
A view of the Museum in Ornans on the river Loue © musée départemental Gustave Courbet, photo Aurélia Channaux
It is an adventure to visit Ornans in the middle of the winter but it is so worth it that I came back to Paris after a three hour train ride, totally exhilarated. It had snowed heavily the day before, so all the roads were iced between the train station of Frasne and the little town where Gustave Courbet (1819-1877) was born and raised. I was met by Georges Bully, a native of the area and an old friend, whose family on both sides, has lived within 40 kms for centuries. And we started with an excellent lunch at La Cascade, in Mouthier-Haute-Pierre with Benjamin Foudral, the very young brilliant director of Musée Courbet, who also runs the Pôle Courbet, a horrible word to describe the five different attractions centered around the XIX th century painter, in the area. Read More