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| I continued along the valley of the Aube. The day was overcast and cool, but there was no more rain, so it was good walking weather. This is a geranium-topped public fountain in Unienville, 3 km from Dienville. Most of the villages in this area appeared to have seen better days. |
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| Gradually the terrain became more undulating and forested. |
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| I love taking pictures of amusing and interesting signs, and this one pleased me greatly. A hamlet called 'Other World'! Though, in the end, there was nothing very other-worldly about it . . . |
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| Whether these inquisitive cows are Charolais or Blonde d'Aquitaine, I'm not sure. Perhaps someone out there knows? (Apart from amusing and interesting signs, I also love cows . . .) |
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| . . . and badgers too, so it was sad to see this one as roadkill. |
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| Back to the plain again . . . The oilseed rape had long gone, and most of the cereals had already been cut, but the maize and sunflowers were still to be harvested. As was the hemp . . . This is a field of industrial hemp, grown for rope and paper making, also for oil and biofuel. I could have done with a mild high at this stage of the day — since cafés and coffees were in short supply — but the intoxicating properties of this type of cannabis are very low! |
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| Grain silos: necessary blots on the landscape, the modern-day churches and cathedrals of the north-east French countryside . . . |
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| Lavoir on the river Aube at Dolancourt. |
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| Crossing the river Aube into Bar-sur-Aube. |
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| The river Aube in Bar-sur-Aube. |
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| Bar-sur-Aube. |
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| The mairie in Bar-sur-Aube. |
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| The Église Saint-Pierre in Bar-sur-Aube. Note the 16th-century wooden porch (known as an halloy) used for market stalls. |
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| The mesure matrice in the church wall. According to Alison Raju's guide, this was 'a measure for corn and other cereals dating from about 1570 and which served as a check in case of disputes between buyer and seller.' |
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| Inside the Église Saint-Pierre. |
6 comments:
Bar-sur-Aube looks charming. Once again, a lovely mairie.
Bar-sur-Aube looks as if it must have been a respite from the towns that came before. Your long walks are remarkable to me, who has never taken a long distance walk. It seems a wonderful way to see the world close up.
I particularly love the vivid color in your images. Are you using some special settings on your camera or is it just the work of a master photographer?
It's clear you have a thing about mairies, George. I'll try to include more!
Hi Susan! Nice to see you. You've got it — it is the most wonderful way to see the world close up. A form of travel in which you feel intimately connected with the earth. You feel part of the landscape you're walking through — its history, its topography, its natural history its uniqueness, its particular 'feel'. Well, to some extent, anyhow.
I'm really no great photographer, Ralph — but I do try to create a satisfying image. A feel for composition and a Sony Nex camera probably help in this. Also my particular blog template does seem to flatter and brighten the photos somehow. I do straighten, crop and enhance when necessary, and very occasionally retouch, with the Mac editor — but only subtly. The photo should look as 'natural' as possible (though in one sense nothing is natural in a photo as it's a created image) — I wouldn't alter sky colour radically, or try to make a sunny day out of a dull day. I use no special settings on the camera — in fact, it's often just set at automatic (or shutter/aperture priority, depending on what action is going on, what depth of field is required etc.)
Having said that about the Sony Nex, I took an older camera, a Panasonic Lumix, on this trip, because it's small and compact, and fits nicely into a zip pocket in the hip belt of my Golite backpack. It's automatic, but has a Leica lens.
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