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| DD & JT- @ BIELER SEE |
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| HOTEL JEAN JACQUES ROUSSEAU |
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ah bon... yesterday was sunny & bright, so Jackie and i decided to day trip around the Bieler See [Lac Biel/Lake Biel] and enjoy the sunlight, blue skies, water and fresh air.
We 1st drove through Biel [no fotos in this entry] drove to La Neuveville & stopped at the Hotel Jean-Jacques Rousseau- and sat on a bench watching the sun set. JJR lived on St Peter's Insel/Isle St. Pierre [island]
which is in the 'see'. J&I went there years ago with musicians i was working with @ the time- very interesting place.
i really wanted to get to Le Landeron before sunset - it's such a beautiful sweet small walled ancient village- with allee of chestnut trees in the center. it was totally deserted, except for a very few people. they were decorating for Christmas, which for some reason felt more like Christmas to me- [unlike all the US commercial Christmas crap]- very French- more traditional- simple folk type, natural [green] ornaments etc.
LE LANDERON:
i think Le Landeron would be a wonderful place to have a small atelier/studio/apartment. a place to draw, paint, do collage, write, do photography. have the absolute bare necessities- just a bed, chair and table- coffee machine- very basic cooking junk- my Hermes manual typewriter & Moleskine journals. no tv, internet or phone [other than my cell, for emergencies] - just room enough to work, create, make a big artistic mess; be the hermit monk in absolute solitude & silence- eat, drink in small local cafes, et souvien Francais, apron encore; mais, un beau reve... mais possible? pas maintenant
after, stopping and making a few fotos, as i have done there before, we headed back, stopping along the way in Erlach [below] at a cafe for coffee and 'sweeties'
it did me a world of good to get out- and go around- and remember where i am- considering i have not gone out at ALL except for my concerts, and the occasional accompanying of jacqueline to do errands or shopping.
it's amazing that only 15 minutes from here -[which is primarily German speaking, and w/more modern architecture & buildings mixed with the old]= are tres vieux villages like La Neuveville & Le Landeron [both tres Francais] and like going back in time: OLD historical, funky & beautiful. getting out [especially on such a beautiful day, like yesterday] is something i absolutely need to do more of.
i have been obsessively/incessantly working on [writing/recording] music from the time i was here in august, all the while i was home, and ever since i came back on November 14th to the point that i have reached burn out. So i am stopping for a while; reading a lot; writing in my journal; and plan to begin art work [since writing/art/photography is just as necessary to my 'uber alles' well being/my life as music is] - even so, i have got to stop, take breaks, get out [especially with winter here] and see and do- instead of "staying on that damned computer" as my mama always said.
[c]2011 DOUG DUFFEY
