Sue and I spent the day at [tag-tec]Embrun[/tag-tec] where I treated Sue to lunch as a belated birthday present, her having been in Spain for the actual day.  After weeks of unsettled weather, today was gorgeous and unusually muggy.  We sat in the main square of Place Barthelon named after a Eugène Barthelon who was born in the area in 1833 and who having made his fortune at Marseille bequeathed several properties to the commune in his will.  Originally this square had been called Saint-Pierre after the name of a church that was destroyed in 1585.  We enjoyed the menu of the day starting with melon with smoked ham, followed by fresh haddock in a creamy seafood sauce and “courgettes au gratin”, and finally a fruit salad for me and a fromage frais with a blueberry coulis for Sue, to finish. The house rosé was fruity and most satisfactory.
 
We decided to become tourists for the day and after visiting the tourist office and picking up an “intineraire de decouverte” made our way round the town discovering all its hidden secrets.  I have been to Embrun once before but had not learnt about its history.    We started off in the oldest quarters of the town where the storeys of the houses projected over one another over two levels.  Living on the upper floors was quieter and the extra space in the street allowed the carts to pass through.  Another explanation was that people were taxed on the square footage of the ground floor and the larger upper levels allowed people to live in a larger space without incurring higher taxes.    The late Renaissance houses erected in the 16th century were built from slate and featured arches, arcades and fanlights.  We also saw a “maison urbaine” from the 18th century housing three levels of arcades and columns.  These spaces allowed the drying of wool and other materials.  Bourgeois houses with gardens were built overlooking the fantastic views over the [tag-tec] Durance valley[/tag-tec] – Embrun is built on top of a large cliff.  We were also shown coats of arms over doorways, restored wall decorations in stucco such as two dolphins face to face, and relief sculptures of lions devouring goats or human heads, although many more of these were destroyed during the revolution.
 
Of course Embrun was also a military base and the old powder store still stands.  [tag-tec]Vauban[/tag-tec] was involved in the construction of the barracks one of which, called Delaroche, was named after a general in Napoleon’s army, a soldier since the age of 16.  He also ordered the building of a chapel on the site of the “palais delphinal” which had been demolished in 1633 on the orders of Richelieu.
 
Overlooking the valley is a large building, known as L’Archevêché (the archbishop’s residence) which was first mentioned as the Palais de L’Archevêché in 1238.  Constructed at the same time as the cathedral, this building has undergone a number of modifications over the centuries.  Today’s façade dates from the 18th century but parts of this have been removed to show the original columns and arches that have been found underneath.  This building was later transformed into barracks and has since been used as a court of law, a gendarmerie, an alpine centre for wood and a technical college.  It is presently awaiting its next restoration.  Attached to the back of this building is “La Tour Brune” which dates from the 13th century.  This keep was used as a look out, a prison and arsenal and tax office up until the Revolution.  Later, in the 19th century, it was used for storing water.
 
After a telephone call from Christine, Maddy’s nursery school teacher, we made our way back to the tourist office on her recommendation to see an exhibition by the Embrunnais artist Robert Giroud.  Christine, like many French, has high regard for all things artistic and natural so had arranged for M. Giroud to design and create an abstract ceramic mosaic on one wall of the school playground, depicting a walk through the mountains.   This was a small exhibition, some items more interesting than others and some just plainly bizarre.  We were not quite sure what to make of the picture called father and son which consisted of a small pair of shoes and a large pair of walking boots stuck to the square canvas by their soles!   This had a sold sign so presumably someone appreciated it.
 
We had returned to the cathedral later in the afternoon due to a memorial service.  Sue especially wanted to see this grand cathedral which was built between 1170 and 1220, for its interior architecture “romaine lombarde” built in a dichotomy of black slate and white limestone.  Outside the clock tower was decorated with ornamental arcades and a pyramid roof.  This building is very characteristic of religious architecture in the Durance valley and at the top are stairs made from Guillestre marble and in the west wall a 15th century stained glass rose window.  Over the centuries, Notre-Dame du Réal became known, above all, for its frescos depicting the Adoration of the Three Kings.  Unfortunately, this fresco was destroyed in 1585 by the Protestants, but we could still see other parts of paintings where the perpetrators were unable to reach.  But the most amazing sight to me was the absolutely hugest organ I have ever seen which was attached high up to the first pillar on entering the cathedral and seemingly held there at its V shaped base by elegantly curved wooden struts.  This was given by Louis XI but remodelled in the 17th and 18th centuries and when we were there, undergoing restoration.
 
Our final viewing was of a modern “cadran solaire”.  This wall sun dial was painted high on the side of a building in 1996 by a local artist named Rémi Potey.  At its base lies the inscription in provençal alpin, “How can you see through the water if you do not cease to stir it”. 
 
Sue and I both thoroughly enjoyed our day.  We had culture, good food and drink, good conversation and a little shopping.  At one point, whilst Sue was picking out some postcards, we received a talk from a local elderly gentleman, who regaled us with stories of the valley before it was flooded to create the lac Serre Ponçon.