A Walk in St. Paul de Vence

 

 

A Walk in St. Paul de Vence

On our previous cruise, we visited St. Paul de Vence, and I fell in love with this medieval village.  When we had the chance to visit it again, I couldn’t resist!!  St. Paul de Vence is found in Southeast France and is one of the oldest villages on the French Riviera.  All sorts of famous people have found their way to this little village, including Pablo Picasso, and Bill Wyman (former Rolling Stones bassist).  But, I love the village for it’s character and flair, not for who lived or visited here!

Before we could visit the village, we had to reach the port of Villefranche, France.  Here you can see that little village as we approached our tender spot, and the pilot who guided us there leaving in the pilot boat that came to pick him up.

On our way to St. Paul de Vence, we drove through Villefranche and parts of Nice.  One of the things that we noticed in this area, were the charming balconies on some of the buildings.

We did get a chance to drive along the French Riviera and see the beach (please excuse the glare from the bus window) and then, a view of St. Paul de Vence from below.

Ah, the charm of St. Paul De Vence is seen from the very beginning, as you can see by looking at windows high above the street that approaches the village.

Once inside the village, all streets are really just walkways (no autos) where you can see various shops, including what looked to be an incredible cheese shop!

Another thing I found fascinating was the beauty of some of the doors, made with what looked like old wood, interesting doorknob placement, and fabulous door knockers on some!

This gives you an idea of why no autos are allowed on the inner roads of the village.  Narrow cobblestone streets, and sometimes, streets that are stairways due to the steepness!  Just fyi, autos are allowed on a street on the outer perimeter of the village.

One other charming thing are the drinking fountains left over from the medieval days!  I don’t know if anyone really tried to drink or fill up water bottles at these two, but they clearly say the water is good enough to drink!

Here are a couple of places you could pause to rest and reflect on the beauty of this charming village.  The shop with the bistro table and chairs out front was a favorite memory from the last time we visited, and I was glad to see it still as wonderful!

There are too many wonderful things we saw while wandering the village for me to share them all, but here are a few – a shop sign hanging from a balcony, a design in the cobblestone street and Jeff and the greenery along one of the side streets.

These are two magnificent views from a couple of the highest points in the village.  The bottom image is of the cemetery in St. Paul de Vence.  Yes, you could walk through it, although I didn’t this time around.  The top image is of the French Alps that you can see from the village.

All good things must come to an end, however.  We had one more touristy site to see on our way back to the ship.  In the image on the left, at the top of a hill (see arrow) we caught a glimpse of Elton John’s summer home (must be nice!).  And, our final image is the view of the lighthouse as we left port.  Our next stop will be in Italy, to see an iconic site!

Enjoy!

A Walk in Barcelona

 

A Walk in Barcelona

We went on a cruise with Jeff’s sister and her hubby (Nancy and Lonnie), visiting several ports of call in the Mediterranean.  We started, though, in Barcelona.  We flew into Barcelona to spend a day there before the cruise began.  It was founded as a Roman city in the Middle Ages, and you can see some of the influence of that in some of the buildings.  We used our day in Barcelona to take a walk and checked out an amazing building and tried to visit another.  Let’s take a look –

We took a taxi to San Pau Art Nouveau.  None of us knew anything about this, but it sounded kind of interesting when we looked at a tourist map and thought we’d check it out.  This complex is huge, and amazingly, was used as a hospital campus.  In the photo above, the image on the left is the magnificent entrance to this campus.  The statue in the center was just outside the main gate, and the map on the lower right lays out a map of the campus.  In addition to being the entrance to the campus, this is considered the Administration Pavilion.

As we walked through the entrance to the campus, we didn’t really get to see much of the inside the Administration Pavilion, but we’ll see more of that later in this blog.  This image is of two art pieces that was found on the that building.

This is the Operations House.  We did walk through this building, but the art shown on the walls and ceiling weren’t really suited very well for ph0tographing.  There are names shown on this building of distinguished doctors who have worked here.

As we walked around the campus, we were amazed by all the different areas of architectural interest, from the facades of buildings to the entryways of those buildings, to the colorful tiles on the rooftops.  It was eye candy for anyone who appreciates beauty.

This breathtaking building is the Sant Rafael Pavilion.  This pavilion was completed between 1914 and 1918.  This pavilion has not been rehabilitated.  Instead, elements that have been added over the years, were eliminated to return the pavilion to closer to its original state.  We wandered through this building slowly, taking in all there is to offer.

Here are two wonderful views of the inside of the buildings.  On the right is an image of the ceilings throughout the buildings.  I believe the wires that you can see running across the room are to help stabilize the building.  On the left is a room that has been set up as a hospital wardroom would have looked back when this campus was an active hospital.

These were medical tools that were used back when it was an active hospital.  On the left is an old x-ray machine.  This x-ray machine had a fluoroscopic screen and vertically movable arm.  It was made in or around the 1920’s.  The x-ray (upper right) is of a thorax, printed out on paper, from the 1930s’s.  The items on the lower right are surgical instruments – my, oh, my!

The campus also had a network of passages, known as The Tunnels.  All buildings could be reached via The Tunnels.  They were used to get supplies, meals and laundry delivered to the various locations.  In this image, you can see Jeff, Nancy and Lonnie as they walk in front of me.  In case anyone is wondering, the tunnels were roped off, so we couldn’t get lost in there!

Above The Tunnels is an area referred to as The Gardens.  Nature was a vital part of the hospital.  Plants and trees purified the air, fixed bacteria, influenced the climate, protected the space from the wind, and conserved humidity, according to the hospital, all with the patients’ well being in mind.  I know we enjoyed the park-like feeling, and Lonnie got a nice shot of Nancy while we were there.

And now we’re back at the Administration Building, exploring the inside.  The roof area of one room was just incredible, with the pinkish tiles and date shown (like a cornerstone?).  One of my favorite places in this building is the hall, shown on the right.  It’s in the process of being worked on and the windows didn’t work while we were there.  It took me many shots to get this image of an empty hall, as people kept wandering into my shot!!

Here are some other interesting architectural items in the Administration Building.  There’s another decorated ceiling, some stone carved guard rails and also very interesting to me, a mosaic piece that looked like a painting until I got up close.

After we left the Sant Pau Art Nouveau complex, we walked toward the second building we hoped to explore.  We walked down shaded walks open to pedestrians only (left image) and stopped at one of them to get some refreshment – wine for Nancy and me, and beer for the guys (with our waiter getting into the action, too!).

When we got to the La Sagrada Familia, we were disappointed to find out that the wait to get inside it was much too long for us to be able to get inside.  So, we had to be satisfied with admiring it from the outside.  They were working on the building, apparently cleaning it.  What a Gothic looking building!!  The close-up image on the right shows people climbing up the columns you can see as being higher up the building.

We got onto our ship to formally begin our cruise adventure the next day, and this sunset image was taken from the ship as we left Barcelona.  On to our first cruise stop – France!

Enjoy!

Historic Castroville

 

Historic Castroville

One day, we took a drive around the walking tour route to see some historic buildings in Castroville.  Although this was termed a walking tour, it would have most likely taken us a good portion of the day if we had walked it!!  So, we cheated!!  These are not all of the historic buildings, but they are those that seemed to have the best story and seemed to be close to it’s original appearance.

This small church (on the left) stands on the grounds of the Moye Retreat Center.  It was the first stone church build in Medina County and west of San Antonio.  The first church built was of “earth and wood” in 1844.  When Father Dubuis, the first priest of Castroville, arrived in 1847, he encouraged the town to build a larger and more solid church.  It was completed in 1849 and dedicated in 1850 and still stands today.  When I read this was the larger church, I have to admit I wondered how small the first one was!  It is still used for special occasions.

There have been a few buildings on the ground where the Moye Retreat Center (on the right) now stands.  First, a school was built on these grounds in 1870.  It was known as the St. Louis School.  This large building was built in 1873 and was the first Convent and Motherhouse of the Sisters of Divine Providence.  Then, in 1938, it became a military school for boys and operated for 21 years.  It then seemed to come full circle and again became a convent and school for young girls aspiring to become nuns.  Now, it is a retreat center.

The original structure of this building, the Carle House and Store (built 1865), was a single room and cellar, which is now part of the rear of the building.  This was built by Joseph and Catherine Krust.  In 1873, Catherine sold the property to Joseph Carle for $1600.  He agreed to build a one-room house with a porch and kitchen to be rented to Catherine for $1/year for the rest of her life.  He operated a general store in the building for many years.  The building was sold to the Belchers in 1972 and now operates an antique store on the first floor, and there are living quarters on the second.

Dr. John Fitzsimon built and operated the first Castroville drug store in this location in 1907 (building on the left).  It then became the home of another doctor and a title company currently calls this building home.

This building, the Hans Meat Market (on the right),  was the first brick retail building built in Castroville in 1910 by Ed Hans.  Ed’s wife, Molly, was very active in the town community, and was in charge of the kitchen of St. Louis church, mentioned earlier.  She also was a key person in collecting donations to build a parish hall for the church.  After Ed died, Molly married Louis Schott and they lived here for the rest of their lives.  It currently is home to Castroville Pottery.

This building, The Old Standby (1857),  was one of the first two-story buildings in Castroville and started off as a saloon in 1857.  The bar was downstairs and the owners’ family lived on the second floor.  When Prohibition hit, the saloon closed down, and the new owner opened a drug store and soda fountain.  It was home to several families over the years and is now a private party venue called Serendipity’s.

This building is the second county courthouse for Castroville.  It is built on the site of the first courthouse and was built when Castroville was the county seat of Castroville, in 1878.  The county seat is now Hondo, about 10 miles west of Castroville.  When the county seat moved, this building was then converted into a pubic school for the area.  By 1961, the building was once again vacant, and so the town purchased it to house its administrative offices.

The  Kiefer-Wernette-Tondre Store building, on the left, has housed some interesting businesses.  Originally, it housed the Kiefer Brewery and Saloon (circa 1860s).  It was then purchased by Philip Wernette who operated a saloon and built the second floor to house a dance hall.  For some reason, it was then named the Wernette Opera House, also it doesn’t appear to have had an operas performed there!  At one time, there was a second floor balcony, where the dancers could enjoy the night air as they caught their breaths.  After Philip died, it was purchased by Louis Tondre, who, along with his sons, operated it as a grocery, lumber and dry goods store.  It then lay vacant for over 20 years.  It now houses retailers on the bottom floor, and event center is located on the second floor.

The original Zion Luthern church for this congregation was built in 1854, and was replaced by this new church in 1939.  The grounds have undergone several changes, with other buildings coming and going over the years.  This building is now known as “The Ark” and houses the church’s Sunday school and quilting group.

At one time, there were many buildings similar to this one offering services such as wagon freighting and wheel wrights, but times have changed and now, this is blacksmith shop, built in the 1920s, is the only building left standing.  It’s now the home of Spartan Leather, a custom leather shop.

To many residents, this building will always be known as the Old Highway Filling Station (built 1926a), even though it started its life as a saloon. The station was operated by Charles Suehs and his sons, and was known as the Magnolia Station.  It was also a liquor store and bus station and now is home to a small diner.

At the time this building was built by Henri Castro, in 1849, he chose it because it was a day’s drive from San Antonio (it’s now only about 30 minutes from San Antonio!).  In the 1860s and 1870s, it was known as the

Vance Hotel, when John and Rowena Vance owned it. Later, it was turned into a gristmill, and then processes grain, cotton, wool and cypress. In 1927, the mill was converted to generate electricity for the town by Jordan T. Lawler.  His sister, Ruth, reopened Landmark Inn in 1942 and then donated the property to the State of Texas in 1974.

This is the last original freestanding one room cabin left in Castroville.  It’s known as the GL Haass Log Canin (1847 – 1849).  It’s thought that this building was built elsewhere and moved her, although the reason for that is not known. 

Xavier Jung received the deed for this property from Henri Castro in 1845.  The walls are constructed of massive cypress timbers with fachwerk, one of very few houses left in Castroville with that style.  The house is believed to be one of the oldest structures built in Castroville.

Enjoy!

 

 

Alamo, Menger Hotel, Teddy Roosevelt and The Riverwalk

 

Alamo, Menger Hotel, Teddy Roosevelt and The Riverwalk

The last time we visited the San Antonio area, two years ago, our exploring was cut short by a little thing called COVID.  There are a number of Missions that are still standing in the area around San Antonio, and we visited them all last time, except The Alamo.  This time we made certain to see it and also some interesting historical things close by and topped the visit off with a visit to The Riverwalk in San Antonio.

The Alamo Mission was originally known as Mision San Antonio de Valero, founded in the 18^th century by Roman Catholic missionaries.  It was the site of the Battle of the Alamo, in 1836, where James Bowie and Davy Crockett died.  It functioned as a mission from 1763 – 1790, when it was secularized and then abandoned.  In 1891, the Daughters of the Republic of Texas began efforts to preserve The Alamo and convinced the state legislature to purchase what remained of the buildings and grounds in 1905 and named the Daughters of the Republic of Texas as custodians of The Alamo.  Over the years, there has been some controversy over the ownership of The Alamo and the role the Daughters of the Republic of Texas were to play in protecting The Alamo.

Today, over 3 million people visit The Alamo each year.  I remember many years ago visiting it and seeing not only the Chapel (which is the main building that is most often shown in photos, etc., but also the Long Barracks, which contains a small museum.  When we visited, we entered through the Chapel, but could not see the Long Barracks, due to preservation work being done on that building.  I was struck both the first time I visited it, and again on this visit, how short (relatively) the walls surrounding The Alamo were.  A man in good physical condition could probably scale the walls without too much effort!

Next door to The Alamo is the Menger Hotel.  It was built in 1859 and has all the earmarks of a truly grand hotel, back in the day.  There are lovely leaded glass windows as you enter the hotel through the entryway from the outside, plenty of cushioned chairs and sofas in which to sit, as well as glassed exhibits showing various items, including an old register of the hotel.  There is a courtyard in the hotel area, surrounded by the hotel, with benches for outdoor seating and a lovely fountain in that courtyard.

In the walkway between The Alamo and the Menger Hotel stands a statue of Teddy Roosevelt, who was the 26^th President of the United States, serving from 1901 – 1909, before his distant cousin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, became President.   Why would his statue be in this location?

Teddy Roosevelt is connected to the Menger Hotel, because the Menger Bar is where Teddy Roosevelt would sign up for volunteers for the 1^st United States Volunteer Calvary, better known as the Rough Riders., in 1898.  They were very active during the Spanish-American War. The Bar is an exact replica of a pub in London’s House of Lords.   It is also the site of more cattle deals than any other place in Texas and is San Antonio’s longest continuously operating saloon.  The middle photo is the walkway from the Menger Hotel to the Menger Bar, and the photos on either side of it reflect Rough Rider items in glass cases.  We did step into the bar, but it was incredibly small, and was totally full when we entered, which was shortly after it opened for the day!  It was also almost pitch-black inside, so photos of the interior of the bar weren’t possible…without blinding the patrons enjoying a lunch time brew!!

After all of that history, we walked just a short distance to San Antonio’s Riverwalk, where we did enjoy watching the tour boats traveling down the Riverwalk and enjoyed a margarita with our lunch!!

Enjoy!!

Medina River Natural Area

 

Medina River Natural Area

On a couple different days, we visited the Medina River Natural Area, just outside of San Antonio.  The first time, we walked along the prairie trail and the second, we followed the trail down along the river. 

The Medina River Natural Area is a 511-acre nature preserve, with over 5 miles of biking and hiking trails, although we didn’t see any bikers when we were there. 

When we walked along the first part of the prairie trail, we did notice some lovely wildflowers, including an almost ready to bloom prickly pear cactus, yucca plant, Mexican primrose and a yellow flower that looked like both a coneflower and sunflower.  It’s probably a variety that includes neither of these flowers!!

Buried in the trees and brush a bit, were what I think of as signs of civilization that once was in this area.  There were the remnants of a cabin, with a very unwelcoming front porch.  A bit further along, were 2 chimneys.  The interesting thing about these two chimneys is that although the style of them didn’t seem to belong to one home, they weren’t quite far enough apart to be from separate buildings.  Finally, almost overcome by the preserve claiming the land as its own, was what appeared to be a corral that belonged to some structure at one time.  It was a bit removed from both the cabin and the fireplaces to have been associated with them, so perhaps this was from another home in what may have been a small settlement.

On the outer perimeter of the prairie was a small pond.  You can see a small turtle sunning itself on the branch of a downed tree.  The area is known as a birding site, but on both mornings when we were there, no birds could be seen.  The turtle seemed welcoming, though!

On our second day of exploration of the Medina River Natural Area, we walked the River Path.  It was a very calm and peaceful walk along the river.  One of the interesting things was how the trees along the river would allow their roots into the river to get water.  You can see it in the image on the left, and a closer view on the right image.

Fishing was also allowed on the river, and just out of this image, off to the left, there were a couple of guys who were sitting on the shore and fishing in the river.  I enjoyed the canopy the trees provided for the river.

One last treasure before we left the area.  In a front area that seemed great for teaching kids (and older kids) about the nature in the area, was this lovely bloom – an orchid bloom on an orchid tree.  Kind of made me want one in our yard!!

Enjoy!