It is a beautiful city of 52,000 people which dates back to the 11th century and straddles the Mayenne River near the border of Britanny and Normandy.
We arrived around lunch time and were greeted by Olivier and Claire.
They were in the San Francisco area about a year ago and we got to see them then and it was so good to see them once again. A feast was prepared for our lunch. Claire started us with appetizers and mojitos, while Olivier grilled the meat for lunch. A fantastic lunch was served!
Afterwards, they suggested we might visit a museum not too far from Laval.
Robert Tatin was a most creative artist. He was a painter, a sculptor, a ceramicist, a builder and much more. After many years of traveling the world and working all over France, he returned to the countryside near his birth place in Laval. At age 60 he purchased an old rundown farmhouse in Cosse le Vivien and worked on it for the next twenty years until his death. This was his retirement house which he and his fifth wife remodeled and lived in while he built his museum attached to it.
The museum starts with the avenue of Giants. Huge cement statues representing important figures at different stages of Tatin's life.
Nineteen of these statues were erected on either side of a pathway, leading to his house.
The dragon acts as a guard to the house, and the Garden of Meditations.
Behind the facade are several rooms which contains many of his paintings and art pieces.
You can see native cultures from Mexico, Central and South America plays a big part in his later work.
Included here are some of his many works.
He even gave his creation the name, "Etrange Musee" (Strange Museum), and I'm sure you can see why! The artist is buried according to his dictates in the garden in front of the house.
Back to Olivier and Claire's house for another delicious meal and off to bed.
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