A BOOST OF ENERGY

As Michel was dreaming about Paris,

Oh la la la

 I was certainly getting very grouchy about what to go and see ...Driving around with no real objective is like Sunday walks to walk and not really go anywhere...There are a lot of interesting places to visit in this region. Poitiers and Tours being two major cities but will I have enough time to really explore if I leave at the end of a morning ? ...We shall see.

There were a couple fo Chateaux which had possibilities and then I wanted to visit «Descartes» I am no Cartesian although find many of his theories very sound - especially about going to the end of something and proving it....

The first Chateau I took the wrong turning and then found I was looking at the Museum of Prehistory in Le Grand-Pressigny.

 Although it was already 11-30 and museums as always  are closed in the «countryside» at 12-30, I knew, knowing my interest in bones and stones that it would not take me more than that to go around. 

Teeth, a Griffon from the Iron age got my brief attention 

Griffo from the Iron Age

Teeth going back a VERY long way

No indication of what this was

but a couple of marvelous bits and pieces which could have been modern art - drift wood, a silex rock which look like a huge piece of beef and a piece of sculpture were real attention getters for me.  



Silex or roast beef ?

a beautiful piece of wood

Looking back at the Chateau I couldn’t help thinking what a wonderful place this would be for a modern art museum. A contemporary building carved into a middle age ruin and later renovated into Renaissance Loire Chateau. The museum was empty for the time I was there. I guess it would be for modern or contemporary art too. This photo is off their site....

Looking down from 2nd floor

Onto Descartes. The countryside is much more contrasted versus the flats of Vienne. All the villages I cross are asleep. No-one moves. France is eating. I arrive in Descartes around 1pm. In such small villages although they call them towns, the centre is easy to find. The Church steeple and the Town Hall. Descarte’s statue is there to greet us. Before having lunch I decided to find out where the museum was. Round and round the village I went. Up stairs, around gardens, next to the Tourist Office - nothing. Even down to St George’s Church where Descartes had been christened. It was to be his birthday on the 31st of March. 416 years old. No signs around of celebration. No signs even to say where the museum was. I stopped a young man crossing a car park. I should have guessed. He was an English tourist.

The town of Descartes, once called Haya, was successively named : La Haye en Touraine, where Descartes was born, La Haye Descartes, from 1802,

Then Descartes, after January 1st 1967.

All this I learnt on a sign outside the Town Hall. I had still not found the museum.

A quick salad and then off to the museum which opened at 2pm. I had gleaned this information on a notcie in the Tourist office window.

I fell on it. Next to the Tourist office a pitiful flag was fluttering in the breeze. There was the entrance and a young woman opened the gate as I arrived.

I was alone and quite obviously going to be for the duration of my visit. 

This is where Descartes was born or rather he was born before his Mother arrived home. It’s a tiny place but very cosy. 


The museum is on two floors composed of bookcases and many tiny cupboards with a drawing on the facing to tell you what was inside it

History of art and theatre of that period

Opening little cupboards for history

Reading the history

The history of France, of Descartes is disclosed to those who are curious enough to open each door. But there are so many....too many....I stayed with the history of his period; the art of his period - Rembrandt to name one artist and theatre. Moving onto his love of mathematics and reason. His travels around Europe, life in Amsterdam and finally ending up in Stockholm where he had been the tutor of Queen Christina. To give justice to the museum hours were needed to read the work which was displayed in tablet form. Then the work of philosophers who followed him including one of favorites, Spinoza. I have always felt closer to the Jewish philosophical thinking or reasoning than I have to the western Philosophers.

I come out into the garden at the end of the afternoon. The curator joined me. It seemed like an eternity since I had had such an interesting discussion. Philosophical of course. My energy was boosted. Sadly the municipality does nothing to «push» the museum. Even to show where it is. One of our most important philosophers will have his birthday very much alone - again this year.  
I must mention Hegel, as I have always "borrowed" his relfexion on passion. My own translation as I only know the French. Nothing is accomplished in the world without passion. It comes from ("La Raison dans l'Histoire"). This woman had passion and despite the lack of followers she had found local "philosophers" to talk about philosophers of our time and another. And there was a local following.

I returned to the car. This woman had indicated a few places which would appeal to me but not today. Back to my Rock and on the way, I crossed a bridge and there was the Chateau de la Guerche.

Not open until later in the year !