Long light is stretched lean and tight by the Solstice but has been ever so in this corner of Provence. Other seasons, other times have left their mark beyond this eternal summer. For two thousand years, the Roquette has been inhabited, there is still a rue de la Monnaie from when the mint of the Roman Empire was transferred to Arles in 313 AD. The fishermen that worked the port of the Rhone, creating power as they pulled and docked, have always lived right in this neighborhood. Or did until the trains came and the industrial age with it, leaving their livelihood to sink slowly down. But the buildings remain. Not all have been made their pretty. And yet the details present a palette, one that is both beautiful and true.
So this renaissance is taking flight but it will fade and be replaced by future hopefuls, leaving trails and lounging on another June 21.
I thought that this would be the round-up of this week in the Roquette but Remi suggested another post about the life on the quay. We shall see but in the meantime…
…for those of you in France or participating countries, Bon Fête de la Musique!
…and for everyone else, make some music of your own this fine weekend…
Love these details – the 4th photo would make a fabulous abstract painting. Hope you had a wonderful light-filled first weekend of summer, Heather. XO
Those extra ordinary pictures and colours speek for themselves.
I love that photo, Suze. It is old actually (my hair STILL hasn't grown back) but it was on my Google+ profile when I merged it with Blogger, so I kept it.
Curious if you did anything in particular for the Solstice in your light filled land…
Thanks for always being so wonderfully supportive, Wyn–Happy Sunday to you too!
I *knew* you would be cognizant of solstice, what surprised me (a little) is your celebration of the slant of light. Not that you would do as much but I was just not thinking in those terms until this post. Lovely.
Also lovely: your new profile pic. Replete with light.
OMG – I have been off writing tender docs for my alter ego – life as a business analyst and am catching up this morning – what an indulgent way to start my Sunday – reading your Blog!! Thanks for being so graphic and wonderful with your photos and descriptions!! Enjoy your Sunday!!
Thank you and to you, Jackie. I know that you are both making the most of it!
Another beautiful post Heather! Happy Solstice and Happy Summer to you~ J. xo
Thanks so much Sister–that was wonderful of David to say! 🙂 And whew for the computer incident! Those puppers! They were just trying to add percussion. 🙂
Have a great weekend!
David, this is a comment that I will earmark (who created that word? It sounds foul!) for when I am having a not-so-confident day (of which I have many). With both hands crossed over my heart, I say "thank you."
And I would just add that I only started taking photos because I was so utterly bored in waiting for Mr. Remi to take his! I would sit and wait and wait and wait and look around me all that time. I finally caught on to the fact that I could put my camera to use during those endless waits and then they stopped being waits at all!
When we were travelling we would often do the opposite of what the guidebook says. For example at Angkor, if you just entirely reverse even the standard order (not going too far off the beaten map in case any mines have been missed) you will have the Bayon completely to yourself at sunrise (and it is worth the trip alone to watch those mysterious faces glow out of the dark of night) while busloads push to get their angle of Angkor Wat. Here in Arles, there is one loop and one loop only between the Arena, the Antique Theatre, the Place de la Republique with St. Trophime, the Place du Forum and the Hotel Dieu where Van Gogh was treated. That's it! Which leaves a whole lotta streets empty even in August…
Bisous,
H
Ah, that I CAN see in the eighth down from the top!
Left me speechless and blinking like stupido.
Oh good! Then by all means, please give him so more. That is if he hasn't gone out cat-napping recently. 🙂
Loree, I am hopelessly behind on your beautiful posts but I know that you and I both do like to wander off the beaten path.
Centuries! Millenia!
Thank you for stopping by on Midsummer Eve–that must be amazing to experience…and merci for the compliment too!
Not if it was the utter CACAPHONY that happened last night! Holy cow…
But Happy Summer Solstice to you too, N!
My goodness Helen, your thought about Rothko freaked me out! Heehee. But time is a mighty fine artist in these parts.
Ah, wishing you easy living as well, what a perfect shimmering idea that is..
Gros Bisous,
Heather
I love these images – lots of long light and interesting doorways and bits of green…ahhhh! I missed the 2nd in the series so will check it out, but have loved seeing the Roquette! As for music-making of our own, we did some and it created a mishap! David and I were playing, and he was using his computer on a low table to take notes. Guess who two started playing, and guess who's tail knocked over his soda onto his computer??? Yup! Disaster – we panicked and googled – it seems to have survived except for a few things not working. But more music making this weekend!! Wish you were here to sing "Summertime"! : )
p.s. to David Terry's comment that you have at least 2 good books already in you I say, "here here"!!!!
One of the things I appreciate about Heather's photography is the near absence of postcard cliches….you know—the snazzy waiter artfully balancing a tray of wine glasses as he waltzes through a crowded cafe, the ancient, but ALWAYS SMILING, vaguely peasant-ish woman seated behind her boxes of colorful produce in the market, two children playing in front of a sunlit fountain, a pair of presumed lovers kissing in front of just about anything vaguely French, etcetera….the sort of tourist-y postcard images that could come from ANYwhere in France (and do, for that matter).
Instead?,,,Heather really does have a talent for exploring and showing the hidden corners, and the places/things most folks would simply pass by without noticing.
Hers is the sort of eye that's obviously (to me, at least) been trained by sitting and really LOOKING, rather than rushing around to get somewhere else, simply because the guidebook tells you where you ought to be and what you ought to be viewing.
As I recently wrote to "La Contessa", the woman (Heather)obviously (once again, at least to me) has at least two good books already in her.
And,no,I'm not paid to write these things…I just happen to really admire this markedly sincere blog.
—-david terry
http://www.davidterryart.com
By the way, may we add a little Frankenthaller as well? 🙂
Gorgeous.
I love that Helen sees Rothko in these images…
Beautiful photos yet again! An intriguing place. Yes, we will make it to Arles, probably in the autumn, but before the cold! With Rémy in tow, no doubt! And he thanks you for the scratchies
Thank you for such a wonderful introduction to La Roquette. Hope to see more of it. Places like that intrigue me no end.
So beautiful. The patina of years.
It's Midsummer Eve here and our world is at a standstill because everyone is celebrating the peak of summertime. Thank you for the beautiful post.
I always wish we had a similar thing to fete de la musique here.
Happy summer solstice Heather! x
Hello Heather
Some of your images bring to mind the great Rothko.
You have captured the soul and history so beautifully.
The feast of St. Jean Baptiste is celebrated in Quebec.
Wishing you "easy living" as summer dawns
Helenxx