Alcove Oratories... in Aix-en-Provence.

With its majestic Cours Mirabeau, and the countless streets and alleys that criss-cross a beautiful historic centre punctuated with centuries-old fountains, Aix-en-Provence offers so much to see that you literally do not know what to gaze at first when strolling around. The grand carved doors, set in equally imposing doorways with their massive sculpted forms that peer down at passers-by draw my attention whenever I visit the city and this time was no exception.

However, I decided to focus a little more on those other figures that likewise stare down at the throngs of aixois and visitors going about their business on the busy pavements below, unaware of being observed...

Indeed, once you notice one of these small oratory statues poised high above, set on the corner of a building at the end of a street, you become conscious of the others... of which there are many!

Although a serene Virgin Mary - often holding the infant Jesus - appears to be the most common figures, in fact she shares the skyline with various Saints, hands raised in prayer from their alcove pedestals above...

These other oratory forms were somehow rather more intriguing and I did wonder what they were supposed to represent or refer to...

While many of the statues were plain and sober, others were colourful...

Some were standing in decorative alcoves...

That are almost like shells, bearing their figures protectively...

Or like miniature shrines, guarded by wire mesh...

Some of very modest proportions...

Sometimes in the shade of the surroundeding plane trees...

Or in the searing heat and bright sunshine...

But many of them having to tolerate the invasive presence of modern-day urban paraphernalia such as lighting, street signs,drainpipes and cables...

Such intrusion does not seem to alter their calm, however...

Mary and the Child seem unperturbed by all this modernity...

And some versions of Mary appear to be the very image of serenity itself...

Or that of joy and peace...

All of this caused me to wonder why Aix should have so many of these beautiful oratories, in addition to numerous churches across the city....

The answer was simple; over the centuries, the people of Aix sought Salvation from the earthly challenges that decimated their population; plague, drought, wild fires and the usual lot of common mortals.

Unable to attend religious services in times of contagion and confinement, the aixois would worship from the street or from their windows, using the alcove oratories on the buildings, praying for deliverance from their plight.

Those who lived to survive, and whose prayers had been answered would gather to offer praise...

Art Nouveau Beauty... Bouillon Racine.

In a relatively unassuming side street of the Latin quarter, not far from the Ecole des Mines by the Jardin du Luxembourg, I caught a glimpse of this enticingly impressive façade and having peered in through the beautiful window, decided that I just had to reserve a table to experience a meal there! Although I did not realise it at that moment, the establishment in question was one of a handful of remaining 'bouillon' restaurants in Paris.

With its unique concept, distinct from the typical offerings of a brasserie, bistrot or banal restaurant, the 'bouillon' has always occupied a singular position, even if the profile of today's clientele is surely very different from that of the past.

The term bouillon, meaning 'meat stock', refers to the key item proposed by the founder of the first bouillon etablishment in 1854, a certain Adolphe-Baptiste Duval (1811-1870). This butcher catered to the food porters and general workers in and around the vast parisian market - Les Halles - which Zola depicted as Le Ventre de Paris.

While stock was not a new culinary invention, Duval understood how to present his own signature version to les forts des Halles in an appealing manner, at affordable prices so that demand would grow. Thus he was able to boil down and thus use up the pieces of meat generally overlooked or dismissed by the public (offal and the like...) while vastly improving his takings.

The offering was soon widened to include basic meat dishes of good quality, served in clean settings with quick, efficient service delivered by smartly dressed waitresses - 'les petites bonnes' - and hence the bouillon restaurant was born.

The popularity of this concept was such that hundreds of other restaurants were set up on the same model and so countless bouillons were scattered across the city over the following decades, acting as a 19th century precursor of our present-day fastfood outlets.

Towards the end of the century, the two Chartier brothers, Camille and Edouard, decided to try their hand at a new bouillon restaurant; one that would provide the same renowned and respected menus and service, but in an illustrious Art Nouveau setting in line with the aesthetics of la Belle Epoque that had been displayed in the Exposition Universelle de Paris 1900.

Le Bouillon Chartier Grands Boulevards was opened in 1896, and must have stunned the public with its vast dining area and lavish Art Nouveau decor, with swirling forms and sculpted wood, brightly-lit chandeliers and numerous mirrored surfaces that reflect the facets of the great expanse.

The Bouillon Edouard Chartier Montparnasse saw the day in 1903, followed by the Bouillon Camille Chartier - known as the Bouillon Racine in 1906. It was the latter that I visited and the former that I next intend to experience! And what a lovely experience Bouillon Racine was...

Where Time Goes...

Although wisdom is supposedly accrued with the passing of time and life's lessons learnt, the more the years go by, the less tenuous is my grip on the realities of existence. And now, of course, I find myself wondering over the most evident aspects of our spell on Earth, or rather that of those dearest to me, as age and associated illness mark out and define the timeline until it is clear that time does eventually run out on all of us. The thought of a precious being leaving, and becoming a myriad of memories is meagre consolation, all the harder when their own ability to recall the past and retrieve the memories it holds is being stripped away, pushing both them and us into an extended present moment, where time circles back on itself. Perhaps we just need to learn that skill from life; the ability to momentarily seize and appreciate the fleeting pleasures of our lives for the limited time they may last and the capacity to admire the beauty of Life itself.

Umbels, Florets and Flowers in an Art Nouveau Jewel... La Villa Demoiselle.

Villa Demoiselle is one of the most perfect examples of art and architecture being brought back to life in full glory in a present-day that is often sorely lacking in aesthetic elegance. A visit to this enchanted domaine that lay in ruins following a gradual, steady decline from the interwar period onwards, can only lift your spirits and heightens your sense - even more so, should you take a glass of the Demoiselle champagne afterwards!

Indeed, for decades, Villa Cochet, as it had once been called, had been left in a shocking state of disrepair and must - or should have been - a source of shame and sadness for the Domaine Pommery that is situated across the road. When Vranken bought the domaine from LVMH in 2002, the couple Nathalie and Paul-François Vranken set about restoring the delapidated villa, thus combining their passion for art, culture and the champagne heritage. The result is nothing short of spectacular...

From its 'rebirth' in 2008, almost a century after its initial commission and construction under the orders of Henry Vasnier, Director of the Pommery Champagne Maison, Villa Demoiselle has regularly housed art exhibitions. However, for me, just a tour of the grand house and grounds is sufficient, enabling me to discover new elements each time, just as the sunlight pouring in through the stained-glass windows reveals some other detail of colour or shape in the architectural structure or the furnishings within...

The imposing Art Nouveau fireplace in the main entrance is incredibly majestic as a whole - it was initially exposed at the Exposition Universelle at the turn of the century - however it is the intricate features that draw you closer to admire their skill and beauty. This piece, designed by a pupil of Louis Majorelle from the Ecole de Nancy, is but one of many items of decor and furniture that were gathered by the Vrankens to refurbish the villa that had lost all its original works to theft and acts of vandalism when it stood empty from the 1970s onwards.

The restoration work has been so thorough and thoughtful in its realisation, that one could easily assume that this is how the villa always was, but in fact the Vrankens had little on which to base their plans since rather meagre information remained, barring a few old photos that offered some guidance. As such, the Villa Demoiselle is truly a credit to the Vrankens' determination to see this site relive, literally snatching it away from land developpers who had planned its total destruction.

As in most Art Nouveau manifestations, particular importance is attached to the swirling, sweeping forms of a heightened, natural world, with plants, flowers, foliage, insects, snakes and birds twisting, sliding and slithering across sculpted surfaces, paintings, mouldings or furniture itself. Here at Villa Demoiselle it is magical to pick up on these details in all their beauty...

Of course umbellifer plant occupy a central position, with their delicate crown of ribs that radiate out from the flat-topped inflorescence in such a fascinating manner...

These curved and clustered forms were repeated throughout the villa on fireplaces, buffet-bars, cabinets and so on...

Meanwhile contorted, spindly stalks and branches intertwined...

Or lily leaves seemed to melt and flow down the solid forms of furniture in a liquid, vital fashion...

Whilst other objects concealed snails that glide silently on gnarled vines, set alongside smooth marquetry...

Or lizards that are frozen in a furtive, darting movement as they dash across scaly branches...

And in the main hallwall, the stairwell is dominated by the incredible chandelier, with its strange bulbous lights, which emphasises the great vertical drop from the ceiling of the top floor to the ground...

And the vast wrought-iron glass door with its stark, black tendrils that furl out like a spider's web, looking out onto the garden beyond...

Whilst one demoiselle peers on joyfully from a flurry of petals and light!