Color on a gray day

Paris was foggy this morning, so we headed to the Centre Pompidou for some modern art and lots of color.

Foggy day in Paris

Marc Chagall was one of the artists featured on the 6th floor exhibit.  Very interesting show, the works were created just after the Russian revolution.  Here is a glimpse of what we saw.

Of course, many other artists were featured as well.  Here are two more.

A couple with masks by Jean Lambert-Rucki

A 1901 portrait by Pablo Picasso

A portrait in a rocking chair by Picasso in 1947

Adventure du jour

This morning, Paris had rain for several hours.  But by late morning, the clouds dried up.  So, we rented bikes, and headed for our usual bike path along the right bank of the Seine.


We rode to the Jardin des Tuileries, then crossed the Seine on a pedestrian bridge.  From the bridge, we could see a ramp down to the river level on the left bank, so we rode down the ramp, and followed the path to the Tour Eiffel.  That was a surprise!

Jardin des Tuileries

Pedestrian bridge across the Seine

The Musee D'Orsay as seen from the bridge

Tour Eiffel

Bori with his bike

Selfie at the Tour Eiffel

Tonight, thunderstorms are forecast, and more rain is forecast for tomorrow, which is why we seized the moment to cycle today.

Time for a little religion

But first, a sculpture in front of the church.

The flip side of the sculpture.  Much more interesting.

Today I visited Eglise Saint Eustache, a lovely church about 6 blocks from our hotel.  Very striking from the outside, with some of the architecture reminiscent of Notre Dame, and the inside is a huge space, with great ceiling structure.

Leaving the south

Today we are packing up for our train trip to Paris.

We've had a great time in Provence, in spite of the crazy spring weather.  I will miss the warmth of the people that we have met, the look of the place, the terra cotta roof tiles, and the expanses of green virtually everywhere you look.

We plan to return!

The canal path

Today, we rented bikes in Arles, to ride along one of the canals.    To reach the canal, we first ride along the edge of the Rhone.

The path along the edge of the Grande Rhone

The canal path begins at Pont Van Gogh.

The reconstructed Langlois Bridge -- known as Pont Van Gogh

Van Gogh's painting of the Pont  

We rode south to Mas Thibert.  Stopped for mineral water and sandwiches, then headed north.  We rode about 25 miles over 4 hours.

The view down the canal from Pont Van Gogh

The canal path

The bike path warning du jour -- tractors sometimes cross the path

The canal

Poppies lining the canal path

La tour du jour

Ever since I saw photos of this tower last year, I've been eager to visit it.  Today was the day.  We turn in the rental car tomorrow, so this was our last road trip.

La Tour Carbonniere is a remarkable structure that truly rises out of the marshes.  It is located near Aigues Mortes.  The tower was built near the end of the 13th century, and was used first as a watchtower.  Then at the beginning of the 15th century it became a toll post, for passage across the bridge through the marsh.

The staircase to the top was open.  So I climbed up there, to see the view.

Really a neat site.  At present, it is located in the center of a small traffic circle.