The Tourist Train at the Carnoules-les-Platanes is coming!

Lets start with the wonderful train ride we took a couple of weeks ago…

       A friend of ours invited us to go on a special tourist train, enjoy a picnic and then attend a concert in the park to hear a new gospel choir that’s just starting up.

I love trains and gospel music, so I was thrilled to add this to our social calendar…

The train is a three-car tourist train called “Le Train du Centre Var” is owned and run by its members… of which there are over 50.

The train picked us up in Carnoules-les-Platanes (approx. 1 km north of the center of Carnoules) and we went as far Brignoles in the northwest.  

One of the things I loved about this trip is that there are no railroad crossings on the streets where cars

A human railroad crossing guard!

go, so two of the people who work on the train jump out at each stop and, using red and white streamers, create the barriers themselves!  There were about 7 stops, and each time, the employees would go and grab their streamer, hop out and create a road barrier to stop traffic and prevent anyone from getting injured!

One of the other things I loved about this train ride is that it’s not really fast – so you’ve got time to look at the countryside, and the employees are happy to answer questions and also give a great guided tour about the history of the area and some of the more interesting – and mostly unknown – happenings.

Le Train Touristique du Centre Var at the Brignoles Station

Our ride took us to Brignoles in the northwest to the Brignoles train station, which has just been purchased by the state and is scheduled for renovation starting at the end of this year.  

The club – called the ATTCV -(which stands for: l’Association du Train Touristique du Centre Var) – was established in 1994.

The club has more than 50 members and around half of them are active and participate in the club and the train on a regular basis.

When the club started, members (who love all things having to do with trains, and particularly this train) spent several years collecting equipment, information and trying to get official permission to run their train on the tracks.  (Believe it or not, that took them 7 years before permission was granted!)  The Train Touristique du Centre Var had it’s inaugural run in August 2001.  

The train’s diesel engine railcar is named “Picasso”.  As its fame spread, more people have begun booking passage on the little train, and during the 2007-2008 April-October season, they had more than 5000 passengers!  That’s pretty impressive… I think it should be the little engine that could…

If you have a special occasion or want to book a group event – like the gospel concert we attended, it’s entirely possible.

The tourist train is reported to have carried more than 5000 passengers during the 2007 April-October traffic season.

Our Aperitif at the Carnoules-les-Plantanes (the Plane Trees)

When we got back to the Carnoules-les-Platanes station, the employees had put together a lovely surprise for us – a wonderful aperitif under the trees.  There were several things to drink and a really impressive selection of finger foods – including homemade pizzas, savory, homemade olive bread, garden-fresh cherry tomatoes and radishes (with a delicious dip) and then the usual assortment of chips, several kinds of crackers, an assortment of nuts, etc.  Everything was delicious, and eating under the huge plane trees meant we weren’t too hot.

After the aperitif, everyone walked over to the little park, where they found their “perfect” picnic spot and had a really lovely picnic.  (Of course, after the picnic, it was time for a nap!)  But since Alain fell asleep on our bench, I decided to take a walk, and do a little exploring until it was time for the concert.

The club had apparently put flyers out all around the village of Carnoules and Carnoules-les-Plantanes and maybe other surrounding towns, because cars started showing up, and little old ladies carrying lawn chairs shuffled into the large open court, in front of the stage where they were guaranteed to have a good seat!

A lovely lady at the Gospel Var concert

As it got closer to the concert, city employees came and began setting up white metal chairs, and more cars with more local people began piling out.  There was a lot of name calling, and story telling and laughter as friends who hadn’t seen each other perhaps since the last such free concert – began catching up on the latest goings on.  I met one such lovely lady, and she and I sat on the sidelines for half an hour or so, while she told me wonderful tales of how her husband used to be the gardener for French singing sensation Johnny Haliday, and about the people he knew and the visitors to his lovely property… She was absolutely fascinating, and I enjoyed meeting her very much!

As happens everywhere in the south of France, many people brought their dogs, who behaved with the utmost politeness, and correct doggy behavior… They’d move face to face, look each other in the eye and touch noses – then take and turns smelling… well, lets just say it probably wasn’t rosy… (One thing I’ve always been amazed by is the way dogs here don’t bark, they don’t get all excited and they have excellent manners when out in public.  Tourist dogs are seldom so well-behaved, and if there is an incident of barking or jumping or other impoliteness, it’s usually started by the doggy visitor.)

Gospel Var giving their first concert

At long last, it was time for the concert.  Gospel Var is the brainchild of its conductor, (himself a singer). He spent two years in the states – in Louisiana – New Orleans, and traveled to other places along the east coast where he fell in love with gospel music.

Not being able to find what he was looking for in a gospel choir in the area, he decided to start his own, and singers travel for several miles in order to participate in the practices, which are held weekly. This was the group’s first concert, and they gave me goosebumps several times!

We bought their CD too – it’s not been produced yet, so it was a purchase “en avance” – and they’re using the money they got from pre-selling their cd to pay to have it produced! That’s a very smart move, especially in today’s economy, and something more entrepreneurs would do well to think about, when they’re looking for funding!

All in all, it was a day to remember, and I’m so glad I got to participate!  

Related posts

• No related posts.

Jeff Koons - Tulips - Guggenheim Bilbao

During the summer we took a family vacation and rented a little villa in the center of Auvergne in a tiny village. Then we spent another week in the heart of Basque country – between the French and Spanish borders.  For me, one of the highlights of the trip was getting to drive down into Spain and visiting the Guggenheim Bilbao.

One of the artists whose work was on display is that of Jeff Koons.  He created “Puppy” which is a huge 3-dimensional dog made out of flowering plants.  Another one of his larger than life sculptures – “Tulips” is also on display.

Koons’ work is on display from now until January 4th at Versailles – and it’s stirring up some controversy.

Some people think that it’s totally inappropriate for Koons’ work to be displayed in a setting like Versailles. Others think it’s time that the museum moves into the 21st century and gets a little modern.

For myself, I’m not sure.  I enjoyed his work at the Bilbao, and I loved the tulips – they look like giant ballons – but they’re actually made of steel with the paper thin sheet of metal over them.  They’re fun, and they’re definitely different.

Here’s a photo I took of “Puppy” – like I said, it’s at the front of the Guggenheim Bilbao, and there are still

Elsa and Jeff Koons

lots of flowers on it, but I’ll bet it’s really something in the spring! Here’s a little history of puppy: Koons was commissioned in 1992 to create a piece for an art exhibition in Bad Arolsen, Germany.

The result was Puppy.  Puppy is forty-three foot (12.4 m) tall.  It’s a topiary sculpture of a West Highland White Terrier puppy on a steel substructure and completely covered in a variety of colorful flowers.

In 1995, the sculpture was dismantled and re-erected at the Museum of Contemporary Art on Sydney Harbor, but this time with a new stainless steel frame that housed an internal irrigation system too.

Puppy was purchased in 1997 by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and installed on the terrace outside the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain.

It also wasn’t without some controversy – would you believe that three men – disguised as gardeners – actually tried to blow Puppy up before the dedication?  They tried to plant (pardon the pun) flower pots filled with explosives near the sculpture, but the Bilbao police foiled the crime!

In the summer of 2000, the artwork travelled to New York to be part of a temporary exhibition at the  Rockefeller Center.

As for Koons’ work in Versailles, you’ll have to be the judge yourself.  Click on the link and you can see the Koons exhibition for yourself – it’s the next best thing to being there.

After you’ve checked it out, let me know what you think…

Related posts

• No related posts.

Street Artist on the Harbor at Saint Tropez

One of my favorite things about walking along the waterfront in Saint Tropez are the street artists who sell their paintings.

Some of them, of course, strike my fancy more than others.  There are some real treasures to be found – and some that are, well, Not.

This time there was a portrait painter – who was doing a drawing in chalk of a little blond boy when we walked by – she was really amazing – I didn’t take a photo though, it felt like stealing!

I spoke with one of the artists, his name is John – “Just John”, he said.  He had a wonderful Scottish burr, and said he’s retired.  He used to come to the French Riviera with his wife every year, and a few years ago, after her death, he said one day he just decided to sell everything and “Chuck it all in” – and move to the French Riviera.

Now he paints in the wintertime and then sells his work in the spring and summer.  He’s got some wonderful landscapes, especially of the Provence lavendar fields – which happens to be one of my favorite subjects to take pictures of.  However, John declined to be photographed, so I can’t show you how wonderful his work is. (However, if you’re planning a trip to the French Riviera, make sure to stop by and see it for yourself!)

By the way, if you like painting, why not consider taking a working vacation to the French Riviera?  You can take painting classes from a certified painting instructor for up to three hours a day, and then spend the rest of your time wandering around getting inspiration as you discover the French Riviera…

You can also find people who will help you brush up on your conversational French, learn photography or take French cooking classes from real French chefs.

Life is short – if you’ve ever wanted to enjoy the French lifestyle, what are you waiting for?

Related posts

• Weekends on the French Riviera (0)
• We Spend the Day in Saint Tropez (1)
• Saint Tropez (1)
• Discover the French Riviera (1)

And that’s why I’ve added another section to the Discover the French Riviera blog, called Artists and their Art

Some of the artists are my personal favorites (it’s my blog and I prefer writing about the things I enjoy!)  Others will be artists whose work is important and has made an impact on a particular movement or on our history and culture in general.  And some will be artists that I’ve met and whose work I enjoy and admire.

Bridge and waterlillies by Josette Simoni

In fact, I’m starting the Artists and their Art section with a page about a very talented artist who also happens to be a friend of mine.  Her name is Josette Simoni, and you can click on her name to get taken to her page, and view more of her work.  But in the meantime, I’m also going to show you one of my favorite paintings of hers – it reminds me of a Monet – who is another one of my favorite artists, and I’ll be putting together a page for him and his work in the coming weeks.

Josette had her first exhibit last year, and it was quite a success.  And I’m excited to be able to share a little of her work with you.  I think you’ll enjoy it as much as I do.

Related posts

• Paul Cezanne (0)

A Painting (in the Pointalism style) by Maximilien Luce.

We went to Saint Tropez a couple of weeks ago, to go to the musee l’Annonciade with our friends Alex and Josette.  There was an exhibition of Maximilien Luce (1858–1941) that we wanted to see.

Born in Paris, Maximilien Luce was, along with his friends Seurat and Signac, one of the original founders of the Neo-impressionist School.  The neo-impressionist movement is based on the scientific study of light and the analysis of prismatic effect of colors.

Luce was also a great friend of Camille Pissarro, Georges Seurat, Theo Van Rysselberghe and Louis Valtat.

For a number of years Luce painted only in the pointillist style, but over time he eventually adopted a looser

Drawings of his friends by Luce.

technique.  He is perhaps best known for his landscapes and urban scenes which show the life of the working class (builders, dockers, labourers) which occupies a predominant place in his work.

A painter, lithographer and draftsman, Maximilien Luce was born into a poor family in Paris on March 13, 1858.  After an initial training as a wood carver at the Ecole des Arts décoratifs, he began to study engraving in 1872 and took evening courses to deepen his knowledge.

In 1876 he entered the shop of the engraver Eugène Froment (1844-1900), with whom he traveled to London in 1877.

After his return to Paris in 1879 Luce began his 4-year military service. During his service and later, up to 1885, he studied at the Académie Suisse and the studio of Carolus-Duran (1837-1917) at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts.

In his painting, he became influenced by Impressionism.

In the 1880s he met and established friendly contacts with many Parisian painters, including Camille Pissarro (1830-1903), Georges Seurat (1859-1891) and Paul Signac (1863-1935).

Through Camille Pissarro, Luce came under the influence of Anarchist ideas and formed friendships with the Anarchist writers and journalists Jules Christophe, Jean Grave, Georges Darien and Emile Pouget.

In 1894 he became involved in the Trial of the Thirty and served a short term of imprisonment.

Maximilien Luce painting of a factory at night

Until 1904 Luce lived in Montmartre, and he liked to paint street scenes from there.

From 1904-1924, he lived in Auteuil (near Paris), but then he moved back to Paris.

Besides street scenes, factories and wharfs, he painted numerous landscapes on his travels through the Etampes, Normandy and Brittany.

During the First World War he also painted war scenes, of wounded and homecoming soldiers.

In 1934, Maximilien Luce was elected President of the Société des Artistes Indépendants after Signac’s retirement, but shortly afterwards he resigned in a protest against the society’s policy to restrict the admission of Jewish artists.

Maximilien Luce died in Paris in 1941. He remains an important artist in Pointillism and social realism.

Related posts

• Josette Simoni (1)

Saint Tropez is one of my favorite cities – at least in the fall, when the noise, the traffic and the crowds are gone.  Click here to read more about Saint Tropez and see some of the photos I took recently and discover what to see and do if you decide to visit.

Wooden Fishing Boats at the Old Port in Saint Tropez

Our friends Alex and Josette went with us. Josette is an amazing painter herself, and since we’d decided to the visit the Musée de l’Annonciade, I was excited that they decided to come.

Saint Tropez is a former fishing village that has been “discovered” many times – in the late 1800’s it became “the” place for many painters of the impressionist and post-impressionist to find inspiration.

In the twenties it became the “in place” for international stars from the fashion industry.

And in the 50’s it became the “chic” playground of the jet set, after sex kitten Brigitte Bardot’s 18th film (and the one that brought her international and lasting fame from the press) called “And God Created Woman” by director husband Roger Vadim.

The Musée de l’Annonciade had a temporary exhibit of one of the painters I like, and I was excited to see it.

Painting by Paul Signac at the Musée de l

The museum has a wonderful permanent collection – including several paintings by Paul Signac, who “discovered” Saint Tropez when his yacht ran into bad weather and he had to make port.  He fell in love with the peaceful fishing village, to the point that he even had a house built there, and went on to throw wild house parties where people came from as far away as Paris.  He was a patron and supporter of many other artists, who also came and stayed with him from time to time, and who also were seduced by the amazing light one finds in Saint Tropez.

After visiting the museum, we walked around the vieux port and the old part of the city.  Alex and Josette had never been inside the beautiful Catholic church that sits at the top of the “rue des cloches” (street of the bells), and so we were all disappointed to find out that the church is only open in the mornings to visitors. (Something to keep in mind if you’re planning a trip to Saint Tropez and want to visit the church.)

The clock and bell tower of Saint Tropez

After that, we walked down to the famous pink and yellow clock tower that you’ll see in so many paintings and photos of Saint Tropez.  It was built in the 18th Century and is just another one of the living bits of history that I love and enjoy so much!

I don’t know if you can see the beautiful purple flowers blooming to the right of the clock tower, but they were spectacular, and so vibrant that they took my breath away.  That’s something else I love about living on the French Riviera – different flowers bloom practically all year round here, and you can always find lush, rich colors in the landscapes, in the Mediterranean Sea and even on the buildings themselves.

One of the advantages of visiting Saint Tropez in the fall is that you can find plenty of parking spaces – something that’s between “very difficult” and “darn near next to impossible” during the summer.  But even in the fall and winter months people flock to Saint Tropez – and you can always find a crowd gathered around the pier as the huge super-yachts come pulling into port.  They always draw a crowd, and as soon as one pulls up, the rumors and speculation about who’s onboard start flying.  Is it Bruce Willis?  George Clooney? Madonna? You never know – but it’s fun to guess.

One of my favorite things to do in Saint Tropez is to sit at one of the local sidewalk cafes, and people watch.

Sidewalk Cafe in Saint Tropez

I can nurse a diet coke for an hour, and be completely entertained by watching as the world strolls by. Two brasseries where people still go to see and be seen are Le Gorille or Le Sénéquier.  They’re both along the old port, so they’re easy to find and offer great views.

We got caught in a bit of a rainstorm – the rain was warm, and it was so light that we hardly got wet.  And after the rain, there was a beautiful rainbow and then the water of the Med turned luminous.  I took some other pictures, which I’ll share later.

In all, it was a lovely day, and we had a wonderful time.

Related posts

• Saint Tropez (1)
• Weekends on the French Riviera (0)
• Street Artists in Saint Tropez (0)
• Discover the French Riviera (1)
• Cities on the French Riviera (0)
• Aix-en-Provence (2)

Trompe d

One of the things I love about living in Toulon are all the little surprising places you find, tucked in here and there around the squares and throughout the old parts of the city.

For example, we have this wonderful example of a Trompe d’oeil.  The front half of this huge wooden sailing ship comes right out of the wall of this apartment building.

It’s located in one of the quartiers (corners) of the city.  It’s not too far from the harbor. On the weekends, you’ll often find a huge Arab swap meet going on right under the ship.

Because the small square is surrounded by palm trees, it can be hard to get a good picture, but it’s definitely worth the time to pay a visit to this “quartier” (section) of the city.

Related posts

• Toulon's Open Air Market – Shopping on the French Riviera (1)
• The Chestnut Wagon in Toulon (0)
• I teach an American Cooking Class, Plumbing Problems and Shopping! (0)
• Christmas Lights Already? (0)
• An Old Building, a Beautiful Lady and a Gorgeous Day in Toulon (0)