Musée du Gemmail, Château de Villandry, and Protests

I literally woke up Thursday morning to the sound of masses of high school students chanting in protest. In France the government has proposed to raise the age of retirement from 60 to 62 and no one is afraid to voice their disagreement. On Thursday, the high school students joined workers in protests and demonstrations throughout France, including Tours. When I reached my usual bus stop to get to school, I realized there were no buses in sight on Rue Nationale, the main street through Tours. Groups of people were gathering in Place Jean Jaures for a planned demonstration later in the afternoon. I had to walk quite a ways north, out of centre Tours, in order to find a bus to get me to school. Eventually I made it to Jean-Philippe Rameau where I the three classes I had to teach went pretty well. More protests are planned for next week...

Friday I met two friends at the Musée du Gemmail in Tours. Not only was it the last day open for the season, but we were informed that it may not re-open at all next year, meaning we were quite possibly among the last to see this absolutely breath-taking form of art.

Gemmail art

Gemmail is a form of stained glass art constructed by a technique employing fused layers of colored glass fragments illuminated from behind, creating an illusion of three-dimensionality in the design. A gemmail is constructed, piece by piece, on a pane of clear glass bearing the outline of the design. When all fragments have been glued in place, the work is dipped in transparent enamel and baked until fused. It began in the 1930's in France and reached it's peak in the 1950's, but never became extremely well-known. 

Photographs of Gemmail do absolutely no justice to the original pieces of art, which were like nothing I'd ever seen before. I do not say this in exaggeration either. Some of the works of art in the museum were representations of famous paintings, such as the Mona Lisa, while others were original works of art. The layering of the glass shards combined with a soft light coming from behind each piece created the most intriguing 3-D images that were hard to tear my eyes away from. As soon as I moved from one gemmail to another, I would literally let out a quiet gasp and stare in awe. I cannot understand how this form of art never grew in popularity nor can I understand why the museum would have to shut down. 

Saturday I went to the Château de Villandry with Alex and Jenny. Even though I stayed out late Friday night with friends, I woke up in time to meet them at 8:30am to catch a bus to the château. While the interior of the château is beautifully furnished and seemingly well-maintained, it's known for it's vast, beautifully groomed gardens.

The three of us spent the entire morning wandering about the château grounds. The château was constructed relatively recently, the very end of the 18th century, in comparison with some much older châteaux in the region. It was inhabited until the beginning of the 20th century and consequently was well furnished on the interior. The perfectly manicured outdoor gardens made up of medicinal plants, roses, wild flowers, and vegetables, were seemingly endless. After the morning rain cleared, the flowers and grass were covered in a sparkling dew reflecting the sunshine and making our visit seem that much more enchanted. After eating a croque monsieur and potage for lunch, we took the bus back to Tours where I relaxed for the afternoon. In the evening I went to Caroline's for a dinner with friends before heading to Place Plumereau for drinks. This evening I will be out again to celebrate a fellow assistant's birthday. 


Up to this point I've been fortunate enough to spend lots of time with new friends and time sight-seeing, but I also must remember I have work to do! It's back to school tomorrow which means lesson planning is in order for this afternoon!