAACQ4/ON-ZTkEkSZE1Jz9P3IWFgvF76lSmSSpUwCEw/s1600/DSCF6735%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lmc1w-BCvY8/WQ6RBYTIkcI/AAAAAAAACQ4/ON-ZTkEkSZE1Jz9P3IWFgvF76lSmSSpUwCEw/s400/DSCF6735%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The memorial to those who died - one name missing.</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--onFMfawPvA/WQ6ROsNrDoI/AAAAAAAACRQ/OTh6cKuDpUQ1du6eDLqw0D4lfF3i7nQPwCEw/s1600/DSCF6746.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--onFMfawPvA/WQ6ROsNrDoI/AAAAAAAACRQ/OTh6cKuDpUQ1du6eDLqw0D4lfF3i7nQPwCEw/s400/DSCF6746.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking towards the single-arched bridge in the distance.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">But the river can also prove a threat to the town as in June
2010 when steady, heavy rain filled the narrow gorges and swept down like a raging torrent, killing almost 30 people – five in Trans-en-Provence alone – and
creating millions of euros’ worth of damage to the towns and villages along the
way. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Les Arcs-sur-Argens’ bill for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">grande
inondation</i> came to €5 million alone and reparations are still being
undertaken in the village.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">There are few marks remaining on the town itself, but a sign
recognises the flood – and a previous one on July 6, 1827 – both floods
occurring in the stormy early summer months.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GQ6Yovbq77Q/WQ6SEDjOkjI/AAAAAAAACRQ/sTcm2weLgz4RE8SPjsFfvdZulnB1405YgCEw/s1600/2015-08-24%2B11.56.09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GQ6Yovbq77Q/WQ6SEDjOkjI/AAAAAAAACRQ/sTcm2weLgz4RE8SPjsFfvdZulnB1405YgCEw/s640/2015-08-24%2B11.56.09.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The river glides away further south in the gorge far below the village.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">But strolling through Trans-en Provence is an eye-opener.
The town does not look particularly spectacular from first view, so you have to
make an effort to come in close. When you do, you are well rewarded with lovely
little alleyways and <em>impasses</em>, the grand river that tumbles over rocks through the town,
then falls steeply into a valley over a series of cascades to the river
valley below.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span>There are a few cafes, but they are set on streets so narrow
that your only views are parked cars. The main street is one-way. There is
definitely no room for two cars to pass here – there is barely enough room for
the bus as it lumbers along. I truly admire the way the drivers are able to
negotiate the turns and badly parked cars without hitting anything.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span>Trans-en-Provence is located near a commercial hub about 500
metres north of the town, where there are giant stores like Carrefours, Maison du
Monde (my favourite) and Mr Bricolage, as well a ‘Bio’ store that sells organic
food – and a few too many car showrooms!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span>Although there is not a lot to ‘do’ in Trans, there is a
feast of things to ‘see’ so it is an ideal half-day stop to see how this
village has grown up around a natural feature such as this amazing river with
its spectacular rocks, ruins and drop down to a leafy green river valley.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983526403033287127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378476238798704314.post-60081473540934906322017-03-06T14:33:00.001+11:002017-03-06T14:33:23.365+11:00These feet are made for walking<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-obt1PTt62po/WLzHWCypnDI/AAAAAAAACO0/bsF1rGrZRlosmvurwoHYEyl5DTD1zeT1ACLcB/s1600/DSCF7439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-obt1PTt62po/WLzHWCypnDI/AAAAAAAACO0/bsF1rGrZRlosmvurwoHYEyl5DTD1zeT1ACLcB/s640/DSCF7439.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There's nothing comparable to walking the fragrant hills of Provence.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Walking is for me, the best way to see and learn about your
surrounds, whether is it the bush, city streets – or the narrow <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sentiers </i>(walking tracks)<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>that criss-cross the fragrant hills of
Provence.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">One of the first things I do when I arrive at a place –
anywhere new, really – is walk around and familiarise myself in the sights,
scents, sounds of it.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">But wandering through the countryside is a serious business
for the French, particularly those in the south who have been walking the
hillsides for centuries. Known as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘La Randonnée’</i>
– probably the best English translation is the very British ‘Rambling’ – it is
akin to hiking.</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VD9VAAxGxyY/WLzHoUdCtMI/AAAAAAAACO8/fM9Ti1M_Kt0PKEBUvPLjEsm11gsJEpzVACEw/s1600/DSCF7840.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VD9VAAxGxyY/WLzHoUdCtMI/AAAAAAAACO8/fM9Ti1M_Kt0PKEBUvPLjEsm11gsJEpzVACEw/s400/DSCF7840.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wandering beside olive groves.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">In the Var, there are numerous paths throughout the region and our local council in Les Arcs-sur-Argens is planning to extend the tracks from our
village into the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Massif des Maures</i> to
the south as well as across the hills to our neighbouring villages.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">One of my favourite walks – which I prefer to do in cooler
weather because of the summer fire danger – is to the top of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Forêt des
Arcs</i>, located in the <em>Maures</em>.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The goal is to reach the highest point, where you have a
treat in store – not only the expansive view across central Var, but because of
its links to pre-historic times with its rocks, placed in strategic positions
by former inhabitants.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M9bnjZHYU1Y/WLzHK8WPoRI/AAAAAAAACOs/u4ufF61Db5AsdSZBvoQb91Bc_2KMBoS3wCEw/s1600/DSCF7602.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M9bnjZHYU1Y/WLzHK8WPoRI/AAAAAAAACOs/u4ufF61Db5AsdSZBvoQb91Bc_2KMBoS3wCEw/s400/DSCF7602.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tracks take you deep into the <em>Gorges du Verdon</em>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Known as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Terriers,
Menhirs</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dolmen,</i> these sharp, cylindrical
rocks are found often arranged on end in strange circles reminiscent of tiny
Stonehenges, or lying one across two uprights like a door jamb.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The tourist office in Les Arcs has maps of the area and you
can choose to take the main <em>balade</em> (walk) of 14 kilometres or the short one of
9.2km. With any of these longer walks it is essential that you take in enough water
and probably something to eat to sustain you.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The guide also explains the coloured markings and s</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">ymbols
painted on rocks or attached to trees as you ascend, marking your way – yellow and white for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘Promenade and Randonnée’ </i>here. There are other colours for regional and national <em>'grande randonnées'</em>.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Starting by the Argens River, the track slowly rises through
the forest, past ancient cork oaks, whose bark has once been used for wine
corks by the local vintners. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">It also passes some of
the early mines, now abandoned, where they once extracted precious minerals from deep within
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Maures</i>. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">There are two other paths that I have not yet investigated and
plan to ‘one of these days’.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">They are the <em>Grande Randonnée</em> up and over what we call the
‘Red Rock’ but is locally known as <em>‘Roquebrune’</em>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rich red earth of the rock and the way it
glows in the setting sun remind us so much of central Australia. We have
already mapped our start – and are looking forward to ending up at one of our
favourite restaurants on the other side at Roquebrune-sur-Argens. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zWWWBoBVdqY/WLzHddrBINI/AAAAAAAACPE/OcgY3_V87TE0p5imVvVMhCVJuS3sEueyACEw/s1600/DSCF7447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zWWWBoBVdqY/WLzHddrBINI/AAAAAAAACPE/OcgY3_V87TE0p5imVvVMhCVJuS3sEueyACEw/s1600/DSCF7447.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sometimes you find other '<em>randonneurs' </em>on your walk!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The second is more a series of paths, deep within the
Canyon of Verdon in northern Var. I have climbed down to the river bed
from the cliffs above, but have not yet taken one of the trails that lead both
up and downstream – as well as up the other side of the canyon!</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Finally there is our own familiar <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sentier</i> that links Les Arcs with the neighbouring village of
Taradeau. It is strenuous enough so you know you have done some exercise, but
not so far that you wind up exhausted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And it’s always good to be able to stop for a refreshing drink in the main
street of Taradeau before the homeward journey (on foot or by bus).</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983526403033287127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378476238798704314.post-31712928852865093522017-01-29T15:10:00.000+11:002017-01-29T15:10:18.966+11:00Empty Attics
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pBfPIWs_XTA/WI1noQQMy-I/AAAAAAAACNU/JMQ30gTDnIQaPRHsKfK0RkA1jrajF9RKACLcB/s1600/DSCF8288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pBfPIWs_XTA/WI1noQQMy-I/AAAAAAAACNU/JMQ30gTDnIQaPRHsKfK0RkA1jrajF9RKACLcB/s640/DSCF8288.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Vide Grenier at les Arcs-sur-Argens.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The summer months in Les Arcs-sur-Argens are hot, dry and
dusty, but the warm summer nights with music and dancing in the street make the
days worthwhile.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Another way to counteract the heat is just to ignore it.</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ILlMVUJUwo4/WI1lRkbqd0I/AAAAAAAACNA/OlUz7Wtzn0A0cIsFiUAS4r8fV02yFBkiQCEw/s1600/DSCF8297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ILlMVUJUwo4/WI1lRkbqd0I/AAAAAAAACNA/OlUz7Wtzn0A0cIsFiUAS4r8fV02yFBkiQCEw/s400/DSCF8297.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Musical instruments to haggle over.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
O<span style="font-family: Calibri;">ne way to do that is to get absorbed in something
else – like fossicking through other people’s ‘stuff’.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So once a month we walk out to the edge of town – near the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘Rond point deux chypres’</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- the roundabout on the way to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘La chapelle de Sainte Roseline’</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(which has more than two cypress pines, by
the way) – where the huge <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vide grenier</i>
is held.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘Vide Grenier’</i>
– literally ‘empty attic’ is like a car boot sale. People figuratively clean
out their attics and unwanted, but still saleable good are spread out on rugs,
tables, tarpaulins and sold for incredibly cheap prices.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s the best way to furnish a house.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s also the best way to over-fill your suitcase for the
journey home.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For me, it is almost impossible to resist buying something –
and I have to be very disciplined not to buy everything that takes my eye –
whether I have a use for it or not.</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7x-NqA7Rnjg/WI1lYkNc--I/AAAAAAAACNA/xe9b5lHZSlky94CEyW7Dp2ZaP4VlmTKjACEw/s1600/DSCF8298%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7x-NqA7Rnjg/WI1lYkNc--I/AAAAAAAACNA/xe9b5lHZSlky94CEyW7Dp2ZaP4VlmTKjACEw/s400/DSCF8298%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shoes anyone?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Most towns throughout France stage <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vide greniers </i>from time-to-time and if you have a chance to go to
one, please do. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">You can browse for hours.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sometimes you will find real
treasures. Other times you will come home with an item and wonder what on earth
you were thinking.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I imagine that feeling is the same the world over.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vide Grenier</i>
at Les Arcs-sur-Argens is dotted around an enormous paddock with rows and rows of good laid out for browsing.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It's located at the roundabout - the junction of roads that take you to Draguignan in the north, south to the N7 (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">route nationale</i>) and east (past <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sainte-Roseline</i>) towards La Motte.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It gets full of people and cars very early so we tend to walk out from the town - a kilometre or so, but remember to bring large shopping bags for the inevitable purchases!</span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qq5913st_Oo/WI1l8EPb5WI/AAAAAAAACNE/BTx4A3fW4h8AGgwS4MbPbQJJZ1bRHIj4ACEw/s1600/DSCF8289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qq5913st_Oo/WI1l8EPb5WI/AAAAAAAACNE/BTx4A3fW4h8AGgwS4MbPbQJJZ1bRHIj4ACEw/s640/DSCF8289.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Something to decorate the house and garden.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is hot and dusty and noisy and busy and happy. There are
places where you can chill out with food, a coffee or an ice cream in the
dappled shade of the native pines.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The view is amazing towards the blue outlines of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Les Maures</i> to the south. The traders are
fun, cheeky and expect you to haggle.</span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Take some sun cream, a large hat, your camera, a bottle of
water and a sense of humour. </span></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aNxjz919u9k/WI1oymDPwNI/AAAAAAAACNg/owHiak9NEH0aEt2eAshujbLjytzPZd1ZgCLcB/s1600/DSCF8293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aNxjz919u9k/WI1oymDPwNI/AAAAAAAACNg/owHiak9NEH0aEt2eAshujbLjytzPZd1ZgCLcB/s400/DSCF8293.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pumpkins - for decoration only.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">You can make the rounds again and again as new wares come
out to replace those bought earlier in the day. But by late afternoon, the
clouds of dust gather at the bottom of the paddock as cars make their way back
home.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s time to gather up that lamp, the outrageous pair of
shoes, that funny little figurine and broken-but-pretty musical instrument you
have just bought, and make your way back into town.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once you have showered off the dust and admired your purchases (or planned who you might pass them on to), it’s time for your evening<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> apéro</i>. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The shadows lengthen and the town centre fills up with diners,
most of whom are and satisfied shoppers and sellers, a band begins to play in
the kiosk and you realise that despite the summer heat, you’ve just had a
magnificent day.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rcc_QzyMiMM/WI1l0ZFW9aI/AAAAAAAACNM/zT45vyrUyvwcc_kxshEa12nFEdF-GyDLQCEw/s1600/DSCF8306%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rcc_QzyMiMM/WI1l0ZFW9aI/AAAAAAAACNM/zT45vyrUyvwcc_kxshEa12nFEdF-GyDLQCEw/s640/DSCF8306%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rows and rows of goods laid out for you to bargain for.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983526403033287127noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378476238798704314.post-26419835649334094382017-01-15T10:59:00.001+11:002017-01-15T10:59:21.741+11:00A day in Saint-Tropez<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sqySsiCohSE/WHn4ZcR6EII/AAAAAAAACLE/fEkWzpI_YIAJnI0LmnhbSzc43iWoWNvEgCLcB/s1600/St%2BTropez%2Bart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="518" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sqySsiCohSE/WHn4ZcR6EII/AAAAAAAACLE/fEkWzpI_YIAJnI0LmnhbSzc43iWoWNvEgCLcB/s640/St%2BTropez%2Bart.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>'Saint-Tropez, le port 1905'</em> by Albert Marquet. <em>Musée de l'Annonciade,</em> Saint-Tropez. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Once a sleepy fishing village and artists’ haven, the town
of Saint-Tropez – one of the best known in the Var – now conjures up glamour,
luxury yachts and beautiful people.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The change came in the 1950s when movie stars like Brigitte
Bardot moved in. Artists, actors, models , musicians and the ’jet set’ all
followed, putting Saint-Tropez on the map and changing it forever.</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0ltRbeCz4IE/WHn515ZU_KI/AAAAAAAACLg/Jmkedv-ZlM05dG4Mz9A6dc5iJKoQQLBCwCEw/s1600/DSCF7763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0ltRbeCz4IE/WHn515ZU_KI/AAAAAAAACLg/Jmkedv-ZlM05dG4Mz9A6dc5iJKoQQLBCwCEw/s400/DSCF7763.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saint-Tropez from <em>la navette</em> (the ferry).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Yet despite these changes – the up-market restaurants, the
luxury boutiques, the beautiful people – the town has somehow managed to retain
a genuine attraction, for me anyway.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I love nothing better than to catch one of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bateaux Verts (</i>water taxis) from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sainte-Maxime</i> and speed across the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Golfe de</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Saint-Tropez</i> towards the town. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">There is a feeling of exhilaration about
cutting through the waves and weaving through the yachts </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">as you approach the little pink-and-ochre town
that grew up around its fishing fleet.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Drawing closer you can make out the familiar rounded church
tower that has marked the town through the ages, the <em>Citadelle</em> – high on the
promontory – and the breakwater that creates a safe harbour for both the
enormous luxury yachts and the smaller, working fishing vessels.</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n_q9PyRf900/WHn49jEdTmI/AAAAAAAACLk/CRYS7J6DboYHjLFvfisKdS_lrTAnAdNxwCEw/s1600/DSCF7639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n_q9PyRf900/WHn49jEdTmI/AAAAAAAACLk/CRYS7J6DboYHjLFvfisKdS_lrTAnAdNxwCEw/s400/DSCF7639.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Senequier</em> - a landmark café on the port. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">You arrive portside to recognise so many landmarks made
famous in posters, works of art and photographs.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It is always overcrowded with tourists in summer, yet there
is a sense of fun and anticipation as you turn for a stroll around the port. Each year the town hosts an outdoor sculpture exhibition there, and
regular artists set up side-by-side to ply their trade like a sunny southern <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Place du Tertre</i>.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">But the true finds are when you start exploring the narrow
walkways and passages that take you into the heart of the town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could spend all my time wandering up and
down these lanes – seeking out tiny galleries, restaurants hidden behind high
bougainvillea-covered walls, arcades of Haute Couture boutiques and others
where the usual range of soft, flowing cotton summer dresses and scarves fill
the entrances. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VHVVDmvTOxY/WHn4iD_Zc0I/AAAAAAAACLQ/cyJ2rz53eiIY6o3G6gZbGvay1FfYL0F1QCEw/s1600/DSCF7640%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VHVVDmvTOxY/WHn4iD_Zc0I/AAAAAAAACLQ/cyJ2rz53eiIY6o3G6gZbGvay1FfYL0F1QCEw/s640/DSCF7640%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing petanque in the dappled shade of the <em>platanes</em> (plane trees).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Push a little further and you come to the amazing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Place des Lices</i> – where the morning
markets under the spreading plane trees really are something else. There are
food stalls, but mostly there is an array of antique stalls – old clothes,
mirrors, kitchen utensils, farm items, clocks, wrought iron candelabra,
clothing, perfumes – you can spend the entire morning enveloped in the rows and
rows of ‘stuff’.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s75IxgsvAMo/WHn5hFmLXAI/AAAAAAAACLk/4R2yH_Wk1qUo05mJbu8jsQJzFhDVTDjrwCEw/s1600/DSCF7741.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s75IxgsvAMo/WHn5hFmLXAI/AAAAAAAACLk/4R2yH_Wk1qUo05mJbu8jsQJzFhDVTDjrwCEw/s400/DSCF7741.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking through the old town.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It finishes at lunchtime – everyone has to eat – and the
stall-holders are like worker ants, quickly and efficiently packing everything
up and clearing the entire square for the post-prandial petanque players to
while away their afternoons in the dappled shade.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Meanwhile, encircling the square are restaurants of all
kinds, where you can enjoy a leisurely half-pizza and salad, some
locally-caught seafood or one of the special ( and extra healthy) Mediterranean
dishes. Washed down, of course with some chilled local <em>rosé</em>.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Feeling relaxed enough to stretch those legs afterwards, you
can make your way through the old town as it meanders up the hillside to the
<em>Citadelle</em>. Warning: While the view is breathtaking, so are the many steps you
have to climb to reach it.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It has been substantially renovated since we first visited
it and really should be a ‘must’ on any visitor’s see-and-do list. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">You learn
not only about the history of St Tropez – named after the monk,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> St</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Torpès</i>
of Pisa, whose headless body was washed up in a boat on the shore of the
present-day town – but also about its sea-faring pursuits and the <em>Citadelle's</em> own role in guarding the
village below. You can even lie back on special seats and watch your own sea
voyage unfold on the ceiling! </span></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-97oyQoYoJbg/WHn5cgPbxZI/AAAAAAAACLk/3IjgnuP2yf4bCQuAU2JLHOm9DrqEx315gCEw/s1600/DSCF7734.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-97oyQoYoJbg/WHn5cgPbxZI/AAAAAAAACLk/3IjgnuP2yf4bCQuAU2JLHOm9DrqEx315gCEw/s400/DSCF7734.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the giant sculptures outside <em>l'Annonciade.</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">And if you’re not up to the hilly walk, my absolute
favourite place to go is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘le Musée de l’Annonciade’</i>
– the beautiful gallery on the far edge of the port that houses a sublime
collection of post-Impressionist art. Here you can see original paintings by
Bonnard, Signac, Derain, Vuillard, Camoin, among so many others.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">These were the early artists who colonised the small <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Provenҫal</i> village, attracted by the
magnificent Mediterranean light. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I sometimes return to St Tropez a second time during my
stay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a quick and easy day trip
from Les Arcs-sur-Argens by bus to Sainte-Maxime. The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bateaux Verts</i> that leave every 20 minutes
for Saint-Tropez are just 10 minutes’ walk from the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Office du Tourisme</i> bus stop. So much easier on public transport
than negotiating the Cote d’Azur in summer traffic!</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It’s always a fascinating day out, even if you just want to
laze in one of the café-bars lining the port and people-watch.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983526403033287127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378476238798704314.post-32975111895509171142016-12-31T09:25:00.000+11:002016-12-31T09:25:29.653+11:00A time to look forward<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WDaQ92bi9i8/WGSHlukn3vI/AAAAAAAACKM/pQW7FlNVb-onup2ZVuKncW2FvSVLGPzIACLcB/s1600/2009-12-25%2B23.47.33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WDaQ92bi9i8/WGSHlukn3vI/AAAAAAAACKM/pQW7FlNVb-onup2ZVuKncW2FvSVLGPzIACLcB/s640/2009-12-25%2B23.47.33.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Place Général de Gaulle in mid-winter with the pollarded plane trees. Too cold for outdoor tables!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">New Year’s Eve and we look forward, not just to some
spectacular fireworks over Lake Wendouree in Ballarat, but to a fresh New Year
where (we have to believe this!) anything is possible.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eee6TWn4zxY/WGSIAUUWsYI/AAAAAAAACKo/8eKvdmoM50YdyxZjthVRhjKovjybj3dGgCEw/s1600/DSCF8260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eee6TWn4zxY/WGSIAUUWsYI/AAAAAAAACKo/8eKvdmoM50YdyxZjthVRhjKovjybj3dGgCEw/s640/DSCF8260.JPG" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Fireworks' on the <em>donjon</em>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">There is a lot of apprehension around 2017 on the world
stage, but if we as individuals can do our part to spread some kindness,
compassion and love among the circles around us, then we will hopefully create a
ripple effect that will link with others doing the same - and perhaps help to ameliorate this worldwide anxiety.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I look over to our little village, Les Arcs-sur-Argens, in
France and see that the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Maire des Arcs</i>,
Alain Parlanti, will make a speech offering his best wishes for 2017 (and no
doubt outline his plans for the year) – at a public presentation on January 3.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Several days later, one of the town's organisations is offering a dinner for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Galette des Rois</i> (or Kings' Cake) celebrated on January 6, where the person receiving the piece of cake
containing a fava bean or other small trinket, is crowned King or Queen for the
day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is also our twelfth day of Christmas, when our trees are taken down and decorations stored for another year. I will miss the scent of the real pine tree through our house.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Then mid-month (back in Les Arcs) there will be a special <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Concert
du Nouvel An</i> (New Year's concert) at the town's main church, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Saint
Jean-Baptiste</i>, a chorale to be presented by the choir from the neighbouring town of
Lorgues.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Quiet, calm, no fuss and traditional.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Australia is traditional in its own way – and because our seasons are reversed, we embrace the outdoors to enjoy activities with friends and family. It generally
means the beach or the bush or maybe botanic gardens, outdoor concerts, cricket, tennis and the laid-back holiday relaxation of summer.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">And did anyone mention resolutions<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>. . . ?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983526403033287127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378476238798704314.post-27164521917738561222016-12-11T15:39:00.002+11:002016-12-11T15:39:56.467+11:00Mountain-top delight
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZVElSzrBwIQ/WEzVfGLSK6I/AAAAAAAACJY/JtgjDfybdn8OOMEWPzHlz2NPzzrPT1YsQCLcB/s1600/Sainte-Agnes-%25C2%25A9-Patrick-Rouzet-licence-CC-BY-SA-3.0-from-Wikimedia-Commons1%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZVElSzrBwIQ/WEzVfGLSK6I/AAAAAAAACJY/JtgjDfybdn8OOMEWPzHlz2NPzzrPT1YsQCLcB/s640/Sainte-Agnes-%25C2%25A9-Patrick-Rouzet-licence-CC-BY-SA-3.0-from-Wikimedia-Commons1%255B1%255D.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sainte-Agnès nestled below the peak of a mountain topped by a medieval chateau.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This little village in the far south-east corner of France
is very dear to my heart.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sainte-Agnès</i> – the
highest village In Europe which is also closest to the sea (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘le village du littoral le plus haut
d’Europe’</i>) – is listed as one of the country’s most beautiful.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is also the ancestral village of my husband’s family on
his mother’s side, with the plaque in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chapelle
de Saint-Sebastien</i> carrying her family name, and the current Mayor of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sainte-Agnès</i> also connected through
family links.</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7UIaEUmyT8I/WEzViJ_6E7I/AAAAAAAACJc/kugozrYgQCgJ33MFGRTPwO401x0-883qgCEw/s1600/August%2B7%252C%2B2011%2B020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7UIaEUmyT8I/WEzViJ_6E7I/AAAAAAAACJc/kugozrYgQCgJ33MFGRTPwO401x0-883qgCEw/s400/August%2B7%252C%2B2011%2B020.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can just see the <em>Hotel Righi</em> - that marks Sainte-Agnès - near the cloud.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Just 11kms north of Menton, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sainte-Agnès</i> sits high at the top of one of the mountain peaks that
surround the town. Tucked away behind the main rocky outcrop, it is not visible
from below.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Looking up, all you can see is the glowing white <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hotel</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Righi</i> , very popular in the 1920s, where you can still enjoy an English afternoon
tea – together with a stunning view from Italy to Monaco and across the
Mediterranean as far as Corsica.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The village is believed to have been named in honour of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sainte-Agnès</i> who protected a young Roman
princess who was forced to shelter there in a grotto during a thunderstorm.
Having been saved, she built a chapel, naming it after her patron saint.</span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NZI7wd-aWVA/WEzVlg2NLTI/AAAAAAAACJ0/PpZkQU91WCMHA8wjYwLDJfjnAXsGxrlggCEw/s1600/5595089793_fec2d593e1_b%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NZI7wd-aWVA/WEzVlg2NLTI/AAAAAAAACJ0/PpZkQU91WCMHA8wjYwLDJfjnAXsGxrlggCEw/s400/5595089793_fec2d593e1_b%255B1%255D.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the <em>ruelles</em> in Sainte-Agnès.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Although I relay this legend, I have no explanation as to
why a young Roman princess would be on the top of a mountain in southern France!
Or whether it is true, because there is a second legend that a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sarrasin</i> pirate, Haroun, renounced his
Muslim religion to marry a local girl called Anna, ergo <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sainte-Agnès</i>. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Believe what you wish, but I do love these legendary – and
possibly wildly inaccurate – histories.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Not only does <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sainte-Agnès</i>
have links to medieval times, but it also marks the start of the Maginot Line –
mistakenly thought to deter the enemy in wartime – but now a fascinating
museum, where you can join nocturnal guided tours in July and August that
explain its strategic capability, its armaments and the history of the Occupation
of this part of France during World War Two.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I0s7Ced-2iI/WEzVj963nDI/AAAAAAAACJ0/nPhh4r-VsCQh_LaNiQRdDVO14uO4BKuZACEw/s1600/a619c642afa0777eecbdf585c854efeb%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I0s7Ced-2iI/WEzVj963nDI/AAAAAAAACJ0/nPhh4r-VsCQh_LaNiQRdDVO14uO4BKuZACEw/s400/a619c642afa0777eecbdf585c854efeb%255B1%255D.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the streets in the village.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When our children were small, we actually walked up to the
town from Menton – each of us pushing a child in a push-chair – much to the
amusement of the villagers when we finally arrived!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Although it is just two kilometres inland from the coast, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sainte-Agnès</i> is 750 metres above sea
level, which meant the 11km walk was quite a hike.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The village itself has narrow pedestrianised streets, known
as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ruelles</i>. If you drive up, there is
a big communal parking area just outside.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Many of the houses are set into the rocky outcrop at the top
of this mountain with vaulted ceilings and rough stones forming their
interiors.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today the village is geared almost exclusively for tourism,
but my husband remembers it just after the war, when hessian sacks were used as
coverings instead of doors and windows. It was seen as a dilapidated and dying
village as most of its occupants abandoned it to move to Menton.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">From this already-high village a winding path leads up
another 50 metres to the ruins of an old <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">château</i>
which is slowly being restored. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Inside the ramparts of this <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">château</i>, a beautiful medieval garden had already been replanted
with olive trees, hedged flower beds and topiary trees. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Back in the town, there are a number of restaurants that
offer both great food and stunning views.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Wandering the streets you experience the heady scents of
lavender and lemon – and it is impossible to resist the locally-made perfumes.</span></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7YA8w46ts0o/WEzVoLkzHeI/AAAAAAAACJ0/qqliUa5CV-AXOq6_7HNMZlxhAeF6zUkmgCEw/s1600/sainte-agnes-castle%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7YA8w46ts0o/WEzVoLkzHeI/AAAAAAAACJ0/qqliUa5CV-AXOq6_7HNMZlxhAeF6zUkmgCEw/s400/sainte-agnes-castle%255B1%255D.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The walk up to the chateau currently under restoration.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you visit the village towards the end of July, you can
catch <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">La fete de la</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">lavande </i>(the Lavender festival), which
centres on the locally-grown lavender, its distillation, products - including
food as well as perfumes, soaps and sachets, plus artisans at work and various
performances.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Just a note – you won’t see vast fields of lavender, for
which Provence in renowned, around this mountain-top village. The lavender here
is on a much smaller scale and not always grown at <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sainte-Agnès</i>.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are lots of walking tracks leading from here – one of
which takes you to another small hillside village called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gorbio</i>, just two kilometres away. A good way to walk off that
lunch.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983526403033287127noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378476238798704314.post-81070172553219899782016-11-27T09:40:00.004+11:002016-11-27T09:40:59.802+11:00Tu es belle, Saint-Raphaël !<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IKeYpFTOrks/WDkZN2oDg_I/AAAAAAAACI0/1-AamsKIew8HpyqmDDMfOTB7OuMBBxfXwCLcB/s1600/September%2B4%252C%2B2011%2B036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IKeYpFTOrks/WDkZN2oDg_I/AAAAAAAACI0/1-AamsKIew8HpyqmDDMfOTB7OuMBBxfXwCLcB/s640/September%2B4%252C%2B2011%2B036.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking across the new marina at Saint Raphael.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">That is not an original headline, but as a former
sub-editor, I wish it were. It appeared in our
daily newspaper – the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Var-Matin</i>.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I am probably digressing here, but the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Var-Matin</i> brings</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> news of not only the Var department, France,
and the world; it also has very local news, depending on where you live. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Var is
not a large department by any means, but the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Var-Matin</i> prints seven editions – each one based on a different town within the department. Ours is the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Draguignan</i> edition.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x4fLMzygkBc/WDkY_ACaegI/AAAAAAAACIs/MiZbenYCrBIa8OJeXG5sVkCJb1Y2kxppQCEw/s1600/September%2B4%252C%2B2011%2B027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x4fLMzygkBc/WDkY_ACaegI/AAAAAAAACIs/MiZbenYCrBIa8OJeXG5sVkCJb1Y2kxppQCEw/s400/September%2B4%252C%2B2011%2B027.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sandy beach at St Raphael.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The summer lift-out, ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Le
Jounal de l’été’</i> contains lists of festivals, music concerts, art exhibitions, theatrical
performances and leisure activities in the Var for its holidaymakers. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">And the headline above announced a feature on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Saint Raphaël</i>.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<br />
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Saint Raphael is a 20-minute train journey from Les Arcs. It
is the best place to go to swim, browse the shops and boutiques, eat, soak up
the sun and just enjoy – and it’s so easy to get to, particularly if you don’t
have your own transport.</span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The main beach is sandy – and while it can get pretty
crowded at the height of the summer season, there is always the possibility of
walking further around the coast – east towards the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Estérel</i> and its tiny, rocky bays – or west towards <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fréjus plage</i> (beach at Fréjus).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m79LjndNnGw/WDkYw_7s1CI/AAAAAAAACIg/X9e7ngZDdHM483oWE08vWs64QEhy8tlkwCEw/s1600/June%2B19%252C%2B2013%2B050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m79LjndNnGw/WDkYw_7s1CI/AAAAAAAACIg/X9e7ngZDdHM483oWE08vWs64QEhy8tlkwCEw/s400/June%2B19%252C%2B2013%2B050.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the small coves along the Estérel coast.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The convenience of the beachfront at <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Saint Raphaël</i> comes when you decide it’s time for something to eat
or drink. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Just across the road above the beach is a strip of restaurants – or
you can take a leisurely stroll a little further around past the newly-rebuilt
marina to an amazing strip of shops and even more restaurants where you really are spoilt
for choice.</span></div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I love the partly faded elegance of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Saint Raphaël</i>. It was once the sojourn of choice for writers and
artists of the immediate post-World War One period of the 1920s – think Zelda
and F. Scott Fitzgerald. You can see the grand old decorative seafront
hotels still holding their own among the newer holiday apartments.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<br />
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">If you ask at the tourist office, you can take a tour to see the
various individual mansions of this period.</span></div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Saint Raphaël</i> is
also a centre for deep sea diving and there are many boat trips you can take
around the coast or day trips to other places such as St Tropez. </span></div>
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aqp1GIkApfA/WDkZG2VJ9nI/AAAAAAAACIw/OIIrJB3MfKADl52OOWlU9culEZ1QJa00ACEw/s1600/st%2Braphael_0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="406" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aqp1GIkApfA/WDkZG2VJ9nI/AAAAAAAACIw/OIIrJB3MfKADl52OOWlU9culEZ1QJa00ACEw/s640/st%2Braphael_0001.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aerial photograph of the town showing beachfront and marina. From <em>Var-Matin</em>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Just off the coast – you can see them from the beach – are
the ‘monster’ rocks. Their shapes resemble a monster with the head of a lion and
the body of a crocodile, known as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘lion
de terre et lion de mer’ </i>(the lion of the earth and the lion of the sea).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Legend has it that they were once living
monsters guarding a sleeping princess, who were turned to stone (rocks) by the
prince charming who came to wake her!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">A sort-of Sleeping Beauty – French style.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Not being one for diving myself, I prefer to visit the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘l’histoire sous-marin’</i> (underwater
history) museum – called the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Musée archéologique</i>
(Archeology Museum) – where some amazing antiquities have been brought to the
surface from the many ancient shipwrecks that occurred on the rocks just offshore.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dLV11LY_daY/WDkY0pXkBBI/AAAAAAAACI8/v_yiSTGQKIsYKU2v6_K7i-l0Ep_gbKU3ACEw/s1600/May%2B25%252C%2B2013%2B025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dLV11LY_daY/WDkY0pXkBBI/AAAAAAAACI8/v_yiSTGQKIsYKU2v6_K7i-l0Ep_gbKU3ACEw/s400/May%2B25%252C%2B2013%2B025.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An ancient anchor from one of the shipwrecks.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">There you can see ancient anchors, rows of amphoras, used to
transport oil from the eastern Mediterranean, plates, bowls and goblets that
have been salvaged from the seabed.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Another part of the museum is dedicated to the pioneers of
deep sea diving, and includes the first heavy independent diving suit that was
constructed at <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Saint Raphaël</i> in 1928.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It is also at this museum where you can climb the 129 steps
to the top of a fortified tower and look out over not only <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Saint Raphaël</i> itself, but the panoramic view back east to the red
rocks of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Estérel </i>mountains, and
west towards Fréjus and the coastline that takes you past the coastal towns of St Aygulf and Les
Issambres to Sainte Maxime and the <em>Maures</em> mountains below Les Arcs.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-scqbQbJyXGQ/WDkY3AycZzI/AAAAAAAACI8/VhAC1_nnh9YtAfFd__DJUIkIrh5hudtrACEw/s1600/May%2B25%252C%2B2013%2B027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-scqbQbJyXGQ/WDkY3AycZzI/AAAAAAAACI8/VhAC1_nnh9YtAfFd__DJUIkIrh5hudtrACEw/s640/May%2B25%252C%2B2013%2B027.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A row of the salvaged amphoras on display at the Archeological Museum.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">And the wonderful thing is that the railway station is right
in the centre of town, which means you only need to stroll two blocks to the
beach or, alternatively, cross under the railway line
in the other direction to climb to the old town where the museum is located.</span></div>
</div>
<br />
<ul style="direction: ltr; list-style-type: disc;">
<li style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;"><div style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">
<div style="border-image: none;">
Enjoy a visit to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Saint Raphaël</i> – and many other interesting places in the Var and
further afield<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>– by basing yourself in
the heart of Provence, at <a href="http://www.provencedreaming.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Maison Les
Arcs</span></a>.</div>
</div>
</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="border-image: none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983526403033287127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378476238798704314.post-81461395298282478932016-11-13T11:25:00.000+11:002016-11-13T11:25:08.803+11:00Weaving our stories<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Se1tnY8XaM4/WCasYgKJliI/AAAAAAAACHk/CpWyujZI-XEvAE6bg1YDUZI9WHnnvo54ACLcB/s1600/unicorn%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="515" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Se1tnY8XaM4/WCasYgKJliI/AAAAAAAACHk/CpWyujZI-XEvAE6bg1YDUZI9WHnnvo54ACLcB/s640/unicorn%255B1%255D.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lady and the Unicorn - <em>A mon Seul Désir</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">For me, a visit to Paris would not be complete without
calling in at the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Musée National de Moyen
Age </i>– or as it was formerly known, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Musée
Cluny</i> – to view one of my favourite works of art, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘La dame et la licorne’</i> (The Lady and the Unicorn) tapestries.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3lJizN5nFKg/WCarg3tzFDI/AAAAAAAACHQ/HPRgYlXV_q0TKTUoCecUZICijIGsxhNHgCEw/s1600/lady%2Band%2Bunicorn_0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3lJizN5nFKg/WCarg3tzFDI/AAAAAAAACHQ/HPRgYlXV_q0TKTUoCecUZICijIGsxhNHgCEw/s400/lady%2Band%2Bunicorn_0002.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail from 'sight'.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I have always loved textiles and as a result of a mid-life
decision to study tapestry weaving, I am also a tapestry weaver.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Tapestry is one of the oldest forms of woven textiles,
dating way back to shreds of Coptic weaving found among the wrappings of
mummies within the pyramids in Egypt.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It is a very slow and meditative form of art, where you sit
at a loom and weave with bobbins or threads wrapped together, known as ‘butterflies’.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Like other tapestry weavers, we often find our work is
confused with canvas embroidery which is done with needles on a prepared
canvas.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">For me, tapestry weaving reached its zenith in the Middle
Ages, when this stunning series of six tapestries, finely woven in silk and
wool, were designed for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jean Le Viste,</i>
in the 15<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> century. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AGKG1u8t3CA/WCardkAzc9I/AAAAAAAACHM/VQqo0D5b1ygmDyGmCZgTiOavyLPGlxwsQCEw/s1600/lady%2Band%2Bunicorn_0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AGKG1u8t3CA/WCardkAzc9I/AAAAAAAACHM/VQqo0D5b1ygmDyGmCZgTiOavyLPGlxwsQCEw/s400/lady%2Band%2Bunicorn_0001.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail from 'taste'.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Each of the six panels that make up the work represents one
of the senses –sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell – with the final one, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘A Mon Seul Désir’ </i>(To my one desire),
representíng love.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">At the museum, located
in the Sorbonne district of Paris, the works are displayed in a circular room,
low-lit to preserve the colours. I love to sit quietly in front of each one in
turn to take in the glowing colours, and absorb the detailed images and
intricate weaving .</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The tapestries are elegant and truly beautiful and every
time I see them, I find there is something more to discover.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The patterning of the background – known as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Milles Fleurs</i> (thousand flowers) – has
been inspired by flowers, herbs, leaves and trees commonly found in France. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">But as well as the flowers, the background also contains
small animals which include exotic representations of monkeys, lions, panthers,
leopards, parrots as well as familiar ones like rabbits, foxes, dogs, goats and
sheep.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The Lady, now believed to be the daughter of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jean Le Viste</i>, is dressed differently in
each panel. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">In ‘sight’ she holds a mirror that partly reflects the Unicorn; in
‘hearing’ she plays a small organ; in ‘taste’ she takes a small sweet from a
dish; in ‘smell’ she is making a circlet of carnations; in ‘touch’ she is
touching the Unicorn’s horn; and in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘A
mon seul Désir’</i> she is replacing her necklace (from an admirer?) in a
casket.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wqf1wyqSY14/WCarjJ6tR_I/AAAAAAAACHo/3C5SCkD8_74jm5nAJEFr11Bc-SwacIeVQCEw/s1600/2014-02-13%2B14.36.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wqf1wyqSY14/WCarjJ6tR_I/AAAAAAAACHo/3C5SCkD8_74jm5nAJEFr11Bc-SwacIeVQCEw/s640/2014-02-13%2B14.36.02.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the Australian Tapestry Workshop in Melbourne.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">One of the reasons I am writing about this tapestry now, is
that the curator of the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries, Dr Elisabeth
Taburet-Delahaye, of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Musée Cluny</i>,
will be in Melbourne later this month as part of the 40<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>
anniversary of the former Victorian – now Australian Tapestry Workshop – to present
a lecture on these works. </span></div>
<div style="border-image: none;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-prnbENdQ83Q/WCarldpg7NI/AAAAAAAACHo/4cywnnWlE3Uan0gb8d3R4XUTQdd4sEJ2gCEw/s1600/2015-10-28%2B10.29.37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-prnbENdQ83Q/WCarldpg7NI/AAAAAAAACHo/4cywnnWlE3Uan0gb8d3R4XUTQdd4sEJ2gCEw/s320/2015-10-28%2B10.29.37.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My own interpretation of a medieval design.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It will be a wonderful opportunity for anyone interested in
France, the medieval period and in tapestries themselves, to learn more about
them. To find out more about her lecture, contact the </span><a href="http://www.austapestry.com.au/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "calibri";">Australian Tapestry Workshop</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri";">.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The workshop is also an excellent place to visit to see how the art of tapestry weaving is evolving in contemporary
times and watch artist-weavers at work.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">While I have not yet discovered any tapestries in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Les Arcs-sur-Argens</i>, just 70km west of
the town, in Aix-en-Provence, you can find two magnificent Unicorn tapestries
in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cathédrale Saint-Saveur</i>.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6JD8CrYucb8/WCarpsm9sgI/AAAAAAAACHo/W_14VzIFAoUITBadNwgVRLTGPwZMK-sXACEw/s1600/Figure%2BStudy%2B4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6JD8CrYucb8/WCarpsm9sgI/AAAAAAAACHo/W_14VzIFAoUITBadNwgVRLTGPwZMK-sXACEw/s320/Figure%2BStudy%2B4.jpg" width="177" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my figure studies.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none;">
They include<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘Assaut contre la
licorne’</i> featuring a hunt for the Unicorn with hunters attacking the beast with
spears; and the other <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘Résistance de la
licorne’ </i>is of the Unicorn fighting back, kicking out with its hind legs
and spearing a dog with its horn. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The final reason for writing about tapestries this week, is
that I have six of my own small tapestries on show in in a joint exhibition of
the Soldiers Hill Artist Collective in Ballarat. </span></div>
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">These tapestries, which are simple figure studies, were influenced
by an exhibition I saw in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Musée Fabre </i>at
Montpellier two years ago. It was a retrospective of works created
over the past 50 years by artist <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Claude
Viallat</i>. Some very early works showed abstract figures he had painted on pieces of
wood.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The exhibition is at the Fairbanks Eye Gallery in Sturt St,
Ballarat.</span></div>
To discover more tapestries and artworks in France, why
not enjoy a stay in <a href="http://www.provencedreaming.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Maison Les Arcs</span></a>,
in Les Arcs-sur-Argens in Provence in 2017.<br />
<ul style="direction: ltr; list-style-type: disc;">
<li style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;"><div style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0cm; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;">
French tapestry pictures from <em>The Lady and the Unicorn</em> by <em>Alain Erlande-Brandenburg</em> 1989.</div>
</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983526403033287127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378476238798704314.post-38917166063000309202016-10-30T10:47:00.001+11:002016-10-30T10:47:15.604+11:00Mountains to Sea - the Argens River<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nd8rmetRRkE/WBUwVstYijI/AAAAAAAACGA/GokCfvvKn2I-pOS5pDjfmR7zilVvcWdDACLcB/s1600/DSCF8270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nd8rmetRRkE/WBUwVstYijI/AAAAAAAACGA/GokCfvvKn2I-pOS5pDjfmR7zilVvcWdDACLcB/s640/DSCF8270.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The River Argens at Les Arcs in mid-summer.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Les Arcs-sur-Argens is distinguished by its location - 'on the Argens' river - and occupies the river's wide, fertile valley - ideal for the surrounding vineyards.<br />
<br /><br />
The river, officially 116 kilometres long, is completely contained within the Var department, which it bisects with Toulon, the Maures and the coast to the south and the high inland, perched villages and gorges to the north.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1-X4Os0KgE4/WBUwdDHqUaI/AAAAAAAACGM/B1tafGoX25ggOl4GOf37HVbALHtXoNPVgCEw/s1600/DSCF7972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1-X4Os0KgE4/WBUwdDHqUaI/AAAAAAAACGM/B1tafGoX25ggOl4GOf37HVbALHtXoNPVgCEw/s400/DSCF7972.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hills above Seillons-Source-d'Argens where the river begins.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Known in French as <em>'un fleuve'</em> the Argens is a river that empties into the sea. Rivers known as <em>'une rivière'</em> do not empty into the sea, instead they are tributaries of larger flows.<br />
<br /><br />
The Argens begins near Sainte Maximin La Baume, west of Les Arcs - almost to Aix-en-Provence - and starts as a 'source' or spring in the hills west of the tiny village of <em>Seillons-Source-d'Argens</em>.<br />
<br /><br />
We had driven past there before and I had seen the tiny roadside sign that read <em>'Source d'Argens'</em> but traffic and narrow roads prevented me from pulling over to investigate.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ma9gKLMNkeM/WBUwkU2MgRI/AAAAAAAACGg/CmFn_AF-Tpwdy2t1cUhbzSSg0SHxqQYPwCEw/s1600/olive%2Bmill%2Bat%2Bcorrens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ma9gKLMNkeM/WBUwkU2MgRI/AAAAAAAACGg/CmFn_AF-Tpwdy2t1cUhbzSSg0SHxqQYPwCEw/s1600/olive%2Bmill%2Bat%2Bcorrens.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kayaking near Correns.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><br />
I realise now that the sign does not mean the spring is beside the road, but suggests the general direction of the start of the Argens River.<br />
<br /><br />
This year, I was more determined. After a twisty drive up a steep hill to the little village, we parked and explored on foot.<br />
<br /><br />
We never did find the source. I think we would have needed hiking boots and probably permission to go trekking through the bush.<br />
<br /><br />
However we were able to stand right at the top of the town where an explanatory sign indicted the direction and informed us that the river actually did start its journey somewhere in the depressions of the hills in front of us.<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FN5X1DXi4k0/WBUwXr2MdNI/AAAAAAAACGg/hjlfyLzl6jYG6tdeFe3HVgBhO_KcI2-IwCEw/s1600/canoe-10%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FN5X1DXi4k0/WBUwXr2MdNI/AAAAAAAACGg/hjlfyLzl6jYG6tdeFe3HVgBhO_KcI2-IwCEw/s400/canoe-10%255B1%255D.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Companies run kayaking tours along the Argens.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none;">
I had to be satisfied with that - until perhaps a more organised expedition in the future.</div>
<div style="border-image: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-image: none;">
The Argens flows through fertile valleys chock full of vineyards growing the prized rosé varieties.</div>
<div style="border-image: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-image: none;">
Further downstream it becomes the flatland ideal for the motorway from Aix-en-Provence through to Nice - and the railway.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Although water levels do fall in the summer, the river is a boating and fishing paradise.</div>
<div style="border-image: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-image: none;">
There are any number of kayaks for hire. Two of the towns along the way - <em>Vidauban</em> and <em>Roquebrune-sur-Argens</em> are veritable water sports meccas.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="border-image: none;">
The river flows through tiny hamlets like Correns and Montfort-sur-Argens, Carcès to Vidauban, along the southern edge of Les Arcs, through Le Muy - where it is joined by the Nartuby (from Chateaudouble) - then Roquebrune-sur-Argens, where it has been dammed into a large recreatuional lake, and finally to the sea at Fréjus.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WL8Gg8ZcGbc/WBUwgdnwf_I/AAAAAAAACGg/rlI9pRi_Hgcc3yfofZMmrx7Ocek_hqdvgCEw/s1600/roquebrune%2Blake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="353" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WL8Gg8ZcGbc/WBUwgdnwf_I/AAAAAAAACGg/rlI9pRi_Hgcc3yfofZMmrx7Ocek_hqdvgCEw/s640/roquebrune%2Blake.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The recreational lake near Roquebrune-sur-Argens - with the Red Rock in the background.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none;">
A friend of our tried fishing there with no luck, and we haven't yet tried kayaking - but the river near Les Arcs is cool and peaceful on a hot summer's day, with its large shady trees.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hlaQpe3k_3k/WBUwZGq-y2I/AAAAAAAACGg/E__zcVxa8o8GdTGpblqL3WP_uy-2hPvhwCEw/s1600/argens%2Briver%2Bmouth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hlaQpe3k_3k/WBUwZGq-y2I/AAAAAAAACGg/E__zcVxa8o8GdTGpblqL3WP_uy-2hPvhwCEw/s400/argens%2Briver%2Bmouth.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Argens River meets the sea at Frejus. (Google Maps)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><br />
There is a good restaurant by the bridge over the Argens where you can sit on the outdoor deck and enjoy lunch beside the river. <br />
<br /><br />
And just a little further upstream is the <em>Maison des Vins</em>, which brings together wines from the <em>Cotes de Provence </em>appellation with around 800 different wines available at cost price. You can also enjoy a delicious gourmet degustation meal.<br />
<br /><br />
The Argens is an important part of the Var - bisecting it and bringing a delicious and refreshing body of water to the centre of the department.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983526403033287127noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378476238798704314.post-50363352681960068642016-10-17T13:54:00.000+11:002016-10-17T13:54:57.665+11:00Chateaudouble - well worth the climb
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P9K7gPQtiXI/WAQ3V8-qj1I/AAAAAAAACFE/oWRtl7GDFd0FPQ1lKUZrwpUlx0EF10qKQCEw/s1600/DSCF8144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P9K7gPQtiXI/WAQ3V8-qj1I/AAAAAAAACFE/oWRtl7GDFd0FPQ1lKUZrwpUlx0EF10qKQCEw/s640/DSCF8144.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The village is perched high above the rocky summits of the Gorge du Chateaudouble.</td></tr>
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of my favourite perched villages in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">La Dracenie</i> is Châteaudouble.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--mVJkA5krvI/WAQ3dvupwEI/AAAAAAAACFE/ssr_CZvUK80-T2Lf9KQLOJ5PbSrPvOyywCEw/s1600/2016-07-08%2B11.42.48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--mVJkA5krvI/WAQ3dvupwEI/AAAAAAAACFE/ssr_CZvUK80-T2Lf9KQLOJ5PbSrPvOyywCEw/s400/2016-07-08%2B11.42.48.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down at the road below.</td></tr>
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am not sure why exactly, but it ticks all the boxes – described
as resembling a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">nid d’aigle</i> (eagle’s
nest), its houses huddle against a cliff edge, with the narrow, winding streets
that I love exploring, a line of restaurants overlooking the 130-metre drop
into the gorge below, and a fair amount of ancient history.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is not to mention the unexpected beauty of tiny gardens
or window boxes found in little crevices, or the amazing direction pointer high
above the village that doesn’t point out far-distant towns – instead it points
to the directions of the 32 winds of Provence!</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Châteaudouble (very roughly, ‘double castles’) was named
after its two medieval châteaux – one perched high above the village and the
other nestled along the banks of the Nartuby River far below – perhaps for
those unable to climb the massive boulders!</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It guards, in fact, one of the oldest prehistoric sites in
Provence – the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Grotto chauvre-souris</i>
(or the bat cave. I have to admit I prefer its description in French). There
are two other similar grottos nearby – the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Grotto
des chèvres</i> (goat cave) and the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Grotto
du Mouret</i>.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-szNFwSlfr4A/WAQ5LxBtsvI/AAAAAAAACFM/cBE4Yda6mVg0nBZnesrgO72eizYob1VXACEw/s1600/DSCF8153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-szNFwSlfr4A/WAQ5LxBtsvI/AAAAAAAACFM/cBE4Yda6mVg0nBZnesrgO72eizYob1VXACEw/s640/DSCF8153.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the restaurants that overlook the gorge on the other side of the far wall.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">These are hidden, outside the village among the steep sided gorge
cut by the Nartuby River which flows down through Draguignan to meet the Argens
east of Les Arcs-sur-Argens.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The gorge is bordered by thickly forested hills, with rocky
outcrops like those at Châteaudouble, often bolted together to bind them in
place and prevent rock falls. </span></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-omfedHpHmCA/WAQ3zRpAGPI/AAAAAAAACFE/UJ_vKZst-9skm-mPxygcqWdUP4A8nNpWQCEw/s1600/DSCF8172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-omfedHpHmCA/WAQ3zRpAGPI/AAAAAAAACFE/UJ_vKZst-9skm-mPxygcqWdUP4A8nNpWQCEw/s640/DSCF8172.JPG" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meander up the steps toward the tower.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Legend has it that a dragon once lived in the Gorges of
Châteaudouble and would venture downstream to terrorise the villagers in the
small settlements below. The Bishop of Draguignan – now <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Saint Hermantaire</i> – fought the dragon and slew it, saving the
village. The town (not sure if it is named after that dragon) now uses the
dragon as its symbol.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I had been through Châteaudouble twice before on my way to
the Gorges of Verdon – the high, winding road became a detour around landslides
following the 2010 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">inondations</i>
(floods) – but on both occasions my eyes were fixed in front as I navigated the
twisting road with its sheer drops, so I did have a chance to glance upwards as
I passed below this little village.</span></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wdwkra-YQVw/WAQ3_gBL8yI/AAAAAAAACFE/OQ92E1BewCc4q-zVGaI9ib_PcESG24acACEw/s1600/DSCF8166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wdwkra-YQVw/WAQ3_gBL8yI/AAAAAAAACFE/OQ92E1BewCc4q-zVGaI9ib_PcESG24acACEw/s400/DSCF8166.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bright little corner with flowers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This time it was my destination. I took the more direct
route, bypassing Draguignan – the road is wide and easy to navigate through
Provenҫal <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">garrigue</i> (bushland) and
takes you directly to the turn-off beside the river below the village.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Look up from here and you do a double take – high above is
the medieval tower and between you and the tower it is almost perpendicular. Of
course the road, with its twists and turns, is more gentle but you still have
sheer rock on one side and sheer drop on the other. At one point it disappears
into the darkness of a tunnel straight through the middle of a massive boulder.
</span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But on the other side, we emerged into dazzling sunlight –
and a convenient little parking area right below the village itself. Cars are
not permitted into the village centre, so we were glad to alight to explore
more slowly.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Steps lead up between houses to the main street and a square
shaded by plane trees with restaurants and bars located at the very edge of the
high rocky shelf that supports the village. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We meandered through archways where we came out into tiny patches
of land planted with colourful flowers – some with a convenient seat for weary
climbers; but ever upwards.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Heading for the tower we had seen from below, we found it
guarding the entrance to the cemetery, the highest point in the village – no
doubt allowing the departed souls closer access to the heavens.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uzj0P2UduWM/WAQ5C8i6f5I/AAAAAAAACFM/nCGfqFTgD6oHELlITDUNeg-HFVRw1dPDQCEw/s1600/DSCF8165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uzj0P2UduWM/WAQ5C8i6f5I/AAAAAAAACFM/nCGfqFTgD6oHELlITDUNeg-HFVRw1dPDQCEw/s640/DSCF8165.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flowers enhance every little nook and cranny around the village.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We felt on top of the world and could see for miles, the
heavily wooded hills surrounding us that stretched out as far as the eye could
see, and the deep gorge cut through by the Nartuby River.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Right at the summit is a lookout with a direction marker on
top. We expected to see notations telling us the direction and mileage to
various surrounding towns and sites. Instead, written in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Provenҫal,</i> it named the 32 different winds of Provence, the
direction they blew from and the time of year when they were dominant.</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PLobVMlEPOg/WAQ3l58KSSI/AAAAAAAACFE/vJs3eMy9g8Yn-G31w0LLbKYeb6vsS16iQCEw/s1600/DSCF8142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PLobVMlEPOg/WAQ3l58KSSI/AAAAAAAACFE/vJs3eMy9g8Yn-G31w0LLbKYeb6vsS16iQCEw/s400/DSCF8142.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The direction sign pointing our the 32 winds of Provence.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was unexpected and fascinating. We tried to work out
which wind was blowing at that time and to imagine how windy it must be during
the colder months.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We dined in a vine-covered restaurant overlooking the gorge,
visited <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘Za Sculpteur’</i> – who makes
sculptures of found metal objects (and who I have written about previously) and
enjoyed the ambience of this village with its flowers, tiny vegetable gardens,
and wildflowers humming with bees beneath the straggly olive trees.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The 26-kilometre drive home was easy and meant that Châteaudouble
is fixed on my calendar as a village to visit for itself – and its restaurants.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983526403033287127noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378476238798704314.post-39154379783996184562016-10-03T19:00:00.005+11:002016-10-03T19:00:49.500+11:00Beautiful Nice - Nissa La Bella<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cl15oaNBOwo/V_Hn2qv9njI/AAAAAAAACDM/mc-9ix9-qzg9qhb5uDSSsDOD0VcrW349wCLcB/s1600/Nice%2BOctober%2B2%252C%2B2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cl15oaNBOwo/V_Hn2qv9njI/AAAAAAAACDM/mc-9ix9-qzg9qhb5uDSSsDOD0VcrW349wCLcB/s640/Nice%2BOctober%2B2%252C%2B2014.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice seafront at sunset.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Every time I fly into France, I am caught by the beauty of
the Cote d’Azur – the high mountains, sometimes snow-capped, fading into the
pale blue distance, the apricot roofs strung out along the coastline and the
buzz of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Baie des Anges</i> (Bay of
the Angels) when we touch down on reclaimed land by the River Var.</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Td1-RkQNCM0/V_HmHCzQomI/AAAAAAAACCw/vpEUYEuPJL8qcqWdeoVROIWg1qtq4WzGwCEw/s1600/France%2B2008%2Ba%2B109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Td1-RkQNCM0/V_HmHCzQomI/AAAAAAAACCw/vpEUYEuPJL8qcqWdeoVROIWg1qtq4WzGwCEw/s400/France%2B2008%2Ba%2B109.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overlooking Nice Old Town from the Colline de Chateau.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Nice is our nearest ‘big city’, just an hour from Les Arcs
by car along the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘Provenҫale’</i>
(Autoroute 8) that sweeps across southern Provence from Aix en Provence.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It is a strong and proud place – once part of Piedmont-Sardinia – and much of their food has an Italian flavour to it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">There are
also historic Greek and Roman influences - it was named by the ancient Greeks after <em>Nike</em>, the Goddess of Victory. The North
Africans brought even more delicious dishes and a wonderful
multi-cultural feel.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Not to leave out the benign invasion from the north –
meaning of course the English, who not only holidayed here, but many took up
residence – like Queen Victoria who stayed at the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Régina</i> during the summer months.</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p-6IAfYGNRo/V_HmMUzip1I/AAAAAAAACDA/68lByYIa1o0TRT25oUECbygAlPBEdomkQCEw/s1600/France%2B2008%2Ba%2B123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p-6IAfYGNRo/V_HmMUzip1I/AAAAAAAACDA/68lByYIa1o0TRT25oUECbygAlPBEdomkQCEw/s400/France%2B2008%2Ba%2B123.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice Port on the other side of the Colline de Chateau.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">And after the Russian revolution, there was an influx of ‘white’ Russians, who built opulent palaces and churches in their distinctive style.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">If you only take in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Promenade
des Anglais</i> and the seafront, Nice will feel lightweight and hedonistic.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">People pack the stony beach soaking up the sun, while others make use of the
promenade itself for cycling, skateboarding, roller-blading or just <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘balade’</i> -ing (strolling).</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><em>Vieux Nice</em>
(Nice Old Town) is a real treat – a maze of winding streets where it is fun to
allow yourself to get lost and explore. </span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R5lSbk7fWh0/V_IEx_pEmXI/AAAAAAAACDo/yCP6oNXGzcIGmFnam7DvjG3BpibVNCn6QCLcB/s1600/DSCF8428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R5lSbk7fWh0/V_IEx_pEmXI/AAAAAAAACDo/yCP6oNXGzcIGmFnam7DvjG3BpibVNCn6QCLcB/s640/DSCF8428.JPG" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting lost in the narrow streets of Nice Old Town.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The restaurant-lined<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cours
Saleya</i> – where they hold daily flower markets (and sell everything else
besides) must not be missed for the sheer abundance of colour, variety of goods and delicious scents wafting from the nearby restaurant kitchens.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I particularly love the elegant boulevards and ornate apartment buildings that line them, as you move north into Nice 'proper'. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The enormous <em>Place
Masséna</em> where you can enjoy the ever-changing colour of the 'pole sitters' each evening. There is always something happening here - whether it is hip hop dancing, jazz bands, the Nice Carnival in February or the annual Jazz Festival in July.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Catch a bus to Cimiez where you can enjoy the gardens in the <em>Parc des
Arénes</em>, the deliciously pink <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Musée Matisse
</i>– not to mention the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Musée Marc Chagall, </i>located
a little lower down the hill.</span></div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Then of course, there is the promontory high above the town, the <em>Colline du Chateau</em>, where a 12th century castle is slowly being uncovered
by archaeologists. This hill separates Nice's <em>Port Lympia</em> from the town and <em>Baie des Anges</em>, providing the
best views over both.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It is impossible to go into depth in this overall description of Nice, but suffice it to say that it is well worth spending some time here, getting to know its distinctively southern personality. I will explore parts of it more closely in future blogs.</span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N9KblV0VsS8/V_HnjxGiiVI/AAAAAAAACDU/Myn5VHro4ZE0-W2b6QIrkuiyRjKT_Zi4QCEw/s1600/DSCF8424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N9KblV0VsS8/V_HnjxGiiVI/AAAAAAAACDU/Myn5VHro4ZE0-W2b6QIrkuiyRjKT_Zi4QCEw/s640/DSCF8424.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">People quickly returned to the beach to enjoy the delights Nice offers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">But sadly, Nice, as ‘our’ gateway to France, with its casual
glamour and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">joie de vivre, </i>was sorely
tried this year with the terrorist attack during the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fête Nationale</i> on July 14. Such a despicable act left both horror
and outrage in its wake.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Yet the people of Nice were determined not to allow it to
affect the way they live their lives.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Yes, there are armed soldiers on the streets, as in other
major centres, and certainly there were fewer tourists roaming freely in the weeks
after the attack.</span></div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vWPK-g5Zg2g/V_HnK1FPt1I/AAAAAAAACDQ/x43kQ9_0OlMlNjVQSilW6ZPSCUUJxfWvwCEw/s1600/DSCF8287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vWPK-g5Zg2g/V_HnK1FPt1I/AAAAAAAACDQ/x43kQ9_0OlMlNjVQSilW6ZPSCUUJxfWvwCEw/s320/DSCF8287.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The back page of <em>Var Matin</em> the day after the attack on Nice.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">But at the same time, the people sunning themselves on the
beaches were still there, others were wandering the old town, dining under the
stars, splashing in the water jets in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Place
Masséna</i>. It’s just that it was all done with a consciousness of
people looking out for each other. </span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">In fact, I felt like saying – in true<em> Nissart </em>style – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘Sieu Nissa’</i>
.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">And for anyone who loves France and would like to visit my
favourite parts of Provence, why not think about renting <a href="http://www.provencedreaming.com/" target="_blank">Maison Les Arcs</a> in 2017?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Note: I will be publishing my blog fortnightly for a while,
as I have a number of other projects demanding my attention.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983526403033287127noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378476238798704314.post-90410435932012510342016-09-18T09:26:00.002+10:002016-09-18T09:26:58.786+10:00An unpretentious beauty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D6I1y9RCJxc/V93L55Qq8fI/AAAAAAAACA8/8etrbkl7_Wk3atOZnqzGo_cdH4d60d85wCLcB/s1600/DSCF8030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D6I1y9RCJxc/V93L55Qq8fI/AAAAAAAACA8/8etrbkl7_Wk3atOZnqzGo_cdH4d60d85wCLcB/s640/DSCF8030.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View over Flayosc from behind the church.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Nestled into the hills and bordering on the Haut Var is an
exquisite little village that, despite its beauty – is easy to miss.</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wLURJi5Ajtg/V93L8qx6kBI/AAAAAAAACBA/rNmi7PdwPrEHFzojNWSkArYHFG1ggeXBQCEw/s1600/DSCF8002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wLURJi5Ajtg/V93L8qx6kBI/AAAAAAAACBA/rNmi7PdwPrEHFzojNWSkArYHFG1ggeXBQCEw/s400/DSCF8002.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The archway through which we entered Flayosc.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Located just off the main road between Draguignan and
Brignoles (where cyclists in the Tour de France sped by in 2011), it is a quiet
village with a surprising amount of activity.</span><br />
<br /><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The road just above the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">vieille
ville</i> in Les Arcs-sur-Argens takes you directly there, but it is a narrow
road that winds up and around the hills and I always feel a bit nervous driving
because there is no ‘shoulder’ and the road falls away steeply at the edge of
the bitumen. However you can take a bus via Draguignan for a more relaxed
journey.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We parked on a bit of rough ground just outside the village
and took the first street we could find that led upwards into the town.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The great thing about small villages is that you really
can’t get lost – even though the streets are narrow and winding and you can’t
always see too far ahead.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Flayosc is dominated by the unpretentious Church of St
Laurent, crowning the hilltop and forming the village centre. </span></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ns5P6xQfTCM/V93MasQjzJI/AAAAAAAACBM/YeEI03gDJt8gRJQkDgmwR3qY8EpurLq3wCEw/s1600/DSCF8020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ns5P6xQfTCM/V93MasQjzJI/AAAAAAAACBM/YeEI03gDJt8gRJQkDgmwR3qY8EpurLq3wCEw/s400/DSCF8020.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Church of St Laurent located on a rocky outcrop above the village centre.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is a beautiful little building, surrounded by pencil
pines and ancient olive trees and you can choose a winding pathway or a series
of steps to reach it.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Inside there is a wealth of artistry – from a brilliant
mosaic of St Michael slaying a dragon, to some exquisite tile patterns – almost
Middle Eastern in design – that line alcoves behind religious statues.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A more recent set of stained glass windows has been built
into a wall where earlier ones were broken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But that is not all. The streets are attractive with small
artisanal shops selling all kinds of traditional Provencal handcrafts.
</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W97-tC19M7U/V93Mgv7UOgI/AAAAAAAACBQ/_ME06hqMMbAb0W0GQZYSQ0FhB3lKMP4ZQCEw/s1600/DSCF8024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W97-tC19M7U/V93Mgv7UOgI/AAAAAAAACBQ/_ME06hqMMbAb0W0GQZYSQ0FhB3lKMP4ZQCEw/s400/DSCF8024.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flowers dominate the village centre.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Strolling through the village on a warm summer afternoon, you can plunge your
arms into the deliciously cool waters of the town’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">lavoir </i>– where people once came to do their communal washing.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And it seems that almost every corner reveals a tiny square,
complete with small café or bar-restaurant – some with colourful bunting strung
overhead, others with cool, trickling fountains.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is also a gloriously floral village. Pots of all species
of summer flowers adorn several florists and many of the balconies and doorways.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We arrived in the sleepy <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">après-midi</i>
and the town was quiet, with shutters up on many of the businesses and we could hear soft
murmurs from dark interiors as we wandered by.</span></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5vN9uDI0LNM/V93MTUPCbDI/AAAAAAAACBY/lUvQZ2jkIXgpHWA1Hn__EiTNVwzTZjtfwCEw/s1600/DSCF8003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5vN9uDI0LNM/V93MTUPCbDI/AAAAAAAACBY/lUvQZ2jkIXgpHWA1Hn__EiTNVwzTZjtfwCEw/s400/DSCF8003.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fountain in one of the small squares.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sadly, because we needed to telephone in advance, we were
not able to visit several places that I have put on my list for our next visit:</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘ébénisterie’</i> –
a woodworker who makes furniture using the traditional methods of two centuries
ago; the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘Maroquinerie’ </i>– a family of
leather workers who make the traditional <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘gibecières
des chasseurs’</i> (gamebags used by the hunters in Provence); and the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘Rideaux en perles de bois’</i> – the strip
curtains that traditionally cover open doorways in Provence which are made of
hand-carved ‘beads’ from the local olive wood.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And we came on the wrong day for a trip to see the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Moulins à Huile</i> (olive oil mills) at
work. There is a special one, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘Moulin
du Flayosquet’ </i>run by Max Doleatto in an authentic 13<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> century
mill where he creates a range of oils from the olives using the traditional
methods.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But just meandering around the village, stopping for a cool glass of
the local rosé, and discovering the beauty of the town itself, its flowers and
the stunning fields of olive trees surrounding it, was an afternoon very well
spent.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983526403033287127noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378476238798704314.post-67695348082127232442016-09-11T12:01:00.001+10:002016-09-11T12:01:37.995+10:00The Art of Living Well<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--rIaDVYQaKA/V9ShziSE8_I/AAAAAAAAB_k/IXM8UkFrOR4QA84LOt0Ffa9OoTdP84KcgCLcB/s1600/DSCF8201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--rIaDVYQaKA/V9ShziSE8_I/AAAAAAAAB_k/IXM8UkFrOR4QA84LOt0Ffa9OoTdP84KcgCLcB/s640/DSCF8201.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Avenue Lazare Carnot where Baron Haussmann practised his deigns before moving to Paris to transform that city.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">What I love about France is the artistry that invades every
aspect of their life – from the preparation and presentation of food, to the
art of combining a limited wardrobe into a variety of casually elegant outfits
and for the time taken for small courtesies as in greeting and farewelling people –
friends and strangers alike.</span><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PrS_KFOrmBU/V9SiCYK4XoI/AAAAAAAAB_s/hGvU4r7mueojtW2pvgErYIQJpXxEE2ACACEw/s1600/DSCF8208.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PrS_KFOrmBU/V9SiCYK4XoI/AAAAAAAAB_s/hGvU4r7mueojtW2pvgErYIQJpXxEE2ACACEw/s400/DSCF8208.JPG" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The elegant<em> Eglise</em> Paroissiale Saint-Etienne.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">While this is no doubt a learned aspect, I think living
amongst beauty - both natural and built - also plays a part.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">In particular this applies to our architectural
surroundings. You can choose not to look at artworks you don’t particularly
like, but architecture is always there, in our faces, every time we venture
outside.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"></span>I'm sure that if you live in a place that is agreeable to look at, is
loved, elegant and kind on the eyes, you can’t help but absorb this into
your psyche.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The decoration of early buildings – the care that went into making them
not just a structure, but a work of art in themselves - is one of the reasons we enjoy of wandering through towns and cities in all parts of the world.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tu_zIlyvYOc/V9S24i6MyvI/AAAAAAAACAU/204vu9X89i8G_QII3ZvgfT_pECzD57nnwCLcB/s1600/DSCF8215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tu_zIlyvYOc/V9S24i6MyvI/AAAAAAAACAU/204vu9X89i8G_QII3ZvgfT_pECzD57nnwCLcB/s320/DSCF8215.JPG" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Street overlooked by the clocktower.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">In France – some
of the buildings may be magnificent edifaces, others more humble – but in the vast majority,
you can see that the builder was also a craftsman who was proud of creating
something both useful and beautiful.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KvOm0rI7UNQ/V9SkMXzOIDI/AAAAAAAAB_8/DuQkIIq_Bik8QIyX7-5n76DkQscLmWD9QCLcB/s1600/DSCF8204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KvOm0rI7UNQ/V9SkMXzOIDI/AAAAAAAAB_8/DuQkIIq_Bik8QIyX7-5n76DkQscLmWD9QCLcB/s320/DSCF8204.JPG" width="204" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A mural decorates the side of a building.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none;">
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Just to the north of Les Arcs-sur-Argens is the former
capital of Var - the town of Draguignan - where Baron Haussmann first practised
his ideas for the grand boulevards and elegant buildings that later became the
beauty of Paris.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<div style="border-image: none;">
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><em>Avenue Lazare Carnot</em> that leads into town from Les Arcs is well worth a
stroll, just to uncover the restrained beauty of Haussmann's early designs with a Provencal twist.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<br />
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">When its status as the departmental capital was transferred
south to Toulon, and Draguignan’s rail link to the rest
of France was closed (with buses running to and from the station at les
Arcs), the town suffered and was in danger of being forgotten.</span></div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kGCxVv8zwbw/V9S29qOU1OI/AAAAAAAACAY/_ghdiPPnJWoUQkGGr2xNWHED_XxlpmcugCLcB/s1600/DSCF8224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kGCxVv8zwbw/V9S29qOU1OI/AAAAAAAACAY/_ghdiPPnJWoUQkGGr2xNWHED_XxlpmcugCLcB/s320/DSCF8224.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The <em>Place Comtes de Provence</em>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Yet it is rebuilding itself as a centre
of both art and history with grand murals enhancing plain walls and the development of an Art Walk.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Each summer the town hosts the <em>’L’Eté
Contemporain’</em> exhibitions that fill various spaces throughout the town creating a
summer art exploration on its own.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Draguignan has become the centre of the <em>'La Dracénie'</em> region and as such is developing an exciting tourist circuit through the tiny 'perched' villages that surround it. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">
</span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ED6IiDxIiQ4/V9Sh7s6W6eI/AAAAAAAAB_o/5IQjd8ZiXJcnVWiYa43-_wtEET4zfckuwCEw/s1600/DSCF6148%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ED6IiDxIiQ4/V9Sh7s6W6eI/AAAAAAAAB_o/5IQjd8ZiXJcnVWiYa43-_wtEET4zfckuwCEw/s400/DSCF6148%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Multi-archway that is part of the Art Walk.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">But for now it is enough to walk – exploring the alleyways and narrow streets, finding the unexpected delight of a quirky shop front;
a hidden gallery; the sudden view of the church spire or the distinctive wrought iron dome housing
for the bell above the clock tower.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘Musée d’Art et
Tradition’ </i>is a ‘must’ to get the feel of the town and the region in days
gone by. It also has a shop selling beautifully made local crafts and a
signature exhibition that changes regularly.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Although it isn't mentioned in France’s ‘most beautiful
towns’ category (there is a lot of commercial development on its edges), many of the small towns in <em>La Dracénie</em> do. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">And Draguignan is a great place to start your exploration.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-image: none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983526403033287127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378476238798704314.post-38982579294736214812016-09-04T15:49:00.000+10:002016-09-04T15:49:23.024+10:00Shrine to the other Mary<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2zZnGvVvhd4/V8uT_J_xylI/AAAAAAAAB9w/h3cw8WdvpCEjAfzdqEvLoyecPlu-Su9aQCLcB/s1600/2016-09-04%2B12.31.13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="418" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2zZnGvVvhd4/V8uT_J_xylI/AAAAAAAAB9w/h3cw8WdvpCEjAfzdqEvLoyecPlu-Su9aQCLcB/s640/2016-09-04%2B12.31.13.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The <em>Basilica Sainte-Madeleine</em> stands high above the town of Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume in eastern Var.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">If you have ever visited Florence, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Il Duomo,</i> standing head and shoulders above
the town, is what catches your eye, creating a magnificent focal point and vying for the most important
building around.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">And it is the same for visitors as
they arrive in the town of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte
Baume</i> (known as ‘St Maximin’ for short), where the large semi-Gothic
<em>Basilica Sainte-Madeleine</em>, stands proudly above the town and is visible for
miles across the verdant valley.</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CQ7CZVM-eyM/V8uUHSQYUeI/AAAAAAAAB-M/8brfbvxv8wY92kN8e46eyGTMg23-m92iwCEw/s1600/DSCF7913.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CQ7CZVM-eyM/V8uUHSQYUeI/AAAAAAAAB-M/8brfbvxv8wY92kN8e46eyGTMg23-m92iwCEw/s400/DSCF7913.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A statue of Mary Magdalene outside the crypt in the basilica.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I love a story about a place and St Maximin is rich with
many, the prime one being that this is the resting place of the ‘sinner’ saint,
Mary Magdalene.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">According to the story - disputed in other parts of France - St Mary Magdalene arrived in Provence with her
three companions, travelling from the Holy Land in a boat with no helmsman. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">She made her way inland to the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Massif Sainte Baume</i> (just south of the town), where she climbed to
a hidden cave high in the mountains. There she lived a 30-year penance for her
sins. Her Holy Grotto, now a monastery, is more than 800 metres up among a forest which has been protected for centuries.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Eventually, near her death, she was brought down to St Maximin and after she
died her body was buried in the place where the basilica stands today.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D1Poia84XuI/V8uVE8kWLDI/AAAAAAAAB-E/wf9Qefk-0A8vAg76foPsmMgixPlPrwQVwCEw/s1600/DSCF7914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D1Poia84XuI/V8uVE8kWLDI/AAAAAAAAB-E/wf9Qefk-0A8vAg76foPsmMgixPlPrwQVwCEw/s640/DSCF7914.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The niche where Mary Magdalene's skull rests behind the grille.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Later excavations found her bones, but just her skull is now on
display in a crypt below the nave of the church.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="border-image: none; clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="border-image: none; clear: both; text-align: left;">
And as well as her skull, in a separate reliquary is<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> a shred of tissue from her
forehead where Christ is supposed to have placed his fingers the morning of the
Resurrection. It has been sealed in a crystal tube and known as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘Noli Me Tangere’</i> (Do not touch me).</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I find these stories quite exciting. In Les Arcs-sur-Argens, we have the
preserved body of Sainte Roseline lying in a glass casket for all to see, and
here, just 50km away, is the skull of Mary Magdalene. One can’t help but be
impressed!</span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mf82AuinHZI/V8uURzhPxNI/AAAAAAAAB-M/VOtjg3ATzAA7ogw1U5SeO3YKSX-GdLH8ACEw/s1600/DSCF7925.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mf82AuinHZI/V8uURzhPxNI/AAAAAAAAB-M/VOtjg3ATzAA7ogw1U5SeO3YKSX-GdLH8ACEw/s640/DSCF7925.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beautiful, soaring Gothic interior of the Basilica Sainte-Madeleine.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">So an ‘enormous temple’ was built in the 14<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>
century – though not finished until the 16<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> – to house all the
pilgrims the church authorities expected to descend on the town.</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eySmu56PKuU/V8uVKgXDKVI/AAAAAAAAB-U/NnAXRWsCLUEFOJx7UlmrmOYZK6Gr1jY4gCEw/s1600/DSCF7937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eySmu56PKuU/V8uVKgXDKVI/AAAAAAAAB-U/NnAXRWsCLUEFOJx7UlmrmOYZK6Gr1jY4gCEw/s400/DSCF7937.JPG" width="275" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The unfinished exterior of the basilica.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
</div>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It is a magnificent church – though the bell tower and main
entrance have never been finished. The front still looks like the back of the
lathe and plaster wall with mortar oozing out between the rough stones.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Even so, the architecture is amazing with 10 flying
buttresses each side and celestial ceilings inside. I always thought Gothic
churches were distinguished by their spires. This has no spire, but when you are
inside, it feels as though there must be one.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">There are paintings, mosaics, statues, low-relief
carvings in wood<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and breath-taking beauty that
make it well worth a visit. The seven-sided apse with its ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">La Gloire’</i> (glory) window, is stunning, as is the sculpted walnut
choir with its 94 stalls.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The historic 1773 organ, known as the ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Grandes Orgues’</i> with its 2,960 pipes, is known the world over. I
can’t imagine the impact of its music reverberating through the high stone
arches.</span></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HLpHvS1aQSI/V8uUCUvUceI/AAAAAAAAB-M/TE9FGbLKj3Us4tkzrn4Qb4gzwMOrGkgjQCEw/s1600/2016-09-04%2B12.31.57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HLpHvS1aQSI/V8uUCUvUceI/AAAAAAAAB-M/TE9FGbLKj3Us4tkzrn4Qb4gzwMOrGkgjQCEw/s320/2016-09-04%2B12.31.57.jpg" width="187" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The skull. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The crypt, housing Mary Magdalene’s skull, is located in the
centre of the building. It is still basically as it was in 1279 with steps leading down into it. As you
descend into the barrel-vaulted cave, there is a beautiful statue of the ‘sinner’ saint facing the relic.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The crypt actually houses four sarcophagi – Mary Magdalene, her
companions Maximin and Sidonius and her servant Marcella.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Of course the people of the town of Vézelay in Burgundy,
would dispute all this. They feel they have a claim on St Mary Magdalene.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">However a lot of political wheeling and dealing in the 13<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> century by
Charles I of Anjou (who became Duke of Provence), wrested the Mary Magdalene
story from the northerners and had her relics confirmed as genuine by Pope
Boniface VIII.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">And even if the story doesn’t capture your imagination, the
basilica is something not to miss while in Provence. </span></div>
* To enjoy the hidden parts of inland Provence,
why not stay at <a href="http://www.provencedreaming.com/" target="_blank">Maison Les Arcs</a> in the central Var town of les Arcs-sur-Argens.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-image: none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983526403033287127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378476238798704314.post-60373303437668861272016-08-28T16:00:00.000+10:002016-08-28T16:00:21.506+10:00Market Day at Lorgues<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B936j_b9lyk/V77OgG91WFI/AAAAAAAAB8k/Wbdw6GeA3uca51g6Ru1zua19JDaar28VgCLcB/s1600/DSCF7977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-B936j_b9lyk/V77OgG91WFI/AAAAAAAAB8k/Wbdw6GeA3uca51g6Ru1zua19JDaar28VgCLcB/s640/DSCF7977.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The market meanders along several streets in the centre of Lorgues</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We visited Lorgues on a Tuesday - market day - and navigating
the narrow streets in our hire car I found myself confronted by a plethora of market stalls and
the car I was following rapidly reversing towards me.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-blOmaOcRqAY/V77QDNefjUI/AAAAAAAAB9I/3cQi3zXUsGULVpMSgP_iYYrxWFV63FbAgCLcB/s1600/DSCF7979%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-blOmaOcRqAY/V77QDNefjUI/AAAAAAAAB9I/3cQi3zXUsGULVpMSgP_iYYrxWFV63FbAgCLcB/s400/DSCF7979%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="371" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying shoes for size at the market's leather stall.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I’m a fairly confident driver, but reversing down a narrow
street with parked cars either side and pedestrians wandering along with arms
full of bags and baskets from the market, is not my idea of a gentle drive.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Luckily a car behind paused long enough for me to make a
reverse two-point turn and escape, followed by the other reversing vehicle.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">So it’s not surprising that I found a park just outside the
town and we walked back in.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We were well rewarded. Lorgues has one of the best ever
markets in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dracenie</i>! The town is just
12km north-west of Les Arcs and is accessible by the No 9 bus for just over one euro
each way.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The narrow streets were lined for blocks with an amazing
array of different stalls selling shoes, clothes, trinkets, jewellery, lavender
products, olive wood products – all interspersed by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">brasseries</i> with tables and chairs in the shade inviting you to
pause for a cold drink, before continuing up the main avenue towards the food.</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wEoDBwuI82Q/V77O32ymRMI/AAAAAAAAB9E/S1k554oz8E0_h1CnY5pQ0R72LmRa6HskQCEw/s1600/DSCF7984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wEoDBwuI82Q/V77O32ymRMI/AAAAAAAAB9E/S1k554oz8E0_h1CnY5pQ0R72LmRa6HskQCEw/s400/DSCF7984.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sacks full of herbs and spices tempt those culinary skills. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">And what food!</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Fresh vegetables, ripened under the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Provenҫal</i> sun, tongue-zinging raspberries, juicy flat peaches and
tree-ripened apricots like my mother used to grow. I felt a glow of health just
looking at them.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Then of course were the cheeses, the stalls stacked with all
kinds of sausage, sacks of bright spices and pungent herbs, the nougat –
every kind you can imagine, lavender and acacia honeys, an array of hand-made ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sirops</i>’ (cordials) with
exotic-sounding flavours of elderflower,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
tilleul</i> (linden flower), or blackcurrant.</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bYXYE9400n4/V77O8Yr-hrI/AAAAAAAAB9E/XHe4PNPln-AhBgCUcmZfyGVdjnkDhgfSACEw/s1600/DSCF7983%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bYXYE9400n4/V77O8Yr-hrI/AAAAAAAAB9E/XHe4PNPln-AhBgCUcmZfyGVdjnkDhgfSACEw/s400/DSCF7983%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colourful baskets by the hundreds.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">There were hats and baskets, and scented terracotta shapes
for your wardrobe. There were belts, and bathers and buckets and spades for the
children. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">There were soaps - the special <em>Savon de</em> <em>Marseille</em> - and perfumes, kitchen utensils and tea towels and beautiful quilts and
table cloths. There were even mattresses!</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">There was just so much, far too much to take in. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It called
for a pause to collect our thoughts and to stop buying everything we saw. So
the dark shade of a spreading plane tree beckoned with an ice cold beer for him
and cider for me.</span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Just sitting back and watching the people as they meandered along the street, past the stalls - pausing to look and discuss whether to buy, dodging young children and dogs, making way for the odd pram or scooter - is a
feast in itself. </span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_gp5_quTs9s/V77OwtzkdqI/AAAAAAAAB88/7pmmqqaTTkcdIWq-PD80ZNYd4cFLkNkLgCEw/s1600/DSCF7981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_gp5_quTs9s/V77OwtzkdqI/AAAAAAAAB88/7pmmqqaTTkcdIWq-PD80ZNYd4cFLkNkLgCEw/s640/DSCF7981.JPG" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome respite after a morning browsing and shopping.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">You see families with small children – so many prams; and
teenagers, ears plugged and thumbs scrolling or tapping; and older people catching up with
each other and setting the world – or maybe just the village - to right, is part
of what makes France so special.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We ate a delicious <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘formule’</i>
lunch at a beautiful little restaurant – featuring wines from the famous <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Château Berne</i> (another place to visit just
outside the town). </span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The market umbrellas were being folded away, the metal stands
taken apart, wares packed away in vans, as the vendors closed and prepared to
travel to wherever the market would be next morning. </span></div>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The street slowly returned to normal as the crowds dispersed into homes or restaurants to spend the next two
hours ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">à la table’</i> for lunch. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It is a market I will return to – but maybe next time I’ll
take the bus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">* To explore the central Var region, why not spend some time at <a href="http://www.provencedreaming.com/" target="_blank">Maison Les Arcs</a> in Les Arcs-sur-Argens?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="border-image: none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="border-image: none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="border-image: none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983526403033287127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378476238798704314.post-19598959712993644202016-08-21T11:09:00.001+10:002016-08-21T11:09:20.524+10:00A town embraced by rock<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AuCSllF3Gdk/V7f9fyfwiWI/AAAAAAAAB7o/wOBz0A_8MnksOcifYpgZvu2pj693S5XTACLcB/s1600/DSCF8070%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AuCSllF3Gdk/V7f9fyfwiWI/AAAAAAAAB7o/wOBz0A_8MnksOcifYpgZvu2pj693S5XTACLcB/s640/DSCF8070%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cotignac - showing the western end of the cliff face and the first of the two towers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Not far from Les Arcs-sur-Argens – perhaps a half-hour drive
– lies a beautiful little village that is not only stunning to look at, but has
a wonderful atmosphere of lively wellbeing.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pwEuLnSjwwI/V7f-9Y66r5I/AAAAAAAAB8I/cIOYxaS_3XI1gExqjzlFOcxmZ6RL2cIlACEw/s1600/DSCF8065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pwEuLnSjwwI/V7f-9Y66r5I/AAAAAAAAB8I/cIOYxaS_3XI1gExqjzlFOcxmZ6RL2cIlACEw/s640/DSCF8065.JPG" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Houses are built into caves and the rock face.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Cotignac makes a terrific day trip for people wanting to
explore the narrow alleyways through the town, the weekly market or just browse
the main <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cours Gambetta,</i> with its
shops and restaurants set beneath shady plane trees. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I have written about Cotignac before (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Quinces of Cotignac</i>), but this time we wanted to explore the
town itself, so we drove via <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lorgues</i>
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Carcès, </i>then turned north<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>to find the town sheltered
within an arc of sheer rocky cliffs. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Approaching from this direction, the breath-taking
cliff, pock-marked with caves, creates an imposing backdrop as Cotignac nestles
centre stage below. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The 60-metre high escarpment stretches for 400 metres encircling
the northern rim of the town, protecting it from the cold <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mistral</i> wind when it sweeps down from the plain above.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">As well as natural caves in the limestone face, people have
also built underground – or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">troglodyte</i>
– homes into the cliffs. And the rock also makes up the rear walls of houses built
along the base.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-otXmyl_nCLw/V7f-gXiIcWI/AAAAAAAAB8A/ALh9e6OJ5S8lMMYHqEQ7O5S4PTqbz-54wCEw/s1600/DSCF8039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-otXmyl_nCLw/V7f-gXiIcWI/AAAAAAAAB8A/ALh9e6OJ5S8lMMYHqEQ7O5S4PTqbz-54wCEw/s640/DSCF8039.JPG" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the <em>Mairie</em> you can climb to the cliff top.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Centuries ago, the River <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cassoles</i>
cascaded straight over these cliffs, crashing down onto the site where the town
now stands. No wonder people made their homes deep in the cliff face and out of
the way.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">But in the 18<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> century, the river was diverted to
the west of the town, rather than dividing it, and the town centre became
established around the base of the rocks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The cliffs are spectacular; they soar above the town and are
visible at the end of many of the narrow streets. Being limestone, they have
weathered into fascinating shapes, highlighted by the shadows that sweep
slowly across during the day. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Stairs and passageways leading to the underground <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘troglodyte’</i> homes have been cut into
the face of the rock.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We didn’t climb up to them – we weren’t sure whether we were
allowed to or if the paths were private entrances.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">However, we did take the tourist track up past a row of
houses built out from the cliff face, many of which were little artisan
cottages with views out across the wide valley to the south.</span></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hS6u21jHq3Y/V7f-vbhJcTI/AAAAAAAAB8I/EtXrUWFlUoAG0cnW3mLIC2MysGkPgfLjQCEw/s1600/DSCF8060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hS6u21jHq3Y/V7f-vbhJcTI/AAAAAAAAB8I/EtXrUWFlUoAG0cnW3mLIC2MysGkPgfLjQCEw/s640/DSCF8060.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking south towards Carces from the top of the escarpment.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">And from the square in front of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mairie</i>, there is another small pathway that winds its way up
beneath imposing overhangs right to the top of the cliff and the two towers
that stand high above the town.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">These towers date back to the 13<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> century and
were part of the original settlement at Cotignac. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Their height gave watchmen a view over the St Martin plain
to the north and southwards across the broad valley towards <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Carcès</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Entrecasteaux</i>.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Looking below from the edge of the cliff is a tumble of
traditional terracotta tiled roofs sloping down the valley beside the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cassoles</i> River.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">You can also see across to the point where the tiny church
of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Notre Dame des Graces</i> sits. This
was the church where Louis XIII and his wife, Anne of Austria, prayed for an
heir – their wish being granted with the birth of Louis XIV nine months later.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Back in the town centre, you can wander the narrow streets
where tiny galleries and artisans’ <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ateliers
</i>are tucked away, or just meander back into the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cours Gambetta</i> to enjoy the ambience of its shops and restaurants
and fountains set delightfully under the plane trees.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g7wd6YRj_P4/V7f-o08Uf4I/AAAAAAAAB8A/c9oockpudhAII5IOqDR-BOeRT3OUSiIcgCEw/s1600/DSCF8035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g7wd6YRj_P4/V7f-o08Uf4I/AAAAAAAAB8A/c9oockpudhAII5IOqDR-BOeRT3OUSiIcgCEw/s640/DSCF8035.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tree-lined <em>Cours Gambetta</em> with its shops and restaurants.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983526403033287127noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378476238798704314.post-1829069824294618892016-08-14T11:22:00.000+10:002016-08-14T11:22:49.189+10:00Roadside treasure<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-duZubhdpYDc/V615A_U3KEI/AAAAAAAAB6o/UU8NNS-BSxwG9X6b6V-1CwZyjwo3__8CACLcB/s1600/DSCF7426%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-duZubhdpYDc/V615A_U3KEI/AAAAAAAAB6o/UU8NNS-BSxwG9X6b6V-1CwZyjwo3__8CACLcB/s640/DSCF7426%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poppies growing on wasteland among the olive trees.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">One of the real pleasures in living for part of the year in
rural France, is exploring on foot the many little roads and pathways that
cross the countryside.</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iBaMhlWb1t4/V615VQX5c_I/AAAAAAAAB68/KbizwE7WJnkwZo1tAWdEOtxIRX_dtMAdgCEw/s1600/DSCF7449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iBaMhlWb1t4/V615VQX5c_I/AAAAAAAAB68/KbizwE7WJnkwZo1tAWdEOtxIRX_dtMAdgCEw/s400/DSCF7449.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breathing deeply: the scent of broom in full flower.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">For not only do they take you to places you would never
otherwise go, but you are accompanied in such style – by the roadside flowers.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Earlier this summer, an Aussie friend staying in Les
Arcs-sur-Argens remarked on the variety of flowers and herbs growing in the
fields and beside the roads and footpaths.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We arrived in May this year<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>to poppies of all variety of red, orange and pink unfolding their petals
and bobbing in the breeze from rock faces, railway lines, pieces of disused
ground and under cultivated olive trees.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The poppies – which I especially love – Lined the roadways
wherever we walked. </span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GI2W4xqWMTQ/V615mdxJjlI/AAAAAAAAB7E/1QnkhRp0NQUVzzx6wP-RVLyC9EjGZs2CgCEw/s1600/DSCF7609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GI2W4xqWMTQ/V615mdxJjlI/AAAAAAAAB7E/1QnkhRp0NQUVzzx6wP-RVLyC9EjGZs2CgCEw/s400/DSCF7609.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tiny flowers on the rock face along the gorge.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Yellow broom, also in flower, scented our path.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Then in June they were replaced by cornflowers that bent
and waved their heads in the wind like a constantly moving sea of blue.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="border-image: none; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">After the cornflowers came the intricate little white
crocheted doilies of the Queen Anne’s Lace (or ‘Cow Parsley’ in southern England),
pushing up wherever they could find room, but especially in an old vineyard
among the sadly untended vines.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Then just before our return, the same field turned yellow as
the white flowers produced an abundance of pollen and the entire golden carpet came
alive with the buzzing of bees.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Even our trip to the Gorges of Verdon was marked by the
little flowers pushing up between the inhospitable rocks along that precipitous
drive.</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5jmrDYtpCIY/V615RZ74UEI/AAAAAAAAB68/t09e-1QWV0UmDk16HoQhxdtEAIvgMkl9QCEw/s1600/DSCF7447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5jmrDYtpCIY/V615RZ74UEI/AAAAAAAAB68/t09e-1QWV0UmDk16HoQhxdtEAIvgMkl9QCEw/s320/DSCF7447.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sometimes you find an 'added extra' on your path.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">One of my most precious memories – something I could not
photograph – was a very special scent. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It made me appreciate the fact that the people of Provence –
famous for its exquisite perfumes – must grow up surrounded by this olfactory
treat.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">While walking down to the hypermarket, I saw a workman
mowing the edges of the road. I love the smell of newly-cut grass, but instead
of that particular scent, I caught the full panoply of freshly-cut herbs.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The roadside herbage is incredible – rosemary, thyme,
fennel, occasionally a spike of lavender, other herbs I could not identify –
but the scent really is as powerful as if you were holding a fresh bouquet of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Herbes de Provence</i>.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8FPKoAGlcdo/V616ty6zFqI/AAAAAAAAB7U/nPrMdkbKxv0_I8mg_qGJrWuz1-y7MQCNwCEw/s1600/DSCF8279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8FPKoAGlcdo/V616ty6zFqI/AAAAAAAAB7U/nPrMdkbKxv0_I8mg_qGJrWuz1-y7MQCNwCEw/s640/DSCF8279.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The delicate Queen Anne's Lace.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">And whether you are walking on a tarmac roadside, or
strolling along the gravel path up and over the hill towards the next village
of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Taradeau </i>– or bush-bashing your
way along tiny goat tracks from the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Font
du Loup</i> up to the giant electricity pylon high above the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Argens </i>valley – you can be certain of
finding something inexplicably beautiful at your feet.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">You just have to follow your nose.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983526403033287127noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378476238798704314.post-25113649962665821382016-08-07T12:02:00.000+10:002016-08-07T12:02:55.229+10:00The Secret 'Green Pearl'.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pRNtLhVQBAs/V6W7rhRHxzI/AAAAAAAAB6A/f-AFblArALQIWq0ekZtdTdHctPJ_49kTwCLcB/s1600/DSCF8085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pRNtLhVQBAs/V6W7rhRHxzI/AAAAAAAAB6A/f-AFblArALQIWq0ekZtdTdHctPJ_49kTwCLcB/s640/DSCF8085.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hidden waterfall at Sillans-la-Cascade.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There is a secret place in <em>La Dracénie</em> - the tourist region in the centre of the Var based around Draguignan - where, despite the summer heat, it is a cool and inviting oasis.<br />
<br />
<br />
Called Sillans-la-Cascade, the village is located in the shade of tree-covered hills tucked between Cotignac and Salernes.<br />
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Sillans-la-Cascade is a pretty village filled with ancient shuttered buildings in the Provence style - pale yellows and pinks with shutters in different shades of blue, and of course, the curved terrcotts tiled roofs.<br />
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Known as <em>'la perle verte'</em> or the green pearl, its ancient tree-lined streets hide many surprises.<br />
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Firstly, <em>La Mairie</em> - the Town Hall - a large, four-storey rectangular building, was constructed in 1800 by Rolland de Sillans on the site of an ancient <em>château</em> once surrounded by high stone remparts, the remains of which are still standing.<br />
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<br />
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In the heart of the village are narrow streets, called <em>ruelles</em>, which snake between the old stone buildings. A number of artists and artisans have made their homes here.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q3mVAoQtxtQ/V6W7KRHrRLI/AAAAAAAAB54/5sULmuvmUIQ_z3dp4GaEwapCivFU2VIaQCLcB/s1600/la%2Bperle%2Bverte_0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q3mVAoQtxtQ/V6W7KRHrRLI/AAAAAAAAB54/5sULmuvmUIQ_z3dp4GaEwapCivFU2VIaQCLcB/s400/la%2Bperle%2Bverte_0001.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>La Mairie</em>, built on the site of an ancient château. Photo: Var Matin.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Below is the church of Saint-Etienne and opposite it, in top of the hill above the town, is the recently restored chapel of Saint-Laurent. The view from up here shows the small village completely surrounded by luxuriant green vegetation.<br />
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The vegetation is nourished by the River <em>Bresque</em> and in the square behind the <em>Mairie</em>, there is a large underground stone tank which was once used to store water from it for the town's fountains.<br />
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Of course, water is the source of Sillans' attraction - and after exploring the village, it is a must to discover the cascade - or waterfall.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rsIW4uVR9jM/V6W7_GfpJSI/AAAAAAAAB6M/JDpOTd8oqjwqjzfNFWWDM2vL8O6rGGUhQCEw/s1600/DSCF8072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rsIW4uVR9jM/V6W7_GfpJSI/AAAAAAAAB6M/JDpOTd8oqjwqjzfNFWWDM2vL8O6rGGUhQCEw/s400/DSCF8072.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The path leads through a 'jungle' of undergrowth.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Following the blue-green - really more of an aqua - river, is a walking trail which starts from the village in the shade of leafy plane trees.<br />
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When we visited, we didn't go to the lookout at the top of the waterfall, where there is a panoramic view of the countryside and the river valley - but not the cascade itself.<br />
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Instead we continued along, through native scrub which became more and more overgrown with strands of tree climbers hanging down like string curtains from the branches above making the area look like something from a fantasy film.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N-DPTy8qY_s/V6W76CuROHI/AAAAAAAAB6Y/d4YUVvJbtNwIwKKRlsoOtyc00ijtk6ODACEw/s1600/DSCF8077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N-DPTy8qY_s/V6W76CuROHI/AAAAAAAAB6Y/d4YUVvJbtNwIwKKRlsoOtyc00ijtk6ODACEw/s400/DSCF8077.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooling off (illegally) in the pool below.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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It was a hot day, but as we wound our way down the path - and some slippery steps thoughtfully provided with handrails - we could sense a freshness in the air from the moving water.<br />
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Distant shouts from people already there told us that despite warnings, some were swimming in the water below.<br />
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<div style="border-image: none;">
Then all of a sudden we emerged into the most beautiful cool, green light and the bridal veil of water tumbling 42 metres down the cliff face. A wooden viewing platform directly opposite the waterfall is ideal for taking photographs.</div>
<div style="border-image: none;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rVVNooFfd4I/V6W7yAKM66I/AAAAAAAAB6Y/IuMGmRV7gzoZRqkp09nuggYisuaaIJTLACEw/s1600/DSCF8081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rVVNooFfd4I/V6W7yAKM66I/AAAAAAAAB6Y/IuMGmRV7gzoZRqkp09nuggYisuaaIJTLACEw/s400/DSCF8081.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunbaking on the rocks in the<em> Bresque</em> River.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="border-image: none;">
What surprised me most was not that people were swimming - against regulations - in the pool below, but the colour of the water itself - a brilliant opaque aqua.</div>
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The only other time I have seen this colour is in the Verdon River which travels through France's 'Grand Canyon' to the north and into a similarly-coloured Lake Ste Croix.</div>
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They are related.<br />
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The colour comes from the calcium and fluoride in the water. In fact the amount of fluoride in the water is so high that people are advised not to swim in - or drink - it.<br />
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And despite the fact that it is also very cold - only 14'C even at the height of summer - it was such a hot day that I couldn't blame the young people frolicking below.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983526403033287127noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378476238798704314.post-78026136796778774382016-07-31T01:22:00.000+10:002016-07-31T01:22:36.161+10:00Medieval flames<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KHv8Vjt0_gU/V5t7JTIYY4I/AAAAAAAAB4k/iVcgKG4-KXwv1FTCIqPBG4wJ2JWpl8ywQCLcB/s1600/DSCF8187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KHv8Vjt0_gU/V5t7JTIYY4I/AAAAAAAAB4k/iVcgKG4-KXwv1FTCIqPBG4wJ2JWpl8ywQCLcB/s640/DSCF8187.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crowd gathers outside the lower gate to listen to the story of <em>Le Parage.</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Every second year in July, Les Arcs-sur-Argens holds a
renowned medieval festival that takes place over several days. It is an incredible spectacle - and a 'must see' for visitors to the town arriving in the odd-numbered years.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">But all is not forgotten in the intervening ‘even’ year,
when the same actors present a smaller version of the town’s history in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘vieille ville’</i> – the medieval part of
Les Arcs known as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Le Parage</i>.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Led by the enthusiastic ex-journalist, Georges Yvedian, who
as MC, outlines the history of the old town, its people, and introduces the
small scenes that are staged at various points along the way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PeacuATvFjE/V5uAMNWxk5I/AAAAAAAAB5U/7OHzD5Bz5_Ex_b-uzBqvDNlBR7bwAlmBgCEw/s1600/DSCF7885.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PeacuATvFjE/V5uAMNWxk5I/AAAAAAAAB5U/7OHzD5Bz5_Ex_b-uzBqvDNlBR7bwAlmBgCEw/s640/DSCF7885.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Georges Yvedian explains the Miracle of the Roses to the crowd during one of the scenes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Known as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘Les Flambeaux
d’Arcus’</i>, the spectacle meanders up along the narrow stepped streets of the
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Parage</i> and ends right at the top of
the village with a display of dancing and medieval food and drinks served to the audience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4S2oPvbOGnM/V5t7kcuZT9I/AAAAAAAAB44/Jh-AW4YOu_oiL2zpJrjZAaNX5M1jJa6pQCEw/s1600/DSCF8186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4S2oPvbOGnM/V5t7kcuZT9I/AAAAAAAAB44/Jh-AW4YOu_oiL2zpJrjZAaNX5M1jJa6pQCEw/s640/DSCF8186.JPG" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crowd follows the actors up through the narrow streets.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We gather in <em>Place Paul Simon</em>, at the bottom of our street,
where a scene is enacted at the former <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hôpital
St Jacques</i> (now the Creperie). It is almost 9.30pm but still just light.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Then we follow the flaming beacons up the street (past our
house) to the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">basse porte</i> – or lower
gate to the old village – where another scene takes place. Monsieur Yvédian
also explains the restoration of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Parage</i>
in the 1960s, after it had fallen into grave disrepair.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It was mandated that the entire village remain
pedestrianised; that there would be no commerce within its walls; and that
those buying houses would be required to rebuild in the medieval style.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We move on to <em>La Fontaine du Temps</em>, where the main storyline emerges of a young girl falling in
love. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">This fountain, with its wall of water (a tiny version of the one at Melbourne’s
National Gallery of Art) is situated in a small square which features a wall tiled with the story of <em>Le Jardin d'Eden</em> - the Garden of Eden - by artist Mary Dallos in 1968 and a painted sundial showing the meeting of
the Knight of St John of Jerusalem, Helion
de Villeneuve (1270-1346), who lived in the chateau above, and his sister, Roseline (1263-1329) - later Sainte Roseline, before she
entered the convent. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2TRGNtivBho/V5uAWdfWETI/AAAAAAAAB5U/vX0-tWwppSglXTpq1aqi1u9dEwKaOQ5QwCEw/s1600/DSCF7884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2TRGNtivBho/V5uAWdfWETI/AAAAAAAAB5U/vX0-tWwppSglXTpq1aqi1u9dEwKaOQ5QwCEw/s640/DSCF7884.JPG" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Young Roseline's first 'miracle of the roses'.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">On we climb, a long, moving snake of people, jostling
together, chatting, children carried high on shoulders or edging forward
between the grown-ups to better appreciate the show. It takes time to assemble
and find good vantage points and Monsieur Yvédian waits patiently for us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">There is another scene at the <em>Place du Collier</em>, then at <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Place du
Microcoulier</i>, where we pause in front of the medieval <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chapelle St Pierre</i>. A lone <em>tambourinaire</em> beats a mournful pattern
on his drum as penitents from the religious order carry a coffin out of the
chapel to the cemetery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We are told that the chapel once also housed a hospital –
and the cemetery was next to it. Read into that what you may! But if you go
inside the chapel when it is open, you can look down through a glass partition set
into the floor and see several ancient skeletons lying below.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Next we move right up to the old <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">donjon</i> – the tower which soars squarely above the town. Just below
it is the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘La Porte du Miracle des Roses’</i> where
the young Roseline Villeneuve produced her first miracle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">She would steal her father’s bread stores to feed the poor,
and one day he caught her, demanding that she open her apron and reveal the
bread. Miraculously, when she unfurled her apron, hundreds of roses tumbled
out. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-arfr30LDnmQ/V5t__tZoBUI/AAAAAAAAB5E/tCl_lyTKwfkhOB4shXfjzIsYgQ65UJk-QCEw/s1600/DSCF7879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="330" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-arfr30LDnmQ/V5t__tZoBUI/AAAAAAAAB5E/tCl_lyTKwfkhOB4shXfjzIsYgQ65UJk-QCEw/s400/DSCF7879.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The betrothed couple after receiving her father's permission to marry.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We return to the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Place
Père Clinchard</i> for the final scene. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">By now, the original young girl’s father – a
knight – has just returned from the crusades with news of the battles. But for
him it is the news of the young man seeking his daughter’s hand in marriage
that is most important.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Naturally his permission is granted and all ends happily.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">There is medieval dancing and much merriment in the square – and when it
finishes we all receive a delicious glass of a honeyed liqueur laced with some
interesting herbs (I would really like the recipe for that one!) and a
semi-circle of sweet bread to go with it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We sit and listen to more of the music – medieval of course
– before wending our way back down through the village by the light of an
almost-full moon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-77dtGL-72Kc/V5uAm07Uk5I/AAAAAAAAB5Q/01XIyeJxYeIUTVP7eiuUPZWiuY-y4mjTACEw/s1600/DSCF7890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-77dtGL-72Kc/V5uAm07Uk5I/AAAAAAAAB5Q/01XIyeJxYeIUTVP7eiuUPZWiuY-y4mjTACEw/s640/DSCF7890.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Medieval dancing in the <em>Place Pere Clinchard.</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> <em>Les Flambeaux d’Arcus</em>
is performed every Friday night throughout July and August in Les Arcs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983526403033287127noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378476238798704314.post-69290870242816472162016-07-24T02:24:00.002+10:002016-07-24T02:24:58.862+10:00Les Arcs - by foot and pedal<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9-oBUavon0Y/V5DSQ8tc-WI/AAAAAAAAB24/_4AWVvempqMKhz0QRU91pU3f4QnIEqFrwCLcB/s1600/DSCF7429.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9-oBUavon0Y/V5DSQ8tc-WI/AAAAAAAAB24/_4AWVvempqMKhz0QRU91pU3f4QnIEqFrwCLcB/s640/DSCF7429.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The glorious countryside around Les Arcs-sur-Argens - something to enjoy on foot or by bicycle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Walking and cycling are really the best ways for people to enjoy <em>La France Profonde</em> - the deep French countryside.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vNiUDjgbqDc/V5DXmfu7q7I/AAAAAAAAB3g/pfp4bcJ4RGYs6-mg7sAL69iw41mYy9Y9ACLcB/s1600/DSCF8347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vNiUDjgbqDc/V5DXmfu7q7I/AAAAAAAAB3g/pfp4bcJ4RGYs6-mg7sAL69iw41mYy9Y9ACLcB/s320/DSCF8347.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cycling through the vines. Courtesy Caminan Les Arcs.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><em>'Les poles Nordiques</em>' - or Nordic pole walking - has caught on here with twice-weekly walking groups setting out from the <em>Mairie</em> - and returning for a coffee and chat under the plane trees in the main square. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Young lads on their BMX - known here as VTT - show off their style wherever there's enough space, while others parade regally on their old bicycles to the <em>boulangerie</em> for their daily bread.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">In the past year, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ville
des Arcs</i> – our town council – has created a perfect cycle track for riders.
In fact it has a vision for many more, in conjunction with the <em>Dracénie</em> region.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9rHDzWQhL0E/V5DVOJfW7hI/AAAAAAAAB3Q/1T8psvPlGmQ9xf_zCTpW2HXnu9JrT3_EwCLcB/s1600/DSCF8348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9rHDzWQhL0E/V5DVOJfW7hI/AAAAAAAAB3Q/1T8psvPlGmQ9xf_zCTpW2HXnu9JrT3_EwCLcB/s400/DSCF8348.JPG" width="295" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>La Vigne a Velo</em>. Courtesy Caminan Les Arcs.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The first track – a 4.7km stretch out past Ste Roseline
chapel to the La Motte roundabout – was opened last December.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It will eventually link up with a larger, 40km track that will wend its way from Taradeau, through Les Arcs, taking in three more villages before finishing at Draguignan.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">They are open for cyclists, roller bladers, joggers and walkers to enjoy the countryside without having to compete with cars on the roadways.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Known as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘La Vigne à
Velo’, </i>the track meanders
through the vineyards of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Côte de
Provence</i> appellation wines. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The new track follows
the road from Les Arcs, with only one roundabout to negotiate before you’re in the
country – and for the faint-hearted, there are pedestrian crossings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It closely follows an old railway track (the former spur line to
Draguignan) as far as the La Motte roundabout. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">A sign indicates the Ste
Roseline chapel about two-thirds of the way along, if you would like to pay her
a visit, or stop to sample the Chateau Ste Roseline vintage next door.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uUECRHbTWVA/V5DfiE2Nh2I/AAAAAAAAB4I/CGLahEQ_C2o8TIIPngvmnJ3hjHyZtawGACLcB/s1600/DSCF7480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uUECRHbTWVA/V5DfiE2Nh2I/AAAAAAAAB4I/CGLahEQ_C2o8TIIPngvmnJ3hjHyZtawGACLcB/s400/DSCF7480.JPG" width="367" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Former deputy Mayor of Les Arcs (2003-14), Max Carzoli.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Just after we arrived in Les Arcs this year,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> 'La Balade en Réal’-</i> a walking track alongside the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Réal</i>
river that trickles through Les Arcs - was officially opened. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The former ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">balade</i>’ was washed away in the
devastating flood of 2010 that deposited silt and
rubbish all along the river banks leaving them overgrown and choked with weeds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The idea for the walking (and cycling) track along the river
bank came from the former deputy mayor of Les Arcs, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Max Carzoli</i>, a visionary man who sadly died before he could see the
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">balade</i> become a reality. It has been
re-named <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘La Balade en Real Max Carzoli’ </i>in
his honour.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">At almost one kilometre long, people jog, walk or just take
an evening promenade <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘en famille’</i>. There
are seats placed along the length of it for reposing in the shade for a chat,
to read a book, sketch or just gaze into the greenery. New trees have been
planted that will provide future shade. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The <em>'balade'</em> takes you right down to the <em>Avenue de la Gare</em> - turn right and you are about 150m from the railway station; turn left, cross into the car park opposite, climb the overpass above the railway line, and you're five minutes from the giant hypermarket at the edge of town.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aleW7nP0yi8/V5Das42n55I/AAAAAAAAB30/-hU32sz2t34XkvDfn7-psYC43IgBdmoEgCLcB/s1600/DSCF7705%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="553" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aleW7nP0yi8/V5Das42n55I/AAAAAAAAB30/-hU32sz2t34XkvDfn7-psYC43IgBdmoEgCLcB/s640/DSCF7705%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The <em>Balade en Real Max Carzoli</em> takes you right into the heart of Les Arcs-sur-Argens.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">But Max Carzoli’s vision went even further than that. He
wanted to see the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">balade</i> extended
past the railway line, past the giant supermarket at the edge of town, across (or under) not only
the N7 highway, but the A8 autoroute, into the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Massif des Maures.<o:p></o:p></i></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The section of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Maures</i>
mountains south of Les Arcs is set aside as our town’s ‘communal
forest’ with its own network of walking tracks. These tracks take people high
up to the summit of the hills where you can find prehistoric monoliths, called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">dolmen</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rY-noTZc4F8/V5DbObH9TAI/AAAAAAAAB34/2pGKGa_KE3c7w2G7AMFROvvAnGkadtyVwCLcB/s1600/DSCF7479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rY-noTZc4F8/V5DbObH9TAI/AAAAAAAAB34/2pGKGa_KE3c7w2G7AMFROvvAnGkadtyVwCLcB/s640/DSCF7479.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Townsfolk walk the newly-opened '<em>balade' through the town</em>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It is a tribute to Max Carzoli – and the council that has
carried on his vision – that both the inhabitants and visitors to Les
Arcs-sur-Argens will sometime in future years, be able to access these tracks
and footpaths directly from the town – on foot or by bicycle - to experience
both the man-made and natural heritage of the area.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983526403033287127noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378476238798704314.post-10559227184467903272016-07-17T05:07:00.002+10:002016-07-17T05:07:28.293+10:00The Iron Man of Chateaudouble<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AoJM5rIPx8Y/V4eXgthGX4I/AAAAAAAAB2E/xTwE5bHAgQ0_jPE2kCFwUvy0LPcZUzaeQCLcB/s1600/sculpture%2Bduo%2B%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AoJM5rIPx8Y/V4eXgthGX4I/AAAAAAAAB2E/xTwE5bHAgQ0_jPE2kCFwUvy0LPcZUzaeQCLcB/s640/sculpture%2Bduo%2B%25283%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bush duo - trumpet and drums. The only thing we don't have is the jazz.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Châteaudouble</i> is a
stunning little perched village 26kms north of Les Arcs-sur-Argens that
overlooks steep gorges which once had a part to play in the mythological dragon
that is thought to have once inhabited the area.</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rKpo3uQwSdc/V4eYNuH6yQI/AAAAAAAAB2I/ijITysnGQZMbDBcTQE7ATTAP3TRviUlyACLcB/s1600/DSCF8172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rKpo3uQwSdc/V4eYNuH6yQI/AAAAAAAAB2I/ijITysnGQZMbDBcTQE7ATTAP3TRviUlyACLcB/s400/DSCF8172.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Saracen tower high above the village.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Climbing the high, twisty road up to the village – and through
a tunnel blasted out of a sheer rock wall – you are rewarded by an incredible
view. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">But even more incredible, is the one found hidden behind the
square Saracen tower high above the village.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">A hand-made sign points you along a short, overgrown track
to a fantastical sculpture garden.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">A blue milk churn – like the ones that delivered milk to the
billy can my mother left on the front verandah each day when I was a child – marks
the entrance and proclaims its welcome to visitors in a range of languages and
an easily understandable <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘entrée libre’</i>
that entices you inside.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Except you don’t go inside. This sculpture garden is totally
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘en plein air’</i>. Even the sculptor –
known by the single name as ‘Za’ – works outside.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">As you walk up to the small, treed space on the St Anne
plateau that is his studio, you become conscious of the weird personages
around you – an old pair of pliers perched birdlike on a branch; a bicycle
built for two with upturned flat irons for side-by-side seating; a female
figure with overhead fan blades for a skirt and ancient keys forming her
spread-out toes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">‘Za’ himself is a cross between a twinkling-eyed Father
Christmas and a retired bikie, with his grey moustache drooping either side of
his mouth, a long grey ponytail tumbling down his back, bright red braces and
an oil-smeared white apron.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-izvLpsZFDKw/V4eYgzLpfAI/AAAAAAAAB2M/OA3Ul9MP9RkWgpoEduLhw9ojvN1KfMeFgCLcB/s1600/Za-sculpteur-300x288%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-izvLpsZFDKw/V4eYgzLpfAI/AAAAAAAAB2M/OA3Ul9MP9RkWgpoEduLhw9ojvN1KfMeFgCLcB/s400/Za-sculpteur-300x288%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monsieur 'Za' behind his workbench.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">He is already addressing a group of French tourists,
explaining his works and the reasons behind them. He looks up and calls out
‘Bonjour’ to us, but we don’t join in. He’s mid-spiel, so we explore his ‘park’
full of recycled metal objects from households, cars, factories, farms and
gardens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I spot an old Singer sewing machine and the drum of a
washing machine.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Over there is a tractor seat, pieces of car engines, old
pulley wheels, some garden trowels and a kitchen strainer – all re-fashioned
into figures or objects completely divorced from their original purpose.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Monsieur Za finishes his explanation and the French tourists
begin to look around his exhibition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">He comes over to us and finds out we are Australians. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">He calls out to everyone, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘Attention ! Ils sont Australiens !’</i>, and the rest of the browsers
turn to us and smile. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I fall in love with his enthusiasm for his work. He is so
passionate about it and enjoys creating works that gently make fun of our way
of life. He points out a couple – basically pieces of rusting iron – sitting
delicately on a bench, ‘They are discussing politics, religion,’ he tells us,
and laughs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-71HZQNeF6WQ/V4eY5DpbjUI/AAAAAAAAB2U/9ccS3AvV7sUsCEuUniHRm4xJeuU6G-EOACLcB/s1600/sculpture%2Bcat%2B%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-71HZQNeF6WQ/V4eY5DpbjUI/AAAAAAAAB2U/9ccS3AvV7sUsCEuUniHRm4xJeuU6G-EOACLcB/s400/sculpture%2Bcat%2B%25283%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not sure what this is called - maybe two cats?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">He makes us guess at some of his creations. We point out
pieces of discarded metal that we recognise.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">He tells us how much he admires the artwork of the
Australian Aborigines.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">'I taught myself to throw a boomerang from Youtube,’ he
adds proudly. ‘I’ve been throwing a boomerang for six years now. They always
come back.’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Monsieur Za enjoys giving a second life to abandoned metal
objects. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">He says that he visited Cameroon some years ago and
marvelled at the way they recycled metal, repaired and restored broken engines
and implements. I don’t mention our television series on ‘Bush Mechanics’, but
I understand his feelings are much the same.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">He is also influenced by the ingenuity of master blacksmiths
– the work of sculptor, Jean Tinguely, and the mobiles of Alexandre Calder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-71hQyZ5HeIA/V4eZohk1ExI/AAAAAAAAB2Y/fwBCmsWtEyESH0YzVI-xwGQePO7tej9iQCLcB/s1600/sculpture%2Bbike%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-71hQyZ5HeIA/V4eZohk1ExI/AAAAAAAAB2Y/fwBCmsWtEyESH0YzVI-xwGQePO7tej9iQCLcB/s400/sculpture%2Bbike%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A recycled bicycle complete with miniature cyclist.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We could have spoken to him a lot longer, but some new
tourists were arriving and he started wiping his hands down his apron, as if
preparing his next ‘introduction’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We made our farewells, but will return to see him again one
day. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">His studio, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘Za Sculpteur Métal’</i>,
is open all year apart from his own annual vacation (though I’d hate to make the drive up to Châteaudouble in
winter with ice and snow on the roads).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983526403033287127noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378476238798704314.post-87287648099952938782016-07-10T03:57:00.000+10:002016-07-10T03:57:15.527+10:00The Tiles of Salernes
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZEoJPhTmPn8/V4E0psH5-VI/AAAAAAAAB0Y/ur3psqwNUTcpcCSV2RUg-PB1ZgMuaVBlgCLcB/s1600/DSCF8123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZEoJPhTmPn8/V4E0psH5-VI/AAAAAAAAB0Y/ur3psqwNUTcpcCSV2RUg-PB1ZgMuaVBlgCLcB/s640/DSCF8123.JPG" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glazed tiles on show at <em>Musee Terra Rossa.</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Decorative tiles steal my heart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I could spend hours in a tile showroom – or museum. I love
the decorated ones, the plain ones, the ones that are put together in
interesting ways in both subtle and bold colour or tonal combinations, and just
the bare, beautiful, pared-back terracottas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Even the roof tiles in the Midi are fascinating,
particularly the older, curved tiles patterned with lichens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So it was with great delight that I paid another visit (my
third) to a special place, Salernes, just north-west of Les Arcs-sur-Argens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Salernes is one of the 19 towns that makes up the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dracenie</i> region in central Var, and is
most famous for its deep red hexagonal tiles, known as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘tomettes’. </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">These tiles – made from the high quality clay found in the
vicinity – decorate the floors in most of the older houses throughout the south
of France. I’ve even seen them on staircases in Paris.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-noe4dHpBnJo/V4E1Rtu4dwI/AAAAAAAAB0c/9ruo6twcH3kf8TsfHzTEApOCI46uZwzHgCLcB/s1600/DSCF8113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-noe4dHpBnJo/V4E1Rtu4dwI/AAAAAAAAB0c/9ruo6twcH3kf8TsfHzTEApOCI46uZwzHgCLcB/s640/DSCF8113.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ancient tomettes, many of them cracked and stained over time.<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once known as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘la
capitale de la tomette’</i>, Salernes was well placed for tile-making with its
vast deposits of clay, which had been used by potters since Neolithic times; an
abundance of water from two rivers that meet just outside the town; and the
tree-covered hills surrounding the valley, providing wood – mostly pine and
some green oak - for the kilns.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Factories were already fashioning the curved roof tile and a
form of terracotta brick when the hexagonal tiles were first introduced during
the 18<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> century. They were both cool underfoot and easy to clean.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2a6TDNyVQ2I/V4E30I5iwiI/AAAAAAAAB1Q/AosV8fW8W7IH-kT6QUcPLlYm40pZGQ4SQCKgB/s1600/DSCF8108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2a6TDNyVQ2I/V4E30I5iwiI/AAAAAAAAB1Q/AosV8fW8W7IH-kT6QUcPLlYm40pZGQ4SQCKgB/s400/DSCF8108.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stamps underneath the tiles show the maker.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Being porous and unglazed, the tiles have a significant
advantage in that they can absorb moisture, which is then released when the
weather is hot, helping to keep rooms cool.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is believed the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">tomette</i>
was so named because it looked like a flat cheese, known as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘toma’</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But its design also helped to solve production problems. The
drying process is critical in the production of the earthenware tiles, with the
corners of square tiles often drying faster than the centre, which makes the
tile warp. Cutting off the corners to create the hexagonal shape helped
eliminate that problem.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3U75PqwwNdc/V4E2VoXCcrI/AAAAAAAAB0w/HNY889SoIUADfUcXjeV4jTJPREhL644CwCLcB/s1600/DSCF8109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3U75PqwwNdc/V4E2VoXCcrI/AAAAAAAAB0w/HNY889SoIUADfUcXjeV4jTJPREhL644CwCLcB/s400/DSCF8109.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tiles ready for the kiln.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Salernes became the epicentre of the tile-making industry,
and in 1870, there were 45 factories operating in the town – with more
throughout the region. I can’t imagine how polluted the air must have been. The
kiln had to maintain steady temperatures for four days – burning pine (!).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But by 1950, the labour-intensive <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">tomette</i> factories were facing a crisis. They’d had a real advantage
for more than a century, but new building methods, cheaper floor materials and
changing tastes were making inroads, and the number of factories in Salernes
dwindled drastically.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mro3NB3RmW4/V4E2s0O_IrI/AAAAAAAAB04/3zKd2rtw8nIrSYXo10CD7CEkK2ppkU8QACLcB/s1600/DSCF8110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mro3NB3RmW4/V4E2s0O_IrI/AAAAAAAAB04/3zKd2rtw8nIrSYXo10CD7CEkK2ppkU8QACLcB/s640/DSCF8110.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Decorated by Salvadore Dali.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">However the downturn in the market for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">tomettes</i> led directly to some creative thinking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A ceramicist was brought in from Vallauris (think Picasso’s
ceramics) – and he changed the face of tiles produced in the town.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HSRrw3kVtiQ/V4E5TSsVDDI/AAAAAAAAB1c/KhtFioqOOT0lecn42XhaVa_D43a0_dBvQCLcB/s1600/DSCF8122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HSRrw3kVtiQ/V4E5TSsVDDI/AAAAAAAAB1c/KhtFioqOOT0lecn42XhaVa_D43a0_dBvQCLcB/s400/DSCF8122.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the glazed tile designs in the museum.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">He added glazes to the original earthenware tiles and
gradually a new industry emerged. The glazed tiles were hand coloured – beautiful
deep greens, reds, yellow, blues and every tone and tint in between. Tiles of
different sizes and shapes were also created. <o:p></o:p></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Homewares such as plant pots, basins, baths – even the
kitchen sink – were created by potters at their wheels, in moulds or by hand
and were glazed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Just to walk into one of the stunning showrooms located
along the road into Salernes (when approaching from Les Arcs) will take your
breath away. The way the display tiles are put together in subtle variations of
colour, to totally new and sometimes ‘in-your-face’ colour combinations is
worth a visit just for inspiration.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have even bought some individual tiles – not to add to
walls or floors, but for drink coasters (I couldn’t put them down). Never mind
that they are very thick, much thicker than the tiles you generally see.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And if you’re still not satisfied after visiting the
showrooms, take some time to browse through the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Musée Terra Rossa</i> (</span><a href="http://www.terrarossasalernes.fr/"><span style="color: #0563c1; font-family: Calibri;">www.terrarossasalernes.fr</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">)
which opened in its present form in 2012. Designed with rusted panels to tie in
with the earth colours, it is built around a former tile factory and tells the
story of tile making in the region from ancient times through its 19<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>
century heyday to the present.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sn0d0K_MBDI/V4E5EEzjL-I/AAAAAAAAB1Y/3Sp8bC0YJNgYNxrpyoVOPgatYirIiT1WACKgB/s1600/DSCF8111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sn0d0K_MBDI/V4E5EEzjL-I/AAAAAAAAB1Y/3Sp8bC0YJNgYNxrpyoVOPgatYirIiT1WACKgB/s640/DSCF8111.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birds on a wire - a quirky design in the ceramics exhibition.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are regular exhibitions by ceramic artists, so it is
well worth setting aside an hour or two to browse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Of course there are many ceramic <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ateliers</i> in the town open to the public, and in the surrounding
villages of Villecroze and Tourtour, not to mention the annual Tile Festival
held each year in late-May when all the factories, the museum and individual
studios are open to the public.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So it’s quite likely you’ll end up overdosing on tiles – but
believe me, it’s worth it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983526403033287127noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3378476238798704314.post-45234028529636718342016-07-01T05:53:00.000+10:002016-07-01T05:53:43.125+10:00Of rocks and stones<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zMjewF_vr8M/V3UsCPKX8YI/AAAAAAAABxU/ccMIOKeBCLgiLsmKfonh4Ce5Q4naE7ZFwCLcB/s1600/DSCF4872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zMjewF_vr8M/V3UsCPKX8YI/AAAAAAAABxU/ccMIOKeBCLgiLsmKfonh4Ce5Q4naE7ZFwCLcB/s640/DSCF4872.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of four gateways to <em>Le Quartier Medieval</em> - showing restoration stonework.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I am often struck by the synchronicity that occurs in life. It
happened after I was walking back to the town from the supermarket the other
day and noticed how the old town – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Le
Parage</i> – looked so ‘settled’ in its environment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KnVGelptaD4/V3V1w_4tikI/AAAAAAAABzM/0h0iWEbPy-AiQRY9Z3lmD5oZikoW0ucbgCLcB/s1600/DSCF7704%2B%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KnVGelptaD4/V3V1w_4tikI/AAAAAAAABzM/0h0iWEbPy-AiQRY9Z3lmD5oZikoW0ucbgCLcB/s320/DSCF7704%2B%25283%2529.JPG" width="313" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The <em>vieille ville</em> blends with its background.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Its stones have weathered into their surrounds and in that
light, the original town was barely distinguishable from its background, the
tonal values being almost identical.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">In contrast, the newer parts of Les Arcs stand out with
their brighter tiled roofs, pale pastel and ochre walls – not yet so perfectly
at home in their surrounds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A favourite visual
for me is the effect of raking light an uneven wall, particularly the
undulations of a stone wall. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">So I thought, why not look at the stones in Les Arcs? The
medieval village, known here as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Le Parage</i>,
is built of ancient and weathered sandstone. And this is where the
synchronicity came in.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--067uoWRoy0/V3UwrdKGhzI/AAAAAAAABxo/JtEtYpBz96QUWIKcQFfwN-PlQkunZe3rgCLcB/s1600/DSCF6282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--067uoWRoy0/V3UwrdKGhzI/AAAAAAAABxo/JtEtYpBz96QUWIKcQFfwN-PlQkunZe3rgCLcB/s400/DSCF6282.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stonework in the tower or <em>donjon </em> from the 13th century.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">In the local paper that same day, I saw there was an
exhibition nearby based on the art of dry-stone walling across the Var. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">There
are thousands of crumbling dry-stone terraces here which were once built on the hillsides for vineyards and olive
groves.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Then four days ago, scaffolding went up around the arched
entry to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Le Parage</i> at the end of our
street so workers could clean and repoint the ancient stones. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">So I think I was destined to write about stones.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BT8dbQqGm30/V3V3wUPbC9I/AAAAAAAABzg/y4n30cpSAY4a2GiQcp_vbARkUtL9k2WsgCLcB/s1600/DSCF7566.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BT8dbQqGm30/V3V3wUPbC9I/AAAAAAAABzg/y4n30cpSAY4a2GiQcp_vbARkUtL9k2WsgCLcB/s320/DSCF7566.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slanting light highlights the stonework.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I am not sure whether dry-stone was the original method of
building when our medieval village was constructed. In some areas there is
precious little mortar between the stones, but in others, there is almost all
mortar, almost casually studded with stones.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The earliest buildings are constructed of large, square,
softly-rounded and dressed stones, which must have been back-breaking to haul
up onto the rocky outcrop where the village was established.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Stonework in the buildings renovated since the 1960s has
been beautifully done with great care to keep the village as authentic as
possible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oT-whOhSX6A/V3U1dTfy73I/AAAAAAAABx8/TQA5kz_ERy45LgxaQXlGCLAXlMyM6wLBgCLcB/s1600/DSCF7776.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oT-whOhSX6A/V3U1dTfy73I/AAAAAAAABx8/TQA5kz_ERy45LgxaQXlGCLAXlMyM6wLBgCLcB/s320/DSCF7776.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rubble wall next door.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Yet in the village – generally hidden from view – there are
walls of pure rubble, rocks that appear to be tipped together without a thought
of setting them straight or balancing them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">There is a different type of stone that forms the shallow
steps that wind up and through the village. They are studded with mica deposits
and glitter underfoot. I have also noticed this in other villages.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Maybe this stone was mined in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Maures</i> Mountains, which separate Les Arcs from the coast and are
full of minerals, but that is another story!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O6klKs4adSk/V3U1w67ZdjI/AAAAAAAAByE/wuar16H_a3s-HoyknQXXVA2qYxSC17DOACLcB/s1600/DSCF5768%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O6klKs4adSk/V3U1w67ZdjI/AAAAAAAAByE/wuar16H_a3s-HoyknQXXVA2qYxSC17DOACLcB/s640/DSCF5768%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The <em>Place de la Rondourette</em> where four of the small, pedestriansed <em>ruelles</em> meet, showing the wide, shallow steps.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It is true that in summer, at midday, the reflected heat
from the walls and the ground can be overwhelming, but it is countered by the
high, narrow passages, which encourage cooler breezes to twist refreshingly
through the streets.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XOxkOENtrKs/V3Vv0G3mTaI/AAAAAAAABy0/MuJ86tAxJpAKaR1XLOeRl3ikuH4lb4wOwCLcB/s1600/DSCF6589%2B%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XOxkOENtrKs/V3Vv0G3mTaI/AAAAAAAABy0/MuJ86tAxJpAKaR1XLOeRl3ikuH4lb4wOwCLcB/s400/DSCF6589%2B%25283%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of <em>Le Parage</em> before the decision to restore the medieval quarter.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The medieval quarter is pedestrianised, but workmen use little motorised wheelbarrows
to negotiate the steps for large or heavy deliveries. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Over recent centuries, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Le
Parage</i> fell into disuse and by the 1960s the townsfolk and some of the
council were considering pulling it down entirely. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">However one enterprising
Mayor, M. Raoul Textoris (Mayor 1945-1971),<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> initiated the restoration work .</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> grou</span>p, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Les Amis du Parage</i>, was formed to help save the
village and preserve it for the future. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">They were more than successful. Gradually the old town was
restored – and there followed an influx of people wanting to buy cheaply and
renovate (the view is spectacular) – and this contributed to the fully restored village you see today. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3Y2K1ksfQZo/V3VywOyjmZI/AAAAAAAABzA/bIT-I-kvmiUTvGzeh_6kUnMDc7lItgfMACLcB/s1600/DSCF5590%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3Y2K1ksfQZo/V3VywOyjmZI/AAAAAAAABzA/bIT-I-kvmiUTvGzeh_6kUnMDc7lItgfMACLcB/s640/DSCF5590%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The medieval Church of <em>St Pierre du Parage</em> showing its stonework. It remained largely intact through the centuries.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Now a tourist drawcard, it is one of the best preserved – and fully inhabited –
medieval villages in Provence. It houses the starred <em>Logis du Guetteur</em> restaurant and accommodation, with regular art exhibitions and musical events in the Church of <em>St Pierre du Parage</em>.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Guided tours (in French), which tell the village’s history,
the history of the Villeneuve family who lived in the chateau above and the
story of its reconstruction – are offered regularly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">And I’m sure if the stones could speak they would have a lot
more to add.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></o:p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14983526403033287127noreply@blogger.com2