La Toussaint

All Saints Day in France is part of a two-day national holiday known as La Toussaint. The French celebrate All Saints Day on November 1, the day for remembering Catholic saints, and All Souls Day on November 2,  the day for praying for the souls of the deceased.

As many of you know, I have a proclivity for taking pictures of statues, many of which I find in European churches and cemeteries. I have only visited one cemetery on this trip, so far. The cemetery is located in the fortified hill-top village of St. Paul de Vence, France.

I remember thinking before I took the following picture..."Wow. A graveyard with a view." I'm sorry, I'm being irreverant. But look, you can see the Mediterranean Sea from this spot.

I'm not a religious person but for years I have found beauty in old churches and religious icons, especially throughout Europe. Maybe it all started when my Lithuanian great-aunt took me to a Russian Orthodox church in Bethlehem, PA when I was around 10 years of age. I remember the imagery of the church was overwhelming. In fact I still find Russian Orthodox churches to be especially beautiful and there is an excellent example here in Nice. The Cathedrale Orthodox Russe de Nice was built in 1912.

I tried to take some interior pictures of the cathedrale, but the rather large woman patrolling the area caught me. The French and Russian courts have decided that this building and it's land are the property of Russia, so I thought I shouldn't press my luck. I wasn't carrying my passport!

The trio of photos above were taken last year in Cinque Terre. The town is Levanto and the property is the Agriturismo Villanuova. This was an 18th century summer residence for the Genovese family Massola. The family has turned the estate into a B&B where I went to take a cooking class. The estate has it's own chapel, unfortunately only being used for storage. There I found the two religious icons. I really like the skewed halo.

The only other religously themed pictures taken on this trip are the three below. The first is the war memorial in Nice. The other two are churches; one in Villefranche-sur-mer, France decorated by the artist Jean Cocteau and the other is the cathedral in Antibes, France.

 

Although La Toussaint is a religious holiday, it is also a long weekend holiday for the French. Many sites and services will be either closed or operating on a limited schedule. 

Therefore I have a lot of time on my hands and in honor of La Toussaint, I thought I would share with you a collection of the many church photographs that I have taken over the last 2-years.

To make this fun for all, I'm presenting the photos in a random order. All of my travel has been in France, Italy, Greece and Croatia. Try to match the photos to their geographic locations.

Answers are below.

P.S. When viewing the blog, you can enlarge a picture by clicking on the image. Who knew?



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1-Portofino, Italy

2-Monterosso, Cinque Terre, Italy

3-Portovenere, Cinque Terre, Italy

4-Santa Marguerita di Liguria, Italy

5-Vernazza, Cinque Terre, Italy

6-Dubrovnic, Croatia

7-Venice, Italy

8-Imperia, Italy

9-Venice, Italy

10-Venice, Italy

11-Santorini, Greece

12-Corfu, Greece

13-Menton, France

14-Hill Villages in Imperia, Italy

15-San Remo, Italy

16-Imperia, Italy

17-Venice, Italy

18-Santorini, Greece

I should be sleeping...

...however new song lyrics are swirling in my mind.

That's right. I have another Broadway show tune to inspire this next blog. The song is "My Husband" from the musical NINE. A plaintive song about the loss of a husband to art, but in my case I am associating more with the husband and the passion of creation.

     Some men read books, Some shine their shoes,
     Some retire early when they've seen the evening news.
     My husband only rarely comes to bed.
     My husband makes Pictures instead

I've substituted pictures for the word movies, as that is where my creative passion is...in photography. The  original reason for this blog was to share what I see through my lens with you. Is this reality? I don't think so. I'm sharing my illusion of how I'm living life at the moment.

So, let's start with where I'm working/living now...

This is my office. I bought the post card showing Jeune Fille aux gants, 1929 (Young Girl with Gloves by Tamara de Lempicka) at the Musee-Beaux-Arts which is a 5-minute walk from where I am staying. It is a delightful museum, which is probably missed by many tourists to Nice.








The musee (museum) is housed in this late 19th-century villa.

And it is where I took the picture of the veiled lady in my first blog and the following two sculptures as well.

I particularly like the jeune fille (young girl) above as she was hidden behind a staircase where none would find her easily. There is such an easy charm that the sculptor captured. However, I shouldn't spend all my time photographing statues so i have tried hard to lose my inhibitions and capture live subjects that I feel had the same easy charm.

Enough though with my young subjects...

Let me show you more of where I am.

When I walk out of my front door and turn droite (right) at the corner, this is what I see.

That's right...the sea is literally around the corner. One short walk and this is my view...

Ooops!

I'm sorry. She just walked right in front of me. This is my real view.

Even though it is late October, the weather is still beautiful and warm during the day. Nice and cool in the evening.

Since this blog is about sharing photos, here are a few more of my other favorite shots. Many are inspired by other song lyrics. Like this first one, I call Old Friends. Remember Simon and Garfunkel? But. my real joy in this picture is the foliage. Tres jolie (very beautiful). I hope you enjoy. Perhaps as you view you too will hear the music.

The following is particularly interesting to me. The picture is of two buildings. A classic beaux arts apartment building which is in front of the Four Points Sheraton Hotel which has two imposing nudes on either side of it's buidling. I think the juxtaposition is rather cool!

And finally a new shot of moi (me).

Peter and I were sitting in a cafe when two young ladies said they were cold. The waitress quickly disappeared into the building and re-emerged with two pashimas and wrapped each lady accordingly.

Being a smart-alec New Yorker, I advised the waitress that J'ai froid, aussi (I am cold, too) and was immediately swathed in an orange pashima which I had to wear until l'addition (the check) was delivered.

I don't look bothered, do I?

Bonne Nuit mes amis!

Or am I losing my mind?

Is this real? Or is it an illusion?

What was I thinking?

I quit my job, applied for early social security benefits and then jumped on the first plane to Nice, France. Is this reality, an illusion, or...am I losing my mind?

Those last 5 words come from the lyrics to Losing My Mind a song featured in the broadway show Follies by Stephen Sondheim. Song lyrics seem to be buzzing in my ears as I wander around Nice. The theme for this blog came to me as I looked at the clouds above Nice and the Meditteranean Sea. But it wasn't the clouds, it was life's illusions that made me think...I really don't know life at all.

So, what was I thinking?

I would come to France and miraculously learn French in a matter of days. Let me tell you about that. I had purchased 5 Levels or Rosetta Stone while in New York. I never found the time to devote to the courses and assumed that once I got here that it would be a piece of cake. Well, I'm still on Level One and I daily have a screaming match with mon ordinateur (computer) on pronunciation. Really? Do I really not know how to say bleu (blue) in French. After 15 repetitions, the machine finally agrees with my pronunciation. But hey, it passed me very quickly on pronouncing... Je porte des chaussures mais je ne portez pas de chausettes. (I wear shoes, but not socks.) This is a critical sentence to learn if you are to survive in France. However, I must admit, I haven't worn socks now for two weeks. It's been liberating.

What have I been doing for two weeks?

• Done a lot of shopping for the apartment even though the euro cost 1.40 in US dollars. 



• Study my French as I may, the sales people still respond to me in Anglais.
• Had lunch in Place Rosetti, a square of Vieille Ville (Old Town) and watched and listened to a concert. This was in honor of Sante Reparata, the patron saint of Nice.

Did I mention there was wine with lunch? Pourquoi pas? (Why not?)

If you look very closely at the image on the french horn, you will see Peter and me. Is this an illusion?

• Every Tuesday night Peter and I walk down the rue de France to a little bar/restaurant name Le Petit Bouchon (the small cap) where we have wine and tapas and listen to Evelyne Nabet sing.

Evelyne and Peter.

• There's a remarkable transportation system here. You can travel around the area for 1 Euro. We have gone to Cannes (1 1/2 hours) and to Villefranche-sur-Mer (1/2 hour) for 1 Euro each way. Of course since everyone in France is striking at the moment... 

...we had to stand for a portion of each trip as the trains are not operating. I don't care much for Cannes. J'aime Nice, mais j'aime Villefranche. (I like Nice, but I love Villefranche.) 

I think that is enough free thought and reflections of life through a camera lens for tonight, It is 11:15PM in the evening here and I still have une verre du vin rouge (a glass of ren wine) to finish. Be kind...this was my first and maybe my last blog.
I leave you with these last two photos. Bon nuit!