Derwentwater in Springtime

I’m planning my travel itinerary for September this year and so much looking forward to returning to the Lake District in Cumbria. As I’ve often told friends, “My heart sings when I’m in the Lakes.”

Living in Cheshire –  back in the 70s – I experienced my first weekend away in the Lakes. With my then flatmates Jen and John, we stayed in a rambler’s cottage in the Newlands Valley, on a road looking up towards the Swinside Inn.
I vividly recall that first night. It was so cold that my breath was frosty steam in the outside air. Inside the Swinside, however, it was warm and cosy. Locals had gathered and were singing “Streets of London” accompanied by a harmonica. It was the first time I’d heard the song and I became an immediate Ralph McTell fan.
              
Photos – back in the 70s:  John and Jen towards Cat Bells; Jen and me outside the Fish Hotel, Buttermere; Jen in the lolly shop in Keswick; locals singing “Streets of London” in the Swinside Inn. 

It was two decades before the “business of life” allowed me to travel from Australia back to England, this time with my family. I’ve now re-visited several times, always returning to the Lake District and always with the same Jen and John (now married for over 40 years).

              
Photos – returning to the Lake District: 1997 Annie midst Lakeland Stone structures, out strolling with our children; 2004 family and (old) friends at Ashness Bridge, returning to the Swinside Inn  for lunch.

There is so much to do in the Lake District, it’s a playground for young and old. I can’t possibly write about everything (refer links below). This blog is about how we enjoy ‘the Lakes’.

We stay in Keswick on Derwentwater, home of the Derwent Pencil factory (adding to my collection of pencils on each visit). As with every day, everywhere, I set out on an early morning walk.  Then, there’s a ‘usual’ in that the men folk – after a hearty breakfast – head off on a lengthy trek, leaving the ladies to stroll, browse galleries, drink tea, maybe a glass of wine with lunch. Come the cocktail hour, we’ll all meet up for an aperitif, then dinner.
              
Photos: early morning walks around Keswick and Derwentwater

There are many structured walks and books on trekking around the Lake District. Renowned British fell-walker, Alfred Wainwright (1907-1991), published more than forty guide books including a seven-volume “Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells”. http://www.wainwrightroutes.co.uk

I’ll leave it to John to describe these images from a weekend back in 2003.
                 
Photos by John Baron and Andy Kerr:
1. Looking SW across Newlands Valley from Cat Bells.   The white hamlet is called Little Town.
2. Looking N from the top of Dale Head.  The highest peak in the distance, with a little snow, is Skiddaw.  The green flat bit in the middle distance is part of the Newlands Valley.  Little Town is out of sight around the bottom of the long ridge on the right.  We had walked south along the long ridge from Cat Bells (out of sight) up Maiden Moor, then High Spy (the highest part of the ridge).  Then we dropped down a little, turned west, then a long very steep uphill section to the top of Dale Head at the head of the valley.  ‘U’ shaped valley – classic shape formed by glacier during last ice age.
3. The chaps setting out from Glenridding, the village in the valley next to Ullswater.  We had just started a route to Striding Edge and Helvellyn.
4. Lou, Mike Thompson, Derek, Ross, Mike Dixon and a young me (John).
The link for this walk https://www.walkingenglishman.com/lakes10.htm

While popular for those fells to be trekked, the Lake District has a rich literary history to be explored. So many book shops, shelves stocked with Books! Books! Books of artworks and words. From the most famous amongst all generations, Beatrix Potter, to poets and writers Coleridge, Ruskin, Wordsworth, Hugh Walpole, Arthur Ransome and modern-day writers such as Melvyn Bragg and Richard Adams. There’s Jacobean poets, 18^th century historians, ballads, folk-tales and traditions.  For a recent enjoyable read, “The Shepherd’s Life” by James Rebanks https://penguin.com.au/books/the-shepherds-life-9780141979366

             
Photos: Books!; I love those sheep…and more sheep; shopping for books and Derwent pencils.

It’s the magic of the waters in the Lake District that captivates the eye and camera. So beautiful, you simply can’t take a bad photo. I’ve taken photos in different seasons, various light and time of day. This is just a sampling. Little wonder the Lake District has inspired so many.

                     
Here’s some links on what to see and where to stay:
http://www.golakes.co.uk,  http://www.exploresouthlakeland.co.uk/see-and-do
http://www.discoverlakeland.co.uk, http://www.heartofthelakes.co.uk

© 2017 Pamela Reid/tPRo

“La Toilette de Venus” 1815, Jean-Baptiste Regnault (oil on canvas)

There’s a new exhibition at the NGV, Love: Art of Emotion. It’s all there in love’s many manifestations: romance (of course), the anticipation, desire, seduction, tenderness, pleasures of the flesh, narcissism and – Shakespeare’s favourite – martyrdom. That Goddess of Love, Venus, and her cheeky boy, Cupid, are ever-present, spreading their message from toilette preparation to dancing putti.

               
Photos: Antony and Cleopatra – Gianmaria Mosca (after), 16thC marble; The Singer Farinelli and friends (detail) – Jacopo Amigoni, c.1750-52, oil on canvas; Lordly Elevation – James Gillray, 1802, hand-coloured etching and aquatint; Dancing Putti – Girolamo Campagna, c.1605-07, bronze.

The exhibition is compiled from the NGV’s permanent collection, over 200 paintings, sculptures, drawings and print works, as well as jewelry, costumes and furniture from this European Medieval to the Romantic period. Some works are story-telling, others biblical, mythological, allegorical, historical.

As always, it is exquisitely curated by the NGV. Enjoyable and educational, Love: Art of Emotion is on until 18 June 2017. http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/exhibition/love    The catalogue is worth purchasing for your book collection.

           
Photos: The Artist at Work – Elizabeth Louise Vigée le Brun, 1830, miniature watercolour and gouache on ivory; Sora Mavera dish, 1530-50 earthenware; Madonna dell’Umilità (Madonna of Humility) – probably Ferrara, C.1470 Painted wood; exhibition catalogue.

Love: Art of Emotion exhibition is produced in collaboration with the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions and The University of Melbourne.

© all works National Gallery of Victoria (photos by tPRo/Pamela Reid 2017).

     Photo: Jazz singer in The Salon at MEAM (Museu Europeu d’Art Modern), Barcelona

Let the songs begin,  Let the music play
Make the voices sing, Start the celebration
And cry!
Come alive, And shake the foundations from the skies
Shaking all our lives
Barcelona! Such a beautiful horizon
Barcelona! Like a jewel in the sun

These lyrics (from “Barcelona” by Freddie Mercury/Mike Moran) capture the magic of being in Barcelona. Where do you start to blog Barcelona, when it has so much of everything: high energy and beautiful people; scrumptious dining; streets with laneways, but easy to get around; music, art and the genius of Gaudi? (Art and Architecture of Barcelona will be the next blog.)

My days, as always, commenced with early morning walks, directly to the harbour. Barcelona, as I was to learn, sleeps in. Very few people are around at 7.30am, maybe some strollers and African traders setting up their wares for the day’s business. Not even a coffee shop opens before 9am. That’s a penance for this Melbourne girl!

              
Photos:  Rowers at dawn; harbourside; traders set up their wares; Christopher Columbus directs.

But, good fortune, there’s La Boqueira market along La Rambla. It’s open early. Freshly squeezed fruit juice to start the day, all sorts of vegetables and a variety of salads, produce, seafood. You can dine (and wine) all day at La Boqueira if you wish.

                    
Photos:  Fruit for breakfast,  seafood…and more seafood; lunch at La Boqueira Market

I boarded my tourism favourite, the “On/Off Bus”, heading as far out as it would take me: The Monastery of Pedrables (from the Latin, white stones). Shhhh, so serene and calming. The Monastery was founded by Queen Elizenda de Montcada in 1327 and, to this day, is occupied by the Poor Clare Nuns (Sisters to the Franciscan Order). That stonework – stunning Catalan Gothic architecture – externally and internally.
              
Photos: on the approach;  grand doorways; light filters into the interior; St Michael’s Chapel.

There is so much to experience of monastic life around the cloisters and within Pedrables: the grottos, frescoes, ceramics, paintings, manuscripts, sculptures. I was quietly excited that I had made the decision to leave the city and explore.              
Photos: artefacts; an in-ground sarcophagus; Giotto influenced frescoes; the smallest of coffins.

From serene to the extreme of ornate, Palau de la Música Catalana, built early 20^th Century. It’s a  show in itself, an audible “Wow!” factor. Once you’ve absorbed all the glitz (puts a smile on your face) you’ll notice that this concert venue, with a capacity of 2,200, is full of natural light which streams through decorative stain glass windows. Architecturally it typifies Catalan modernism with its shapes, curves, and extensive adornments of particularly floral and other organic themes.
              
Photos:  the façade which incorporates both Spanish and Arabic architecture; concert organ; bannisters; stained glass windows.

And, yes, I returned in the evening for an Arte Flamenco show. Lots of straight backs, fierce faces and stamping on stage, to the thrashing of flamenco guitars.

              
Photos:  look up; natural light floods the concert hall; the centrepiece stain glass dome; mosaic columns. 

Spontaneously, I booked myself on an out-of-town tour: Monserrat, the Monastery, followed by a wine-tasting in a 10^th Century Castle. Why wouldn’t I? And it was worth it. Monserrat (serrated mountain) looms 1200 mtrs above sea-level, with the Benedictine Monastery at 700 mtrs. It’s religious history began in 880 AD when shepherd children saw a light descending from the sky around a cave in the mountains. “In the same moment the children heard angels singing and the music filled their hearts with a radiant joy.”  Their parents, and then the local vicar, also experienced this sign from God. When religious elders further explored, they found an image of the Virgin Mary and the cave became a sacred site for pilgrims.

                       
Photos:  Montserrat; view from 700 mtrs up; decorative work; Monastery interior; children dressed for communion; grieving Mary holds her Son in this austere Descent from the Cross painting. 

From there to Oller Del Mas vineyard (that’s Montserrat in the background). This castle has been in the same family for 36 generations. Beautiful location where we were treated to six tapas and dessert while tasting complementary wines. http://ollerdelmas.com/en – a perfect day really.

                  
Photos:  The vineyard; Through stone windows to the vineyard; happy me; wine tasting; view from the top of the castle.

There’s so much to love about being in Barcelona!

                         
Photos:  Writing in my journal – a delicious, light lunch; on the beach with some new (and very good looking) friends.         

Photo: The cloisters, Monastery of Pedralbes. 

Dejalo nacer, Ahhhhhhh
Nace un gran amor,  Ven a mi
Grita! Viva!
Por ti sere gaviota de tu bella mar
Barcelona! Suenan las campanas
Barcelona! Abre tus puerras al mundo
   (From “Barcelona” by Freddie Mercury/Mike Moran – recorded and performed by Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe) 

 
Two weeks ago my daughter, Annie, married Sam….in VENICE. How exciting!

About Venice. Comprised of six districts, or sestieri: Dorsoduro; San Marco; Castello; Cannaregio, Santa Croce and San Polo. 117 mini islands are separated by a labyrinth of canals, and the one Canal Grande that weaves its way through the city. Venice is built on a series of low mud banks in the midst of the Adriatic. The foundations – or what ‘keeps it afloat’ – are layers of compacted clay and sand (caranto), closely packed timber piles, with upper layers of Istrian stone. Getting around Venice is either by foot or water craft. Lots of up and down over bridges, getting lost. Buildings and pallazo facades ornately boast architectural design from Byzantine through Gothic, Renaissance to Baroque centuries.

                     
There’s so much to experience in Venice – if you haven’t already – and so much that can be written. This is, after all, the city that inspired great writers, most notably Ernest Hemmingway, Ezra Pound, Robert Browning, John Ruskin. The famous bellini cocktail originated in Harry’s Bar, alongside St Mark’s Square.

While tourists flock to, particularly, the area of San Marco, we like to stay in Cannaregio where the majority of the locals reside, and in close proximity to the quayside.  Here we see Venetians going about their daily lives, the water traffic heading out for the working day, taste the wines and cicchetti in small, welcoming bars at night.

                      
Photos: sunrise along the quayside

But, this is about Annie and Sam’s wedding. A small number (five of us) arrived in Venice to attend the happy occasion. It wouldn’t be a visit to Venice without a gondola ride, so of course, we did.

                    
Photos: Riding in a gondola (Maia, Oliver, Sam & Annie);  Maia at our favourite local bar

The ceremony took place late morning at the Municipal Hall near Rialto Bridge. A grand luncheon followed at the Alle Corone Restaurant (Ai Reale Hotel), only a few streets away on the edge of the Castello district. In an elegant, private dining room, with gondoliers floating by as a backdrop, we experienced the best of wines, hospitality and a menu that included: a shared platter of seafood cicchetti; ravioli with duck, chestnut sauce and truffles; foie gras and escalope; sea bass with artichokes and quinoa. http://www.hotelaireali.com/reali_restaurant.htm

                 
Photos: “Cheers” before the ceremony; just married; Arriving Hotel Ai Reali; our dining setting

                 
Photos: Seafood cicchetti; Ravioli with duck and truffles; tiramisu;  the newlyweds

What a splendid and memorable occasion it was! Wishing Annie and Sam ‘happy every after’.

“I have been between heaven and earth since our arrival at Venice……never have I touched the skirts of so celestial a place.”
– Elizabeth Barrett Browning

© Photos and text Pamela Reid/tPRo

Introducing Prof. Yves Laroque and Mónica Marquez, proprietors of Walk The Arts (walkthearts.com). I’m one of eight fortunate people – three French Canadians, one from Vancouver and four Australians – who ‘signed up’ for their Tuscany art history/plein air workshop in June this year.

I’ve always gravitated towards people with passion. Yves and Mónica have ‘passion’ in bucket loads: for life and landscape, history/art history, fresh produce for cooking, and for each other. I was initially attracted to the title of their business. WALKING and THE ARTS – a perfect combination! And that was just the beginning. The prospectus for Tuscany looked ‘made to order’, the experience was more than I could have imagined.

Where to start? Perhaps with how I embrace each day – my morning walks. The property where we stayed, Tenuta La Fratta (http://www.tenutalafratta.it) in Sinalunga, had a boundary that extended several kilometers. Before anyone else had risen, I would step out in the daybreak light, propelled with happiness to exist in Tuscany. Here’s a mere tease of my morning walks.
                         

And, there were farm animals whom I said “hi” to each morning: goats and their kids, pigs (12 huge piglets), geese, chickens, cows…and my favourite, the donkey. There I was in this Land of the Renaissance, and the donkey – a symbol of loyalty in Renaissance art – greeted me each morning. I would grab an apple on my way out, eat it, and give the core to this gorgeous beast.
       

The Schedule: it ran with military precision. Whether a lecture, a lesson in colour mixing, or being chauffeured around by Yves – starting time was “it”. (Loved that!). Yves “I am a man…just a man” would take us out around La Fratta or to countryside surrounding Pienza, Cortona, Multepulciano. We’d set up easels and Yves would drift amongst us, giving instructions, pointing, correcting….always with so much verve.
                                
Photos above: Helen sets up; Yves striding the landscape; where to paint?; me –  colour mixing my palette; working “the browns” of Montepulciano; from Pienza; arms folded, Yves critiques my artwork; Jennifer and Lucie painting at La Fratta.

After a few hours of plein air painting, Yves would drive us into the villages, instructing us on the architectural history, noting key aspects. We’d wander the streets and the shops, then find a taverna to sample the local wine.
                  
Photos above: Around the streets of  Pienza, Cortona and Moltepulcliano; Jennifer, Lyn, Yves and Francine on the steps of Teatro Signorelli, Cortona.    

THE HIGHLIGHTS: There were many, but right up there at the top of the list has to be…….
Mónica’s cooking. The kitchen is undoubtedly her ‘place of business’ as she lovingly plans each meal and takes such pride in presentation. (She and Yves are currently working on publishing their own cooking book.) Our hosts join us at the dining table and the wine is limitless. I was privileged to be permitted into Mónica’s inner sanctum on one occasion when we shopped and prepared the evening’s meal together. This was an unprecedented honour – lucky me!
                            
Photos above: Happiness is…..Mónica and Yves in HER kitchen; pasta; Bon Appetit: Mónica and me.

Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana.  Kerry (from Vancouver) and I chanced upon this library, situated alongside Santa Croce church in Florence. Home to what is described as “the most important and prestigious collection of antique books in Italy” and “the most lasting cultural inheritance which the Medici family has passed down to the attention, care and admiration of posterity.” Designed by Michelangelo, decoration of the library coincided with its actual construction (the ceiling dates to 1549-1550, the flooring from 1549-1554, the windows from 1558-1568). For this reason, it is considered one of the most unified works of the High Renaissance in Florence.

The entrance up a rather dramatic staircase and into a vestibule, takes you to the long hall reading-room. We were mesmerised by the sacrosanct sense of being there. Indexes at the end of each reading pew indicate what manuscripts would have been stored in those rows. There are rooms of glass-cased manuscripts and a Rotunda – an addition to the original library in the first half of 19thC to house a book collection, once belonging to Florentine scholar Angelo Maria D’Elci, and bequeathed to the Laurenziania. The books in the Rotunda date 15th-18thC and contain many incunabula (books printed in the second half of the 15thC).

The Bibilioteca was a “wow factor” experience for Kerry and me.
               
Photos above: Rows of pews in the long hall reading-room; an index of manuscripts; manuscripts; the Rotunda 

“Firenze” by Yves. I’ve been to Florence before, but seeing it through the eyes of Art Historian, Prof. Laroque, was engaging and educational, as Yves strutted the streets, pointing up at this, directing our attention to that. In fact, two highlights in one!  In the Uffizi, Yves enthusiastically articulated his lectures and all things Renaissance.
                     
Photos above: Yves talking Firenze; look up; Instruction in the Uffizi; about Uccello; a couple of interior photos – there are many! 

While the rest of our group wandered Florence, Yves took me into Santa Maria Novella – oh, what a beauty she is. Designed by two Dominican friars, Fra Sisto Fiorentino and Fra Ristoro da Campi, building commenced in mid-13th century (about 1246), and was finished about 1360. Santa Maria Novella was consecrated in 1420.
           
Photos above: Wandering Firenze – me, Yves, Lucie and Andrée; Light from the stained glass windows at Santa Maria Novella, Giotto’s beautiful, suspended Crucifix; Santa Maria Novella at dusk.

There are so many….but here’s a couple more sights around Florence.
              

Assisi. We spent half a day there. Not enough. So much to explore in Assisi and what a location! Yves took us to the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, with its upper and lower churches, cloisters and outbuildings. There’s a ‘silenzi’ rule, so we huddled together as Yves whispered about the beautiful frescos.
             
Photos above: Towards the Basilica of St Francis of Assisi; the cloisters; Assisi town centre; down to ..?; a fresco.

As our last travelling day, we were then given ‘time out’ to enjoy ourselves, a sort of schoolies for grown-up students. Assisi is Medieval, undulating, winding steep streets, interesting shops, reasons to keep looking. The architecture of Assisi has Umbrian and Roman foundations, large walls and eight gateways. The town centre was built over a Roman forum. After strolling, a few of us met up for lunch – breathtaking views of the sloping foothills. Definitely one of those “stop the world now” moments.

Photo:   Bruschetta…lunch anyone? Isn’t it fabulous?

It was hot. More wandering, shopping, melting gelato, and then I moseyed into the Basilica di S.Chiara (Saint Clare of Assisi who founded the Order of Poor Ladies). Clare was born into an influential family. There’s much to learn about her life, upbringing and how Clare heard Francis preaching when she was a teenager, turned her back on her family’s nobility, to follow a life dedicated to God, prayer and the teachings of Francis. In founding the Poor Ladies order, Clare was the first woman to write the life rules for religious women.
          
Photos above: One of the gateways in Assisi; crucifix in Basilica di S.Chiara; elderly nun collecting offerings; Silenzio also in the Basilica de S.Chiara.
I must return to Assisi!

I guess I can’t finish this blog without showing the fruits of Yves’ labours.  Here’s the plein air artworks I completed during my Ten Days in Tuscany. Titled “Colours of Tuscany” series, two have sold, and I’ve yet to exhibit the others.
                   

Yves and Mónica run a program of workshops around Europe and other parts. Have a look at their website and contact them. I know you’ll be welcomed!

© Photos and text Pamela Reid/tPRo