Italy, Lifestyle, Paris, Travelling, Uncategorized

Cameras I Have Known

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Writing last week’s post about my genuine Italian fresco made me nostalgic for Italy. We won’t be going there this year as we often do because we’re going to Australia for 5 weeks in September and have run out of holidays. Such a pity because I love Italy. First, I love the language and get a kick out of trying to speak it even though I can’t really hold a conversation. Second, it’s much warmer than France – particularly this year ! – and third, I love the lifestyle. There’s also the wine and the food and the endless choice of beautiful places to visit …

Hills of Umbria taken from our bedroom one summer  – you can see Relationnel’s foot!

Back in another life, I went to Rome and Sardinia and spent a couple of weeks with friends in Umbria when the kids were little. The places I visited are a bit of a blur. It was before the days of digital cameras and before we started our travel diary. My printed photos haven’t been sorted for so  long now that I have to rifle through endless packets to find some dimly remembered scene! It’s wonderful now to be able to match the date on a photo on my computer with  a diary entry. I’m a little disappointed at the quality of my early photos though.

 

Taken from the edge of the same property, but with my finger on the left!

I’m not one of those people who knows all about settings and photographic techniques. I like to be able to whip out the camera immediately and catch what I see. So the important thing is to have a good camera! And one that’s not too fragile either. My first digital camera, a gift from my children on a big birthday in 2003, gave up the ghost  when a screw came loose from being jogged about in my bike bag and sand got in. Just when I’d got out of the habit of putting my finger over the lens when taking photos too …

The same photo without the finger after using Photoshop

Relationnel then bought himself a very good camera that I use all the time. It’s small and compact and has an excellent Leica lens. However, I’ve broken the spring on the zoom because if I put it back in the case each time I finish using it, it takes too long to get it out when I need it. So most of the time, it lives in my hand bag or the pocket of my jacket or coat. It seems the lens is scratched too …

I’ve also been using an iPhone 3G which does well when there’s plenty of light but isn’t so great the rest of the time. It has the great advantage however of being quick and discreet to use and hard to damage! And now I’ve swapped to a 4S iPhone which has a much better camera. Black Cat showed me what she can do with hers and I was very impressed.

From the rooftops of Paris taken with Leica lens

 

Another great advantage of digital photos of course is that you can use software to improve them. A few years ago, I learnt to use Photoshop which produces wonderful results even if you only know the basics as I do. You can get a Photoshop phone app as well. I love Instagram too. It’s a phone app that enables you to cut and play around with your photos a bit then post them on twitter and facebook at the same time. You can also use it to send them by email.

Waiting for the fireworks on Bastille Day taken with my iPhone 4S

The latest addition to my electronic imaging equipment is an iPad which I won, would you believe! As an encouragement to purchase their PDF Converter software, which I consider is the best on the market, Nuance ran a competition with iPads as prizes. Fortunately, one of the winners didn’t claim theirs and I was the runner-up. How’s that for luck? I’ve compared the rooftop photos taken with the iPhone 4S and the iPad and they seem very similar. The big advantage of the iPad is that you have a better idea of the final result, but it’s not very portable!

So tell me what sort of camera you like to use and share your tips and apps

Saint Petersburg, Travel photos

Sunday’s Travel Photos – Saint Petersburg: Architecture

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Last week, I posted photos of Saint Petersburg but after a reader’s comment, I realised that I hadn’t included much of the city’s architecture. Most of the buildings today are neoclassical built, in the second half of the 18th century after the Commission of Stone Buildings of Moscow and Saint Petersburg, established in 1762, decreed that no structure in the city could be higher than the Winter Palace and prohibited spacing between buildings. The result is an extremely harmonious whole which I personally find somewhat overwhelming and massive, very similar to Vienna in fact. But I have chosen the buildings I found the most attractive. You’ll notice that the most popular colours are yellow and green.

Saint Catherine of Alexandria Church

 

 

Hermitage Museum from side street (see caryatids)
Kazan Cathedral
Saint Petersburg State University
Mariinsky Theatre (Kirov Ballet)
French customs, Paris

Bastille Day or 14th July

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Outside of France, everyone celebrates “Bastille Day” while the French call it “le quatorze juillet” (14th July). The very first year I was in France (in 1976, the summer that has gone down in French history as the hotest in a century – this one could well be remembered as the coldest), I celebrated 14th July watching the fireworks on a beach in Biarritz. Unforgettable. And the fireworks have remained  the highlight of France’s national holiday for me every since.

 

Planes flying over the Palais Royal on 14th July 2012

When Leonardo was little, I can remember taking him into Paris to see the fireworks at the Champ de Mars but found the crowds horrendous. After that, we always went to our local fireworks in Fontenay sous Bois, near Vincennes in the east of Paris. To start off with, we could walk there and secondly we could sit down and chat to all our friends. There was a different theme each year and the standard was usually pretty good.

But now that we live in Paris, we have a secret venue. We watch the fireworks from a vantage point on the top of a six-story building. We don’t get to see them close-up of course, but having Paris spread out unhindered before us is pretty exciting. We take our bincoculars of course and in addition to the fireworks next to the Eiffel Tower, we can see others in the distance. But the weather report is not looking good for tomorrow night so we may be staying home …

American blogger Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris has given an excellent run-down today of all the celebrations in Paris. Here’s her post:

Put on your dancing shoes and get ready to boogie down! The official schedule for July 14, 2012. National Day in France.

I took this photo this morning. Do you notice anything different about the Eiffel Tower?

Take a closer look. Those of you who have an acute sense of observation and were alive in the 1970s and early 80s will probably recognize that big sphere as a disco ball. That’s right! Paris is getting ready to boogie down to the tunes of “It’s Raining Men”, “YMCA” and “I Will Survive” when it celebrates National Day on July 14. Put on your platform shoes, bell bottoms and tank tops and join the fun at the Champs de Mars.

Here’s the official schedule, compliments of the Tourist Information Center. Read more

 

Accommodation, Art, Italy, Travelling

My Genuine Italian Fresco

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I told you recently about the beautiful impressionist painting by John Modesitt we have just bought. It is the first oil painting I’ve bought, but I have other original artworks that I am very fond of. One of my favourites (but they’re all my favourites!) is an Italian fresco.

Corte Bebbi

We were in Italy a couple of years ago , almost at the end of a four-week holiday and were staying in a marvellous B&B near Parma called Corte Bebbi. The bedrooms were large and comfortable and beautifully decorated, there was a swimming pool to cool off in, a little kitchen next to our room that we could use, an outside eating area for picnics and grills and a rose-covered terrace for a delicious breakfast. Our hostess, who speaks English, was friendly and extremely helpful. Our only regret was that we didn’t stay there longer!

Entrance to Sabbioneta

One of the places we visited was Sabbioneta, 30 k north of Parma, which reminded us of Vauban in France with its grid layout, a perfect example of practical application of Renaissance urban planning theories founded in the late 16th century and included in the World Heritage List in 2008. Its most interesting monument is the Teatro all’antica (“Theatre in the style of the ancients”) which was the first free-standing, purpose-built theatre in the modern world.

Teatro all’Antica

But the place I enjoyed most was an amazing antique/secondhand dealer on Palazzo Ducale several stories high with the most incredible mixture of real antiques and junk. The owner was more interested in showing people around than selling anything. There was an outside section as well with fountains and stone tables and chairs. He was even selling a clock with twin bells on top and the inscription “Non omnis moriar” – I will not die completely (as in part of me will live on through my poetry or whatever).

Antique Dealer

In the meantime, I had spied a (closed) shop selling frescoes and had asked for one of them as a belated birthday present. We tracked down the owner who came and opened up for us. It is her father who paints the frescoes in the traditional style. A fresco, from the Italian word for fresh, is a form of mural painting in which earth pigments are painted directly on fresh, wet, lime plaster. As the plaster dries, a chemical process bonds the pigment and plaster together. You usually find them on a wall, of course, but they are a bit difficult to transport! Even so, Relationnel was a bit worried about getting it back to France, but we were just able to fit it into the car.

My fresco in the shop

It has not found its rightful place yet although it is currently hanging in our entrance in Paris but one day I’ll find the perfect setting in Closerie Falaiseau, our Renaissance home in Blois!

Corte Bebbi, Azienda Agricola “Conti Morini Mazzoli” CORTE BEBBI – Via Lazzaro Spallanzani, 119 – Barco – 42021 Bibbiano – (RE), Tel. 0522 243056 – Fax 0522 246183 – Cell. 3485606321, http://www.cortebebbi.it/ENG/index.html, – info@cortebebbi.it – P.Iva 01688540358
Accommodation, Belgium, Cycling, France, Sightseeing, Travelling

Liege-Guillemins – Europe’s Most Impressive Railway Station – Fougères and the St. James American Cemetary, Brittany – Cycling the Atlantic Coast: Likes, Dislikes and What I Would Do Differently

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In my bloggers’ round-up this week, we start off in Liège in Belgium with a description of an iconic railway station by Kathy Standford from Femmes Francophiles who also shares her impressions of the Thalys train service. Abby from Paris Weekender then takes us on a trip to Fougères, which is also one of my favourites, discovered by accident on a return trip from Brittany. Experience France by Bike then sums up her recent trip along the Atlantic Coast.

Liège-Guillemins – Europe’s Most Impressive Railway Station

by Kathy Stanford from Femmes Francophiles a fellow Australian and Francophile who is spending 3 months in Europe, based in France

In just over 2 hours after boarding the Thalys train at Gard de Nord in Paris, I arrived in Liège, Belgium at the spectacular Liège-Guillemins station. It has been described as one of the most impressive railway stations in Europe – and I would have to agree. Designed by the Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrava Valls, it was inaugurated in 2009. Nestled against a tree-covered hill, the station is described to be in the shape of a woman lying on her back. It is easy to see why with its steel, glass and white concrete, wavelike structure rises 32 metres and extends 160 metres. Read more.

Fougères and the St. James American Cemetery, Brittany

by Abby from Paris Weekender, a collection of ideas for Paris weekends: staying put and getting out of town

Near the border of Brittany and Normandy in the department of Ile-et-Vilaine (Brittany), equidistant between Rennes and the northern coast, lies the medieval city of Fougères. I had often driven right past Fougères. It’s hard to drive all the way to Brittany and not head straight for the coast. Yet Fougères makes a perfect stop for a few hours on the way to Le Mont-Saint-Michel, Saint-Malo, Dinan or further west. Read more.

Cycling the Atlantic Coast: Likes, Dislikes and What I Would Do Differently

by 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.

Looking back at my recent bicycling trip along the Atlantic Coast of France, the first word that comes to mind is adventure.  This is funny because that really wasn’t what I had in mind as I embarked on this trip!  This was my first trip to explore “La Velodyssee”, the French portion of EuroVelo 1, stretching from Roscoff to the Spanish border and I really had no idea what to expect as far as the route was concerned.  I researched the route thoroughly, knew which deviations I wanted to take, and, like all cyclists, hoped that the weather would cooperate. Read more.

Lifestyle, Loire Valley, Restaurants

The Loire ConneXion Strikes Again!

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Once again, we were in the Loire on the first Friday of the month so were able to attend the Loire ConneXion’s monthly get-together organised by Summer Jauneaud. The last two times, it’s been at The Shaker in Amboise with its exceptional view of the Loire and Amboise castle.

This time, it was in Montrichard, an historical town in Sologne just 5 minutes from Chenonceau, built on a hill next to the Cher River, its keep looming majestically above, which so far we’d only seen in the winter when we went to stay at Yvonne David’s wonderful B&B, Le Moulin du Mesnil. Yvonne’s son Jason, who’s a chef, has just opened a restaurant there called “La Plage”, (the beach), which seemed a little strange to me because the sea is a long way away.

But it really does look like a beach and this year, swimming in the river is even allowed. There had been intermittent rain all day but the evening turned out to be fine. We were able to enjoy our tapas and local sparkling wine (crémant) outside on the terrace with our new neighbours Françoise and Paul and about 40 other English speakers and anglophiles, some of whom I’d already met at other events. Unfortunately, I didn’t check first to see if the chairs were dry before sitting down!

We ate our meal inside and then went outsideagain for dessert and coffee so that we could change groups and mingle.  It’s very interesting to hear how people end up living in France. There’s a real mixture of people like me who have been here for many years (though I pretty much hold the record with 37 years!) and others who came to France because of their spouses or jobs or decided to retire in the Loire for other reasons. Not all speak fluent French.

Next month, we’ll be meeting on the second Friday of the month at Summer’s to attend a production in English written and performed by some of the members’ offspring. Should be a very interesting evening.

If you’re interested in the Loire ConneXion and you’re on Facebook, become my friend (Fraussie Grouet) and I’ll invite you to join the community. If you’re not an FB user, just send me an email and I’ll put you in contact with Summer.

And in the meantime, drop in to La Plage for lunch when you’re visiting Chenonceau or watch the sun set over the river in the evening. Jason speaks English, of course! And Yvonne might be giving a help hand as well.

La Plage, 2 rue de la Plage, 41400 Faverolles sur Cher. 02 54 32 66 08. Open every day. Café, restaurant, ice-cream vendor.  
Cycling, Loire Valley

Cycling to Saint Dye sur Loire

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When we used to live in Fontenay sous Bois, we usually went cycling along the Marne River three or four times a week in the summer. We’d take our bikes to Bry sur Marne on the back of the car then ride down to the old Meunier chocolate factory at Noisiel and back. Most of the way, it’s a bike path with houses on one side and the river on the other and woods at the end. Often we’d take a picnic or stop off for a côte de bœuf at La Pergola. When we moved to Paris, I really missed it.

But we think we’ve found an equivalent near Blois. Today we took our bikes over to the other side of the river about 7 or 8 K from Blois and parked near the bike path which runs along the river banks. The Loire is not like the Marne which is a navigable river and has stabilised banks. The Loire has a lot of sand banks and is mostly untamed. We were surprised to discover that the bike path is tarred and almost like a carpet most of the way!

Cours sur Loire

One of the first places we came to was Menar Castle which were had seen close up from the other side and was not very impressive. But the view from across the river is stunning. Just afterwards was the lovely little village of Cour sur Loire with its castle and church. But Saint Dyé was the highlight of our ride.

Saint Dyé sur Loire

It was once a walled city and has an immense church overlooking the Loire. We rode up into the village and through the quaint little streets with their pretty cottages. We saw a little old lady not a day under 80 outside cutting her Virginia creeper. I hesitated to take a photo but she gave me a toothy grin and said “photo?”. So I didn’t hesitate!

We rode back down to the banks of the Loire and along the old tow path until we came in sight of the Saint Laurent des Eaux nuclear power plant and turned back for obvious reasons. We hadn’t aken a picnic because we didn’t know if there were any tables along the way and after cycling for 20 K, a picnic on the grass is not my idea of comfort. I was rather hoping we’d find a restaurant with a river view of river but the only thing we saw was a bar inside a horse riding school.  I reckon that would be worse than sitting on the grass.

The views as we rode back were quite beautiful. The sun had come out (it was spitting very lightly when we set out) and made the water sparkle. So we decided to go home and picnic in the garden instead.

Art, Saint Petersburg, Travel photos

Sunday’s Travel Photos – Saint Petersburg

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One of my greatest travel dreams was to visit Saint Petersburg to see the paintings from Picasso’s blue period in the Hermitage Museum. I finally got there in July 2007 but only one of his paintings was on display! I actually preferred the Russian Museum, much less crowded with far fewer tourists. I enjoyed discovering Russian art and I adored the museum itself with its beautiful painted rooms. I’ll never forget the midnight sun over the Volga.

Paris

Summer in Paris

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I love staying in Paris in summer because it’s so different from the rest of the year. In one of the my very early posts back in October, I talked about all the things I dislike in winter, so I thought I should tell you what I like in summer.

Ile de la Cité seen from Pont des Arts

First, there are fewer Parisians because of the GREAT EXODUS. The period most people prefer to go away is between mid July and mid August because that’s when you’re likely to have to best weather at the French seaside or in the country. People who leave around 14th July or come back after 15th August also gain a day because they’re both public holidays. There’s a saying too that the weather goes downhill after mid August.

Second, I love being able to go out without a coat or hat or gloves, just putting on sandals, grabbing my bag and iPhone and walking out the door. I feel so much lighter! And if the temperature isn’t as warm as I’d like it to be, I can put on a light jacket and keep it on. I don’t have to keep taking off clothes when I walk into a shop or café. And I usually take an ultra-light Samsonite umbrella  just in case. It’s Paris, after all.

Then, I can sit outside to eat. My very favourite place in summer is Café Diane in the Tuileries Gardens.  The view is the one you can see in my header photo this month. Now isn’t that something? You can stay as long as you like and it’s a pleasant walk there and back. I always feel as though I’m on holidays when I go there. And the sunset over the Louvre is quite spectacular.

We can go for after-dinner strolls, wandering through the Louvre and across the Pont des Arts and have a glass of wine somewhere or maybe call in to say hello to Louise at Café Louise. If we’re feeling really energetic we can go down to Ile Saint Louis and have Bertillon ice-cream. Otherwise, we can go and get a real Italian gelato from rue Montorgueil and eat it in front of Saint Eustache.

During the weekend, there are lots of places to cycle –along the Marne if we don’t have a lot of time or feel like stopping off for dinner at the Pergola, out to Rambouillet forest or to Monet’s garden in Giverny. We just have to put our bikes on the trailer on the back of the car. Sometimes we cycle in Paris itself, along the quays which are car-free on a Sunday, but I prefer to walk the streets of Paris rather than brave the traffic. Though when the famous Paris-Plage is in full swing from mid-July to mid-August, it’s much more difficult to cycle!

La Pergola

I can open the windows of my office during the day and hear the fountain playing below and people’s voices. I don’t feel so cut off from  the rest of the world. The gardens are open until 11 pm so we can go down and sit around the fountain when it’s really hot – believe or not, that can happen sometimes!

The only thing I miss are barbecues but now that we have the house in Blois, I don’t feel so deprived!

La Pergola, 87, promenade Hermann Régnier, 93460 Gournay Sur Marne
Accommodation, Art, Loire Valley

A Painter Comes to Stay

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Closerie Falaiseau was almost ready for rental when I received a phone call from an American and his wife who wanted to stay for nine days, starting just two days later. I was having dinner at L’Embarcadère with Kathy Stanford from Femmes Francophiles. Relationnel had already gone back to Paris to work.  I frantically tried to remember what still had to be done to receive our first guests but it seemed “do-able”.

When John Modesitt and his very charming Japanese wife Toshiko arrived on the Sunday, everything was ready. I showed them around and they immediately loved the house. Toshiko seemed intrigued by the Henri II mirror in the living room  and she also liked the fact that you could see the kitchen through the original oak beams.  John loved all the wood everywhere. He mentioned to Kathy that he “painted” but it was not until a few days later that I discovered that he is a well-known American impressionist artist and the only living impressionist to auction in Christie’s impressionist auction.

Relationnel and I returned to Blois while John and Toshiko were still there and we were delighted to see his recent paintings spread out on the floor of the kitchen to dry. They had two days left before returning to San Diego which is the time needed for an oil painting to be dry enough to roll up. John was out in the countryside finishing off his last painting. Toshiko explained to me that he had spent a lot of time working on the colour green this year. There are many different shades of green in the French landscape that are difficult to render on canvas.

I had already seen some of John’s paintings on his website so I knew that I liked his style. When I saw the actual canvasses, though, I knew I wanted one!  There were several I liked but one in particular took my eye. Relationnel preferred another painting but it was of Amboise and I wanted one of Blois! So we went away and thought about it. From time to time while John and Toshiko were out, we’d steal a look through the glass door of the kitchen and finally decided which one we wanted. “The Loire at Blois, Noon”. It depicts a scene that we see each time we take the lovely drive from Closerie Falaiseau into Blois along the Loire River.

John just had the time to stretch the canvas for us before he left.  Now all we have to do is frame it. We are extremely happy to have this beautiful work of art for more reasons than one. First, we both love the painting itself and that is surely the best criterion! We love the composition, with its brightly-coloured turn-of-the-century house and tall poplars up on the left , the steel truss bridge spanning the Loire, Relationnel’s favourite river, with its sand banks in the middle and overgrown vegetation. And you can almost see the clouds moving across the top of the canvas.

Second, it was painted by someone we have met and like. Third, the artist told us it is a “special” painting for him. Fourth, it was painted by our very first guest. And last, but not least, it is a symbol of our future life in the Loire Valley where we will be living permanently when Relationnel retires in October 2014.

You might also like to read my interview with John published on My French Life http://www.aussieinfrance.com/2012/07/profile-john-modesitt-american-impressionist-painter-in-france/
 
John Modesitt http://www.americanimpressionist.net/

 

from the Tropics to the City of Light