Les ocres de Roussillon

Roussillon is famous for its red and ocher rocks which have been used for making pigments for centuries. Our walk took us along the sentier des ochres (first three pictures), then to the old  town of Roussillon where, not surprisingly, most buildings were painted in reds and ochres.

There is also a place they call Colorado de Rustrel – a bit off Roussillon so it was not really part of the walk (but it fits into this post’s theme, pictures five and six).

However, l’usine d’ocre Mathieu (Mathieu’s ochre factory) is so close to Roussillon’s town centre that it can be visited on foot (last three pictures).

… if you enjoyed this walk, make sure to visit Jo’s Monday Walks for stories from all around our world.

Je n’atten… pas que… lève toi

“Saget, Steine, mir an, o sprecht, ihr hohen Paläste!
Straßen, redet ein Wort! Genius, regst du dich nicht?”
J. W. Goethe, Römische Elegien, 1

While the poet begs Rome’s walls to talk to him, the walls in the streets of Arles sported many messages, some of them obstructed by noise – ripped off, painted over, gone enigmatic. I was fascinated by the layers, by the idea that someone left a trace, only to be obstructed after a while…

Beynac. Part One

A walk up to the castle of Beynac (Périgord). During this year’s trip to France I was often intrigued by the way roofs, pigeonaires and chimneys seemed to define space in very particular ways, and I tried to capture something of what I thought I understood in these pictures.

Part two will take you inside the castle where I fooled with the available light…

Since the ascent to the castle was indeed a walk, and because our path was lined by traces of the past, I seize the opportunity to participate in two great challenges: Jo’s Monday Walks and Thursday’s Special at Paula’s. Please check them out; both Paula and Jo have regular challenges, and both of them are great hosts.