Judy – Page 4 – Dear Liza

Old Toulouse

June 19

Dear Liza,

It keeps getting hotter here in Toulouse, so we are limiting our time outside. This afternoon we managed to have a very warm (but really interesting) afternoon in Le Musée de Vieux Toulouse.

This museum, like so many others, is housed in an ‘hotel particulier”, a mansion once owned by a rich, influential family. It is smaller and more modest than some, but I thought it was charming.

It has a few Roman relics, like this lovely hunk of someone’s mosaic floor. There are some carvings and columns, but I get the feeling that the real good stuff is at a fancier museum.

Between the fall of Rome in 500 and the rise of the merchant class, there’s not much on display. People were too busy just making a living.

But once money started flowing into the city from trade in silk, woad, and farm goods, art and architecture started to thrive. It is really interesting to see a painting almost 100 years old that shows the original towers down by the Canal du Midi. I took a picture of these copies a few days ago. As you can see, the neighborhood has changed a bit.

And this painting of St. Sernin Cathedral is painted from almost the same angle as my photo.

A few changes, I grant you…

The folks at the Musée were very patient with me, answering my clumsy French questions slowly.

I have been practicing reading in French, both in museums and in my translated Agatha Christie novels, and it is really paying off! I was able to read this bit about Jules Léotard, the son of a local gymnastics teacher, who was the inventor of the ‘flying trapeze’ that we see at the circus.

Here is a piece of popular music that was written about him, after he was famous and then became a famous cyclist, participating in the newly popular long distance bike races.

And that’s what I learned today!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Chilling Out with Art

June 18

Dear Liza,

When the weather gets hot, we head for art museums! This strategy has kept us well and happy in every city we have been to. We learn something, too, so that’s always nice.

Today, our goal was the Fondation Bemberg, a five minute walk away, housed in a ‘hotel particulier’ (a mansion) built by Pierre d’ Assezat (1500-1581). Many years later, Georges Bemberg, (1915-2011) amassed an impressive art collection and needed a place to put it. The hotel particulier was in need of repair and financing.

And an art museum was born!

As is the case in most museums, the classical works are on the lower floors. So we passed “ A Party os Asses” ,

what looked like Pedro Pascal posing as Zeus,

and one of the few works by a woman, Elisabeth Louise Vigée-Le Brun,

before we got to the Impressionists and their friends on the third floor.

There, much to Auntie Bridgett’s delight, was an entire room full of Pierre Bonnard’s paintings… Thirty One in all. My favorite was called “En Bateau”, because I want to take a dachshund out in a rowboat. You can tell she is just waiting for someone to come row for her.

Bridgett has so many favorites she couldn’t decide, but she really loves this one, called “Le Moulin Rouge or Place Blanche.”

And Grandpa Nelson’s favorite piece is Mary Cassatt’s “Portrait of a Young Woman in a White Hat.”

And of course, the pointillists were there. I like them because they remind me of quilting, of making a whole out of smaller bits. Paul Signac‘s “Pink Almonds in Bloom” was my favorite today.

And now that your eyes are full, I’ll say good night and write you some more tomorrow.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Street Art

June 17

Dear Liza,

I have managed to catch a cold, and am stuck inside for a day or two here in Toulouse, feeling lousy. I’m not going to try and write much. Instead, I will show you some of the street art from Lyon, Montpellier, Arles, and Toulouse.

I don’t know how much there originally was to this poster. What she’s wearing is called a Liberty Cap, or Phrygian Cap. I think she’s fierce, there on a wall by the Roman Arena in Arles.

Montpellier has some talented collage artists running around!

I took this picture for Ruthie… Lyon really likes giraffes!

We’ve only been here in Toulouse for a few days, but I found these odd bits of cast metal window hardware. Someone has decided their clown faces needed highlighting. Weird, huh?

More for the outside world, tomorrow (fingers crossed).

Love,

Grandma Judy

The Canal du Midi

June 15

Dear Liza,

When Auntie Bridgett and I were studying French with Shawn Quiane at Hartnell Community College, I did a report on the Canal du Midi.

I was fascinated by the 17th century construction, which allowed French shipping to travel from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean without going past Spain. Since Spain and France were often at war, this was a really good idea.

Grandpa Nelson, being a history buff AND a transit geek, really wanted to see it, too, and there are actual boat tours that take you on the bit that goes through Toulouse. He got us tickets.

Of course, life always is more complicated than you think, and after a morning of site-seeing, we found ourselves dashing onto the A line Metro, hopping off at Jean Jaurès, and getting help from a wonderfully expressive Security Guard. A long, stuffy ride in a cross-town bus, and Voila! There was Le Capitole, our tour boat, tied up at Port L’Embouchure.

Turns out, we needn’t have hurried. Several dozen school kids made for slow boarding. Lots of noise, too, but we sat out on the front deck. Very warm, but hey, we had hats.

And once the boat got underway, all the nuisances were forgotten. We were quietly (mostly quietly, remember; a boat full of kids) gliding down a smooth green water highway, on water borrowed from the Garonne River.

On our cruise, we went through three locks, which are mechanical arrangements that allow boats in water to travel uphill. I would not be able to explain it here… take a few minutes, Google it, and come back.

Grandpa and I were quietly geeking out. This very construction carried silk from Toulouse to the Med for trade in the 1600s. When the U.S. was still a new set of British Colonies, boats were running on this canal.

Still, by the time we reached our destination and got off the boat at Port Saint Sauveur, we were thirsty, hungry and hot! We stopped at a market for juice, water, chips and snacks, and found a shady bench in the Jardin Rond to rehydrate. When we were ready, we footed it across town back to our apartment for a long rest, fine dinner, and a peaceful evening.

Thanks, 17th Century engineers!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Into Toulouse

June 13

Dear Liza,

We had a long travel day getting from Montpellier to Toulouse. Our 1:05 train was delayed, then delayed again, then finally cancelled and a new one installed.

When the train finally arrived, it was old…I haven’t found a picture of it online to get a date, but it had been sitting outside for a while. The seats and tray tables were real metal, and the windows had curtains. There were only a few electrical outlets in each car, rather than one-at-each-seat in modern trains. And there was a definite wobble which pitched us back and forth as we walked up the aisle. This was vintage French train travel.

BUT we got free boxed dinners, since we had been delayed through dinnertime, and we got where we were going. We rode west from Montpellier along the coast, then cut into the hills past Carcassone, across the Canal du Midi, and into Toulouse.

The weather was cooler, which was a blessed relief, and we all felt a sense of “I’m gonna like it here!”

As we walked up the Rue Jean Jaurès towards our apartment, we passed neighborhood parties, fountains dedicated to Occitanie poets, shade trees, and gardens.

And by the time we had a salad and milkshake at the Café Albert and made our way up yet another antique stairway to our rented apartment, we were ready to be Home Sweet Home.

Another Adventure tomorrow, I guarantee it!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Living Architecture

June11

Dear Liza,

Just when we thought we’d seen all Montpellier had to offer, we stumbled across a thirteen-piece set of art installations placed all over the Old City.

Called Festival des Architectures Vives, this festival has run for 6 days every June since 2010. It invites architects from all over the world to create site specific installations on a certain theme. The art is installed in the courtyards of the ancient mansions of the Old City, behind grand doors that are usually closed.

The theme this year was “La Gourmandise”, which in English translates to gluttony. That is not accurate, however, because in French it just refers to the eating we do that is above what is needed for survival. You know, eating something just because it is tasty, or pretty, or fun.

Some of the pieces, like the cherry pie made of bouncy balls, are meant to be interacted with, and were, as we watched. Others, like the hundreds of antique spoons laid into sand, are most definitely “hands off”.

We found some pieces more engaging than others, and the secret was… no big surprise, The People! Each piece was explained by several local architecture students, and those who were enthusiastic made their piece more interesting. Those who spoke some English or were willing to engage with our bumpy French were also wonderful.

The piece I found the most thought provoking was called The Last Cheeseburger, and was a small room built of lumber and lined with empty water bottles representing the amount of water it takes to create a cheeseburger, from raising the beef to baking the bun, growing and preparing the pickles, lettuce, all the rest.

Inside the room is a cheeseburger on a plinth and covered with a bell jar. This represents the last cheeseburger made, using the last drop of water. It brings into relief the need to make wise choices about what we eat, for the health of our planet.

I am so glad we found this amazing art scavenger hunt! It let us meet some lovely people and see another side to this interesting city.

Next stop: Toulouse!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Day Trip to the Romans Part 2

June 9

Dear Liza,

By the time we got to Arles, it was lunchtime, and we know better than to skip lunch. Fortunately, we found Le France, a wonderful café with outdoor seating under the plane trees. Bridgett and I shared a chèvre chaud salade avec toasts. This is a generous pile of greens, mushrooms, tomatoes, basalmic vinegar, and rounds of toast with warm goat cheese on them.

It was wonderful, and it even left us room for dessert! We splurged, with a tiny chocolate lava cake, tiramisu, and crème brûlée shared between us. Oh, and coffee to finish the meal (and give us jet fuel for the adventure ahead.)

We walked through the city’s medieval walls and up the delightful Rue de Voltaire. Grape vines, wisteria, ivy, and star jasmine climbed up to balconies and made the whole street look like a painting and smell wonderful.

And right smack in the middle of town was the Roman Arena! Begun in 90 A.D, it was the scene for gladiator games and other violent ‘entertainment’. Being a firm believer in cognitive dissonance, I can hate the games and admire the architecture.

And I do!

This arena could hold 20,000 people, had bathrooms to accommodate them and efficient corridors that could clear the whole place quickly. It is still standing, and still in use, today. The electricity was being updated for the upcoming bull fighting season.

The most surprising thing I learned about the Arena was that in 1822, when France decided the Arena should be restored and maintained, the first thing they had to do was get the people living in it to move out! Apparently, in the lawlessness that followed the collapse of the Roman Empire around 500 A.D., folks moved into the arena and built houses, like a walled village. And their kids stayed, and they built more houses.

A few blocks up from the Arena was the Theater. It has suffered more from “recycling”, with only the first tier of its seats still in place. It is missing the wall behind the stage and all the decorated pillars but two that made it up the decorated back wall of the stage.

But this is still being used, as well, as you can see by the sound equipment being installed for summer concerts.

Closer to the Rhône are the ruins of Emperor Constantine’s thermal baths, but we saw them at a trot as we hurried to the train station for our trip home.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Day Trip to the Romans Part 1

June 8

Dear Liza,

Another transit adventure! “Since we’ve come all this way,” as Bridgett is fond of saying, we decided to take a day trip from Montpellier to Arles. It only takes an hour or so, and since we were traveling without our giant luggage, we had a quick, easy trip.

Just kidding!

Our train from Montpellier was so late getting to Avignon that we missed our connection and had to wait for the next train, an hour later. Well, heck.

Except that the medieval wall of Avignon was DIRECTLY across the street from the train station! So, off we went.

Just inside, we found a cathedral (which was being used as the Tourism Office) and the connected botanical garden, which was being watered and cared for in the rapidly rising temperatures.

We enjoyed a stroll under the big leafy plane trees (which, I’m discovering, make every city more livable), some art I still need to research, and then it was time to head back to the station. Arles was just one stop down the line.

More tomorrow!

Love,

Grandma Judy

The Montpellier Zoo

June 8

Dear Liza,

It just keeps getting warmer here in Southern France, but we are determined to get out and see the sights. Grandpa Nelson invited me along on his “Gotta See the Zoo” transit outing, so I went.

We made sure to take cold water and snacks, found the tram stop down by the triangular shaped Square Planchon, and headed off. The tram took us up to the University of Sciences and Letters, and from there we caught a bus up into the hills. The dry hills and low trees felt like Toro Park in Monterey, California.

When we had left housing developments behind, we found the Zoo. The first enclosure is a generous aviary housing Red Ibis, South American birds that are the color plastic flamingoes only dream of being.

After that, though, the paths and the enclosures felt more like a rough draft of a zoo. The paths were unpaved roads and the signs were vague about distances and actual zoo animals along the way. The enclosures were full of trees and high grass, making it nearly impossible to see many of the critters. We passed cheetahs, emus and gazelles enclosures,, with nary an animal in sight.

There were lots of families with small kids, and it was fun trying to eavesdrop on their conversations. By The Tower (which I can’t find any online info about), there was a cold water spigot and lots of shady benches and tables, which kept everyone rested and hydrated.

Luckily, there were Grandpa’s favorites, the giraffes. We visited with them and the rhinos for a bit, and then headed back out. Some cold Orangina and potato chips from the snack shop renewed our will to live, and we caught the bus, then tram, home.

It wasn’t the adventure we expected, but an adventure all the same.

Love,

Grandma Judy

To the Med!

June 7

Dear Liza,

Montpellier is only about five miles from the Mediterranean Sea, and once Grandpa Nelson got the transit figured out, we had an adventure day.

We caught the Number 3 tram south. Montpellier has pretty much the same ticket-buying machines as Lyon, and I was able to help this fellow with his purchase. Bright reflections play havoc with screens!

We enjoyed the views of the city as the tram wound through business areas out to the suburbs, which were filled with parking lots, fast traffic and big box stores with names like Flunch and But.

Yep. Flunch. But.

But, of course, things can’t go absolutely perfectly the first time, and we ended up on the wrong leg of the tram line, in a place called Latte Centre. After a loud, barely coherent conversation with a bus driver, we realized our mistake, backtracked, and got on the right leg to get us to Perols, by the Etaing de l’Or.

An Etaing is a lagoon, and this part of the coast has lots of them, formed by barrier islands. They are shallow, buggy wetlands between the mainland and the actual beach.

At the end of the tram line, we needed to catch a bus…. But which bus? There was a lot of thinking and looking at maps. Figuring things out together is something we do pretty well. The bus arrived, Grandpa’s E-ticket worked, and we got to Palavas Les Flots, a little seaside village.

It felt a lot like Hermosa Beach, California, with small, square houses on tiny lots, all set along a narrow road running parallel to the beach. Towards the center of town, taller hotels and apartments march along by Cafés, restaurants and souvenir shops. Nearer the harbor, fishing boats tie up, waiting for the next days’ work.

Among the delightful surprises of the day was this statue of aviator and author Antoine St. Exupery and his most beloved creation, The Little Prince. The level of artistry was a bit disappointing, but, as the Prince understood, “what is essential is invisible to the eyes.”

We found Restaurant Barisano and enjoyed a restful, tasty lunch, and then went to put our feet in the Sea!

Being on a warm beach reminded Grandpa and me of when we were dating, and it was lovely just to sit and watch seagulls, kids playing, and boats coming and going.

We walked, snacked, looked at shops and one odd little church, and eventually realized that we had all had too much sun and ought to head home. The bus and tram got us back to town, where Auntie Bridgett got dinner started and we all lived to tell the tale.

And that’s the Adventure report for today.

Love,

Grandma Judy