Number 55: Virtual holidaying in France and Le Tour

Le Tour, or Le Tour de France, is an annual tradition here in the Kersten household. Twenty-one cycle stages during the coldest time of our year but during the glorious northern hemisphere July summertime, and how I love to watch the French scenery which is an integral part of the broadcast. The villages, the churches and cathedrals, the chateaux and abbeys, mountains, rivers and coastlines, vast fields of ripening crops, golden fields of sunflowers, it's my annual virtual holiday in France.

A project, afternoon sun and TV coverage of Le Tour de France.

Number 55:

Virtual holidaying in France and Le Tour

Le Tour fascination started after we lived in France for a couple of years in the mid-eighties. As the decade passed, I would come home from work in the July dark and cold feeling excited to watch the daily 2 hour highlights program. I can clearly remember so wanting to be able to be on the couch, listening to Phil Liggett, the legendary English professional cycling commentator, watching the live broadcast.

And now I do just that, I watch the live coverage and I love it.

Fred, Martie and I in Annecy, France in the mid-eighties.

We now keep our calendar free in July - as best we can; and we make a date to watch the cycling. Our favorite place to be is at the Loft, the milder Amanzimtoti weather is lovely and of course walking on the beach is much nicer than pounding the Norwood streets.

The July rhythm is special, early morning walking, provisioning for the day, cooking, for me finding a project and for Fred, tackling home maintenance. This year I am finishing an interesting brick jacket for James, a knitting project designed by Horst Schulz, it's tricky, needs patience and just perfect for Le Tour. Fred is tackling blistering walls, scraping and painting and all sorts of other chores that need to happen here at the Loft.

Yesterday Le Tour started in Annecy in the French Alps and we were treated to magnificent helicopter views of the town, the pristine lake and the Alps, especially of snow-capped Mont Blanc.

So I went and dug out some of our old photos of our time in Annecy. 

It was 1986, we were living in Marly le Roi, and Martie came to visit us with Jessica, who is the same age as Barry. Such special memories of children and friendship and that is what Le Tour does, it makes me remember and makes me want to create more memories in France.

Number 54: Wonder of Rock Art: Lascaux Cave, Johannesburg

Understanding the complexity of the
Lascaux cave paintings and engravings

July two years ago, Fred and I were driving through Montignac, France, thinking we might visit the prehistoric Lascaux Caves of Dordogne, en route to seeing my cousins in Aquitaine.
I had not done any pre-planning and the visit did not happen. Summer queues, limited English tour times, so we pottered around the village and drove past the impressive Lascaux II complex, a replica of the caves built in 1983, as Lascaux has been closed to the public since the mid sixties.

Number 54: 

Wonder of Rock Art: Lascaux Cave, Johannesburg

I did feel dejected missing the Lascaux experience. One of the many first year courses I did at Wits University in the 1970's was 'History of Art 1', which started with prehistoric art and specifically with the paintings of Lascaux. I can still recall the slides our lecturer used and I was enthralled by the vivid images from the Hall of Bulls, specifically the Great Black Bull.

So Martie, Katie and I headed off early this morning to the fascinating interactive exhibition at Sci-Bono to learn about Lascaux, a collaboration with the French Embassy.

We were completely taken in by the discovery and story of the caves. The finely crafted replicas and exhibits certainly helped recreate the magnificence of this 20000 year old cave art! Wow, is all I could say...

A sewing needle used by Cro Magnon man/woman, not changed in design or shape!

Quote: Norbert Aujoulat (1946-2011) who spent 25 years recording the images and symbols at Lascaux. 

"Lascaux gets its suggestive power from the permanent presence of the image: wherever you are, an animal is looking at you, questioning you. Throughout the cave's omnipresent wild oxen, horses, deer, bison and ibexes, we see the dominating imprint of man."