Cultural Sunday!

What a big day!

Because it was National Day of Treasures, Chambery like most cities had organised numerous expositions, tours and free visits to cultural places. I had so much to see that I was happy to take my bike out and go on my own, moving on following my very organised schedule ;)

I started at 10 at a protestand church, which had a semi-interesting exposition regarding the persecution of the religious practices and struggles to tolerance and acceptance. Because it was too early to be crowded, a nice friendly lady spoke me through the posters exposed.

I was very eager to get to the Chateau, the beautiful castle quite in the centre of town, areound which the buildings are all in their original state. The church inside it was quite impressive, in mixed neogothic and reinassance styles. Awesome glass paintings. In another seperate building I saw a few photos and read a few facts about Chambery through the ages, the city has changed significantly. Soon I entered the main castle and a tour guide took us around a number of rooms. Part of the castle also houses the regional Parliament (Chambery is the capital of the Savoy), so I saw the main conference room. I climbed the top tower and took some lovely pictures of the town from above.

After the castle I popped into the Museum of Beaux Arts, in the city centre, as there was an exposition by the painter Arcabar (I think?), whose style was quite simple and like Picasso's.

Having heard that the Museum of Charmettes was about 2kms from town, but never been there myself, I followed signs towards its direction. Unfortunately I had not been told that it was situated up a hill so high that I was forcing my bike breaks all the way down! You can imagine how fun it was pushing my bike to the place! Anyway the place, which was in fact the old house of Jean-Jaques Rousseau, a writer, was nothing too special, a wooden house with a few nicely decorated rooms, and a nice garden and vineyard. Voila'.

After a nice hot kebab, which I digested spending a little while watching three guys doing acrobatic circus in a showground, I headed to the Cathedral.

It was beautiful :) surrounded by little chapels and with the compolsory glass paintings, the magnitude of the Cathedral took your breath away. But the most unique thing was the gigantic organ at the back. I was shown how it works a little bit, but most of it now is actually electric. Walking behind the altar stand, I was shocked to see the huge sound systems the place had! Two tall cabinets full of buttons and switches and speakers worth of Southbound! That was when the magic ended :p

At 3.30 I wanted to catch a tour of the Palace of Justice, if that is its English translation. Unfortunately after walking in, I realised that the place was empty. Empty as an eggshell (without the egg in). Apart from a few other visitors who were also wondering what was going on. Dommage!

My bike then took me to the Foire of Savoy, even though she took the wrong turns several times getting there, it was a bit out of town see. The fiera was... I think more a family show than for teenagers, there were stalls of all sorts of things from spas to lawn mowers to food and colthes... I was satisfied with a crepe but left after little more than half an hour. Maybe I should stop writing about all the times that I eat crepes. It makes me feel like a little pig.

Hmmmm! So after the cre- foire.... I went to an exposition regarind natural weather and mountains, and one about Mammoths. I think Tommaso would have enjoyed that one :) that was pretty much the end of my excursional day, as most things were closing down.


Coming home I considered that once in Australia I will think back of Madame Andre with a melanchonic smile, if not miss her. She's become somewhere between a grandma and a friend to me, with her shigh speed way of life and her non intrusive methods of making sure Im having a good time. yesterday she gave me a present which she's bough at a paint exposition on Saturday. It's a poster of a self portrait of the famous French painter (so famous I shan't mention his name..), who died in 1879. So I thought that since she's qutie religious, I'd grab a few prayer fliers from the Cathedral for her.
Last night she was busy with her borther fixing one of the kitchen cabinets which wouldn't remain closed (maybe that's why she doesn't bother closing any of them), she still stuffed me with soup, pasta and steak, plus cheesebreadandwine obviously. I was later watching some tv and she came with a blanket :) Actually, before going to bed last night I was watching the same Zorro tv episodes I used to watch years ago in italian, at my grandma's house. They must be at least 30 years old.