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Sep 12

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up up to the col de teghime between bastia & st-florent

My father says that there is only one perfect view — the view of the sky straight over our heads, and that all these views on earth are but bungled copies of it.― E.M. Forster, A Room with a View.

If one looks at a map of Corsica, it looks like a clenched fist with one or two fingers pointing up, sort of. Between those fingers and the fist is a junction, and on Corsica that is the road between Bastia and Saint-Florent and where one finds the col de Teghime.

The distance between Bastia and Saint-Florent on Corsica is 24 km or about 15 miles. It takes maybe 40 minutes to drive the distance. Half way between the two is a pass, or col, called col de Teghime, about 540 above sea level.

From Saint-Florent I drove to the col de Teghime, and because the two lane road has many curves, I was driving about 40 km an hour, or 25 miles an hour.

From this vantage point it is possible to face north and look to the left, thus to the west, and below see Patrimonio and it surrounding countryside, including the vineyards that are everywhere in this area. The gulf of Saint-Florent and the desert of Agriate are a backdrop below. A hill blocks a clear view of Saint-Florent.  (Click on any photo to see it larger and in more detail. Cliquez sur une vignette pour l’agrandir.) But wait, there’s more!

Sep 11

on acknowledging a monolith moment in bastia, corsica

It was the third and final monolith moment.

My French tutor in Antibes told me during a session that she is Corsican, and I knew then I was destined to visit Corsica. It was this third and last monolith moment which sealed my fate.

In the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, a monolith appears unexpectedly and mysteriously three or four times at crucial times. When I experience moments that point me to something in a relatively short span of time, I know I should act and will. I have always benefited from those moments when I sit up and pay attention.

Within a six month period, I had met (No 1) a young woman who was about to walk the Chemin de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle; I chanced on an article on the Chemin (No 2) in a major newspaper; and finally, I learned about a presentation (No 3) on the Chemin that two college professors were going to present in my home town and I went. Later, within a year, I walked the Chemin de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle.

Walking the John Muir Trail, visiting Malta, reading in French Le Comte de Monte-Cristo, all three are further examples with stories relating to my encounters with the monolith moments.  (Click on any photo to see it larger and in more detail. Cliquez sur une vignette pour l’agrandir.) But wait, there’s more!

Aug 28

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on seeing odds & ends in art on the streets of lyon

It has hard to enter a museum when the sun is shining and the day is warm.

I wander daily, at least once, each day, somewhere, anywhere, so long as I walk and watch.

The other day I joined a free tour of Lyon. Many of the sites we saw, I had already seen, so it was her stories that made the trip worth the tip at the end. Also, she had a wonderful appreciation for street art and showed us some of her favorites.

The following images are not from that walk, except for the wall of chairs. My conversations with the guide did inspire, however, this posting of some odds and ends of wall sculptures and wall paintings that I have seen.

The next two images are panoramic shots patched together from two or three photographs of wall art.

The first is a inelegant image with a rush or colors and aggressive images. It seems to want to challenge the viewer. One part of the painting blends into another without a reason. Unwanted graffiti is painted over it in places.  (Click on any photo to see it larger and in more detail. Cliquez sur une vignette pour l’agrandir.)

The second panoramic image is sedate and carefully planned. It is one of many fresques, or frescos, that were commissioned by Lyon or by the businesses who own the walls of the buildings. This particular painting is called la fresque de la Bibliothèque de la Cité. It is about books and authors. (Click on any photo to see it larger and in more detail. Cliquez sur une vignette pour l’agrandir.) But wait, there’s more!

Aug 26

au 14 février: 2 stars, 2 restos, 2 days, 1 week, 1 street (part 1)

Rue du Boeuf in Vieux Lyon is a narrow, short medieval street where only 1.5 cars can fit. It runs from north to south and parallel to the Sâone river. It is an unusual street because it has three restaurants that have received Michelin 1 star ratings. In fact, two of the restaurants, Au 14 Février and Jérémy Galvan, are directly across the street from one another. One can exit one door, take a few steps, and enter the other. The third Michelin 1 star restaurant is Cour des Loges, a hotel; its restaurant has received the star. It is a short distance away from the other two.

Au 14 Février offers a prix fixe menu of eight courses and lets you choose your wine, or it offers accord with the dishes, six wines, four wines, or three. After the meat course, you will be asked whether you would like cheese or dessert for the final course.

Frankly, I made a mistake and asked for six wines. I assumed wrongly that the portions for each glass would be modest, but they were 10cl each. That made 60cI of wine during the meal. A normal bottle of wine has 75cl. I did not appreciate how quickly I would have to drink as well.

« Assiette façon “palette arc-en-viel 2019” »

First, the amuse-gueule, or amuse-bouche, arrived like Russian nestling dolls. The largest dish was on top and the other three fit nicely on top of each other, from the largest to the smallest, which supported the other three. Each layer was separated from the stack and explained.  (Click on any photo to see it larger and in more detail. Cliquez sur une vignette pour l’agrandir.) But wait, there’s more!

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