A common man marvels at uncommon things. A wise man marvels at the commonplace. CONFUCIUS

Monday 10 October 2011

A Photographic Portrait Of Seyssel

The charming little town of Seysell is a town of two departments. 


On one side of the river Rhône lies Seyssel de l'Ain, and on the other lies Seyssel de la Haute-Savoie. 


Connecting the two halves is a fine suspension bridge, built in the 19th century.


Its central tower - upon which stands a statue of Our Lady - is made of the light-coloured, locally quarried Seysell stone. 


This stone was also the stone used to construct much of Geneva, Annecy, Chambéry and Lyon.


I love these gaily painted walls and shutters.


I stayed the night at the Hotel Beau Séjour. As you can see, this riverbank hotel was hard to miss. It offered an excellent room with shower at a special pilgrim rate. At dinner in the restaurant I tried a couple of the regional white wines which excited me a great deal with their fragrance and quality: a Chardonnay (don't think boring, unsubtle, homogeneous New World Chardonnay here - this is quite different) and a local grape variety called Roussette - mineral dry, soft and light as new spring grass in an alpine meadow, flowery and fruity and pear-scented.
    

In the church of Seyssel de l'Ain I found a Black Virgin.


From Seyssel de l'Ain the welcome evening sunshine lit up Seyssel de la Haute-Savoie across the river.


To take this picture I stood under the central arch of the suspension bridge across the Rhône, halfway between Seyssel de l'Ain and Seyssel de la Haute-Savoie.

9 comments:

George said...

What a great place, Robert! Each of your photos is terrific — well composed and the colors are luscious. The vignetting creates a lovely old world charm, somewhat like receiving a post card from Seyssel in the early twentieth century.

Ruth said...

All that's missing in your portraiture of Seyssel de l'Ain is the sound of church bells. I can almost smell and taste the fragrant wine while luxuriating in the charms of your photos.

The Solitary Walker said...

Thanks, friends you both. it was a lovely spot - especially in the late afternoon and early evening sunlight after a day of mixed weather.

And that wine! Oh, superb, incredible. Why do the French keep all the best wine for themselves and never export it over here? Suppose there's not enough available? I don't know.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Everyone of these photographs would make a lovely picture postcard Robert.

Kiwi Nomad said...

Beautiful photos of a lovely town. The reflection of the buildings in the river is just magic. btw, I just bought the ffrp guide online last night :-)

Heidrun Khokhar, KleinsteMotte said...

Now you are so fortunate to be there and we are lucky to see the pics you were able to create and share. Sweet :)

ksam said...

By George I think he's got it...they look like postcards! Couldn't place what they made me think of till I saw George's comment.

Suman said...

What a lovely little place! That you get to see all these wonderful little pockets of hidden beauty by foot never ends to fascinate me. Perhaps that is the best way in which one can, isn't it?
And I love the vignette border that you've given to the photos, it lends a very vintage-like appeal. All in all, très charmant!

The Solitary Walker said...

Thanks for all these comments. Seyssel was indeed quite charming that sunny afternoon/evening.