Au revoir, France
We’ve been back in Axminster for ten days, but it took several to recover from the long drive back. On the way to Calais we stopped for two nights at Chaumont, the capital of Haute-Marne, having visited en-route the source of the Seine (less numinous that the source of the Marne.) Chaumont itself has an attractive city-centre, with many Renaissance buildings. A particular feature is the large number of turret staircases which impinge on the street – presumably to save space inside. The basilica has some fine sculptures. We had to endure another heat-wave before we left Grenoble. But just as the city gives reduced price travel on its public transport during high pollution, they also give free admittance to the art gallery (the Musée de Grenoble , normally the only city museum which charges for admission.) So we could enjoy air-conditioned comfort, while admiring the very impressive collection of late 19 th and 20 th century paintings. The Museum had had a visionary director who ...