Christmas 2022

 

Arrrg !

 

In warmer times ...

the spray

This tortoise sprays water into the air in the fountain designed by Max Ernst, much to the amusement of the kids who stop by after a long day of touring the château and Clos Lucé.

snow time for tortoises

As I mentioned yesterday, we had a dusting of snow in February but it didn't stick so much to the ground and streets.  However, it did add a nice frosting to the metal parts of the fountain Max Ernst.

And happy bissextile year!

dedication of the renovated fountain Max Ernst

After over a year of work, the fountain and its new plaza were formally dedicated on Sunday.  The title of this work is "Aux cracheurs, aux drôles, au génie" which I will translate as "To the fire breathers, to the jokers, to the genius".  The latter may be a reference to Leonardo Da Vinci who, like Max Ernst, lived for awhile in this area.  

Here is a view of it from April 2013.

enfin!

La fontaine conçue par Max Ernst en 1967 a été restauré et une nouvelle place autour d'elle a été construite. Il n'a pas encore été officiellement dédié et ainsi les eaux de la fontaine ont pas encore été renouvelées. Donc, rester en attente. Mais la rénovation est magnifique. Voici un "avant et après" de l'une des sculptures:

At last!  The fountain designed by Max Ernst in 1967 has been restored and a new plaza around it has been constructed.  It has not yet been formally dedicated and so the fountain waters have not yet been restarted.  So stand by.  But the renovation is magnificent.  Here is a "before and after" of one of the sculptures:

they're baa-aaack !

After a year of restoration work, three of the sculptures have been returned to the fountain designed by Max Ernst (view a post before the work began here).  There is more work to be done but it was great to have these old friends back in the 'hood.  Below are some other shots.

Have you ever seen a bigger crane on a truck?

The "top guy" being taken down before the renovations:

The "little guy", before and after:

after the fall

The title is not in reference to Arthur Miller, or Norah Jones for that matter (although I do love that tune), but simply an accurate description of the inevitable in May, the end of the cherry tree blossoms. This is what becomes of the glory of only a few weeks ago (click here to see my earlier post at the fountain by Max Ernst).  And yet even so, it was magical to watch the school kids happen by to shake the low limbs and then shriek with delight under the falling "pink snow".

Cherry tree at the fountain Max Ernst

Every year this cherry tree blooms its heart out and this year is no exception.  While today is yet another cold (9 degrees C, 48 degrees F), non-spring-like day, I managed to run down from home to catch it when the sun made a very brief appearance.  Today, is what we call a two-fer...you get two photos for the price of one.

The part of the fountain in the first photo was not seen in this earlier post.

la fontaine Max Ernst

Yet another landmark of Amboise is this fountain designed and sculpted by the artist Max Ernst in 1967.  To me it is surprising that such a contemporary sculpture by an avant garde artist would end up in a small town in central France.  This is definitely a piece designed to amuse and I think it works.  Interestingly, the twin of the little guy on the very top has been placed on a simple pedestal right across from the Pompidou Center in Paris.  I have put off posting a photo because I've been waiting weeks for the flowers and some (brief) sunshine.  I can just hear the little guy saying "at last" !