Doors and Windows in southern France

There were beautiful doors and windows on every street in France. I posted a blog about the hand doorknockers and the lettres slots earlier - I love them!
Here are some more doors and doorways from various cities and villages, most of which I snapped as we walked along the rues and avenues.

In Cordes sur Ciel - a village in the clouds.

Also in Cordes sur Ciel.

Another in Cordes sur Ciel.

Yet another in Cordes sur Ciel.

Another from Cordes sur Ciel. (Maybe I used opportunities to photograph doorways in this uphill bastide - chartered in 1222 - to catch my breath from all the climbing, but it was one of my favorite villages, and interesting doorways were everywhere.)

This one is in Albi - home of Toulouse Lautrec museum.

I think this one is in Auch. You can't tell from this photo, but the green door is one of a pair that closes this alcove off from the main shopping street we were on. I'm glad it was open so we could see the pretty little flower-bedecked stairway inside.

One in Toulouse.

A doorway near Basilica St. Sernin Cathedral in Toulouse. I love the floral and wrought-iron trim.

Another in Toulouse. Isn't it sweet?

Another door near Basilica St. Sernin in Toulouse. (French pronunciation is a very soft eliding S in second syllable...two-looze. In my mind I can hear the French people saying it. I wish I had recorded it to add here.)

Number 55. It's in Toulouse.

A graffiti embellished door in Toulouse near colleges. Toulouse is, I think, the second largest city in France after Paris. Lots of varied big city sights there.

In Toulouse.

This one is in Toulouse.

On a side road in Toulouse.

Toulouse.

In Toulouse.

I think these Geraniums were in Moissac because I remember taking a photo of geraniums in a window over a narrow street there...but these may actually be in Toulouse. Toulouse has lots of wrought-iron trimmed windows and also lots of flower boxes.

Green doors. These were in a small village, the name of which escapes me, not too far from where we stayed 1/2 hour or so outside of Toulouse.

Number 11 - in Foix, near Niaux, in the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains.

In Montauban.

In Carcassonne.

In Carcassonne.

I know I took many other photos of doorways during my travels. Some may be in other blog posts since my return from there in late August. Seeing all of these makes me want to return.

I have market day photos to post, probably next week. Then I'll have to travel somewhere again. I think that will finish my three weeks in France. : ( I love to travel, to see especially how other people live, which is why I prefer self-travel to packaged tours. I'm sure I miss a lot that tour guides can relay, but I'm not a history buff, so much of that is too much information for my fact-confusing brain. Memories are my souvenirs, and the photos remind me of them.

Return Trip to France?

It's official. I have to return to France.

Here is my favorite souvenir from France. A salt and pepper shaker set that I bought at Rocamadour. See my October 13th post about Rocamadour. Rocamadour was a difficult spot to get to...lots of hills, winding roads and hairpin curves that no tour bus could travel. The payoff was delightful...a wonderful ancient cliffside village that seemed to grow out of the rocks. Cute shops, ancient chapels, spectacular views. I purchased this set of 'sel et poivre' shakers there.

SOMEONE dropped the poivre! Someone cracked the pepper shaker. I am not pleased. Someone said, "I guess you'll have to go back." I guess I will!

Someone now denies having been the culprit. Maybe it was this guy?

Jace the Face - December update

We met Jace, Sandy and Steve at Bass Pro Shop to see Santa for a photo. This place has lots of interesting displays all year round, but at Christmas time there are even more, including a train, a carousel and Santa and his elves and reindeer.

Here, Jace sports his 'run-a-way style' in the parking lot.

Jace enjoying the unusual experience of being on top of Pappy's car.

Jace pointing to one of his favorite things - an airplane flying over. (Pappy is wearing his IU gear following IU's win over then number 1 UK.)

Jace with Daddy riding a polar bear cub on the carousel.

Jace with Pappy, riding a reindeer.

Boys do love trains.

And finally, Jace with the main event. He was not impressed.

Montauban France (in Tarn-et-Garonne department of Midi-Pyrénées region)

Although our new-found friends had advised us that there was nothing to see there, we went to Montauban France anyway. It is the birthplace of Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, and is home to Musee d'Ingres. We found Montauban to be a lovely city, though we probably only saw a very small portion of it. The shopping area had nicely patterned brick streets and lovely little shops. Unfortunately, we got about the worst meal (especially considering the cost) of our trip at a hotel restaurant in the shopping area we visited there. Darn shame too, because other restaurant menu boards and plates looked like they had really good fare - probably why they were so crowded! This one cost more and wasn't good. (Several menu boards throughout the region were highlighted in an earlier post on my letterlady's letters blog.)

Here are a few snapshots of Montauban.

I spied a pair of shoes drying on a clothesline on a porch. (Can you see them?) The shadow-image of the shutters demonstrates that the shutters on homes in France are not merely decorative, but are decidedly useful.

In one of the two ancient cathedrals we visited in Montauban I took this photo of a hand-lettered prayer (Our Father.)

The flower market was quite lovely.

Beautiful scene from the bridge. Note the flowers. In most places I've visited in Europe there are many public floral plantings, which really add a lot to the travel experience, and I'm sure to everyday life there.

On the bridge and near one cathedral, the rock sidewalks were laid in patterns...art for art's sake. Lovely touch!

It was lunchtime while we were there, so streets were fairly deserted - and most shops were closed. (A money saving tactic on our part?)

A shop window display.

We toured Musee d'Ingres, and two huge old cathedrals - one of which seemed especially active, despite a plethora of pigeon feathers on the floors near the entrances. The museum is located in a building which was once the residence of the bishops of Montauban. Most of the structure is of the 17th century, but some portions are much older, notably an underground chamber known as the Hall of the Black Prince (Salle du Prince Noir). There are many fragments of carved lettering and other relics of ancient times in the chamber. During World War II, a secret chamber behind a wine cellar in the chamber served as one of the temporary storage places for daVinci's Mona Lisa, which had been removed from the Louvre for safekeeping.

As a calligrapher, the lettering in a place always intrigues me. Here are some photos of centuries old lettering fragments in La Salle du Prince Noir. The chamber was dim, and my photos are not the best, but you can see the samples are very different from one another in style.

Due to a little mishap, we met a very nice young man at a service station in Montauban. I was able to polish up my French a bit with the two of us speaking our respective 'pigeon' languages to each other. It worked! His English was better than fair, and my French was getting slightly better than when I'd arrived in France, and our smiles helped a lot too. We met a few really nice people during our travels and they helped make the trip memorable.