Category Archives: Art

Architecture, Art, Cycling, Loire Valley, Uncategorized

Fontevraud l’Abbaye and its Extraordinary Kitchen

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It’s the second day of our spring cycling weekend near Saumur. We wake up in time for 9 am breakfast at our B&B, Le Balcon Bleu, having slept very soundly in a comfortable bed after all our hills and dales of the day before.

The main bedroom from which you can see the cot. The bathroom is next to it.
Our suite consisted of four separate rooms – a single bedroom, a double bedroom, a baby’s room and bathroom.

We pass through the inner courtyard with its stunning Clematitis armandii and into the breakfast room. Well, you’ve already seen the photos – a cross between a brocante and an art gallery. Certainly a lovely room in which to start the day.

Our bedroom consisted of four separate rooms - single bed, a double bed, a cot and a bathroom but this room had the most typical decoration
The single bedroom with the most typical decoration

Breakfast is standard French fare, but of good quality: orange juice, fresh baguette, butter, several home-made jams and home-made yoghurt. Certainly not what Bread is Pain likes to see on the breakfast table though. We soon start chatting to our hostess who is a mine of information and since the other guests have not yet arrived, we invite her to sit down with us.

The view from Château de Villeneuve winery
The view from Château de Villeneuve winery in Souzay-Champigny

After breakfast, we pick up some local saumur-champigny vieilles vignes from Château de Villeneuve and drive to Fontevraud l’Abbey which is why we chose to stay in Turquant, as it is only a short distance away. The sky is deep blue but it’s still a little chilly to cycle.

The first view of Fontevraud when you enter the abbey, with the church on the right
The first view of Fontevraud when you enter the abbey, with the church on the right 

We’re just in time for a guided tour suggested by our hostess, which turns out to be really excellent. They even have very light folding seats you can take around with you.

The cloisters
The cloisters

The monastery, which was actually a group of four monasteries, was founded in 1101 by a wandering preacher called Robert d’Arbrissel who had such a following that he was ordered to settle somewhere. There was a monastery for women, one for men, another for repented women and another for lepers.

The room in which the nuns had to confess to their misdemeanours
The room in which the nuns had to confess to their misdemeanours

Thirty-six abbesses ruled the abbey during seven centuries of monastic life, many of royal birth. The women’s lives entailed mostly hardship from what I gather as very few were there by choice. One of the nuns tried to poison another three times before being sent to solitary confinement (forever, I might add).

The abbesses usually managed to wend their way into the paintings in the confession room
The abbesses usually managed to wend their way into the paintings in the confession room

The French Revolution closed the abbey in 1792 until it was turned into one of France’s most severe prisons from 1804 to 1963. The thousand or so inmates provided the manpower to convert the abbey into a fortress, learning all the trades needed to do so.

Restauration began after the prison was closed and the abbey was open to the public in 1985.

Inside the abbey church
Inside the abbey church

We visit various rooms, starting with the church which contains the recumbent statues of Aliénor d’Aquitaine, one of the countries most illustrious figures in the twelfth century, along with the smaller statues of her husband, the future Henry II Plantagenet of England, their son Richard the Lionheart, and his sister-in-law, Isabelle d’Angoulême who was married to Richard’s brother John Lackland.

The recumbent statues of Aliénor dAquitaine and Henry II
The recumbent statues of Aliénor dAquitaine and Henry II

Next comes the cloister followed by the confession room in which the nuns had to own up to their misdemeanours including the aforementioned poisoning!

The refectory where the nuns survived on a very frugal diet of smoked fish and little else
The refectory where the nuns survived on a very frugal diet of smoked fish and little else

After visiting the enormous refectory to which a floor was added to create prison cells and most of the doors blocked up, we come out into the open.

The famous kitchen at Fontevraud l'Abbaye
The famous kitchen at Fontevraud l’Abbaye

Here it is at last – the most recognisable part of Fontevraud l’Abbaye – its strange octagonal kitchen 25 metres high with its many pointed roofs made of stone from Charente and not the local tufa which is much softer.

Inside one of the 12 chimneys
Inside one of the 21 chimneys

Its Byzantine style brought back from the crucades is very different from the other buildings. The 21 chimneys covered with fish-scales were used to evacuate the smoke from the smoked fish below, the monastery’s staple diet.

Terrace at La Croix Blanche
Terrace at La Croix Blanche

Although there are two restaurants within the Abbey, we decide to see what’s offering on the main square and are delighted to find there are plenty of outside tables free at La Croix Blanche.  Nothing extraordinary but we like the setting.

Parish Church at Fontevraud
Parish Church at Fontevraud

Before going back to the car, we wander around and find the little parish church of Saint Michel in Fontevraud-l’Abbaye with its “chat room” built in the 12th century for the large contingent of labourers employed to build the abbey and was financed by Henri II Plantagenet and Alienor d’Aquitaine. It was extended in the 15th and 17th centuries.

Thinking of the hills that no doubt await us when we get back on our bikes in Saumur, I somewhat regret the entrecôte, French fries and wine!

Château de Villeneuve vineyard, 3 rue Jean-Brevet, 49400 Souzay-Champigny. Tel: 02 41 51 14 04. jpchevallier@chateaudevilleneuve.com.  Open from 9 am to 12 noon and 2 pm to 6 pm. Closed Sundays and public holidays.
 
Le Balcon Bleu B&B, 2 rue de Martyrs, 49730 Turquant. Tel 02 41 38 10 31. lebalconbleuturquant@free.fr
 

All_About_France_blog_linky_xmasI’m including this post in Lou Messugo’s ALL ABOUT FRANCE blog link.

For other contributions, click here.

Art, Loire Valley

Photos of the week – Breakfast Room in a Chambre d’hôte

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breakfast_balcon_bleuImagine coming down to breakfast after a night in a chambre d’hôte and finding this beautiful room! Le Balcon Bleu in Turquant in the Loire Valley near Saumur is a collector’s delight! And this was only the dining area. The next photo shows the other half of the room. When I asked the owner (she and her husband are artists) if she was a collector, she said she just accumulated things! More about the rest of the B&B in the next post.

collection_table_balcon_bleu

 

Art, Cycling, French customs, Uncategorized, Weekly Blogger Round-Up

Weekly Blogger Round-Up: French Lingerie – Cycling in France – Louis XIV’s portrait in Chenonceau

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This week’s blogger round-up starts with Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris, who takes us behind the scenes of French lingerie, Maggie LaCoste from Experience France by Bike shares her favourite cycling itineraries in France while Susan from Days on the Claise presents a portrait of Louis XIV, “The King of Bling” by Hyacinthe Rigaud in Chenonceau Castle. Enjoy!

“Behind the Seams of French Lingerie” with Paris Lingerie Tours

by Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris, an American by birth, Swiss by marriage, resident of Paris with a Navigo Pass for the metro that she feels compelled to use

simone_pereleLet’s start with a quick survey. Raise your hand if you think that lingerie is a rather silly subject, something that doesn’t merit your attention. Even though I’m ashamed to admit it, that’s exactly how I felt before the start of Kate Kemp-Griffin’s highly informative “Behind the Seams of French Lingerie” tour yesterday morning. When Kate, The Lingerie Journal’s Associate Editor for France,  asked why we had signed up for the two-hour tour, I quickly denied any personal interest in the subject by explaining that I was planning to write a blog post about lingerie. It was a misguided attempt to distance myself from what I incorrectly considered to be a frivolous topic. Read more.

Bicycling in France 2014: Itineraries to Consider

by Maggie LaCoste from Experience France by Bike, an American who loves biking anywhere in Europe, but especially France, which has the perfect combination of safe bike routes, great food, great weather and history.

P1050053I’ve had a really hard time narrowing down my favorite itineraries in France this year.  So many regions of France are improving existing bicycle paths and building new ones and great choices are springing up across the country.  This makes it really tough to narrow down possible choices to a manageable few.  At this rate, I could miss the whole summer bicycling season, mired in route research and conversations with local tourism officials!  It’s time to get the list out!  I’ve made a big pot of coffee, and am ready to make some decisions.  With the list complete, I can settle down to providing you with details on each of the itineraries, and why each of them would be a perfect choice for an upcoming bicycle trip to France.  Each choice will be featured in an upcoming post including:  top ten reasons to choose the itinerary, bicycle rental options, and best resources for trip planning. Read more.

The King of Bling

by Susan from Days on the Claise, an Australian living in the south of the Loire Valley, writing about restoring an old house and the area and its history and running Loire Valley Time Travel.

louisXIVIt doesn’t take much knowledge of history to guess correctly that this is a portrait of Louis XIV. The more is more frame gives it away even if you don’t recognise the man. It hangs in one of the salons at the chateau of Chenonceau and was originally a gift from Louis to his uncle Césare de Vendôme, once owner of the chateau. Like the rest of the objects at Chenonceau, it hasn’t always been here, but has been acquired by the current owners because of its significance to the chateau.The portrait is by Hyacinthe Rigaud, Louis’ court portraitist and painted about 1700. Like any of Rigaud’s portraits it is a magical mixture of completely accurate character representation and ideal ego boosting likeness. I don’t know how he did it. Couple that with his superb technique with luxury textiles, and any portrait by Rigaud is worth looking at, drooling at the silks and velvets and musing about what the artist thought of the sitter. However, I’d be willing to bet most people hardly give the portrait itself a second glance. It is totally overshadowed by the astonishing carved gilt frame, which was created for the painting. Read more. Read more.

Art, France, French customs, Loire Valley châteaux, Weekly Blogger Round-Up

Weekly Blogger Round-Up: Carnival time in Nice – The Bay of Angels in Nice – Van Loos’ The Three Graces

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This week’s Blogger Round-Up starts in the city of Nice on the French Riviera with Phoebe from Lou Messugo who shares her stunning photos of Nice Carnival. And to give you another view of Nice, Margo Lestz, writing for The Good Life France, explains the origin of The Bay of Angels and other place names. In a different part of the country altogether, Susan from Days on the Claise tells us the fascinating history of Van Loos’ painting of The Three Graces in Chenonceau. Enjoy!

Nice Carnival 2014 – a photo essay

by Phoebe from Lou Messugo, a traveller, francophile, expat, mum and foodie now living in Roquefort les Pins where she runs a gîte after many years of travelling and living in Asia, Eastern Europe and Australia.

carnival23We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day to go to Nice Carnival 2014.  Under the bluest of blue skies we spent a fun afternoon watching the the creative, witty and satirical floats pass by united under the theme of gastronomy.  Being our 5th or 6th time at Carnaval we recognised some of the regulars – the roaring dragon, the confetti seller who comes to the school fête, the OGCN (Nice football team) supporters with balloon boobs, the man dressed as a caveman hauling a ragdoll around, the Italian flag throwers – we felt like real locals.  As always the floats represented contemporary issues and cultural icons. Amongst others Angela Merkel could be seen devouring Portugal, Spain and Greece. Read more

Adam and Eve in the Bay of Angels, Nice

by Margo Lestz writing for The Good Life France, an independent on-line magazine about France and all things French, covering all aspects of daily life including healthcare, finance, utilities, education, property and a whole lot more. Margo  lives in Nice, France where she likes to bask in the sunshine, study the French language and blog as thecuriousrambler. 

bay-of-angels-the-bayMany rich and famous tourists visit Nice every year, but according to a legend, the first visitors were actually Adam and Eve – yes, the ones from the Bible.

As the story goes, after they were kicked out of Paradise for being naughty, they were standing outside the locked gates looking at their new hostile surroundings.  Everywhere was barren and inhospitable. They had no idea where to go or what to do. Then they heard the sound of rustling wings, looked up to see a band of angels flying overhead motioning to them.  The angels flew across the waters and hovered over a certain spot – they were showing the couple a glorious bay, in front of a land that was as lush and beautiful as the Eden they could no longer enter. Read more

The Notorious De Nesle Sisters

by Susan from Days on the Claise, an Australian living in the south of the Loire Valley, writing about restoring an old house and the area and its history and running Loire Valley Time Travel.

graces_vanlooThere is a large painting depicting three naked women hanging in one of the salons of Chenonceau. It’s called The Three Graces and is by Carle Van Loo (not his brother Jean-Baptiste, despite the frequency you will find it attributed to him on the internet). It is widely believed to depict three of the five de Nesle sisters, but since it is clearly a picture of three attractive young women, there is a certain amount of debate about the identification of the notorious sisters and the subject of this painting. The de Nesle sisters, with the exception of the youngest, were not considered to be beauties, were all long dead by the time the picture was painted and Van Loo wasn’t known for being kind to his subjects. Read more

Art, French customs, IT, Uncategorized, Wine

Weekly Blogger Round-Up: Overalls for women now legal in France – Great party trick

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This week’s Blogger Round-Up is a spin-off from my post on the disappearance of père de famille. Bellanda from Bellanda in Paris tweeted a post explaining that women are now legally allowed to wear overalls in France, while Tim from Invisible Bordeaux responded with a famous example of an exception to the rule – Rosa Bonheur. On another fun note, Chrissie from The Riviera Grapevine shares a great party trick that involves bubbly. Enjoy!

It’s no longer a joke! My overalls were not only illegal in Paris … they were illegal in all of France!

by Bellanda from Bellandainparis, a New York presently living in Paris, doing what she loves: writing/screenwriting, painting, photography & social media managing.

pants-become-legal-for-womenThe last several months, I have been joking that wearing my overalls in Paris might be considered illegal. Little did I know how right I was!

Ever since that very first day I ventured out into the streets of Paris wearing overalls, there has been ongoing banter on Twitter and Facebook about the fact that this could possibly be illegal.  There were some of you who gasped with laughter saying, “No, you didn’t?”  There were others who said things like, “Good for you!  Be yourself and be proud.”

In my defense, and yes, I somehow think wearing overalls… more exactly wearing paint stained overalls in a city where people only wear jogging/sports attire if they are actually running, does indeed need defending.  Read more

ROSA BONHEUR: THE WORLD-FAMOUS BORDEAUX-BORN ANIMALIÈRE

by Tim Pike, an Englishman in France who, when not writing Invisible Paris can often be spotted riding a vintage yellow bicycle or strumming a guitar. He has also conceived a set of self-guided walking tours around Bordeaux which are available for iDevices.

rosa_overallsOne of the most illustrious of Bordeaux’s daughters is Rosa Bonheur who, throughout her life which spanned much of the 19th century, became a world-renowned “animalière” and is regarded by many as the most famous female painter of her time.

Rosa Bonheur was born Marie Rosalie Bonheur on March 16th 1822 at 29, Rue Saint-Jean-Saint-Seurin (now  55, Rue Duranteau) in Bordeaux. Her father, Oscar-Raymond Bonheur, was a landscape and portrait painter and frequented Spanish artist Francisco Goya during the four years the latter spent in Bordeaux up until his death. Read more

The Party Trick I Wish I Had (And a recommendation for a fantastic wine bar in Piedmonte)

by Chrissie from Riviera Grapevine, a Sydney girl living in Nice with an insatiable thirst for the wines of the Var, Alpes Maritimes and Liguria. She happily sells, drinks and blogs about wine.

SerralungaRecently, whilst indulging in a spot of social media browsing, I came across this gem of a YouTube clip shared via LinkedIn, Google+, Facebook, Twitter or some other format which all us members of the bloggersphere should apparently be mastering for self promotion!

Now, this is one party trick that I think would seriously impress. Opening a bottle of bubbly with the glass that you’ll serve the liquid in! Class. Especially with a certain nonchalance as conveyed by the guy in this clip. Surely this is a more realistic skill to master than learning how to saber a Champagne bottle with a sword?

Yet I know I could never pull it off. I’d shatter the delicate glass on impact, like a magician who fluffs his tricks. Read more

Art, Food, Paris

Weekly Blogger Round-Up: Orangerie Museum – French history of the Potato – New rabbit to eat

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This week’s Blogger Round-Up starts in a museum and ends in a cemetary. Daisy de Plume, whom you may remember from the THATLou treasure hunt I participated in recently, tells us all about the Orangerie Museum; Bread is Pain, in her usual humouristic musings, recounts the difficult ascension of the potato in France; while fellow Aussie Susan from Days on the Claise reports on a new French appellation, the lapin gris de Touraine. Enjoy!

Musée de l’Orangerie

by native New Yorker Daisy de Plume, who has lived in Paris for nearly a decade and created THATLou to share her passion for art and her unique approach toward making the museum experience fun and accessible to all

orangerie02-1024x682Now that’s a great photo, no? Lilian Lau is a jack of many trades: from an École normale supérieure post-doc science researcher to a wonderful travel writer (links to a sampling are below). After first meeting her at last January’s THATd’Or  created in conjunction with theAFMO, Lilian generously put me in touch with Camille Breton, of Science Académie, for whom I built the Arts + Sciences hunt. Since then we’ve been having lovely lingering lunches between her globetrotting flights. Here she picks up on the Museum Musings(which I had initially intended to be a “monthly” museum musing, but alas time has required that first M to be dropped!). Without further ado: Read more

Plus ça change plus c’est la même chose

by Bread is Pain, a 30-something American living in the Rhone-Alps, getting her master’s degree, learning French and slowly eating and drinking herself through the country

“What tha…why is there a potato on that tombstone,” I turn, looking at MB questioningly.  We are on a tour of Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris.

“Quoi,” he asks, looking towards the grave, apparently he doesn’t know why either.

“Ah,” our tour guide walks over and joins us, bringing the rest of the group.  “This is the grave of Parmentier, the man who introduced potatoes into French cuisine.” Read more

Le Lapin Gris de Touraine

by Susan from Days on the Claise, an Australian living in the south of the Loire Valley, writing about restoring an old house and the area and its history and running Loire Valley Time Travel.

History:
lapin_gris1This type of grey rabbit used to be well known to the inhabitants of Indre et Loire and by the early 1900s it had begun to be called le lapin gris de Touraine. They were raised for meat and fur, but although still common on farms in the area in the 1950s, by the end of the 20th century they had almost disappeared. It has just received official recognition as a breed, after a group of enthusiasts worked on saving the rabbit from extinction. Read more 

Art, Paris, Sightseeing

Death Hunt with THATLou

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It’s almost Halloween. I’m dressed in black from head to toe as instructed and standing in line to buy my entrance ticket to the museum in order to participate in a Treasure Hunt at the Louvre by THATLou. “Hi”, says a voice behind me. I turn to see Sylvia from Finding Noon in this stunning purple witch’s hat and skull necklace.

Sylvia from Finding Noon in her stunning witch's hat
Sylvia from Finding Noon in her stunning witch’s hat

We join Daisy de Plume, who’s running the show, at the meeting point and the other participants soon arrive. I am introduced to my team mates: Elodie from the Paris tourist office and Amanda and her 17-year-old son Eric. They’ve already done a hunt before, I’m pleased to hear, while Elodie and I are newcomers to the game.

At 7 pm sharp, Daisy starts explaining the rules and we’re given our clue sheet. We have one and a half hours to find as many treasures as possible out of a total of 32. There are points for finding each treasure (10 to 80 depending on the difficulty) and bonus points buried in each explanation. Photographs of the team in front of the treasure will prove it has been found.

Finding the first treasure - you can see the highlighted map of the Louvre in Eric's hands
Finding the first treasure – you can see the highlighted map of the Louvre in Eric’s hands

Each member of the team of three to four people (there are seven teams tonight) is assigned a role. I’m the photographer (though sadly, my iPhone lets me down and a lot of the photos turn out a little blurred), Eric is the map-reader, Amanda the main clue reader and Elodie is the able assistant. In addition to taking photographs, I have to keep my eyes peeled for the treasures.

The first thing is to devise a search strategy by assigning each treasure to an area on the museum map highlighted by Daisy to indicate the sections of the Louvre involved in the hunt. It’s a very large museum so we don’t want to be rushing from one end to the other in just any old order, particularly as we’re not allowed to run or split up during the hunt.

Pointing at the worms!
Pointing at the worms and looking very cheesy for the camera!

Eric is champing at the bit, eager to find our first treasure. We start in the French mediaeval sculpture section with Death St Innocent* where team members are to be photographed pointing to worms. There are also bonus points for finding how many unicorns there are in the room. Amanda spies one on a bas relief. “Devious”, she says.

The team is too busy concentrating on the next treasure to look at the camera!
The team is too busy concentrating on the next treasure to look at the camera!

Once we have found all the treasures in one section, we move onto the next. In front of a painting of Christ resurrected, we’re instructed to represent the hand positions of the figures behind us. Elodie cleverly winds a shawl around her in lieu of a wall.

Replicating the hands in the painting of Lazurus
Replicating the hands in a 15C Provençal Resurrection of Christ

As time marches on, the pace picks up. One section turns out to be unexpectedly shut but thanks to Amanda’s determination, we find the treasure anyway. The team pauses in front of Ingres’ Grande Odalisque to win 10 bonus points by looking over their shoulders.

Mimicking La Grande Odalisque by Ingres
Mimicking La Grande Odalisque by Ingres

Only once do we come across another team, towards the end of the hunt. Time is running out, we only have ten minutes to get back to the starting point or we’ll be docked two points for every one minute late! We haven’t found all the treasures but Daisy has already told us that it’s impossible to do so.

As we hurry back, we make up a limerick** to go with the Raft of the Medusa – there’s a separate prize for the winning rhyme. We make it just in time. We sit down to tally up our points and catch our breath. Daisy was certainly right to tell us to wear comfortable shoes!

The final tally - making sure we have all our points!
The final tally – making sure we have all our points!

Then we all head to L’Imprimerie for a drink and dinner. We’re given the answer sheet so we can tally up our bonus points. There’s an extra 50 points and a separate prize for inventing a team name***. We choose the Skeltering Skeletons. Everyone votes for a winner and WITCHLou, which I have to admit is better than ours, takes the prize.

By the time our meal arrives, Daisy has finalised the scores. The Skeltering Skeletons win with 1150 points out of a total of 2000, more than 400 ahead of the runners-up. We all cheer and share our winning coasters of paintings in the Louvre. The other teams receive their prizes****. As it’s a little noisy, we can’t read out our limericks but they will be posted on THATLou’s blog so we can vote for the winner.

Amanda showing our first prize: a set of Louvre coasters and a postcard of the Louvre each
Amanda showing our first prize: a set of Louvre coasters and a postcard of the Louvre each

We all agree we have had a wonderful time and seen parts of the Louvre and art works we would never have known about otherwise. Our attention to detail has been sharpened. I attribute our win to the excellent organisation and friendly cooperation of our team and the fact that we read some of Daisy’s posts beforehand. Having an enthusiastic teenager certainly helps as well!

Elodie says she’s going back another day to find the other treasures on the list! I might just join her.

* EXAMPLE OF CLUES – TREASURE 1
 
DEATH St INNOCENT (La Mort St Innocent)
 
Alabaster, H 1.20m x W .55m x D .27m – from Paris’s Cemetery of Innocents
 
16th Century French Sculpture (end of Middle Ages)
 
The plaque at Death’s foot reads “There is not a single being alive, however cunning and strong in resistance, whom I will not slay with my dagger, & give to the Worms as their Pittance!” Quick take a whopping thirty points for a photo of your team pointing to these worms (and just look at what they’re doing — Talk about appropriate for this gruesomely ghoulish death hunt!). So our friend Death was originally kept in the Cimitière des Innocents (CDI), which was found smack dab in the center of Paris – abutting the market place of Les Halles. The CDI accepted its first denizens in the 12th Century, as a perfectly orderly graveyard, with a space per individual. But as the city grew, the small swath of CDI (just 130 meters by 65) did not. When space ran out mass burials began to be conducted – up to 1500 dead could be buried in one pit before a new one was dug. Just think about the stench as you’re marketing right next to this grisly pit of death. Horrible. No one moved CDI from the center of town (thirty points for why this is) until Louis XVI passed an edict in 1780 that no more burials should take place. Six years later Mr Skull and Bones here was moved first to St Gervais then to Notre Dame, where he’d be unveiled with his ominous (now missing) dagger only one day a year. Which was? Oh boy, you get another ten points for the correct answer to that! And congrats on your last-minute Louvre prep!                                                    POINTS: 80
 
** Our limerick
 
Poseidon the god of the sea
Rarely took time for a pee, but
He pulled down his trunks
Screamed “you are all skunks”
And did it before all who could see
 
***Team names:
 
The Skeltering Skeletons
WITCHLou = Witches in the Chateau du Louvre
Tri’Eiffel Insane
Catwomen in the Louvre
Cape Coders
Dead Funky Unicorns
Winning Witches
 
****Prizes:
1st place = coasters because you deserve a drink and PCs to write home
2nd place = Game of cards to try another game
3rd = Louvre rulers to measure their mediocrity
4th = Mona Lisa Nail Files to buff up on their Louvre finds
5th = little toy cameras with animals, because they should look at animals not art
6th = bookmarks to read up on the Louvre
7th = stickers of the Louvre’s greatest hits to stick to their memory and chocolate coins to bet on another game
 
Art, Paris, Photography, Wednesday's Blogger Round-up

Wednesday’s Blogger Round-up: Beaugrenelle, the new shopping centre – Dance Macabre – Rue d’Aligre

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This Wednesday, Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris takes us to the newest shopping centre in Paris, Beaugrenelle, which even has a Marks & Sparks; Daisy de Plume from THATlou Treasure Hunt at the Louvre whom I will be joining on the evening of October 30 for her Death Hunt, introduces us to the Dance Macabre; while Genie from Paris and Beyond, who has a photo blog about Paris, takes us to the famous Rue d’Aligre. Enjoy!

Beaugrenelle Paris, the newest shopping center in Paris with FREE shuttle boat service from the Eiffel Tower!

by Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris, an American by birth, Swiss by marriage, resident of Paris with a Navigo Pass for the metro that she feels compelled to use

beaugrenelleMy neighborhood isn’t trendy like the Marais, exclusive like Saint-Germain-des-Prés or charming like Montmartre. It’s a residential area that attracts families who need an extra bedroom rather than hipsters who want to be close to the newest, latest, hottest spot in town. But thanks to the opening of Beaugrenelle Paris, my part of town is on the “must-see” list of Parisians this week.

For the first time since I’ve lived here, I walked out the front door of our apartment, strolled along the Seine, crossed the Pont de Grenelle and had easy access to stores like Guerlain, Baccarat, Michael Kors, Sandro, H&M, Zara and Desigual. I didn’t have to hop on a bus or fight the crowds in the metro. When it started to rain, I didn’t have to worry that I had forgotten my umbrella (again!) because I was safely inside the newest shopping center in Paris. Read more

Trilogy of Death – Part II

by native New Yorker Daisy de Plume, who has lived in Paris for nearly a decade and created THATLou to share her passion for art and her unique approach toward making the museum experience fun and accessible to all.

Fontaine-des-innocents_JohnJamesChalon-Invisible-Paris-blogSo yesterday we spent a sunny Sunday pondering the dead at the Cimitière des Innocents (CDI), once Paris’s largest and oldest graveyard smack dab in the middle of town (where the Renaissance Fontaine des Nymphs, aka Fontaine des Innocents** currently is, near the RER Les Halles station). We had just touched on how when space ran out, mass graves of 1500 cadavers per pit were filled, before they were closed off and a new one of equal size was dug. But we haven’t yet considered the business of death. Read more 

Rue d’Aligre – un Café

by Genie from Paris and Beyond, who lives in Mobile and has loved Paris, its people, its architecture and all of France since she was eight years old. She has a photo blog about Paris and occasionally other places in the world.

Taken on a busy market day (Marché d’Aligre), there is scant room for café table and chairs.

Still, the pastries and a coffee (or thé) can be enjoyed as the market vendors shout out the quality of their wares.

One thinks that the price of the coffee and pastry is small for this front row theatre seat.

Click here to see the photo which I haven’t reproduced as a small photo would never do justice to the original.

Architecture, Art, Bulgaria, Sightseeing, Travelling, Uncategorized

Fabulous Rila Monastery and Boyana Church in Bulgaria

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We’re debating about a day trip from Sofia to Rila Monastery because it’s a 2 to 2 ½ hour bus trip each way (120 K) but various friends have encouraged us to go and the photos are certainly encouraging. It’s also a World Heritage site. We also want to go to Boyana Church in the suburbs of Sofia. After a search on the Internet I find  a company called Traventuria offering a day trip including both destinations for 25 euro per person, which is an attractive price. I check out Trip Advisor and the fact that the coach drivers are reputed to be careful cinches it for me.

Traventuria's office on Veslets Street
Traventuria’s office on Veslets Street

As I start booking, I notice the address at the bottom of the screen. Unbelievably, it’s the same address as ours – their office is on the ground floor of our home exchange building in Veslets Street. We decide to go and pay in cash next morning. The girl is very friendly, speaks excellent English and even gives us an aluminium water bottle each.

Spetema Café near the university of Sofia
Spetema Café near the university of Sofia

We set off at 8.15 to be well in time for our 9 am rendez-vous behind Nevski Cathedral. Sofia is quite different at that hour, we discover, with everyone hurrying to work. We have time for a coffee at a trendy bar called Spetema just opposite the university.

Alexander Nevski Church
Alexander Nevski Church

Our 12-seater mini-bus pulls up on time but we wait for a couple of people who never come and finally move off at 9.15 am. There are eight of us altogether. Our young guide tells us the programme: a two-hour drive with a ten-minute rest-stop on the way, two hours at Rila, then back towards Sofia and Boyana where we stop for half an hour. We’ll be back in Sofia by 5 pm.

On the road from Rila from Sofia
On the road from Rila from Sofia

We’re soon on a recent 4-lane highway going at a reasonable pace. I’m reassured. The countryside looks surprisingly like Australia, minus the gum trees. There is little agriculture and only a few weedy looking cows. The cloud formation is quite unique. Jean Michel says there must be a lot of wind. The sky is a deep blue.

Grape vines on the otherwise unattractive houses
Grape vines on the otherwise unattractive houses 

After our rest-stop, we soon turn left and begin circumnavigating Rila Mountain, before making the ascent. I’m amazed at how many houses in the villages have grape vines. The monastery is 1147 metres above ground level (the highest peak on Rila is 2925 metres). We go through mountain forest most of the time. The driver is going quite slowly and I’m not afraid.

View of Rila Monastery as you walk in
Stunning view of Rila Monastery as you walk in

At the top, he pulls up and we get out. The initial impression is quite fabulous and we are not disappointed with the rest of our visit. We expected more people, but are pleasantly surprised to see that if we wait long enough, we can take photos without tourists in brightly coloured clothing taking photos of each other.

The Hrelyu mediaeval tower
The Hrelyu mediaeval tower (1334-1335) on the left and church on the right

Jean Michel finds a booklet in French and we track down all the things to see because it’s a bit tedious to translate my audio-guide. Rila was founded in the 10th century by the hermit St John of Rila. It was destroyed by fire in the 19th century and rebuilt between 1834 and 1862 and is a characteristic example of the Bulgarian Renaissance (18th-19th centuries), symbolising the awareness of a Slavic cultural identity following centuries of occupation.

The main church with its 19th century frescoes
The main church with its 19th century frescoes

At the end of our visit, there are still three things on the list we haven’t seen, one in the koprivchtitsa room, one in the priory and the other in the tower chapel. We ask in the religious shop and are told to inquire at the museum which we have already visited and contains the most fabulous carved cross I’ve ever seen (81 x 43 cm) by a monk called Rafail, with 104 religious scenes and 650 miniature figures and 12 years in the making. Hardly surprising that Rafail lost his sight in the process. No photographs allowed however.

The rear entrance to Rila Monastery
The rear entrance to Rila Monastery

First, we are told no, then the lady at the cash desk picks up her phone, puts it down again and says “30 minutes”. By that time our mini-bus will have left. Disappointed we didn’t ask earlier, we go and wait for our bus which soon appears.

The fountain and frescoes on the church
The fountain and frescoes on the church

One and a half hours later, our guide tells us we are nearing Boyana Church and that two large coach-loads are expected. If we want to get in before them (only 12 people are allowed in the church at a time for a maximum of 15 minutes), we have to hurry. He collects our entrance fee (10 lev per person) and when we arrive, he buys our tickets and takes us down to the little church.

The leafy approach to Boyana Church
The leafy approach to Boyana Church

There are three churches, each joining onto the other, built in the 10th to 11th, 13th and  early 19th centuries. The frescoes are all from the 14th century. To quote a UNESCO review of this World Heritage site, those painted in 1259 “possess a rare freedom, realism, harmony in the proportions, liveliness and warmth that already foresaw the birth of the Italian Renaissance. The site is one of the most complete and perfectly preserved monuments of east European mediaeval art.”

The three churches that form Boyana
The three churches that form Boyana with the most recent on the left and oldest on the right

The faces are extremely expressive and the figures include Sebastocrator Kaloyan and his wife Desislava who commissioned the 13th century extension and the frescoes. Our party didn’t choose a guided visit, but I definitely recommend you to do so. As usual, photos of the interior were not allowed, but the website Pravoslavieto has excellent illustrations and descriptions.

This is definitely our best day in Bulgaria so far.

Traventuria Ltd., 45 Veslets Str., 1202 Sofia, BULGARIA, 0035924890884 (Monday – Friday, 08:30 – 16:30 CET), Fax: 0035924917352, www.traventuria.com, info@traventuria.com
 
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