Tuesday, October 15, 2013

New 2014 exhibition at Les Baux's Carrières de Lumières

Starting on the 7 March next year, Les Baux's magnificent Carrières de Lumières will begin a new exhibition called 'Klimt and the Viennese Artists: A Century of Gold and Colours'.
The show will take you on a journey through 100 years of Viennese painting including the wonderfully bright colourful works by Gustav Klimt and Hundertwasser as well as the distinctive art of Egon Schiele. This new illuminated exhibition offers an original perspective on Klimt and his contemporaries through portraits, landscapes, nudes, colours and gilding that revolutionised Viennese painting in the 20th Century.
Here is an example of what you may see! Wow!



Saturday, October 12, 2013

Medieval Carcassonne

We've made a change to our itinerary in Southern France, now visiting the medieval fortified city of Carcassonne on Easter Sunday. Rather than stopping at Montpellier, we will make a detour and visit this amazingly picturesque city in the Languedoc region. Made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997, Carcassonne looks like something from a fairy tale. In fact, Walt Disney got his idea for the castle in Sleeping Beauty from the fortified city. 




The 1991 Warner Bros film, 'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves' used the exterior views of the walled city of Carcassonne as Nottingham in the film.



It is also the location for the 2012 'Labyrinth' miniseries based on the 2005 best-selling book by Kate Mosse.



See a preview of the miniseries and Carcassonne in all its splendour:

In Carcassonne, the turreted rampart surrounding the city is made up of two walls, dating between 400AD and 1300AD. Within the fortified walls, Carcassonne was impregnable and the La Cite with 52 towers, a moat, drawbridge, Chateau Comptal and the St Nazare Basilica have remained relatively intact throughout the centuries. The city has experienced many battles including the crusades and the Inquisition. 





Carcassonne will be a fantastic addition to our itinerary!