Marseille

After the visiting the Rhône-Alps region, we took the train from the mountains to the sea to stay in Marseille. An ancient Phoenician port, Marseille has been around for a long time. We were fortunate enough to stay for five days, but we could understand the enticing lure of the blue Mediterranean which for a long time made this city a gateway from France to the  rest of the world.

Having learnt a lot about Marseille in the classroom, it was great to be able to experience it for ourselves. We had to visit the vieux port and try the Bouillabaisse soup, as encouraged by our teacher. Marseille was a beautiful town, but boy it was hot while we were there! We were glad for the electric fans in many restaurants, and for the excuse to buy a few icecreams…

Fête de la musique

Every year in mid-june, France holds a day in celebration of music. Everyone gets out on the street to perform or to attend a free concert or workshop. We found ourselves in Lyon, and were met with a huge variety of vivacious music and festivities.

There was classical music from young students studying at the symposium, there were drummers marching and dancing through the streets, there was a jazz saxophinist drawing inspiration from Arab love songs, there were teens strumming electric guitars, street salsa… the town was alive with music and dance.

At times the sheer amount of noise threatened to overwhelm, but it was a joyous cacophony that encouraged you to relax and just let it flow over you. We crammed ourselves into a small gap in the crowd that had settled in front of La place des Céléstins  to listen to the symphony orchestra perform live and for free.

The music was beautiful and varied, as were the people in the crowd. At the end of the night, the orchestra was met with a double encore. The music and the atmosphere were incredible and inspiring, and I was reminded of the wonderful outdoor summer concerts that are sometimes put on by the Symphony Orchestra in Melbourne.

I slept well that night, drifting off to the music of the street, which was comforting and soothing, like a choir in shambles, chanting strange lullabies into the dawn.

Street art in Portugal

The streets of Porto seem to be particularly riddled with both boring tag lines and more interesting pieces of graffiti. From stencils on street walls to large murals, some pieces seemed commissioned whist others were more natural. Lisbon also had quite a lot of street art gracing its walls.

On my first day arriving in Portugal, I got lost. Wandering the streets of Porto, I came across these two cat portraits in the same street. Having just passed about seven or so cats in the past five minutes, I had to smile at their relevance.

‘Street of Cats’

‘Love Porto’

I also enjoyed keeping my eye out for some repeating motifs and styles. Godmess, Costah  and Hazul are some of the big names when it comes to graffiti, and their style can easily be picked out on the streets and lanes.

I really admire the geometric patterns of the artist Hazul and the use of sibling motifs, similar in style but slightly different in form, that find themselves repeated on the city walls.

 

Whilst a lot of street art seems to be tucked away, some of the major streets are decorated- one of them being Rua Das Flores. On this street, power boxes have been spruced up with some talent and spray paint. I loved the sayings by the artist Godmess, but sadly Google translate does not provide me with anything I can even begin to understand. I think it is something made by locals, for locals, and the rest of us can only smile at the enigma, as we do with a conversation or an inside joke that goes way over our heads.

From what I saw Porto was definitely the hub of street art, but Lisbon also had some gems to offer. Being a pun-lover myself, and always interested in playful use of language, I am particularly partial to the #selfieless image. It isn’t unique to Lisbon, as photos with the hashtag have been posted from Valencia, Barcelona, Berlin and London- and it may be pasted in other cities around Europe that I’m not aware of. I can’t help but think about the differences between the words and meanings of selfless and selfieless- are those who are disconnected socially, both on and offline, left with a less valued sense of self? I think it’s possible that being selfie-less is not that far away from feeling self-less (without a sense of self worth), in an age where photos are a such an important way of connecting with others, especially for young people. After seeing this artwork, I will make a greater effort to be a more selfless and reach out to others where I can.

La Cathédrale d’Orléans

I made my way slowly through Orléans to arrive at the Cathedral. An impressive gothic construction, the Cathedral is larger than the one in Tours and has an chequered floor which plays with the perception of space and form.

It was cool inside the church, so I didn’t linger too long, but instead went out to buy myself a treat for afternoon tea. I choose un croissant aux amandes. Literally a croissant with almonds, this pastry is usually a little flatter and longer than a normal croissant and often has custard in the centre. I sat myself down on a low wall in front of the cathedral to eat. This was the first time I’d tried one, and it was delicous.

I decided to do some sketching, seeing as it was a Monday afternoon and the museums and galleries were closed. Whilst I was sketching, a man and his wife walked by and came up to see what I was doing. “Hi there. Can I see your picture?” asked the husband. I know English is my native language, but it still suprised me to hear it spoken out of the blue. I showed them my rough sketch and, once I recovered from the shock, had a little chat with them before wishing them well on their travels.  I also met a local musician who talked to me about art and culture in France, the creative process, travel, language, translation and life in Orleans. A short time after they left, a group of dancers arrived to practice their Salsa moves in the square. As I packed up my things and walked back to the station, I passed a bunch of kids on skateboards pulling tricks on the stairs of the nearby art gallery. My short little taste of Orléans was full of culture and life.

Basel: Carnival

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Basel is known for hosting one of the largest Carnival celebrations outside of Italy. Although we arrived in Basel several weeks after the festivities, the festive spirit remained in the air. Masks were visible in many shop windows, and even hung in private homes. Streamers decorated many shop windows and confetti filled the cracks in the cobblestones. Despite their festive nature, seeing these masks sent a sinister sensation tingling down my spine. I don’t like the feeling of being watched by inanimate objects, that my movements are tracked by faces with neither bodies nor eyes… although perhaps it’s this creepy edge that forms part of the fun.

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Les films

Since I’ve been in Tours, I’ve seen a lot of movies! The first film I saw with my friends Noémie and Ana, who live not far from me, was Les Souvenirs (Memories). We had a lovely evening, chatting over hot chocolates beforehand, talking about the movie after. The others didn’t really enjoy it as much as I did- for Ana it was too sad (although I found it uplifting) and for Noémie it was rather soppy (she likes action films and thrillers)- but we found it interesting to discuss nonetheless.

I’ve seen the French dubbed version of ‘Dracula‘ with friends in the TV room (I don’t recommend it particularly, although the ending is quite comical), ‘The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind‘ in English with French subtitles (This film really got me thinking, had a fantastic plot, and was good revision for my studies on learning and memory for Psychology) and almost went along to see Un Prophète (a French film, with no subtitles, mostly in slang and shockingly violent – a film which my friends left early because they couldn’t endure anymore), all of which were screened for free.

Last but not least, I went to see ‘Sotto una bella stella’ during the Italian Film Festival, which cost me 3 euro, about the price of a cuppa. I have to say I was glad of the French subtitles! I loved the humour in this film, it had the audience in stitches at some points. However it also touched on the difficulties of this life- and for me, it made this film all the more wonderful.

Normally I’m not much of a film person, but I really enjoy seeing films in another language. I’m not sure if it’s the chance to discover conversational norms without eavesdropping on others’ private conversations, the challenge of guessing a word’s meaning from the general context, or the wonderful feeling of knowing you get the joke, but there is something very satisfying about watching a film in French. Everything seems more appealing, more exotic and more of a cognitive challenge.