aixcentric

I do try and have some sort of coherence to my blog posts but today there is none – a series of random items which may be of interest to people in Aix.

Let’s start with the news today that the Musée Granet has acquired another Cézanne.  Antiquary Richard Vidal-Naquet discovered the small format oil painting (19 cm by 16 cm) – of a young girl drawing. The subject is the painter’s young sister Rose and there is an authenticity certificate written by Maxime Conil, Aix lawyer and husband of Rose Cézanne, then the certificate of sale. It was purchased in 1913 by Aix collector Emmanuel Belval who had acquired it for 300 francs. The Community of Pays d’Aix has paid 300,000 euros for this plus two lithographs and a host of books relating to the work of Cézanne. For more info and to see the painting, see La Provence: http://www.laprovence.com/article/actualites/aix-le-musee-granet-soffre-un-cezanne-inedit

I am also in debt to La Provence for the latest news on wolves which have been attacking lambs in the Var. Now they have entered ’13’,  attacking a flock of sheep at Vauvenargues.  Young wolves are moving closer towards Aix, starting their own packs. It is a nightmare for the éleveurs, who, instead of leaving the sheep out, have to try and get them all under cover at night-time.  I do wonder at the sense ( lack of….) in reintroducing wolves into the countryside.

Now on to swimming:  I often go to the Piscine Yves Blanc which is at the Stade de Carcassonne, near the Torse Park.  It’s an Olympic-size pool, 8 lanes, and uniformally deep…good for doing lengths.  A couple of lengths are often reserved for training the synchro swimmers which is entertaining. It’s just 2,70 for a swim – you don’t have to be a member. However you do need to wear a swimming hat, and gents have to wear speedo-style bathers (no flowery baggy shorts!). You also need flip-flops to get you from the changing area to the pool as there are lots of cracked tiles.  It’s all a bit tired/municipal baths, but at that price, not to worry.  The link here gives the usual timetable but – and the reason for my post – the pool is closed from now until January 6th for ‘vidage’. It then reopens but is closed on January 13th for a sports event. http://piscines.agglo-paysdaix.fr/pageLibre0001010e.aspx

Flights – I did say this post had random items!  Ryanair have announced that they will be flying from Marseille to Warsaw from January, flights starting at 14€, and will have flights to the UK East Midlands from 31st March,  flights each way, Sundays and Thursdays.

Today’s Sunday Times Travel section has a very good piece on Marseille.  The writer clearly likes the place for its character, ‘brazen, bombastic, picaresque’ which he contrasts with the ‘hysterical tedium’ of the MP2013 literature which he said drove him mad. He’s very positive about the new museums being built, the Vieux Port, the new Silo and was ‘particularly impressed’ with the Chateau de la Buzine film centre.  That is until he got outside and found his car broken into and his suitcase gone. Sad.

While on the subject of museums, there’s a new contemporary art exhibition just started at the Musée des Tapisseries in Aix and do remember that the Gauguin and Van Gogh son-et-lumiere show at Les Baux is closing on the 6th January.

I’ll leave you with this rather funky Christmas tree made out of books and a link to see some more fun ways of building books into trees.  And now it’s back to peeling sprouts!http://www.freshdesignblog.com/tag/christmas-tree-made-from-books/ 

 A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS FROM AIXCENTRIC!

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