For me, insanity is super sanity. Normal is psychotic. Normal is lack of imagination, lack of creativity. Jean Dubuffet

18th century chateau stables, housing Jean Dubuffet's extensive Collection de l'Art Brut, which served as inspiration for his own paintings and sculpturesIn the second week of February in Switzerland and France, most school children have their “ski holiday.” Rental cars are scarce as families pack and leave for a week. As it turns out, this was an unexpected gift for us. We didn’t realize when trains became our only option to explore and document residential architecture and historic preservation in other cities, that the Swiss rail system is simply the best way to get around the country. They work like a fine Swiss watch: impressively punctual, quiet, efficient, elegant, and simple to use. And, much more relaxing than trying to navigate unfamiliar Swiss roads, particularly when the weather is as unpredictable as it is this year in Europe. Buying tickets via kiosks that offer multi-lingual interfaces is also easy. Select your destination, class of travel, whether you want one-way or roundtrip tickets, and the machine will give you the price. Another bonus: for a small fee, you can add on all of your ground transportation in the city of destination and use the equally sleek and on-time buses. Keep your ticket, hop on the right bus, no need to present a ticket or meter it, unless asked.

For our first excursion outside Geneva, we decide to ride up the east side of the lake (Lac Leman) to Lausanne. Founded in the 4th century as a Roman settlement on the shores of Lake Geneva, Lausanne is Switzerland's center of French-speaking culture and life. It is the seat of the Federal Supreme Court and location for the International Olympic Committee headquarters. Beyond the facts is a city that feels young and vibrant. Its art museums and galleries push the edges of contemporary thinking and fashionable hipsters roam its streets. First on our list is a visit to the Collection de l'Art Brut, the personal Outsider Art collection of French painter and sculptor, Jean Dubuffet.Jean Dubuffet "Tower of Lace," on exhibition at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas

Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985) takes an idealistic approach to aesthetics, embracing so called "low art" and eschewing traditional standards of beauty in favor of what he believes to be a more authentic and deeper approach to image-making. Jean Dubuffet questions the culture of fine arts in Paris. He is one of the first artists to support and promote l’Art Brut, a term he coined in the 1940s for the art of people living at the margins of society. Outsider Art, as it is often called in the United States, includes the work of artists not influenced or trained in any fine art tradition. It also includes artists whose ideas for paintings, collages, sculptures, and weavings derive from their own impulses and imaginings, not from efforts to seek approval or recognition from the commercial art industry. After Dubuffet reads the writings of psychiatrist Hans Prinzhorn, Bildnerei der Geisteskranke (Artistry of the Mentally Ill), a book which is richly illustrated with examples, he realizes outsider art as a source of inspiration for his own art. Dubuffet’s own collection is comprised of criminals, patients in mental hospitals, spiritual mediums, those who see 'visions,’ the mentally challenged, and often those locked in compulsivity. The 18th century 4-story chateau stable that houses the collection is a piece of art in itself.

The south facade of Palais de Rumine, in the style of Florentine Renaissance architecture The Dubuffet collection, which numbers over 30,000 pieces, features 1000 refreshingly spontaneous works on fabric, scraps of wood, or fabrications of found objects on any given visit. Many of the artists originally started on the walls of prison cells and sanitariums. Some of the more indecent subject matter and materials artists used were the cause of their incarcerations. Next to the work of each artist exhibited is a biography, which lends insight into the artist's state of mind and context for the personal circumstances in which the works are created. Many are compulsive and relentless, producing thousands of pieces within short bursts of creative activity/lunacy. The influence on Dubuffet's own work is readily apparent: bright primary colors, heavy black figural outlines, and raw primitive surfaces.

After this intoxicating journey through four floors of “impulse art,” we hop on one of Lausanne’s sleek buses and ride to its historic City Centre. We spot a cozy brasserie offering a lunch special of fresh Lac Leman perch, pommes frites, vin rouge and crème brulee. It’s then a short, cold walk to the Palais de Rumine to see the Beaux-Arts section. Steve is drawn to Beaux-Arts because of his training in the Beaux-Arts method in architecture school. The Palais de Rumine is designed in a Florentine Renaissance Style which places emphasis on symmetry, proportion, geometry and the regularity of parts as they are demonstrated in the architecture of classical antiquity and, in particular, ancient Roman architecture. Orderly arrangements of columns, pilasters and lintels, as well as the use of semicircular arches, hemispherical domes, niches and aedicules replace the more complex proportional systems and irregular profiles of medieval buildings prior to the Renaissance.

Building begins in 1892 according to the design of the Lyonnais architect Gaspard André. Monumental columns, pergolas, loggias and bell towers adorn the 1906 building. The central portion joins two side wings and houses a highly elaborate section containing, among other things, a main staircase that creates an optical illusion effect, an atrium with a small pond, a network of galleries and overlapping ramps. Because of the era in which it is constructed, it is easy for us to see the dominant Beaux-Arts influence: rusticated and raised first story; a hierarchy of spaces from “noble” and grand to utilitarian; arched and pedimented doors; classical details with a tendency to eclecticism and symmetry. Today, the Palais de Rumine houses the cantonal museums of fine art, geology, zoology, archaeology and history, the Cantonal Money Museum, and the cantonal and university library. For a visual comparison of this Palais to the Musee d'Art et d'Histoire de Geneve, click this link.

Our 30-minute train ride back to Geneva and quick bus trip to our ‘home’ in Hermance, gives us time to rest up for an exciting photo shoot of our new friend, Executive Chef Markus of l’Auberge d’Hermance. Look for some great kitchen action shots and a discussion of the cuisine in our next post!

In gallery below L to R, Swiss train and train stations public art, interior of former stables where Collection l'Art Brut is kept, photos of some of the "outsider art," and 3 Dubuffet works for comparison, and black/white drawings--signage for the museum's toilettes. Photography credits: Architecture, Street Scenes, Train: Stephanie Chambers; Art: Collection l'Art Brut, Nasher Center

In gallery 2 below L to R, Lausanne's City Centre, interior of Palais de Rumine, and the images from the train ride home, including the bridge across the Rhone River in Geneva and of of many vineyards.

The Hotel de Ville, with its 15th Century Renaissance facade, was the locale for the first Geneva Convention and assembly of the the League of NationsEmbedded between Alpine peaks and the hilly terrain of the Jura, is the French-speaking city of Geneva. With is humanitarian tradition and cosmopolitan flair, it is the European headquarters to the United Nations and the International Red Cross and known as the “capital of peace.” When John Calvin began to preach at St. Peter's in Geneva in 1536, the city became a stronghold for the Reformation. Known as the “Protestant Rome,” it attracted wealthy Protestant refugees from all over Europe who further increased the city's wealth and boosted its cosmopolitan character. It was briefly an independent republic.

Set on elevated ground on the south bank of the Rhone River, the Old Town (Vieille Ville) clusters around the cathedral and Place du Bourg-de-Four. This atmospheric district, whose main thoroughfare is the pedestrian Grand Rue, has narrow cobbled streets lined with historic limestone houses. The southern limit of the Old town is marked by the Promenade des Bastions, laid out along the course of the old city walls. Its north side slopes down to the quay, which is lined with wide boulevards and the attractive Jardins Anglais. Not far from St. Peter's in Old Town is the gilted onion-domed Cathedrale Orthodoxe Russe, a 19^th century Russian Orthodox Church with rich Byzantine interior, funded by Grand Duchess Anna Feodorovna.Built on the plan of a Greek cross, the Russian Orthodox Church is located in Les Tranchees near Geneva's Old Town

On the Grand Rue is the birthplace of Rousseau, and parallel to it Rue des Granges, named “Street of Barns” but in fact is graced by huge mansions built in the eighteenth century in French style to house Geneva’s wealthiest residents. Looming over the junction is the Hôtel-de-Ville with an internal arcaded courtyard, from where it’s easy to spot the different styles of the building – going counterclockwise, the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Ahead is the Alabama Room, where the Geneva Convention on the humanitarian rules of war was signed by sixteen countries in 1864. The League of Nations also assembled here for the first time in 1920.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born in Geneva and was a Franco-Swiss philosopher of the Enlightenment whose political ideas influenced the French Revolution and the development of both socialist and democratic theories. His legacy as a radical and revolutionary is perhaps best described by the most famous line in his book, The Social Contract: "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains." Rousseau's social contract theory, based on Thomas Hobbes and John Locke would serve as one of the bases of modern democracy, while his Emile would heavily influence modern education, and his Confessions would serve as a model for modern autobiography.

Begun in 1160, with later additions, St. Peter's is a mixture of Gothic, Early Romanesque, and Neo-Classical architectureAmong the most precious birthrights that Rousseau espouses is patriotism. Yet he denounces blind patriotism to society's organization. He proposes that humanity is good, happy, and free in its original state in nature. Vice, misery and servitude are the results of civilization. This line of reasoning places him in direct conflict with Voltaire, who feels that science and art advance society toward perfection. Without doubt, his thinking is idealistic and difficult, even for Rousseau to follow. Yet, his rejection of inherited absolute power, is the basis for our modern democracy and a social contract where all citizens respect the freedom of every individual by unanimous consent. Geneva is the standard-bearer of fair play and humanitarianism. A walk through its Old Town reminds us of its contribution to our understanding of the rights of each individual in society and the principles upon which our own country is founded. 

The gallery, below, demonstrates the narrow alleyways; 16th - 18th century limestone houses; the location of the Roman Market in the Place du Bourg-de-Four, courtyard of the Hotel de Ville, the Promenade de la Treille and walls of the city, and other views of St. Peter's where Calvin preached his support for the Reformation.

Stately limestone Beaux-Arts edifice, Musee d'Art et d'Histoire de Geneve, houses art history artifacts, from prehistoric to contemporary periodsOn Day Two it is snowing, but less windy than the first day. Our inn, Romantik Hotel Auberge d'Hermance, provides a wonderful breakfast of cafe au lait, croissant, fresh-baked breads, brioche, cheeses, yogurt, jam, and pears. The weather feels cooperative, so we bundle up and walk to the bus for Geneva to see Musee d'Art d'Histoire. The walk from our medieval village to the bus stop convinces us that we want to return to Switzerland. Most of the people speak and wish us, “Bonjour” on the street. We've traveled many places, but by far, these are the most open and friendly people we've encountered. It is considered rude here not to speak to people when you pass them on the streets. The bus ride winds around Lake Geneva along Rue du Rive and features one grape vineyard after another. The gamay and chasslas vineyard rows scroll past in the windows of the bus like a kinetoscope of gnarled vines in the snow. The grape rows are planted on gentle slopes that run perpendicular to the edge of the street. The best wines in Switzerland are those in the cantons of Valais and Vaud, on the sheltered hillside around Lake Geneva. Very few of these fine wines are exported and are unknown outside the country.Striking example of Classifical period sculpture depicting the beauty of the human form

The Geneva art history museum is a multidisciplinary group of structures with a survey of civilization from prehistoric to contemporary times. The main building is an elegant, beautifully preserved limestone Beaux Arts edifice that is free to the public. We are lured by the exhibits of antique arms, art, and architectural details, but the smell of baking bread inside is just as enticing. The Beaux Arts features that we notice in this magnificent structure include: relatively flat roof; rusticated and raised first story; a hierarchy of spaces from “noble” and grand to utilitarian; arched windows, arched and pedimented doors, classical details with a tendency to eclecticism, symmetry, statuary and sculpture, classical architectural details of balustrades, pilasters and cartouches; and a subtle polychromy.

The Museum restaurant offers excellent French cuisine at reasonable pricesAfter a 4-hour survey of world art, we can no longer ignore the food cooking on the first level restaurant. Behind the red velvet curtain that shelters diners from doors that open to blasts of cold wind, is a warm, bright bistro. The featured plat du jour was a masterful Coq au Vin with salade frisee and a glass of vin rouge du Provence. We inhale the chicken dish, and unable and unwilling to move, we somehow manage to layer up again and lumber back to a stop at the bottom of the hill to board the “large orange E bus to Hermance.”

We wish we could tell you that we have the willpower to pass on dinner and wine this evening, but when we enter the auberge, our hostess Eva was there waiting to tell us that she arranged for transport to a bistro in Anienes at 7. So, of course out of politeness, we nap and then go downstairs to wait for Igor to drive us to La Floris. The food here is deceptively simple with a clear taste of the ingredients. I order the terrine of duck covered a with a gratinee of garlic potatoes; Steve has shrimp with tomato-stuffed endive and truffle foam sauce. We return to our room with the plug-in heater made from tiles and marble that radiates plenty of warmth, take steamy baths, and crawl under our heavy comforter, happy to be at home here. We need to abandon this stupor of food and wine to be able work with our clients over the next two days!

In gallery below: architectural details of Beaux-Arts style museum, from doors, windows, staircase, furniture, floors, to the floor heat returns. Also pictured, whimsical exit signs that need no translation, the bus trip, shrimp at dinner and cafe au lait, and one of the efficient Swiss buses.

Looking outside the window of our room at l'Auberge Hermance, coldest winter in Geneva since 1957We land at 7:36 a.m. and Captain “Bubba” Ransom drawls over the PA system on our 767 aircraft, “Folks, get on your coats, it's 10 degrees here in Geneva with a 30 mph north wind. Oh, and, you're gonna have to climb down the stairs onto the tarmac and run to the waiting buses to get to the terminal.” Captain Ransom's Texas accent is homey and reassuring; the howling wind and the crawl down the stairs is not. We packed our heavy coats in our checked bags, as did all of the others on the airplane, except the Geneva residents. They know about this unusually cold winter in Europe. We are here to work with a client, document historic residential architecture, and be test subjects for Whole Earth Provisions' latest cold weather gear.Interior of our room, the Christine de France XVI suite

We claim our bags, spot our driver waiting with our name on his card, and load up the car for the drive through Geneva and up the east side of Lac Leman, as the lake is known 'en francais.' The city looks frozen in the piles of snow, the locals running to work in fur-trimmed anoraks and knee-high boots. The wind whips awnings, trees, and stylish scarves.

We reach Hermance in about 45 minutes and are enchanted with the village. The town contrasts strongly with the bustling commerce of Geneva. Quaint folk cottages, churches, and retail shops line the winding streets. Our driver asks several locals, “ou est l'Auberge Hermance?” We had been circling it and it was always “a droit la (right there).” The simple masonry exterior gives no hint of the character within. There are but seven rooms at the inn. The hostess greets us at the door at 8 a.m. (it was very early), “Bonjour, get out of the cold! Your room is not ready but we can cook a breakfast for you.” Cafe au lait, croissant, ham, eggs scrambled with chives, baked pears, and cheeses quickly appear at a table on the enclosed patio near the fireplace. The shed roof above where we are seated was once the small barn attached to the main house, where the animals were housed in the winter. We find a home and a warm and Wooden gate at end of Rue Centraleembracing welcome.

Once settled in our room, we bundle up for a brisk walk. Our photos reveal our four-block walk around the inn. While we were well-protected elsewhere, our faces give in quickly to the below-zero wind chill. It's time for a nap under the down cover and a brandy close to the fire...

The gallery, below: looking from our room's window at hotel entrance, view of Lake Geneva and the Jura from a high point over Hermance rooftops, Gothic arch at entry to Hermance church, Medieval watchtower above Hermance, shutters with vines on Hermance residence, sign at entry court of l'Auberge d'Hermance, bell tower of Hermance church, double-hinged shutters shaped to cover Gothic cut stone opening, residence with turret in Hermance, pruned trees at dusk along Lac Leman (Lake Geneva), another residence with functional 'tulip' shutters, and detail of our suite marker.

Modern cruxifix inside La Sagrada Familia by Antoni GaudiBecause we are engaged in the business of creating a ‘sense of belonging and place,' we notice locations that create this feeling in the two of us when we travel. We attempt to document them, describe them for ourselves, remember them vividly, in order to recreate pieces of the experiences at home in the lives we lead every day. Some of these places are in Texas, the Southwest, and across the U.S. And some are on other continents. Our trip to Barcelona was just such a memorable place, one in which we feel that we belong, to its people, its landscape, and its culture.Colorful clothing on Barcelona streets near waterfront

As we say “goodbye” in this last chapter of our Spain Blog, we look at why certain places hold special meaning for us.  Why do some have a strong identity and character that is deeply felt by its visitors? What we identify in all of them is a mix of the natural and cultural features in the landscape and the people who occupy it. There are places that represent an interaction of nature and of man that belong uniquely to these locales and stay with us for a long time.

So what is so distinct and rare about Barcelona and the surrounding region of Catalan that still resonates, long after we return home? We made a list so that should you ever find yourself on the Costa Brava, you will look for what we loved there:

Statue of Christopher Columbus, pointing to the New World, at building on Barcelona waterfrontAzure blue sky; rocky cliffs snuggled up to a wild Mediterranean Sea; fish and shellfish of every taste, color, and description; ancient Iberian heritage; balmy moist air; colorful clothes, buildings, and art; regional pride; deep appreciation of their artists and architects which leads to the preservation of their contributions; fresh fruit, rice dishes, creamy desserts, chocolate; the Spanish Triathlon: eating, drinking, falling in love; quirky and melancholy art and literature; a sense of fairness and order, while at the same time embracing artists who break rules; pervasive acceptance in the culture of all things artistic and colorful; beautiful vegetation that is often seen as motifs in its architecture; strong religious heritage and beautiful churches; and integration of the contemporary and the ancient architecture and culture.

Our 'last look' photo gallery below: Barcelona airport; old bullfighting ring retrofitted with modern interior and escalator; Dali; beautiful government buildings; attractive police force; sycamore tree bark that looks like a painting; colorful murals; modern art on ancient buildings; prawns; Mediterranean Sea; our colorful glass-enclosed bathroom; breakfast; fried calamari; Catalan cream dessert; ceiling tiles in our 1100 AD castle; flowers; the rolling countryside and vistas.