With 1:30 PM train tickets secured, Eileen and Ian's morning was free to explore a bit more. Our goal was to see the treasures of the Calvet Museum. This was my second visit, yet new gems were discovered.

We visited the Grenier à sel for the last day of its current exhibit on Beethoven. "Based on the experience of this extraordinary genius, both deaf and socially isolated, but also the composer of Ode to Joy, which would become the European anthem, the exhibition LUDWIG VAN – Listen to hear explores the different facets of listening. Whether physiological, mental, social or political, it is omnipresent in each of us. Do we know how to listen ? Do we need to listen to each other to get along better? What if we were deaf without knowing it? The exhibition tour takes the visitor to the heart of listening and its multiple dimensions, by questioning their own perception of sounds and others."

Our 'journey' was in three stages. 1. What is listening? Bone conduction listening installations, testimonies from deaf musicians, exhibitions of old acoustic cornets, discovery of sound illusions, immersive installation, and a documentary (which was lost on us due to us not knowing French). We 'got' what it was trying to relay.

Stage #2 was from self-perception to listening to others. "Perceive the world within us as well as that which surrounds us, through video and literary extracts ranging from the web series Dear future me to Peer Gynt, in going through film clips."

Stage #3 was Towards Collective Understanding. I liked, and understood, the Red Phone. Which asked the question, "What is a listener?" Since the 60s, listening centers have sprung up all over France and Europe. They are run by teams of counsellors who take turns on the telephone 7 days a week to listen to people in distress. These volunteers, professional listeners, are trained to welcome the word of others, without preconceived ideas. I had to ponder the concept of whether we hear even when we hear.