Easter Monday today, a holiday in France. This morning we did the
historical walk around Céret, most enjoyable and interesting. This town is
seriously old. The church has 1750 carved onto the side of it, but that is the
very newest bit – the belltower is 11th century, i.e. 1000 years
old! We have been a little relieved to note that it doesn’t chime before 8am or
after 10pm, though as with other French churches we have met, it makes up for
it by chiming at 3 minutes past as well as on the hour. We have found the
sounds here very enjoyable. There a nice chatter below us in the church square
as people pass through and there’s a lot of birdsong in the mornings. We hear a
range of bells, though we don’t yet know where the others come from as we know only
of our own church.
Céret has been an artists’ town since 1919, with Picasso, Braques,
Soutine, and others. It must have a dozen galleries, many with working artists.
There are plenty of explanatory plaques about, and many of the street names
commemorate artists, and of course there is the famous Museum of Modern Art.
As we had our lunch in our apartment we were entertained by live jazz from
Place de Neuf Jets just round the corner. We are really feeling that we have
fallen on our feet here. It is beyond what we thought possible.
