Rhone American Cemetery

For many of us born after, only film, photos and documents can give us an idea of the horrors and losses of the second "great" war.   The immensity of the sacrifice ( and I mean that in all its senses) is brought home when one sees some evidence left behind of WWII. 

Last week I was taken to see the Rhone American Cemetery at Draguignan where 861 white marble headstones sit in stark contrast to the serene surroundings.  It is a cemetery kept in immaculate order by the Americans.   The French government has granted free use of the land as a permanent burial ground without charge or taxation.   It is probably the smallest of all of the American cemeteries on French soil memorializing WWII and it is   beautifully designed and rendered.

The men laid here mostly represent the American death toll of Operation "Dragoon" whose objectives were capturing the ports of Toulon and Marseille, trapping the German Nineteenth Army, and joining the Allies in the north.  

 U.S. Twelfth and Fifteenth Air Forces,  plus British and French air units, rendered airlift and air support throughout these operations and in less than one month ( August 15-Sept 11, 1944) , Seventh Army had advanced 400 miles into France and then onwards to the end of fighting in Germany, May 1945.    

    

It may sound mawkish but if it weren't for the struggle and dedication of these men, it seems likely that non of us would be where we are now enjoying our lives as we do. 

 So visiting this stunning park is indeed sobering and even.... on such a day....ironically peaceful. 

Lily Rose

This is Lily Rose. 

 I met her first when she was a babe in arms .  

Now she is grown up and is a completely natural model. 

Lily has an English mother and a French father and a lovely French accent when she speaks English.  

She lives in the south of France and has her heart set on playing the cello.  She is waiting for an instrument to become available at her school so she can start.

 Lily Rose knows how to pose.  I didn't prompt her but just kept rolling..... one great shot after another. 

This photo reminds me of Renoir's faces...

It was fun to make photos of you Lily...we will do it again sometime.     Maybe modeling will let you save up for your own cello.

Back from Lorgues

Yesterday I took the train back from Les Arcs de Draguignan where I had spent four days with my friends, Victor and Svea.   These friends live in a secluded property in the Department of the Var, an area with wild forests and scrub and cultivated vineyards and fields.  

  It is my idea of an ideal retreat.   The closest village to the property is twenty minutes away, the town of Lorgues.  http://www.beyond.fr/villages/lorgues.html   They also have a wing of their house with a separate entrance, that they rent out for a "gite".   Some people stay for three months to see all the area.  With the pool and garden , it all makes an ideal setting.  Here is their site:  www.frenchholidaycottage.com   There were some Americans there when I arrived,  their second time around. 

Victor and Svea have four dogs and four cats which each have separate areas of the house (since they don't all get on).  All but one of them were strays found at the animal shelter. 

  Honey Puss dominates the kitchen and Effie , a Lhaso Apso  and Manon, a big white shaggy girl ( possibly a small "Griffon" of which there are many varieties) have the owner's bedroom at night.  The rest are scattered about the house.   One pusscat lives in the gardening room.   

  The dogs get walked everyday into the forest.  Alex, the long haired "dachshund" was attacked last week by a wild boar (sanglier in French) protecting her twelve baby piglets.  She gave him a nasty nip.  It was a friend who volunteered to walk the dogs at 5h30 in the morning.  Maybe not a good hour for a promenade.

Alex, Effie and Mau Mau dominate the couch

Friday a few of us ( there are always tons of people coming and going) got out of the busy house to do an excursion to The Gorge du Verdon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verdon_Gorge and to have lunch at the small village of Rougon known for a little crepe restaurant.    

The Gorge du Verdon is France's compact, deep and beautiful "Grand Canyon" and is named for the turquoise color of the water that has cut through it century upon century. 

   It was a much appreciated drive through the countryside seeing the late blooming wild flowers along the roadsides.  I counted 20 different species when we pulled over to take a look at the wild roses and honeysuckle.   We have had a late spring and summer for flowers.

Two peaks which Victor and Svea have climbed many times and stayed the night at the observatory where there is a "refuge" and a great meal waiting for 12 plus guests for the night.

 This area is a favorite for climbers who rappel ( abseiling) off the Gorge or hike the surrounding hills.  There are "gites" ( rural accommodation) throughout the area to stay the night.   And the river attracts kayakers.   Small motor-less pedal boats and dinghies dot the man-made reservoir called Lac de Sainte Croix http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_of_Sainte-Croix  formed from the Verdon River leaving the Gorge.  Motor boats are not allowed on the lake as this reservoir is the drinking water for a large area of southern France including Nice.

Overlooking an old castle and the Lac de Sainte-Croix, the reservoir

Just one of 20 plus species in bloom now.

A friendly face in the white flowers.  Too bad I didn't have a carrot. 

Rougon , beside the village 

Under the parasol for lunch looking out to the River of Verdon ( Green River)

I had a chevre (cheese) , honey and pine nut crepe just to try their specialty.

The amazing thing is that this is just one of thousands of villages and beautiful corners of France.  They have a familiar similarity but it doesn't make one less curious and eager to visit each one.  Anyway, a get-away into the countryside is always a joyful thing.     Thanks, Victor and Svea.

A little bit of sky for your viewing pleasure

My pal Bruce B. sent me these photos of June 29th .  He says that he had just finished dinner yesterday and then this appeared out of the blue.    

  I am going to keep a lookout tonight but hey, you have to be alert around here or you will miss something pretty wild.  

Pique Nique sur la Terasse

Take seven artists, ask them to come for a potluck lunch on the terrace and you are in for a treat for eyes as well as mouthes.

Yesterday, most of my printmaking class was able to come to my house for an end of year celebration. 

 I am not very social in the class.  I don't pick up on the general conversation around me very well.   And if I didn't really focus on the printmaking work I wouldn't get anything done, either.

 So for one day,  I wanted the people I see every week to know other sides of me.   And it was such a fine day .....and there is the garden....... and of course....... I wanted to show off my studio .  I think every artist secretly wants you to see how and where they work.....

  (As Joelle said, Do you know how spoiled you are?  And the answer is yes, Joelle, yes.) 

Gratin Aubergines produced by Agnes

The potluck meal is a great favorite amongst many of my friends because it means that one isn't responsible for the whole thing.  It's also a wonderful way to get spirited conversation going.  Each dish is discussed and that leads to other subjects.  That is the French way...food leads to everything!

And I notice that when others are bringing the food the meal takes on a pace of its own.    I can't succumb to my tendency to rush the meal anymore.   And that's a good thing.

 I am afraid that Americans tend to "bolt" their food and expect one plate to come to the table right after the other.   Its as if the table was not a comfortable place to be and you have to leave it as soon as possible.   Maybe we are all racing to the finish line in a life long eating contest.

I suppose some of this comes from the American work ethic:  "time is money"...  but how sad is that?.  And it doesn't help that restaurants want to "turn the table" and chase you out for the same reason:  more dollars.  The irony being that with the extra dollars you earn you want to spend on having meals with your friends!

 Our meal yesterday took four hours!  Now that's what I call dining.

 The first course was the hors d'oeuvres ...

  Mary Dominique (Mary Do) brought humous made with lentils and cardamon and a courgette loaf , (more like a frittata than a bread).  I had a slice of the loaf for breakfast.
Agnes brought a gratin d'aubergines .   Its good warm or cold.   Jaques brought a tapenade made from black olives and a whole meal bread to serve with it.
Jocelyn made a whole fois gras and served it on fresh, fig/nut bread.

 And of course Monsieur gave us some good summer wines that he loves to search for.. out there in the various markets.

 Joelle, Jacques, Sylvie.....

 Sylvie, Jocelyn and Mary Do .....

 Agnes, Kaloon, and Joelle......


That would have been enough but there was also a main course.  After an interval, we heated up and served  Kaloon's Thai fish and shrimp stew with its rich coconut milk sauce.    When Monsieur asked him where he learned to cook , he said that for him it was instinctive.  In other words, he learned as a child , as a part of life.    Kaloon, don't forget your promise to show us how to prepare that dish.

Then came the cheese plate.  Joelle produced a green Pistou novelty cheese , three chevres : one rolled in cranberries, one in black pepper and one with chives and herbs.  a gorgonzola and a lovely Reblochons with two fat, round loaves of grainy bread.

Sylvie cut up and served a succulent plate of ripe pineapple and sweet strawberries.   

For dessert Agnes and Jocelyne each made an apricot tart, one complimenting the other with texture and flavor.

Monsieur and I were grateful for the excellent day with excellent company.       Let's hear it for good friends and the French pot-luck.  

Even thought the class is breaking up,  we all promised to stay connected..... and we will. 

L'Hotel Dieu de Marseilles

After the museum,  we happened upon a wonderful leafy square fronting the magnificient structure of the Marseille Intercontinental Hotel and I was fascinated enough to want to go inside  and find out about the beginnings of this absolutely beautiful structure .   

Diane was game and we lingered, overlooking the roof terrace with a cocktail.  What I found out from the waiter and pieced together later online is this:

Walking from courtyard to glimpse this imposing edifice

The origins of the Hotel-Dieu de Marseille date back to 1166, when the Brotherhood of the Holy Spirit based in Marseille built the Hospital of the Holy Spirit as a set of narrow houses, communicating with each other. It was located in the district Accoules, which once housed sick and abandoned children.

In the thirteenth century the administration of the hospital came under municipal control and two delegated rectors ensured proper operation. In 1344, Bernard Garnier,  a rich merchant, founded the Hospital Saint Jacques de Galicia, for women. 

Then in 1593, Charles de Cazaulx first Consul combined Marseille Hospital Saint Jacques de Galicia and the Hospital of the Holy Spirit into a single institution taking the name of Hôtel-Dieu. 

The combined hospital differed from other French hospitals as it entrusted the care of its patients to only secular personnel and boasted an area for those with the disease of leprosy, both men and women.  The Hotel-Dieu, located at the site of the former  Hospital of the Holy Spirit then grew over time as the population of Marseilles exploded (as did epidemics all through the city).  

At the end of the twentieth century the hospital turned into a teaching hospital for midwifery, paramedics, nursing, anesthesiology, nursery and childcare assistant training, radiology  etc. 

Then in 1993, the last patients left the Hotel Dieu and it  closed its doors finally as a teaching institution in 2006 and stayed abandoned for some years. 

 The waiter tells me that the whole city waited in fear that it would be demolished as no one came forward with the funds to restore it.  That was until a Qatar family financed the restoration, transforming the site into the present five star hotel, The Hotel Continental of Marseilles.   

 

Architecture:  The Hôtel-Dieu de Marseille building was erected from 1753 by the Marseille architect Claude-Henri-Jacques of Aggeville (1721-1794)  using the plans and elevations of the royal architect Jacques Hardouin-Mansart de Sagonne ( 1711-1778), grand-son of Jules Hardouin-Mansart.  

This last Mansart added to the size of the building making the Hotel Dieu de Marseille  comparable to the Hôtel-Dieu de Pierre de Vigny in Lille by Jacques-Germain Soufflot . ..becoming therefore
one of the major achievements of the French hospital architecture of the eighteenth century. 


The building was refurbished to its current state from 1860 to 1866 by the Hospital architect of Marseille, Felix Blanchet.  He extended the left wing of the courtyard,  erected pavilions at the ends of the two wings and then raised the whole floor of the building.   

Above all, he cleared the surrounding slums which crowded the entrances providing light and air while improving accessibility for patients on litters and sedan chairs.

 In 1865, two side wings were added to the main building and trees were added to complete the beautiful square in front.  The new Hotel-Dieu hospital was inaugurated by Napoleon III, November 15, 1866 for the feast day of the Empress Eugenie.

Here are some snapshots walking up from the port to the interior of the hotel.

Funny little oriental bridge on display at start of courtyard

Courtyard with exhibition center to the right, hotel in background

This young girl was playing all of these chess students in turn!  The courtyard was alive with activities.

Statue in the memory of martyrs of the resistance and for the victims of "la Barbarie Hitlerienne"... just to the side of the hotel

 

Uber display of orchids and hydrangea blossoms in the lobby

Hotel lobby decor, ceramic sea-life dictates the theme

Rooftop garden for hotel bar

Pristine surroundings don't bother me.  I can take it....anyway it was a nice way to wind down the day and be grateful.....for the day and the "hotel of God". 

 The word hotel, by the way, is derived from the French word "hote" ( host) and used to mean... any building with frequent visitors rather than a place offering accommodation. But that meaning still fits with the new one.  There were lots of people taking advantage of the atmosphere here for the price of a coffee or cocktail.  I would imagine some of them were locals.... so happy to see the place come alive again.