Photographer in Paradise

Stalwart travel companion and wife extraordinaire, photographer Alison Reynolds is also wildly fanatical about her art, her fine art, and her photography, for which she has been published in multiple newspapers for numerous travel features,  so La Colombe d'Or was a paradise for her, like living in a wildly bohemian museum, and she took to photographing the grounds and the art and the structure and the art, and the atmosphere, and the art with the joy of one who holds a passion for it all. So naturally it won't be long before, in her thoroughnesss, she turns the camera on you, as you see below. The Devil Dog has had the pleasure of being captured in her lens on many an occasion, and has always looked the better for it.

Wooden beamed ceilings at La Colombe d'Or

One of the many amazing things about La Colombe d'Or is the multiple extraordinary beamed ceilings that lend the homespun peasant chateau atmosphere to room after room, including here above, the ceiling in the open sitting room on the third floor solarium with the wall of windows making this a perfect sun room. Then below is the arched wooden beams of the breakfast nook off the firepit area of the main dining room on the ground floor.  This patio area overlooks the swimming pool, and is a frequent gathering point in the late morning over coffee, eggs and newspapers.

Morning light...St Paul de Vence

The sun comes up across the ridegetop on the other side of the valley beneath St. Paul de Vence and the elegantly fabulous hotel La Colombe d'Or. Here, in the picture above, the Devil Dog watches  the sunrise through the windows of the open sitting room on the third floor veranda overlooking the pool and the multicolored roof tiles, steam rising from a chimney vent in the golden glow of the morning sun.

So we wander into town at dawns early light, passing the high walls of the ramparts of the ancient medieval Roman hilltop town of St Paul de Vence, here at their razors edge,  while the morning sun blazes behind its portholes.
And the village is deserted, morning sounds of quietude filling the ambient abundance. Along the walls and back alleys and then down the long central narrow street that is the arterial flow of St Paul de Vence. Towards the end of that street we see the view looking past  the Hotel St.Paul, the alley twisting to an end point, an apex, then a ridgetop cemetery and the valley below.

Breakfast on the sunlit patio at La Colombe d'Or

So the sun was rising, flooding the patio with the golden glow of the morning. The Devil Dog is lucky enough to be married to the brilliant photographer Alison Reynolds, whose work has graced many of my newspaper feature articles, and who more importantly is the brilliant zenith at the center of my life and the glowing joy at the heart of the essense of beauty, a fiery partner in life whose passion burns as brilliantly today as it did 20 years ago when we met or 14 yearsago when we were married.  There is no more beautiful moment than the one you have shared in the brilliance of the morning sun in the south of France. Here is that moment.

Second floor four room suite at La Colombe d'Or

Imagine a four room suite extending all the way across one wing of the second floor of La Colombe d'Or.  From our bedroom window, as seen in an earlier post, we could watch the sun rise over the valley and illuminate the outdoor patio, and look out over the main square and the Boulle court from the other window.

Thick wooden beams give a 16th century feel to the ceilings, while the large living room gives way to a sitting area, an elevated armoir area , and then a sumptuous bedroom chamber. The Devil Dog was more than impressed. His wife was even more blown away.  It was like an apartment instead of a hotel room, richly appointed with beautiful works of art, not hotel room art, but real works of collectable art every bit as impressive as what hangs in the bar and the dining rooms.

Here we see the bed chamber and beautiful beamed ceiling. La Colombe d'Or is more like a gathering place for old friends in need of relaxation in genuine unique luxury that is defined as the beauty of the moment all around you.

The Fire Pit

On the other side of the dining room at La Colombe d'Or is what the Devil Dog dubbed the fire pit, a comfortable couch area around a detached fireplace.  On the walls surrounding the room are, naturally, a plethora of fine art by some of the leading creative geniuses of the 20th century, casually on display with a panache that bespeaks the unique character of this magical place.

Here in this corner are a trio of works that could be hanging in the Met or the MOMA in New York.

More Art

Yes that is a scupture of a thumb holding down the corner of the front patio at La Colombe d'Or. Below is one of a dozen or so Calders that adorn the premises, this one a lovely small mobile hanging from the landing on the main staircase between the first and second floor.

So much of the art is both whimsical and magnificent, a sea change representing the growth of modern art in its prime.

And always is the ghost of Picasso, who spent so much time here.  And who left, among others, this magnificent work of art which holds the central spot of the dining room.

Morning as seen from my window at La Colombe d'Or

So we rise with the dawn and open the windows of our corner suite on the second floor of the lovely romantic and splendidly exotic La Colombe d'Or.  The sun spills over the ridgetop across the valley. Golden time. That eirilly beautiful glint of sunlight at its intense peak of golden color, splaying all in its path in the silent glory of the dawn.  Above is the patio, the valley just below.  Below is the look out the other corner window, into the main square and the empty Boulle court, a delivery van making the morning supply run to the boullangerie across the street.

The Bar at La Colombe d"Or

The famed bar at La Colombe d'Or is a haven for guests and a gateway to a time when Picasso would sit for hours with Leger or David Niven would share a drink with Yves Montand.  The Devil Dog is enthralled with the simple glory of the place. Above a local denizen kicks off the early evening after an afternoon playing Boulle or Pentanque on the main square. Below it fills with guests and an eclectic crowd waiting for dinner.

The Dining Room at La Colombe d"or

The dining room at La Colombe d'Or is both an elegant dinner spot as well as one of the coolest art galleries on the planet. The Devil Dog has never seen such a collection of work made even more astonishing by the common denominator...they were all given to the hotel by the artists in gratitude for lodging or friendship.  So there, in the photo above, is a fabulous Picasso,and next to it is a Braque, and over there is a Leger,or a Miro, or a Calder mobile. And then there are the "lesser" works that are as astonishing as the wall hangings by the masters.

The  room itself is stunning, with a massive wooden arch bisecting the main dining area, as seen in the picture above, stylish furnishings, and a general air of quiet sophistication. Then there is the food, which is fabulous, not terribly fancy, very provincial, but more like an upscale peasant menu served on fine china, or classic country fare meets chateaubriand.  Below is a view of the room from the other side of the arch, and if course the art...the art....which is EVERYWHERE!

The Golden Dove palace of art

La Colombe d'Or means literally the Golden Dove, and many years after they had opened their doors, the great sculptor Ben Jakober created this massive marble dove which sits on the wall outside the Devil Dogs bedroom window on the great wall separating the hotel from the street, overlooking the patrons on the open air luncheon patio below.

Heres  a better look at that Calder by the swimming pool and next to the sun chairs is this famous sculpture of a green apple. The great artists of the day gave their art to Paul and "Titine", frequently, the legend goes, in exchange for their lodgings. But genuinely it was because they actually cared for the world that had been created there, felt omfortable there, hung out there ,and freely gave it to the hotel out of love. And it is everywhere. Each hotel room and suite has more impeccable art than many people have in their entire collection.   www.la-colombe-dor.com