I have a certain tenderness for La Rochelle.
There, I find the remanents of the beautiful protestant citadel it once was, besieged and isolated. Bled dry because it was protestant but also resiliant, dignified, noble, commercial and flourishing because it was protestant. Nowadays remains a magnificent historical center, simply majestic and quite impenetrable.
There, I find the remanents of the beautiful portuary city it once was, a shelter to navigators and pirates of all kinds, all of them attracted by the prospect of fortune offered by the endless horizons.
The secret majesty that emanates from the historical center, which is closed off by ramparts, creates a curious contrast with the port, which is open to all adventures. La Rochelle is both an unfahtomable city and an extremely open city.
March 12, 2016
