Marseille .......boats and more boats

Thursday 11th May

We farewelled Arles and headed for a Musee that we had been told was interesting: the Musee de Camargue. The Camargue is an area of delta that lies between the two branches of the Rhone river as they flow into the sea. The result is country that is compromised by the presence of salt and fresh water, and a lot of it. So it takes a special kind of person to live in the mud and desolation, and that's what the Musee was about. It is also famous for the flamingoes ( not that we saw any at the Musee as they had more sense than to stand around in the strong winds!) and white ponies which are short and stocky. There seems to be a bit of tension around the area between those who treasure the past and those wanting to progress, but clearly those involved in the Musee were for keeping the old ways..

The weather looked foul and Ewan looked at the forecast which said 20 degrees and scoffed at my jacket saying "We're going to a Museum, you'll be inside!" It's always challenging trying to anticipate how to dress and what you will be doing, I have to say. This visit was a very good example of that!

A reed boat for using on the canals

So we drove through flat water-soaked countryside and down a small country lane and found the Musee in an old-fashioned barn. The displays were all about the people of the past, their national dress and how they managed to survive given all of the challenges. Then there are dirt roads that you're directed to walk down to see the pumping station, the rice fields, the pastures and the fishing canal.

Pumping station for managing the water supply

The main produce here is rice, wine salt and fish. The rice fields were paddocks full f mud as there was none planted and we didn't see any vines growing but apparently they sit in water too.,The Musee 'experience' was to walk past desolate pastures as you can see in the photos. With the wind blowing a gale and black clouds gathering I left Ewan behind and headed off for a brisk walk, His knees don't allow him to walk fast and my legs hate going slowly, so I farewelled him and headed off for nearly an hour striding around the bleak landscape.A rather different Museum experience!

I managed to avoid the rain. but as soon as we headed for Marseille down it came. Ewan had worked out that a car ferry ride would take us to Marseille quicker than the highway,s so we headed for Port St Louis, The town was closed up for the two hour lunch break (!) but we eventually found a cafe decorated with very pink flamingoes and butterflies for lunch. Surprisingly there was lots of sushi on the menu which seemed very unlikely in this quiet town.

The car ferry ride took about 5 minutes and cost 6 Euros but saved hours of driving. Enroute to Marseille we spotted huge container gantries and oil storage buildings, and encountered lots of huge truck which wasn't fun in the rain. But by the time we reached Marseille only an hour away ( beautifully navigated by me: I only got yelled at once!) the sun was shining,

It's a HUGE city, second biggest in France, so we headed for the old port (Port Vieux) after finding our hotel and working out the metro and tram systems. It was full of people and felt very multicultural wiht people from everywhere and skins of every colour. In one short walk I heard Arabic, and Jewish conversations as well as languages spoken by a range of tourists. Every type of clothing from skimpy western clothing to fashionable French to a range of hijabs. It certainly is very vibrant and lively

Fantastic mirrored roof over a community space 

The Port is very picturesque with hundreds of boats moored and mountains framing it so we wandered around trying to get our bearings and find dinner.

I was determined to have bouillabaisse, as it is the signature dish of Marseille and Ewan had mussels, as seafood is a must here. The bouillabaisse was very rich brown fish stock - very tasty- with some mussels and three types of fish. Our meals were served with a bowl of grated cheese and some bright orange  mayonnaise. We were totally bewildered as to what to do with it! the waiter showed us how to spread some of the mayonnaise on a piece of toasted bread and float it in the soup before eating it: quite delicious!

Plenty to do on the morrow so home to bed!







Friday 12th May

Today was 'get to know Marseille' day and somehow I agreed to head for the Notre Dame Basilica  first. In all of the photos of the port you will see in the distance a church on the top of a very steep hill, so in Ewan's mind it was the equivalent of a citadel ( see previous posts about Ewan's obsession with citadels). We were hoping that there was a tram or a funicular or some form of transport that would get us there but as there were none we decided to walk. It was a very steep climb, notable because there were NO OTHER TOURISTS doing the same. That's always a bad sign.

 By the time we climbed the last set of stairs we were all but run over by a damn tourist train filled with happy smiling people (which I wasn't by this stage!). Let me just say - there were hundreds of tourists oohing and aaahing and not one of them had climbed the bloody hill as we did. We collapsed inside on a pew to meditate on the beauty of the church (as it really was beautiful) but, in truth, it was to recover from the climb and rest our already weary legs.

 Inside the church there were models of ships and boats hanging from the ceiling and some life saving rings attached to the wall, amongst all of the gilt and beautifully painted ceilings and domes. Clearly it has a special meaning to the sailors who depart the port. It was at one stage turned into a fort because of its location so that was an interesting combination.
The stripes and colours reminded me of the mesquite in Cordoba and apparently the architecture is neobyzantine

You can just see some of the boats hanging from the ceiling

The old and the very new!

On the way down we managed to catch the public bus and it took us all of the way around the port to a complex consisting of old fort buildings and ultra modern new buildings that were really stunning. Oh, and I almost forgot, another enormous Cathedral! Both of the churches had been built in the 18th Century predominantly so obviously that was a wealthy period for Marseille.
This complex is called the Musee of European and Mediterranean Civilisation - a very grand title indeed. I was expecting some sort of history but there are temporary exhibitions  and the history is actually the old buildings that guarded the entrance to the port, which was very small and very well-defended.

I loved this effect in the casual seating area

One of the exhibitions was a photographic exhibition created by a woman who had spent time in some of the local war 'hotspots' for the past couple of decades. They were bleak photos of the Gaza, Palestine, Jerusalem, Lebanon, Eritrea and Yemen all along the theme of the destruction war causes. Very moving.
The other exhibition was about recycling but very interesting and well-presented. They even had a machine that demonstrated how rubbish is sorted so it can be recycled, and some interesting stories from rubbish collectors around the world. Some interesting diagrams showed the countries who take particular types of materials eg iron, aluminium, paper etc and China featured very strongly.

Desperate for lunch we had a quick look at the Cathedral and headed for La Panier, the local sailors district, now filled with cafes, art studios and narrow streets.

Revived we headed for our last visit : a Musee called Musee Cantina, which features glass, they have a group of 17 glassblowers who experiment and produce fabulous pieces of glasswork which we enjoyed (but our legs didn't as they were worn out with all of the walking!) We decided to beat a hasty retreat home to rest, although I did manage a very quick peruse in Galeries Lafayette.

These orange discs had intricate drawings in them that you could only see in the right light so they took some work to appreciate! 

My favourite colour!

Too tired to go out for dinner I bought a warm baguette and some cheese and ham and we happily devoured that before an early night.

your recuperating correspondent

Dianne



  

Arles - Part two!

Well using Blogspot is a nightmare as you can see by the way in which it limits displaying photos properly, and yesterday it completely lost the plot and the formatting made it impossible to write a sentence. According to Ewan Google bought Blogspot but don't care about it, which might explain why it is so ordinary to use. Will have to find a better alternative  but in the meantime will soldier on and keep my fingers crossed that it doesn't go crazy again.

The rooftops of Arles and the Rhone river

So Arles has turned out to be a beautiful old town and we are literally living in the middle of it.
After we purchased our Arles Tourist Pass we set out to use it wisely. We get 4 monuments, 2 Museums and discounts on other places of interest.







Monument One:

After wandering around trying to see where everything is we decided to visit the Cryptoportiques - great word isn't it? We went down stairs under the Town Hall and entered a series of damp dark caverns with dripping water and lots of arches separating each space. We still haven't worked out exactly what it was used for but apparently it has been here since Roman times. Would have been perfect for storing wine but completely empty now.
 Walked past the Roman baths, and the Roman theatre, or the ruins thereof ,and decided not to go in until we had checked out our other Monument options.

Just wandering the streets is interesting as there are lots of Atelier shops . This indicates hand-made or artisan goods and here includes ceramics, hand-knitted vests, some home stores, local goodies, wines and all sorts of bits and pieces ( most of which won't fit in my bag).

Our living room: very nice!

After moving into our new abode (see photos of view from 2nd floor apartment!) we took the recommendation of our host and headed for the most non-tourist section of town. It's an area that has been populated for centuries by the sailor,s traders and workers who work on the boats on the Rhone river, on which the town is built.

For future reference - Airbnb - very nice place in the historic centre of Arles - host is Yann

We found a modest Bar on the outskirts and enjoyed grilled fish with fantastic crisp chips, and tarte tatin ( apple tart) for dinner.

Wednesday 10th May
First exciting activity of the day was ....going to the Laundromat. We tried to go last night but we arrived at 7.55pm and it closed at 8pm. Not good timing!

Equipped with lots of coins and a huge bag of washing we headed for the laundromat or laverie. First problem was that the detergent machine was empty so I headed off to buy some. In the meantime Ewan made friends wiht a delightful French woman who gave him some detergent and helped him understand the instructions. I returned to find them happily chatting ( her English was very good!) and the washing merrily churning away. She had an interesting family background and was very interested in genealogy so the discussion passed some time. After she left we deposited 3 Euros into the machine for the dryer as the instructions said (or so we thought) and left to find a coffee.

We had a lovely half an hour weaving our way through lots of tiny alleyways and lanes in the sailors area. the houses were stone and many had flower boxes and faded coloured wooden shutters. The houses are old and look as if they have seen better days but the streets have a real charm and are filled wiht the families who live there.

Then we were in trouble!!  Returning to the laundromat we were met by a French woman who spoke rapid French and gesticulated wildly about the fact that we were supposed to stay and put 50 cents into the machine every 5 minutes, not put 3 Euros in and leave. So our money had been returned and she had been putting it in every 5 minutes whilst we strolled around. We thanked her profusely and she calmed down and was very nice. Phew! Two examples of very kind helpful Frenchwomen.
I'm seriously considering writing a book about surviving laundromats in Europe: they are a never ending source of entertainment and a great chance to meet the locals.

The main reason we are in Arles is because this is where Van Gogh spent quite a few years and painted some of his best-known works. So the first port of call this morning was the Foundation Van Gogh. It currently has 8 original paintings by Van Gogh, but hosts special exhibitions and at the moment it is a large exhibition of paintings by Alice Neel, an American woman.

The Van Goghs were beautiful and my favourite was one of some olive trees. Lovely to see the originals I have to say. The beauty of the light and the detail is lost when you see these images in tea towels, mugs, umbrellas and every form of souvenir imaginable..

I wasn't familiar with Alice Neel's work but her paintings are stunning: the faces and emotions beautifully captured and she leaves the rest of the painting unfinished to let you'r imagination do the rest. These were some of my favourites.

Museum One: Museum Reattu

It's the local regional Musee so has a range of paintings, both ancient and modern, and photography and sculpture. Quite a mixture but some lovely pieces.
It did include some Picasso drawings and some lovely pieces painted by Andre Reattu after whom the Musee is named. I particularly liked some drawings by Christian LaCroix, the fashion icon, but as usual there was some art neither of us could fathom!

Ewan trying to decide what this piece was all about?!

Monument Two:

The Cloisters  of Saint Trophime: pretty and old. have been carefully restored so you can enjoy the detailed carvings in the capitals of the columns

Monument Three:
The Roman Amphitheatre which is still used today for events but commenced building in 1st century AD. Still impressive although about to be completely reconstructed. Unlike others we've seen this one had actually included four towers for defence purposes.
It has no seating left because centuries ago when it was no longer used it became a stone quarry and much of the stone was taken to build housing. Every large monument we have seen has, at some time in it's history befallen the same fate. Certainly costs a lot when you want to rebuild it now!

It;s still used for events , concerts, festivals etc and the Camargue version of bullfighting.

Monument Four:

Ewan checking out the contents of a sarcophagus: 

The  Roman Necropolis which consisted of a long avenue filled with many Roman sarcophagi made from substantial blocks of stone.

Van Gogh's painting of the Necropolis : a copy is located in the exact spot where he painted it.

Four monuments seen!! Yay! And tomorrow we will visit the Museum of the Camargue on our way to Marseilles so we will have done all we needed to do for the Arles Pass.

But wait: there's more! In a fit of enthusiasm yesterday at the Tourist Office we booked ourselves in for a Van Gogh tour at 5.30pm today. Fortunately we were the only ones doing the tour so we had the guide, Anne, to ourselves. We tramped around all of the key points in town related to Van Gogh's time here, which was only a couple of years.

The story goes that he was on a train to Marseille and Africa to paint in pure sunshine and blue skies, as light was his obsession. The train was halted at Arles because of a rare snowstorm and he was forced to disembark. Then he realised that the light was very pure in Arles and so he didn't go any further. His output was prolific whilst here and there are 9 of his paintings dotted around town in the locations where he painted them.

 It was also the time when he became unwell and cut off his ear and went to Hotel Dieu, the public hospital. I have no doubt, on hearing more details about his life, that he had schizophrenia but that's not an interesting story.
He died at the age of 37 having sold one painting in his entire life. Very sad.

By the end of the tour we were totally exhausted and headed for home. We revived slightly when we came across an Artisan patisserie selling local cakes.

Note the little sprig of lavender in the middle of the tart!

So we bought a lavender tart (this is Provence of course!) and a sable de Provence, a delicious almond and caramel slice. As for the lavender tart Ewan commented that it smelt like toilet freshener , and it was a bit too fragrant......but we ate it anyway and had an early night. Rest day must be on the cards soon I think!

your art critic and Roman expert correspondent

Dianne

Sur le Pont D'Ávignon

Tuesday 9th May

One of the challenges of travelling is to allocate the days to stay in a place and not have too much, or too little to do and see. So today we set off for Arles, but on the way we went to Avignon as we don't have time to stay in both places. It was a good call we decided at the end of the day.

There are two main features of Avignon and one is related to the well-known song 'Sur le Pont D'Avignon'.

We set off early after being farewelled by our AirBnB host Patrick with fresh croissants and a bottle of rose!
Avignon was only 30 kms away so we barely had time to admire the trees, hills and vines (yes still more of them!) before we were entering the old town. In our experience the phrase 'the old town' equates with 'there will be no parking and lots of narrow one way streets whilst you look for it'! And Avignon was no exception, as it is an old walled town definitely not built when cars were in existence, and how carts ever moved around I don't know! We decided to do the easy thing and go to a paid car park. Life is too short to be squeezing through lanes and alleyways you aren't familiar with, I can tell you.

The main attraction of Avignon which is set on the Rhone river, is the Palais des Papes (the Palace of the Popes). For nearly seventy years in the 14th Century nine popes lived in Avignon. Each of them added to the buildings so it is a fascinating mish mash of rooms and turrets and huge walls. Competition was tough to see what could be added I think! And it must have cost a fortune in those days. We enjoyed the audio guide and carefully followed the signs so we didn't get lost.

In some of the historical places we have visited there has been some very modern statues - some ghastly and some stunning - and this was no exception as you can see. I liked these, but the very first piece of sculpture we came across was a huge wire gorilla: not sure I could see the relevance of that!

The Palace has some absolutely stunning brightly-coloured frescoes in a tiny chapel, by Matteo Giovanetti. I particularly liked them because the characters seemed to be based on real people with appropriate facial expressions instead of the usual vague esoteric expressions in most religious paintings. There was a group of angels in blue welcoming a Saint to heaven, and the last one had a particularly grumpy expression on her face and her arms crossed. I looked for a postcard, as no photos were allowed, and found one, but her grumpy face had been cut out of the photo and the three smiling angels left in! Very funny!

The Cathedral was next door, with a golden Virgin Mary at the very top and a rather gruesome crucifixion statue out the front. I limit myself to one church per day whilst travelling, so I attempted to get in to have a look but it was closed . So sad.

The other not-to-be-missed attraction was, of course, the Pont D'Avignon so that we could sing and dance on it. Well....not really. It had been all but washed away by the raging Rhone River and during the 15th Century when there was prolonged periods of ice and cold. But it has been half built as it doesn't actually reach across the river. It does still contain the chapel to Saint Benezet who had a vision to build the bridge and the chapel, or so the story goes.

Then we headed for Arles where we will stay for a couple of nights.  In a nutshell we are here because this is where Vincent van Gogh lived and painted many of his most famous works. We went to the centre of the old town again - we are gluttons for punishment. We parked and had a coffee to work out where our next AirBnB apartment was....and it was one minute away so that was clever. A trip to the Tourist Office, to sort out what to see, has got us organised
Will have to finish this blog as the formatting is playing up: Blogspot is a nightmare sometimes  Part 2 to follow!!