Castlemaine Gallery and Historical Museum

 A lyrical whole page review of a Gallery exhibition of Thames boat paintings

  in the Weekend Australian at the beginning of November (see Dora Meeson but the article may be behind the Oz pay wall)  led us to this town that we had passed through but not stopped in before.

 The Gallery building dates it as founded 1913, but the present building is a great example of Art Deco and it is no surprise that Wikipedia says "The 1931 art deco building is noted for its elegant design and is heritage listed."

The town, although famed for gold digging days, is not so grand as Ballarat and Bendigo, but still has several attractive buildings besides the Gallery, particularly the Presbyterian church directly opposite it.

Besides this attractive exhibition, the representative Australian works in this small gallery included a good selection of Colonial artists and Heidelberg impressionists (the glamour work is Tom Roberts' "Reconciliation",

and I was delighted to see McCubbins' "Hawthorn Heath Paddock".
It was especially pleasing to view a self portrait  by Ian Armstrong dating from 1948 accompanied by a poem of tribute from an admirer half a century later. This artist and particularly his representations of central Victoria have charmed us sufficiently to hang three of his works in our home.  He never achieved major renown but that means we could afford him.







Afterwards we adjourned to the Botanic Gardens for a picnic lunch.The Gardens were gazetted in 1860. They are principally given to tree, rather than plant, specimens.

Changing trends in France

Over the several years we've been to France and specifically Paris we've noticed various changes in behaviour patterns.
There are fewer people smoking in the street although in Lyon there seemed to be a lot more than in Paris and unfortunately they seemed to be mostly young.
In 2005 when we first came to France after a long break, people eating in public places, i.e. parks, buses or walking in the street, were not seen at all but now it is quite common. Similarly, people with earphones in, or texting, was also unseen but is now common.
People having conversations on the phone is much less common and they tend to be discreet in that they speak quietly and/or cover their mouths so as not to disturb. There are warnings in theatres to turn off mobiles before performances, which we have not experienced before.
One thing that has not changed is the way people park their cars, nor the way they get out of small car parks. Bumper bars are there to be bumped aren't they??????

Concluding hours in Lyon

After quite a lot of drizzle for days, Monday evening was fine and allowed Lyon to display a charming aspect that had been previously shrouded from us. Among the dusk photos around the Saône, we were diverted by a new statue which at a distance looked like a hero had just rescued someone from the river. On closer inspection including the title it turns out that the chap is holding himself: the ultimate narcissism.
We went to dinner at a bouchon recommended by our host: it gave us a meal that would have been loved by Lyonnais navvies 150 years ago: an entrée for W of large serves of liver gâteau, and for me pale sausages with another white animal chunky substance, and a third red meat item; followed by pork breast size XXL in red wine sauce for W, and for me a XXXL sausage slow cooked for 5 hours in red wine accompanied by about 750 grams of lentils. Enough already. The menu noted that the host saved vegetables for the pigs.

Upon recovery about 12 hours later, we trolley bussed to Les Halles Bocuse. This is is not a market in any sense recognisable by ordinary standards. It more resembled a larger version of the gourmet section of David Jones Food Hall, with a preponderance of prepared dishes and emphasis on careful display of each item in an orderly and pleasing layout. It would be in general a place to shop for special occasions. For us it was lacking in the vibrant excitement associated with dedicated and enthusiastic buyers and sellers of food in farmers' markets, and the pizzazz generated by Maeve O'Meara's TV show featuring it.

On our walk back to our loge after lunching on a pleasant salmon tartare we encountered the fountain in the Place des Jacobins. After many tribulations in its 450 year existence the fountain now celebrates four obscure French artists from various centuries, and endows them with utterly irrelevant mermaids clasping fishes chundering after a night on the tiles.

Croix rousse

Croix Rousse is another hilly area of Lyon near us that is touted for tourism.
We made our first exploration on Sunday after viewing the basilica, by descending the hill on foot and taking the metro next to the funicular. Although a short trip, this involved 3 changes of line, the third having the train winched up the hill on a middle ratchet. This part of the line boasted upholstered seats that should make Paris Opéra shrivel in shame.
Our guide notes were over the top with enthusiasm. I quote:
"The Croix-Rousse straddles the city’s 1st and 4th arrondissements and is divided up into two parts: the pentes (in the 1st arrondissement) and the plateau (4th arrondissement). The nearly 840-foot hill is closely associated with the early silk trade in Lyon as this was the place that canuts (silk workers) moved from the Vieux Lyon in the middle part of the nineteenth century.
"La Croix-Rousse is an enchanting part of the city where you can not only enjoy the ability to explore a variety of ruins, historical monuments, and gorgeous classical architecture, but also where you can indulge in fine French food and wine, and simply relax along the peaceful waterways and cobblestone streets. Taking a stroll through the charming quarter of Croix-Rousse is like taking a walk through the past. You will be enchanted by the easy going manner of the people, the breathtaking architecture, and the divine food and wine around every corner. Be sure to also check out the ruins in Croix-Rousse like the remains of the Amphitheatre of the Three Gauls and the Roman ruins."

We stepped out of metro into a large scale fun fair, with all manner of rides, hoopla stalls, and fairy floss. We walked to and fro bemused and found nothing remotely corresponding to the description. Finally we decided to have a lunch on traditional food sufficient to relieve us of the necessity for dinner. We picked the most likely looking café and sought to order the plat du jour, which was pedereau confit (partridge). Regrettably the supply of partridges was exhausted, so I ordered tête de veau (calf's head). Big mistake: I was ready for brains at least, but no, there was tongue and oceans of fat of various kinds to some of which hair could still be seen attached, and a small amount of other meat. I sampled a mouthful of fat but it was beyond me. Wendy kindly shared some of her sausage.

On the morrow, we felt we needed to go in search of the fabled items mentioned by our guide, so this time we started from the Hôtel de Ville, which is complemented in the square by a fountain with horses galloping off in all directions with a fair maid. We scrambled upwards in light but increasing drizzle through the traboules until we reached the summit. We still found no market, but it was Monday, and even the fair was closed. We noted the amphitheatre, and the buildings, but though our breath may have been taken it was due the rigours of the climb rather than wonders of architecture. We did find an unusual waterway however in the form of what appears to be a water bubbler for dogs, snapped by me in full gush.

The summit afforded a misty view of the city shrouded in fine rain, looking east from the old town.

Around Lyon

Since we are in the heart of one of oldest streets in Old Lyon - rue Juiverie- the main thing to do is just stroll with the crowds of tourists. Peer up the traboules, and scrutinise the doorways, most with dates in our street except our late 17or early 18th century abode. The first photo is the date for next door.
The cathedral of St Jean has a 15th century clock, but alas its works are at the watchmakers, and it has been barred to stop viewers examining its remains closely. There is also a reformed église at which a seminar was in course when we peeked in on Saturday afternoon.
On Saturday night we ate at Aux 3 Maries, recommended by friends. The ambience is neat and the food hearty. Wendy's entrée was salad with lardons, followed by a fish quenelle (dumpling) . I had a liver concoction and large lamb shank. My dessert was a Norwegian Alaska (c'est magnifique, mais ce n'est pas le lyonnais....).

On Sunday we took the funicular to the Fouvière, dominated by what Wikipedia describes as "minor basilica", built on the site of a forum of Trajan to defy the prevailing socialist outlook in the latter decades of the 19th century, whose exterior has the appearance of an enormous ice-cream cake, now balanced in the view by a mobile telephone tower. Thus passes glory. The basilica interior is remarkable for being covered, on all surfaces that are not windows, in opulent mosaics representing stories that were not recognisable to us. Research suggests one, not the one I photographed, is a representation of the Council of Ephesus (431). That was when Nestorius was kicked out, and basically lost Persian Christendom. Not all that much to celebrate in that one. As for the rest, nobody except me seems to be curious.
The basilica was however packed for a mass when we arrived.

We then viewed the Gallo- roman ruins. Not much to see on the surface these days.
The theatre was built by the orders of Augustus between 17-15 BC in what was the capital of Gaul, called Lugdunum. The ruins were largely hidden until 1980. The ruins comprise three separate structures: the theatre, the odeon, and the temple. The theatre has steep seating, a decorated floor, and a stage. It could originally seat 4500, or depending on claims, more than 10,000. The Odeon is a smaller theatre that was used for musical shows and poetry competitions. The temple was dedicated to the goddess Cybele is 160 AD, and only its foundations survive.

Leaving Paris and arriving in Lyon

Friday was a quiet day, spent preparing for departure from Paris. We took a last stroll through the Marais finishing with lunch at a cafe on the corner of rue Charlot and rue de Bretagne. We both had an Auvergne sausage and aligot which is mashed potato with cheese through it. Very yummy!! That was our farewell to Paris as we had an early start not to mention that it was cold and drizzly so not a great day for doing much.

We left our apartment at about 7.45 am so that we had plenty of time to have breakfast at the station and also to find our train. It was cold in Paris but when we got to Lyon it was freezing. We found the trolley bus required to get us to Vieux Lyon where we were staying but on arrival found no-one there to meet us. We rang the owners of the loge we were staying in but they did not answer their phones. Once again we are glad we acquired an Orange France local sim before leaving Aust. Fortunately when we were starting to feel anxious, the guy who was to let us in turned up, showed us around and gave us the keys. The room is comfortable and warm.

We bought a sandwich and took a walk around the old town looking at some of the oldest buildings and medieval walkways (traboules) of particular interest. One such house was Maison Chamarier built in 1498, and in the 17th century a place where the Marquise de Sevigné ( a famed lady of letters) is claimed to have stayed when in Lyon. [Since our research suggests that she divided her time between Paris and her Breton property, one suspects that the claim is overblown, and may rest on a coach stop during a visit to her daughter in Provence:  "En 1672 et 1673, la marquise de Sévigné séjourne chez le Chamarier de l’époque, beau-frère de son gendre le Comte de Grignan. Lyon lui sert de halte lorsqu'elle se rend au château de Grignan pour voir sa fille."] What it is used for today we don't know although it does house a boulangerie. The old town looks very touristy, every second business being a bouchon (a cafe which serves Lyonnais food) and most other businesses catering for the desires of tourists for food or souvenirs, several with English names, for example Elephant & Castle.

Bah! To Bastille Opera

The Bastille opera house is a shiny tiled edifice on the outside and a shiny granite faced edifice on the inside in the foyers and corridors, with a black felt covered feeling in the auditorium. It displays, notwithstanding a right wing political origin, all the charm of soviet architecture designed with Orwell's 1984 in mind, and whatever could go wrong in its construction apparently did. Wikipedia says:
"Due to its size, the auditorium is frequently—and unfavourably—called a "vessel", and, compared to other world-class opera houses, the acoustics have been described as disappointing at best.
The hall is generally cold in colour due to the prominence of grey granite, black or white stone and black fabric in the structure and decoration as well as to the lightning from the giant white glass ceiling, although the use of pearwood for the seats and handrails and of oak for the floor brings a warmer, light brown touch. This modern design has been controversial ever since the houses’ opening..."
When we saw that Aida would begin on our watch, immediately that sales opened I bought the best Internet tickets I could. This may be something like eBay auctions with buyers furiously clicking bids in the available milliseconds, because the only seats available were on the top level and were priced at €15. At that price perhaps I should have smelled something noxious.

We arrived before dinner and decided on provisions at the bar, being two packets of dried out sandwiches and a glass of champagne: €44. That is the relative measure of seat quality, not comestible quality. The seats were folding dickie seats just inside the door and placed sideways, so that the stage could only be seen by twisting ones neck or body. There is a high balcony wall to which the seats are attached, so my partner could only see the stage by sitting on her coat as a cushion. We could not have predicted this from the seat numbers, which gave a row and seat number. In the photo our seats are near the door at top dead centre.

The set and costumes were an unpleasant shock: three brass tiers so singers could sing at 3 levels. The principals in 19th century dress uniforms, soldiers from the 21st century in camouflage fatigues with weapons to match, female leads in blonde wigs, a ballerina lost from a Swan Lake set doing a very unimpressive and irrelevant dance, the dance of the Moors diminished to a single person in a red fez clowning around with hands on knees, the Italian flag for the Ethiopians, and a Hapsburg Austrian double eagle flag for the Egyptians. Shiny brass WW2 style tank dragged around, more shiny brass palaces sets presumably reflecting the 19th century setting. However, Ethiopian prisoners were dressed as WW2 Jewish refugees, and piles of naked body dummies on the lower stage level in a sickening mimic of German concentration camp photos. Crowds with placards of the crudest xenophobic kind.

In summary a mish mash of deconstructed and reduced production of what should have been grand opera. Twice we heard the audience down the front booing, not about the music we hope.

The orchestra was good. The male singers, Aida and orchestra were excellent.

We left at interval, at the end of Act 2.

Musée Marmottan Monet

Musée Marmottan Monet inherited the Monet family collection of Monets. The best of them have recently travelled to Melbourne, but a large remainder stayed at home in west Paris and on Thursday we went to see them, and the temporary exhibition, "The Sisters of Napoleon".
It is a museum of modest size, but the temporary exhibition told an interesting story of how Napoleon installed his sisters and their spouses in imperial positions in Southern Europe. They rose and fell with him; one chose to be with him and set up a court in exile on Elba.

Saturne

Wednesday night was the night for a good dining restaurant experience. We excluded from our select list Michelin star establishments both on account of excessive cost premiums as well as jacket dress codes for men in many.
Saturne is a modern establishment with hard surfaces, no tablecloths, and emphasis on creative treatment of fresh ingredients and matched wines. The menu is called "carte blanche", meaning that it contains only a food price (€60) for 6 courses, and the same price for matched wines. The waiter tells you about each course and wine as it is served. Of course there is an initial conversation about allergies etc. We declined matched wines, concerned that there could be 6 glasses each of 100 mls, more than we could cope with. Nor did we wish to ponder the enormous wine book, so we asked the sommelier for advice, and after conversation about our preferences, he recommended a bottle from 2005 Languedoc which he decanted. It was excellent to begin and got better as the evening continued.
We thought our table was a little too large for us (we were too far away from each other and too close to other diners, especially in the hard ambience amplifying conversation noise).
Each course was subtle and very good to outstanding. Smoked oyster purée with shredded daikon and a parsley cream in the first, then sashimi style white fish, a wonderful lobster course, veal and baked vegetables, and two beautiful deserts. The first was berry fruits, with ice cream and popcorn and the second looked like ash but was in fact white and dark chocolate with slices of poached pear.
Most of the vegetable garnish through the meal was sorrel which when bitten in to was very sour and complemented the flavours of the various dishes and added to the sense of fresh flavours throughout the meal.
In France this kind of dining seems to be quite unusual but in Australia is closer to the norm.

Musée Nationale du Moyen Âge (Cluny)

We set seeing Cluny, now renamed with its more prestigious title above, as the day's major project. The undertaking was a little deflated when we discovered that its most prominent display, the lady and unicorn tapestries, are visiting Japan at the moment.

Vacationing exhibits are a tourist hazard in Paris: the Musée Picasso is still closed after, I think, 4 years and won't re-open any time soon; the some of the Monets have flown south to Australia, and the surly curators of Delacroix musée turned us away from their premises earlier this week because, as best we could understand, we did not have a Paris museum pass. Why should tourists be obliged to buy a pass (that is a rip-off in its own demands, designed for the 3 countries in a week tours) in order to visit a poky museum under repair? We walked away. I note from Trip Advisor that some people do get in for nothing-   “Skip it unless the studio and gardens are open:
I visited the museum in November 2012. Unfortunately, both the studio and gardens were closed. That left a few rooms with sparse furniture and paintings to visit. It was so bad that they didn't actually charge ."
End of gripe.


However Cluny is very rewarding even with the temporary absence of the unicorn lady. The Museum is partly located in Gallo-Roman baths that are worth a visit in themselves. There are many magnificent tapestries, stained glass, and statuary from the earliest Middle Ages. The museum claims 24,000 items; we saw a fraction of them and were overwhelmed.
Every good museum has something quaint. Cluny's is a set of heads of the kings of Judah that were lopped off Nôtre Dame façade statues during the Revolution by an angry mob who, although knew what they were representing also thought they represented French kings. They were accidentally dug up in a garden in 1977. Too late to be put back in place on the cathedral.

One priceless artefact is the earliest known rose made of gold.

The excellent audio guide made the visit an educational tour de force, and was supplemented by a pithy pamphlet summarising the buildings and each of the collections so we can't do better than quote it: "the museum offers an invaluable insight into medieval arts and society from the 5 th to 15 th centuries, thanks to its highly varied collections- tapestries, fabrics and embroidered works stained glass windows, sculptures, paintings, goldsmith pieces, ivories, and items from daily life."

Reims

Today we did a day trip to the cathedral town of Reims. It is one of the main towns in the Champagne region and houses 150,000 people. Despite this it seemed very quiet to us although it was a pleasure to see trams similar to those we have in Melbourne. We chose Reims as our only out of Paris excursion, reluctantly eliminating Malmaison and Giverny that had been strong candidates for our tour.

When we left the station we thought we had quite a walk to Reims Cathedral, Notre Dame, which was bombarded and severely damaged in the First World War.
There was a religious community on the site from about the 400's but the church was begun in the 1200's. it is an inspiring building, particularly the symmetry down the side aisles because they have many arches making up the whole.
There was a sculpture of Jeanne D'Arc which was curious because of its dress and a sense that it is there for tourist purposes.
An unmistakeable triptych of windows has been done by Chagall.

The more interesting church building in Reims is the former abbey basilica Saint Rémi, which is somewhat away from the centre of the city but well worth the walk. It was built in the 1000's. It has flying buttresses on the outside and inside the walls are fairly rough rock, lacking the smooth sophistication of most churches. The inside has little decoration apart from a very large chandelier reminiscent of a crown. Again the symmetry is very pleasing as are the shape of the Romanesque arches as against the Gothic arches of the cathedral.
As we walked around we saw a wall plate of tiles depicting biblical scenes, possibly previously floor tiles. What was really interesting about this was that it was made of concrete and the objects/people contained in each tile were depicted using lead strapping as in leadlight.

Both buildings are world heritage sites, as is the Palais du Tau, which was the arch-episcopal and royal residence attached to the cathedral but is now a museum housing 16th century tapestries various pieces of clothing from the coronation of Louis XV as well as some of the remains of the bombed cathedral and models of the rebuilding process much of which was financed by J.D. Rockefeller.

The train trip took 50 minutes each way and allowed plenty of time for dinner at Nanashi which is fast becoming a favourite restaurant for us, partly because it is just around the corner from our apartment, but mainly because the food is fresh, simple and has a Japanese touch which is most enjoyable. Tonight we had soba noodles in a teriyaki sauce with beautifully cooked duck and salad leaves with a small amount of shitake mushroom. This was washed down with a Languedoc (red) wine and followed by a cheesecake which was not too sweet or rich.

Picnic in the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont

We packed up a picnic of smoked salmon sandwiches and caught the metro to Botzaris where we entered the Parc des Buttes Chaumont. This is a large park in the north east of the city where Parisians like to go at weekends to relax and let the world go by. Part of it is being renovated so was inaccessible but it is indeed a beautiful park to walk around and sit in. There is a rotunda perched on a craggy hill and surrounded by a lake. The walk up to it is across a bridge but not too arduous. The view from there is spectacular. It is one of the few places from which you get an excellent view of Sacré Coeur.
We had lunch on one of the many seats along the pathways, choosing a sunny spot near a grassy bank and a little brook, probably like much else, constructed rather than natural . As we sat we watched people passing, as they walked their dogs or jogged along the path, but we didn't see the sight we were particularly watching for, which is a person pushing what appears to be a child stroller but is in fact a dog stroller! We have seen a couple of these devices but have not managed to photograph one yet.
Continuing the stroll we were diverted by a home constructed for "solitary bees" said to be strictly non-aggressive! Hermit bees dedicated to pacifism? What next will the Glory of France come up with?
After departing the park by a different exit we proceeded on the downhill streets eventually doing a sharp right which led us through what appeared to be Chinatown and then back via a canal and lock to Place de la République , where we noted each of the dated friezes around the base of the monument before taking the usual road home.
For our own future reference and research the Monument bronzes as noted in French Wikipedia are:
20 juin 1789 : Serment du Jeu de paume
14 juillet 1789 : Prise de la Bastille
4 août 1789 : Nuit du 4 août
14 juillet 1790 : Fête de la Fédération
11 juillet 1792 : Proclamation « la Patrie en danger»
20 septembre 1792 : Bataille de Valmy
21 septembre 1792 : Proclamation de l'abolition de la royauté
13 prairial an 2 : Bataille du 13 prairial an II
29 juillet 1830 : les Trois Glorieuses
4 mars 1848 : Décret d'abolition de l'esclavage
4 septembre 1870 Proclamation de la République
14 juillet 1880 : Fête nationale