Saturday, January 12, 2008

Looking Up in Rodez



Sometimes I feel almost sick when I think that I lived in France for over fifteen years before learning to look up.




When I started La France Profonde, my goal was to share the beauties of Aveyron with...I was going to say my readers. But as I've said many times, I didn't imagine there would be any readers.





Now when I post, I know someone is out there. I have blogging friends and La France Profonde is a significant part of my life. And I have so many photos that the blogging process is, at times, paralyzing.


So my bloggy resolution for FP in 2008 is to get through my overflowing "Mes Images/France Profonde" file and share more of my pics.


Oops, this one looks like it slipped in from Pau or Biarritz:




Actually not. It's another glance up from the town center of Rodez. You really never know what you will find there.


As time goes on, I wonder if I will ever get out onto the aveyronnais backroads on the pastoral photo shoots I imagined when I started this blog. For the moment, my husband overwhelms me with visions of the aveyronnais countryside that few tourists will ever see.


And I keep snapping shots of Rodez dans tous ses états...






It's a logical division of labor. Thierry drives all over the aveyronnais countryside to work with farmers; I commute daily to la capitale, as some rural dwellers still call Rodez, to teach in a business school.

City rat, country rat? We have both sides covered.

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

I learned many years ago that one of the real joys of our many visits to Provence was to just sit in a village square and let your eyes slowly take the scene at all levels.

tut-tut said...

John is right!

Thanks for leaving a comment, Betty. It's nice to know there are people out there. And I love your photos and musings.

Randal Graves said...

You really don't get sights like that back in the states. Please, post more photos. So I can steal another one. ;-)

Betty Carlson said...

Randal, you can steal any photo you want! It's an honor...

As I said, I really do plan to put together more posts like today's this year. There are a lot of recurring themes in my photos, but I don't have them organized enough to present them that way...I also don't always know which ones I already blogged back in 2006! I need to mark that and I am doing so STARTING NOW!

But I figure if some duplicates slip in who will remember if I don't?

Anonymous said...

Hi, Betty C.,

A reciprocal visit from bright but chilly London.


Mmmm. I see you've got food pics so I am sure I will be back. :))

Parisbreakfasts said...

It usually takes me 2 weeks in Paris to stop window-gazing and look up at the magnificent architecture...
So true

Carolg

Parisbreakfasts said...

PS
I meant to add you could always upload your tons of pics to Flickr and share your beauties with millions more "readers"!

Betty Carlson said...

Carolg, I think if Rodez were Paris, I might be looking at shop windows more and up less!

I do upload some photos to Flickr, but usually just the ones I've already blogged so they will go onto my badge. Uploading takes a lot of time and somehow Flickr doesn't inspire me that much. I guess I figure I could be using the time to blog...Thanks for the suggestion, though!

FrenchGardenHouse said...

It's always a treat to visit your blog. I love Looking Up! Whenever I am in Europe, I do.

Having such a love for the interesting architectural parts of buildings means more than one time I practically fall on my face while walking.:) (So embarressing, acc. to my kids!)
Hope you are having a lovely weekend in France.
xo Lidy

B said...

Yes, please post more beautiful photos like these, including photos like that great countryside lane you linked to! They are all so lovely and inspiring! Merci.

I am happy to hear that blogging has been as rewarding and surprising for you as it has been for me!

Anonymous said...

What a great post - very thoughtful and readable - and great documented to. All those pics are breath taking, taken with care from a special angle. You really have an eye for details and these where great.

Btw: Looking forward to see some snow in your pics next :-)

Anne Corrons said...

It's amazing what you can see when you look up!

Tinsie said...

Lovely photos! Keep them coming :-)

I find some of the nicest photos I've taken myself are of objects that sit above eye level.

Katie Zeller said...

I used to not look up because it seemed so touristy. Now I don't care...
I also wear comfortable shoes... sigh...
That way I don't trip when I'm walking around looking up!

Anonymous said...

The tiles on the first picture look a little out of place on the house.

Actually, I'm reminded of a gite i worked in once. Their table was beautiful stone tiles that were once the siding of a sewage tank. Now that is recycling.

Caffienated Cowgirl said...

Thank you for sharing those pictures. I love looking up. Architecture often tells you more about a town/city than the people you meet on the streets.

savvycityfarmer said...

I am liking looking up!!!!

Thanks you for the lovely chat on my 200th post.

Anonymous said...

J'adore la ville de Rodez! Surtout la cathédrale...

Passage d'une lozérienne...

Bonne continuation

Linda said...

Great photos. I've learned to look up too-lots of treasures up there.

Cécy said...

lol, it reminds me of the reaction of one of my friends after our BTS Tourisme. She said that now she didn't have her eyes stuck to the ground to avoid Dod poop but instead looked up to check out the Architecture.
I always did, but even more now. The upper parts of houses can often surprise you with their beautiful details.

french tart said...

your pictures are so beautiful! i'm so glad you commented on my blog, now i have new reading material (your three blogs).

Anonymous said...

Wonderful series of charming photos.

My Inner French Girl said...

Ah, but I love windows and doors. I always take plenty of photos of those when I'm overseas -- they say so much about a culture, let alone a house.

Beautiful!

Salut,
Marjorie

paris parfait said...

Ah yes, in France it's important to look all around us and notice the beautiful architectural details - and all the rest!