Portes Ouvertes

Art and history – my bliss!  This weekend the privately owned 15th century, Chateau de Thard opened it’s doors as part of Les Journèes Europeènes du Patrimoine.

The heritage weekend takes place the third weekend of September across France.  Each year there is a theme and this year’s was Patrimoine et citoyennetè.   Public offices, monuments, historical sites, churches and chateaux open their doors to the public for a visit behind the scenes.

Chateau de Thard, a joli petit manoir, near Onlay proved to be a hidden treasure.  We drove up a long drive hidden in the woods, which opened out to amazing views high above Onlay.

The Chateau was also a perfect backdrop for an art exhibition featuring a variety of pottery, sculpture, oils, watercolours, prints and collages.

  
    
  

http://www.chateaudethard.com

PianO du Lac

 

Playing a piano on water, floating under the stars with nature providing a breath-taking backdrop, le piano du lac is a transhumance flottante across France.

3 months and 60 concerts from July to October, the piano, pianists, singers and musicians – one wearing a bespoke dinner jacket styled from a wetsuit playing the tuba underwater – are performing a mesmerising spectacle from the Alps to Paris and the south of France.

We watched the concert at the Lac de Panneciere in Le Morvan, Bourgogne-Franche-Comte enjoying a picnic and listening to the magical sounds of the piano drifting across the water.

It was a very hot day and we needed a swim before the concert. We changed on the beach and my glamorous friend Stef, donned dangly earrings and a long dress  – you would never have guessed we had come straight from the beach.

We found a nice spot and set up the picnic, a feast of local ham, olives, salad, baguette and Brie, washed down with a chilled Crement de  Bourgogne.

When the concert finished, the audience were invited up to play.  We listened to a fabulous mix of classic music, rock n roll and pop as the night enveloped us and the stars twinkled in the sky.

It was an unforgettable way to spend a summer’s evening.

http://www.pianodulac.fr

 

 

 

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Personne!