|
Post by tod2 on Oct 12, 2015 8:52:20 GMT
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Oct 12, 2015 10:33:18 GMT
Before I could do any sight-seeing I had to buy a camera. I brought a small Sony Cyber-shot with me just in case I did not buy a new camera. To help me in this task I had asked Kerouac to accompany me for guidance and very importantly, translater! He made a prompt appearance at my hotel on my first morning and we set off for the very large FNAC in La Defense. It did not take long to decide on the Canon PowerShot G16. Heavier than I would have liked but it is amazing how soon one adapts to the weight. Next necessity was to get my cellphone hooked up so we swung by the Orange Shop and soon I was able to SMS my family back home. Until now I could only use the free WiFi at the hotel. Walking down the Esplanade du General de Gaulle we were headed for that secreted message from you Bixa and Htmb! Search we did under the bush we could not locate it. I was quite devastated but realise it must have been cleared away by the cleaning gang. Darn! Thanks for trying anyway you two. There is always a next time! Keen to charge the battery of the camera we went back to the hotel and I showed Kerouac my lovely little room, complete with mini bar. We left immediately for lunch and found a small cosy restaurant in Rue Lamarck down the far end or was it another street Kerouac? It was a delightful lunch though I had to use binoculars to find Kerouac's smoked salmon starter! Walking to JJules Joffrin Kerouac and I saw the dozens of immigrants tented on the doorstep of the Mairie. He showed me the Monmartre bus and I hopped on whilst he took the short stroll home. Montmartre - very familiar to most AnyPorters. From the hotel it is a short uphill walk to Rue des Saules and the Vignes Du Close Montmartre. Better still, the Montmartre bus was diagnally across the road so I could hop on and be transported in comfort, saving my energy and legs! It was a pleasant walk down again for a well-earned glass of chilled Rose`. Not a grape in sight so it's down the hill on foot. The well recognised pink restaurant Maison Rose is under going a refurbishment and at the moment looks rather pale. Although I have been to Montmartre many many times I donot recall seeing the man walking through the wall. The little park is immediately above him. Another romantic encounter in Monmartre is the Allee des Brouillards - I have never found it until now. No wonder....it is a narrow street off Place des Quatre-Fre`res-Casadesus and gives access to Rue Girardon down a steep flight of steps. On the right hand side when past the garden, stands the famous Chateau des Brouillards or in English "Chateau of the Mist". In front of this building numerous artists have set up their easels. In the 17th century it was a small farm with a mill until sold to a High Court Judge advocate who replaced the dilapidated farmhouse with this fine residence complete with farmyard, orchard, cellars and wells. In 1850 some small houses were built on part of the land, one of which was occupied by Renoir. After the surroundings deteriorated it took 20 years for the owner to restore it and preserve it after being saved from demolition by the City of Paris. This Allee is visited by people in love with Montmartre and in search of it's rural past. The beautiful Dalida in dappled sunlight... Not far from home now...I walk past the very shaded little park - across the street from my hotel. Next - I meet up with the tour going to South Western France...
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Oct 12, 2015 14:28:54 GMT
Tod, what a beautiful leafy (including the pho) introduction to your Paris adventures! It looks as though it took you no time to find special nooks and vistas. Quite a few people in your pictures are wearing jackets. Was it cold while you were there? Looking forward to more!
|
|
|
Post by mossie on Oct 12, 2015 15:10:53 GMT
Well done Tod, hope your leg is not being too troublesome. Thanks for whetting my appetite for my next trip.
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Oct 12, 2015 15:27:20 GMT
Thank you Bixa - Yes it was pretty nippy especially when the wind blew. I wore a light weight cotton knit jacket most days and slipped it off during metro rides and if I found a sunny seat somewhere.
Mossie - My leg was 100% this trip. I got the doc to give me a cortisone injection into each knee cap before I left. Sorted.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2015 16:26:17 GMT
Now it is getting nippy. It wasn't nippy at all when Tod2 was here! It might even freeze in two days.
I'm thrilled to see the beginning of the report. I like that little square next to the Allée des Brouillards, too. There is nothing actually super special about it, but the location and the surrounding buildings make it charming.
The "Passe-Muraille" statue of the man coming out of the wall it really quite famous and is in homage to a short story of the same name (Marcel Aymé, 1941). But of course Dalida is even more famous.
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Oct 12, 2015 17:13:21 GMT
Hey Mr. Kerouac....I've got thin hot South African blood! But, I admit I often let the breeze blow and warmed up with another glass of wine!! I agree it was not cold or unpleasant a lot of the time but that wind!! Icy cold! Where did it come from?
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2015 5:18:35 GMT
Cold weather here is almost always sent to us courtesy of Siberia. So it never comes straight down from the north but at an angle, which helps the wind to blow.
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Oct 13, 2015 7:28:56 GMT
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Oct 13, 2015 11:08:47 GMT
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Oct 13, 2015 13:34:11 GMT
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Oct 13, 2015 14:16:30 GMT
So enjoyable, Tod, and so much variety. It sounds as though you are glad that you took the tour. Do you feel you saw more that way? Some very beautiful pictures here. Beziers looks like a wonderful destination. Their fair has a Spanish theme -- what's that about? Minerve looks most interesting. What is the square tower in the pic just above the people down in the dry watercourse?
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Oct 13, 2015 14:33:54 GMT
Bixa I found Beziers and the other towns we visited a real mixture of Spanish and French. Spanish because of the proximity to Spain I guess. I can't say that I saw more on the organised tour but it was just a trial run to see if we really want to do this again next year, on our own. I think we would enjoy it as I now have the foundation. The tall square tower in Minerve is all that remains of the Cathars castle. I found it interesting but I have another town which was even more quaint...should I say that about ancient places?
I had to run off to work, so you will see I have added something in the form of two YouTube videos.
|
|
|
Post by htmb on Oct 13, 2015 20:06:37 GMT
Well, you certainly seemed to master that new camera quickly enough! Wonderful photos, Tod! I'm looking forward to seeing more.
Late September/early October seems like a wonderful time of year to visit France. But then, I suppose just about ANY time is a good time. :-)
It was smart of you to spend a few days in Montmartre. A nice way to really get to know the area, I'm sure.
So sorry the note wasn't there. I guess we picked an area cared for by overzealous gardeners.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2015 21:00:19 GMT
I particularly enjoy the pictures of Béziers, which I know very well since my parents lived there from 1972 to 1975. Your photos of the cathedral are great and I have none that can compare since I took almost no photos back in those days outside of my parents' apartment. (The only photo that I really remember is the look of surprise on my grandmother's face as she discovered Christmas ornaments hanging on one of her bras which was itself attached to the ceiling light fixture in the living room. That must have been 1973.) We spent most of our time on the Allées Paul Riquet when we went to the centre and saw all of the same markets that you showed, either along the promenade itself or on the side square with the parking lot. Nothing seems to have changed in 40 years. To reply to Bixa's question about the " Féria de Béziers," actually all of the cities of southwest France call their annual heritage days the "Féria." It is not really Spanish but Occitan, which is the regional language. There are annual férias in Béziers, Narbonne, Perpignan, Dax, Bayonne, Nîmes, Beaucaire, Arles, etc. One of the things that makes it a féria, though, is the presence of bulls -- either in bull running or bullfights. Bullfighting was designated an event of cultural heritage by the (Sarkozy) government in 2011 but was cancelled from the list in 2015. Heritage or not, it still exists, and lots of bulls are killed at the férias, unlike in Catalonia where it is now forbidden. Bulls may still be killed for entertainment in arenas in the red zones on this map.
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Oct 13, 2015 23:13:11 GMT
Thanks, Tod. Looking forward to seeing another ancient town!
You were an artistic youth, Kerouac, yes? So cool that you could revisit the past in Tod's contemporary photos. Have you been back since '75?
I knew the language on the street signs wasn't Spanish, although would not have been able to identify it as Occitan. What threw me were the super-stereotypical pictures of the Spanish ladies & gentleman on the feria sign.
I live in one of the states in Mexico where bullfighting isn't allowed. Benito Juárez banned it back in the 1860s, then it was re-allowed by Porfirio Díaz at some point in his long presidency. Oaxaca maintained the ban in homage to favorite son Juárez. (P.Díaz is also a native son, but not so beloved.
Tod, I should have mentioned how wonderful I also enjoyed your cathedral pics, as well as the blue & white La Table Bretonne and the adorable girls on their little bikes, among others.
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Oct 14, 2015 7:54:00 GMT
Thanks for the info Kerouac about Feria de Beziers and the difference betwee Spanish and Occitan. Had no clue. Also that map is great! Bixa and Htmb - I was really scared of my new 'toy' and kept it on Auto the entire time. I was reluctant to play around with it too much as I only had the 3 page booklet on how to set it up. Since then my husband has printed the 16 page instruction manual for me. Mmmmmm.....
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Oct 14, 2015 9:22:23 GMT
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Oct 14, 2015 9:54:00 GMT
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Oct 14, 2015 12:35:58 GMT
I have tried to photograph these two maps so that it might assist with the overall view of the tour I took, and exactly where places are. The one is South West France, the other the Cathar Regions. imageshack.com/a/img631/5984/tfSvKy.jpgimageshack.com/a/img909/2186/MEhu58.jpgPEZENAS. Of its prestigious past the city has preserved the memory and the incredible architectural heritage, the charm of its private mansion and its paved streets. The old town, completely classified "conservation area", kept the image it had when Molière and his company liked performing there. In 1647, at barely 25, the young Jean-Baptiste Poquelin or Molière began travelling the languedoc with the company called "L'Illustre Théâtre", feasting or fasting as the opportunity allowed. In 1650, the little company arrives in Pézenas. Over three months, they entertain the lords of the "Languedoc General Estates". This ensures them a good income for many months. In 1653, the company gains the favor of the Governor of Languedoc who has settled in Pézenas : The Prince of Conti. The Languedoc and Pézenas are the inspiration for some of Molière's most famous plays : "Dom Juan , ou le festin de Pierre" is based upon the Prince of Conti ; "The Comtess d'Escarbagnas" had the features of the provincial aristocracy.... The coach dropped us off next to a dried up canal and a little garden with the statue of Moliere. imageshack.com/a/img907/5923/lUudIU.jpgimageshack.com/a/img633/3858/EdugsV.jpgimageshack.com/a/img910/1812/RgaOTH.jpgimageshack.com/a/img905/6056/kkGbmu.jpgimageshack.com/a/img905/8307/QBtTsm.jpgimageshack.com/a/img903/1286/6DNZFv.jpgIn an upstairs room the tourist office had scale models of many different theatres - I was particularly taken with this scale model of Shakespeares Globe Theatre in London. imageshack.com/a/img908/1010/Oxiyto.jpgimageshack.com/a/img909/4871/EwJdrP.jpgimageshack.com/a/img907/2883/bE05Cu.jpgimageshack.com/a/img631/6567/8pLf9f.jpgimageshack.com/a/img908/8600/QkiUpE.jpgimageshack.com/a/img905/6960/jQ8mKD.jpgimageshack.com/a/img908/4801/RvzZwX.jpgimageshack.com/a/img909/2096/vUP0vm.jpgimageshack.com/a/img633/8496/CSKMwh.jpg
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Oct 14, 2015 13:54:29 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 14, 2015 16:46:46 GMT
Those photos of the Languedoc region are looking so nice and warm as temperatures continue to drop here. Sète looks just as charming and relatively untouched as when I went there.
I am really enjoying the photos of Pézenas because even though I have passed through it on the road lots of times, I have absolutely never stopped there to visit the town.
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Oct 15, 2015 6:36:10 GMT
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Oct 15, 2015 6:55:19 GMT
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Oct 15, 2015 7:17:05 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2015 9:52:02 GMT
Pézenas just keeps getting better and better. I really like your collection of shop signs. The exuberant bursts of vegetation on the stone walls are also great. If everything was just bare stone in the beating sun, the temperature would become even more unbearable on hot days.
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Oct 15, 2015 12:53:25 GMT
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Oct 15, 2015 13:12:28 GMT
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Oct 15, 2015 15:06:02 GMT
Lucky you, Tod, to be able to walk around those medieval streets with someone along to fill you in on that period of history! Pézanas certainly has a thriving artistic community. Were there many other visitors? All the workshops with things to sell must have customers for those things, right? The rich, bright colors of the ceramics are very tempting. (as is the rich, bright color of the wonderful wines you were having!) Looks as though you had no trouble finding nice places to eat. Hope the bunny didn't gobble up too much of Sam's (normal-sized) salad. He must be an avowed vegetale hater, but the granddaughter will be delighted with that precious souvenir. I love all the beautiful details you captured on all the weathered stone buildings.
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Oct 15, 2015 15:38:29 GMT
Thank you Bixa - I would think that in the warmer months the streets would be really crowded. Kerouac might agree with me in the choice of mid September to mid October being a more pleasant experience. Dear Sam was a Welsh man and corrected me when I would refer to 'you folk from England'! He never stopped talking - relating his lecturing days with his students. He was genuinely touched when I gave him the bunny for his grand daughter - and lettuce
|
|