Furniture Fun

Base of the gold mosaic dining table

Breathtaking

Green sofa front

Green sofa back

I covet this lilac and gold dining set

I returned to the museum this afternoon expressly to get some photos of the exhibit of Mattia Bonetti.  The pieces don't seem particularly practical, except for some of the cabinets, but it is impossible not to smile when seeing them.

Part of the dining table base

Beautiful black and orange sofa

I covet the light lavender chairs with the gold leaf trim that are paired with the gold mosaic-topped round dining table.  If only I had the room!  (Sure, that's the only thing preventing me from owning it!!!!)  What kind of house could hold such pieces?

Can this possibly be comfortable?

Glass side table reminds me of the dentist's office

I liked some of his cabinets and the dining set.  What kind of a mind can envision all this and then execute it.  I am totally in awe of such a mind. 

Lamp and chest of drawers

My favorite cabinet

Thank you to the museum for their policy of allowing photos as long as there is no flash used. I will let the photos speak for themselves.  What more is there to say?

An oh so polite way of saying "Please Don't Sit on the Furniture"

Bureau

Almost "normal" bureau

Edge detail of the coffee table

Ben Hur's chair?

Living room grouping

Scotch Tape

Tangled

I am ashamed to say that I had been here 10 months and had not yet been into the art museum!  How embarrassing.  It's right around the corner, and there was no excuse, except that I was occupied with the business of living and thought that I'd visit when everything else I needed to do was done.  As we know, it's never done.  

one of my favorite views

Thankfully, Betty Siegrist's visit gave me the push I needed to get into the museum doors.  There was an exhibit of furniture I didn't want to miss and I had read a little clip in the paper about an artist who was putting up an installation made entirely of Scotch tape in the courtyard of the museum.  To be more accurate, it is an exhibit of packing tape.  And it takes up the entire courtyard of the art museum.

raw materials

I didn't take my camera with me when we visited.  It's been hot here and I honestly haven't wanted to carry around the extra weight of the camera.  I also sometimes want to be in the moment and enjoy the whimsy without trying to get perfect photos.  So my first visit was camera-free.

And enjoy the whimsy is exactly what I did.  I was charmed by the artist, Pierre-Yves Congnee.  It was still a "work in progress" at that point.  (I suspect that it will always be a "work in progress.")  We could hear the sound of packing tape being ripped from the rolls--there were about 6 people at work on the installation when we visited.  M Cognee had set up a teaching room and had taught some young students his technique and had given them a corner of the installation to work on.  So everyone was busy ripping tape and wrapping it around itself over and over.  

Section done by students

I loved watching the artist work; it was almost like watching a dancer.  His movements were fluid, graceful and seemingly random.  The students were more slower and more careful, which resulted in work that was sturdier and not as free, but still effective.  

Interesting shadow pattern

I went back two days later with my camera.  I found interesting patterns, viewpoints and shadows cast by the tangled web of tape.  The workers had finished and the installation was silent.  I met one other art lover--a lovely tortoiseshell cat.  

My fellow art-lover

There was an article in Sunday's paper about this installation.  49 kilometers of tape.  And while the most obvious reference is to spider webs, the artist also talked about slices of bone as viewed under a microscope.  He's a really intriguing man.

Tomorrow I will return to the furniture exhibit and do some photo work.

Montsegur Mementos

Pink and grey

Blurred by the rain

Thunderstorms greeted us in the parking lot at the foot of the pog in Montsegur.  It wasn't a violent storm, like I have seen here in Carcassonne with lightning flashing and the air cracking before the thunderclap, but where there is thunder, there is lightning, and we didn't want to risk being a rod so high in the hills  Therefore, a climb to the top of the ruins was not possible.  However, I enjoyed the gentle rain and the overcast light offered good photo opportunities.  I was able to find my tall pussy willow tree again, and the markings for the St. Jacques de Compostelle pilgrimage walk showed up brilliantly in the rain.  

Path markers in the town "square"

Put up the "convertible top"

I have just learned about these markers--a pair of parallel lines, one white over one red, that mark the trail that leads to the pilgrimage site on the Atlantic Ocean side of northern Spain, in St. Jacques de Compostelle.  Often there will be an accompanying scallop shell to mark the path.  Now that I have learned about them, I see them everywhere.  Here in Carcassonne, they are all along the Aude, and on Boulevard Barbes, where the Arab market is held on Saturday mornings.  I did not realize that I would find them in Montsegur as well.  

What a classy truck

Some other sights of the day included a restored vintage truck.  Its bright yellow paint job made it a beacon among the grey water-slick stones of the day.  There was a gathering of "kit" cars in the parking lot. These cars are made for sunny days; the drivers had to ad-lib a top to keep out the rain.  Beautiful ferns sprouted from the rock crevices near the communal spring and water basin. In addition to the pilgrimage way signs, many homes flew Occitan flags or had the Occitan symbols on their front entrances.

Hollyhocks and the Occitan flag

Connection to the outside world

A lone pay telephone booth provides a link to the "outside world."  I was happy to see that La Patate Qui Fume (The Smoking Potato) is still open for business.  The village of Montsegur, although remote, looks prosperous--well-kept houses, lots of renovation projects underway, beautifully tended flower beds.  Perhaps the summer-only residents have arrived.

Still open for business

Splendid Silence

Rainy day view of Montsegur

If I could show only one "tourist attraction" to guests who come to visit, without question, it would be Montsegur.  It's a combination of the work of human hands and the work of the Divine;  the place engulfs me with awe and I feel a sense of reverence. 

Signs to the village of Montsegur

Looking northwest

Most of all I love the silence.  Others must feel the same power, because when visitors get out of their cars and gaze up at the remote and lonely ruins, all idle chatter stops.  When people do converse, they do so in whispers.  I can hear the wind soughing through the trees and if I am lucky enough to be there at the noon hour, the sounds of the church bells ringing fills the valley like an incoming tide. 

Signs for the St Jacques de Compostelle pilgrimage walk (red and white markings)

Today, the main sound at Montsegur was gentle rain and occasional thunder.  Sadly, the conditions weren't really safe to climb to the top.  People do get struck by lightning, and the top of the pog may is certainly the highest point in the area!  But I was okay with that.  I simply love being in the presence of the hill, of the ruins, of the spirit there. 

The Tour de France

Waiting for the start

There have been a lot of experiences crammed into the past few days.  We walked just up the block on Wednesday to watch the Tour de France.  Place Gambetta was busy--vendors were doing a brisk business in souvenirs and there was an arch set up to welcome all those connected with the Tour.  Betty was outside and got to see the parade while I was inside making muffins.  

One of the team cars loaded with bikes

What I loved most was being able to put down what I was doing, go half a block, watch the start of the race, which lasted maybe 10 seconds, and then come home and finish my chores.  I feel so lucky that I didn't have to make a huge effort to see this spectacle; it felt like a part of my life.  Maybe it's age, or that I have been to lots of carnivals, but I felt no desire to go out and buy cotton candy and trinkets.  

There was a "village" around the corner where one could mingle with the riders, their trainers and sponsors, but you needed a pass to get in.  I am not so connected, but my friend John scored a pass.  He had a great time rubbing shoulders with Mr. Froome and his teammates.

"Pace" and the start

Blur #1

Blur #2

Blur #3

The last guy

The actual race was over in a blink!  What stunned me was how quiet it was.  I could see how easily an accident could have happened--I sometimes lose my bearings when I have the camera at my eye and it would have been disastrous had I stepped one more pace nearer the riders.  They were THAT close and THAT fast.  Thankfully an international incident was avoided.  My photos were all blurred; obviously I have more to learn.  But I was there, I was a part of it all, and it was a part of me.

Termes Photos

Cathar site and on the St. Jacques de Compostelle walk

Betty shivers at Cafe Milo

Looking downriver

Very strong wifi in a very remote place

Yo-Yo captured my heart

Inside the church

Altar in Termes

Whimsical recycle

Catherine beckons us to come up

w

Toy water wheel in the gutter

Tea party

Termes intersection

Clever!

Home, sweet home for someone

Street signs in Occitan only