Tuesday 2 September 2014

Cognac: Streets, Museums, Gardens

Rose window outside in and inside out:
 Exhibitions of beautiful bottles with display of creativity:
Films in the museum were extremely interesting and an excellent modern approach to make stuffy museums vital-alive!
More vintage bottles - these were analysed samples!
A stairway motif:

Bottling
Corking
Labelling

Sales to China were the most!
"Advertising in the Family!!! (Family humour - I am a descendant of "The Royal Scotts Equestrian Circus" and proud of it!
Above a doorway - probably to signify what the owner made!
Beautiful architecture
My number one girl! I shall remove photo if she tells me to!
The seedy side of town
Patina
L'eglise
Un café
Almost symmetrical
Evidence of ricochet on end church wall
Disused
Low down to the pavement graffiti
Missing statue

Asymmetry

Ghoulish

Dragon

Interesting architecture on the building with the dragon

Curves

Blackened stone from trees and humidity where sun and light can't penetrate!

Former grandeur: two hotels in 1889 became the town hall and the museum in the grounds of botanical gardens where the Cognac Blues Festival is performed,
Another feature of French museums is that they provide jigsaw puzzles where one can sit awhile for the attention of the child to take the mind away from ancient artefacts.


My friend has one of these!
I'd like a room with flooring and deep skirting panels such as these!
L'orangerie
A good brood!
Can't remember
She sure can swing! One does not wish to stand in the way of this determined young lady!

Monday 1 September 2014

Cognac Degustation Visit

A little while ago we went camping for two nights in Cognac, a town where for some time my family had wished to visit.  It was within a reasonable driving distance from home.  The Cognac distillery was the priority and we found one for less than 10e per head.  MARTELL. The first photos are of Vintage bottles then a very neat ledger. One would not wish to blot a copy book with a jot of Cognac!
 I think this model was original size for we looked down upon it!... or maybe half or quarter size!
 After the vintage poster a photo of earlier or later days depending on date of poster!
 Then photos of fascinatingly detailed maquettes: models that my family passed by!
Above: part of the former distillery, now the museum and visitor centre.
Below: visual displays through glass windows.
It was an excellent presentation in English of how Cognac is distilled, with a brief History of the Martell Family, but no mention of where the Cognac is distilled today.  There were films and interesting information at the correct level.  To end were tastings. As there were unclaimed glasses of Cognac I enquired about the taste of a Cocktail which was a choice.  Reluctantly, but politely, he poured one! After all of that, I told him I preferred it neat. At home we compared a Cognac with an Armagnac which is what I normally buy for emergency, medicinal usage. Armagnac has a brightness whereas Cognac is mellow! However, one should compare quality with quality! I shall stay with Armagnac! It was all my cousin's fault!