One in Europe

4 July 2023

Going home

I quite enjoyed the journey, surprisingly. I met a woman as we went through immigration/customs in Paris who had been a Vietnamese boat-person in 1974, and so the conversation was interesting. Then a comfortable seat in Changi, so I drew.

La Pointe

Every 21 June (longest day) all over France is a music festival. We had dinner here, lots of families, musicians, with two restaurants sharing the square between their buildings adjacent to the River Loire, in La Pointe.

Angers (again)

At the Museum of Angers, these beautiful tapestries in the old church, depicting the Apocalypse, made in the mid 20th Century by the revitalised Aubusson workshop in central France, and designed by artist Jean Lurçat for that revitalisation. He was inspired by seeing the other Apocalypse tapestry (see below) in 1938.

Around the city of Angers

The very distinctive Chateau/royal fortress, overlooking the River Maine, was built in the 13th Century. The Apocalypse according to St John is represented in a 23 metre long tapestry in the Angers Chateau. It was regarded as old-fashioned in the late 18th Century and was severely mutilated but restored, and returned to the castle in 1954.

Saumur

Saumur was a short day-trip from Serviers. Buildings, including the Chateau, in this 10th Century town were built in the local white limestone.

Inside the Chateau was an exhibition of tapestries by the French Aubusson workshop based on Tolkien’s illustrations for Lord of the Rings.

Clermont-Ferrand

The first time we went to Clermont-Ferrand, on our way south, we gradually discovered it was an interesting city, and so we decided to return as we headed north. The cathedral, Notre Dame of Our Lady of the Assumption, was built of a dark, volcanic stone and so it looked quite formidable. It was World Refugee Day and very inclusive celebrations were happening in the main square, supporting people living there from countries far away.

On the journey north

Previously …

A couple of views from our balcony in Serviers which we will sadly leave on 20 June, returning to Angers in the north. The temperature has been gradually climbing from beautiful mid 20s to low 30s.

Les Baux-de-Provence

Just outside the village of Les Baux-en-Provence we went to ‘Carrières des Lumières’ featuring Dutch artists, including from Vermeer to Van Gogh to Mondrian. What I didn’t realise was that ‘carrières’ means quarry. The limestone from the quarry seems to have been cut in blocks as it was extracted (prior to 1920), and leaving huge columns supporting the roof. And so it is used regularly for multi-media projections of artists’ images.

There we met Australian friends, Merran and John, while they were staying in the area, and had lunch in the village, very high up, overlooking the cliffs of the rugged ‘Valley of Hell’.

On the way back to Serviers, we toured around via Saint-Rémy (Van Gogh landscapes but about 150 years ago) and Eygalières.

Sommières

Nicole wanted to meet a childhood friend she hadn’t seen for over forty years, and so we drove south to Sommières to have lunch with Didier (who, thankfully, enjoyed speaking English and was fun to be with). Sommières was first built by the Romans in the 1st Century on the River Vidourie.

Pont du Gard

The Pont du Gard is an ancient Roman aqueduct bridge built in the first century AD to carry water over 50 km to the Roman colony of Nemausus (now Nimes), and only 20 minutes drive south-east from our village. We took advice from the Tourist Office about a beautiful walk to the Pont, and so parked in a small town about 3 kms away. The walk wasn’t so beautiful for most of the way and it was too hot for me.

Interestingly, a storm brewed while we were there and we only just got into a taxi to take us back to the village before the deluge began. Below, the contrast.

Previously …

5 JUNE 2023

It was a drive of about 300 kms, mainly east, from our ‘base’ in Serviers to Antibes on the Côte d’Azur where I had organised a 3-day home exchange in a small apartment. From the apartment it was easy, and better because of parking difficulty, to catch a bus to the old town/railway station where we could go by train to other places, including Nice. The map might help you know where we are.

We visited many galleries featuring famous artists – some galleries very crowded, others less so.

On the way to Nice, we took a detour to the beautiful, Cistercian (White Monks) Thoronet Abbey begun in the 12th Century. It’s now a museum.

Antibes

In Antibes, in the old town, we went to the Picasso Museum.

Luckily our Home Exchange host recommended a walk on the ‘littoral’ – where the land meets the sea (the coastline) – which we may never have found without her suggestion, and so different from the built-up area of Antibes and much of the Côte d’Azur/Riviera.

Nice

The varying styles of architecture in Nice were obvious, and the newest one was amazing.

The Negresco Hotel is a famous landmark in Nice and so we decided to have ice cream in the lounge and look around.

The Chagall museum in Nice was a must-see. Up steep steps and further up, the gallery is set in a lovely, shady garden. The museum was designed to house 12 large religious murals, and the auditorium has three huge stained glass windows.

Vence

The Préalpes d’Azur are north of Nice and we travelled by local bus into the hills to the town of Vence to see the Matisse Chapel. Matisse, in his later years, jointly designed the chapel, and also the stained glass windows, murals, altar and the priests vestments.

Saint Paul-de-Vence

A short bus trip down the hill took us to the lovely old town, Saint Paul.

In Vence, we were told by a friendly, local woman about a chapel in St Paul designed by Belgian artist Paul Folon. We are staying in a house owned by a Belgian couple who have two prints of his works, and so we became aware of the work he did internationally. Like Matisse, he was involved in the design of the interior of the chapel in his later years.

Le Cannet

The towns we visited are quite close but the roads, even the motorways, are crowded sometimes stationary. So, a quick visit to the Musee Bonnard in Le Cannet wasn’t so quick – one way streets as well. There was not a lot of Pierre Bonnard’s work in the gallery that showed his brilliance, but some.

28 MAY 2023

La Roque-sur-Cèze

A nearby, beautiful ancient hilltop town

Serviers-et-Labaume

‘Our’ home village for a month – a walk around it doesn’t take long. It is very quiet, and no boulangerie (bakery). There is evidently a chateau (castle) but we can’t find it.

27 MAY 2023

Saint Quentin-la-Poterie

St Quentin-la-Poterie is a potters’ town and so there are many galleries exhibiting ceramics. The day was perfect but we were there late afternoon and so many galleries were closed. However, there was one potters’ cooperative where a potter spoke good English and we learned a lot about the gallery and the town. As we strolled further we could hear jazz being played, and found ourselves invited into the opening of a painting exhibition – wine, nibbles, and very friendly people. What fun, and luck!

25 MAY 2023

Aix-en-Provence (Ex)

From Serviers it was quite a long drive on impressive freeways to the famous city, Aix-en-Provence – well it is Cezanne country, so I think it’s famous. We did try to see his atelier but so did many others, and it was a 2 hour wait, which we didn’t do. Aix is another beautiful city. We were there to see two art exhibitions which were huge and great – Englishman, David Hockney (still working at 85) and Max Ernst (German/American/French) died 1975. Seeing original work and the artist’s development over decades was very special.

20 MAY 2023

Uzes

We drove from Clermont-Ferrand to stay for a month in the very small village of Serviers-et-Labaume, which is near the bigger, beautiful old town of Uzes (oo-zes) for a month, until 20 June.

I had some time to ‘kill’ in London before I caught the Eurostar to Paris. I only went through Paris and caught a train to Angers (‘onjay’), about 300 kms south-west of Paris. So, I went for a walk through Chelsea and Sloane Square – I had heard about the ‘Sloan Rangers’ but not sure I saw any! There were some very fancy shops with interesting window displays (not great photos). As I walked, I was walking along with a group of young men who were happy and polite. They were in London for 9 months from Nepal, and posed generously for a photo.

16 MAY 2023

Angers, France

I was met by my friend, Nicole, in Angers, and stayed in her father’s house in a nearby village, Bouchemaine (meaning mouth of the River Maine), where the Maine joins the River Loire.

Nicole’s brother, Hérvé, was there as well, and we spent one lovely afternoon touring the nearby villages. In a very small village, Rochefort-Sur-Loire, I was impressed by the size and beauty of the church.

CLERMONT-FERRAND, FRANCE

On 19 May, Nicole and I travelled about 450 kms south, on motorways, to Clermont-Ferrand, to stay overnight before continuing further south the next day. We had time (of course!) to visit the local art gallery.

We are now staying in a very small village, Serviers-et-Lebaume, near a very beautiful town, Uzès. More later!

16 MAY 2023

LONDON

It was exciting to be met at St Pancras by a ‘distant’ cousin, Michelle, and her husband, Mark, who I hadn’t seen for about 40 years – although she was convinced it wasn’t that long ago. We had dinner at the nearby German Gymnasium which was built in the late 19th Century, and was England’s first purpose built gym, in 1865. I didn’t envy the waiters having to walk up the stairs to deliver drinks and food.

I stayed overnight in Kensington, near Earl’s Court. Many signs of King Charles III Coronation which I had deliberately missed by one day, because of the crowds I assumed would gather. Architecture in the UK now very different from France!

EDINBURGH

My sister-in-law, Essel, lives in Edinburgh and I wanted to visit her. I’ve been there at least half-a-dozen times – as everyone says, it is a lovely city, and the sun shone for two of the four days I was there. One walk I’ve repeated most times, is along the Water of Leith to the art gallery, and another time to Leith, the port.

The Spring flowers were particularly beautiful in Edinburgh.

Essel’s ‘backyard’

After three changes of tickets (strikes and engineering works), I was finally on the train from Edinburgh, through London to Brighton.

BRIGHTON (and LONDON again)

I was warned there would be train strikes, and there was one which delayed my trip to Brighton by a day, to catch-up with Pam, Pete’s sister. Fortunately, we were able to spend a day together in Brighton/Hove, and another in London before I caught the Eurostar to France.

Covent Garden

Walking around central London

7 MAY 2023

LYON

I forgot to mention one important fact about Collioure, that I joined three other South Australians; Alison and Chris had just walked the Portuguese Camino (phew), and Sandra had spent the same time in Morocco. After Collioure, they went to Lyon and then I joined them there, after Tarragona. We had a lovely, huge home exchange for six days in a suburb, Tassin-Demi-Lune, an easy train ride to the old town.

On my first day, and after a boulangerie breakfast, we joined a tour of, almost secret, covered passageways (traboules) which originally allowed workers and craftspeople to transport goods through the city and avoid bad weather. Most traboules are now on private property, and are entrance passageways to apartments. Many traboules have been blocked off and used as storage areas.

We caught a funicular up to the Basilica Notre-Dame at Fourvière, a district on a hill above the Saône River.

The Lyon food market

Lyon’s indoor food market has an international reputation for offering the finest gourmet food – Les Halles de Lyon–Paul Bocuse. Lyon is dubbed France’s capital of gastronomy. Paul Bocuse was a French chef based in Lyon who was known for the high quality of his restaurants and his innovative approaches to cuisine.

The Confluence Museum

Lyon is built where the Saône and Rhone Rivers meet, and this museum is built at that confluence, hence the name.

The museum includes four major exhibitions. The first deals with questions of origin, the second explores evolution of different species, the third is about human societies, and the fourth is about the death of humans, and how it has been dealt with in different societies

The others left for Australia and so I ‘rattled around’ in the big house for a couple of days. Of course, I went to the Museum of Fine Arts, Lyon, seen as one of the largest galleries in Europe. It is housed in a magnificent, former Benedictine convent.

2 MAY 2023

Travelling across southern France to the Mediterranean coast by train to Collioure, we went through an extensive coastal wetland area. Etang de Salses is a shallow lake with a surface area of 54 km², designated as a protected Ramsar site.  

COLLIOURE

Collioure is a charming coastal village in the Vermilion Coast of Southern, France only 30 km from the Spanish border. The old town, with a dominant ancient castle, is a maze of narrow streets where each morning fresh produce is brought by vans and carts to the shops and restaurants. Even though it is only mid Spring there are still many tourists and the local businesses are ready. The Catalan heredity/influence is very evident.

We arrived at the Collioure railway station to be met by Margaret’s French friend, Jocelyn, who kindly took us to our separate accommodations (mine in the old town, and Margaret’s further away), and then food shopping. Next day we caught a local bus to visit Jocelyn in Port Vendres, a fishing port, a little further south along the coast, built on steeper slopes.

These illustrations in an information brochure really captured the essence of Collioure

TARRAGONA, CATALONIA, SPAIN

I was excited to be met by Ingrid and Iris at the bus station in Tarragona, a beautiful, small, coastal city south west of Barcelona. The Medrano family came as home-exchangers to my home in 2015, and I went to theirs later the same year. Pete and I visited them again in Tarragona in late 2018.

I had a wonderful time with them and their extended family – Ingrid’s parents Rosa Maria and Josep Maria, and Marc’s parents, Dolors and Santi. It will be sad to leave them.

We went to the summer home and specially-built studio of 20th Century Catalan artist, Juan Miro outside the village of Mont-Roig Del Camp. I saw illuminated reproductions of his work that I had never seen. Then to the hilltop church where he walked in the afternoon.

Rosa Maria put the finishing touches on a traditional Catalan dessert (Crema Catalana) – some like it plain

24 APRIL 2023

We have really loved just strolling in the country lanes or villages, hope you do to. It is very different from Australian countryside, as you know. Today we hoped there would be a cafe in a very small village nearby, and there was.

23 APRIL 2023

PERIGORD/ DORDOGNE (in South west France)

Sarlat

A fast train ride took us east from Bordeaux to the ancient and beautiful town of Sarlat in the Perigord/Dordogne (not far from the Dordogne River). Périgord is famous for black truffles. As well, we see many farms raising ducks and geese for producing foie gras – so they are everywhere.

Marqueyssac

Beautiful sculpted gardens over 22 hectares, with tens of thousands of boxwoods that have been developed and hand-trimmed since the late 17th Century, on cliffs above the Dordogne River.

Lascaux IV (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lascaux)

Chateaux

We’ve been to a couple of castles/chateaux, both quite different from each other.

Chateau Milandes (15th Century) was bought by Josephine Baker (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephine_Baker), a black American singer, dancer and actress who became famous and highly regarded in France in the early 20th Century. She adopted 12 children from different countries to show how different races could live together. She was significantly discriminated against in the USA.

Chateau Beynac (12th Century) was a fortress and seemingly impregnable, perched high above the Dordogne. It has family connections with Richard the Lionheart, King of England, during the religious wars (The Crusades).

La Roque Saint-Christophe

Th Roque Saint-Christophe is a huge rock formation on the River Vezere where people have lived and made dwellings for centuries.

MARCH 2023

As you may know, I’m heading to Europe in April. I’m mainly spending time in France but will have two brief trips, one to Spain to see ‘old’ Homeexchange friends, and the other to visit ‘sisters-in-law’ in Edinburgh and Brighton, UK. The longest part of the trip will be spent in Provence with my French/Australian friend, Nicole Messie. I’m also joining my friend, Margaret Gadd, in Bordeaux, Carsac, Collioure and Lyon. I’m starting this blog in Penola, and it’s still March, but I wanted to make sure you receive this, and will, as I travel. Pete is staying Penola.

SINGAPORE (on 11 April)     

During the long stop-over at Singapore on our journey, Margaret and I walked from Changi Airport to the Jewel shopping complex. The attraction was the huge waterfall with walking bridges, elevators, and trains moving through on elevated tracks.

BORDEAUX

Now I’m in rainy, cold but lovely Bordeaux. We are staying in the old part of Bordeaux with beautiful old limestone buildings (some as yet not cleaned), cobblestone roads, small boutiques, specialty shops and cafes. Nearby is access to the tram system that snakes through the city providing easy and cheap access to places we want to go. 

World War II submarine bunker

The Italians built, and the Germans used, a concrete submarine bunker adjoining the Garonne River in Bordeaux in the 1940s. Part of it is now used as a cultural centre. We saw a sound and light show featuring Salvador Dali and architect Reni Gaudi using four of the ‘basins’. We wandered between the basins in darkness as the brilliant colour was projected on the wall.

Cité de Vin

Quite a mind-blowing experience – a huge, comprehensive exhibition in a multi-level building about wine-making across the world.

Cathedral of Saint Andrew

Saint-Emilion

On our last day in the area, we took a bus eastward to this little hilly, wine village, an UNESCO World Heritage Site of historic vineyard landscape. Upmarket wine shops abounded, as did a variety of restaurants. And the sun was out!