Invitation to France 4 of 5
A few pages back we said the “… most famous sight in Reims is the beautiful Notre Dame Cathedral … .” That’s still true, but when we next visit Reims, we will make sure we again tour St. Rémi.
%CHALONS - SUR - MARNE
In the parking lot of the Carrefour Shopping market there is a McDonald’s restaurant in a separate building, like thousands in the US. Most places in Europe, the fast food places are in a shopping mall, or in a remodeled older building in the shopping area in a town.
One year we were looking for a Laundromat while we were in Châlons. Jim asked a beautiful lady in a hair salon for her help. (He always asks the beautiful ladies, he is so used to having one nearby for all these many years, and he figured, correctly, that a lady in a hair salon would know about the location of the nearest laundrymat.) We found the ladies very delighted to help. One woman was just so proud of her command of the English language, and was thrilled to have someone to practice with.
Downtown Châlons is attractive, with a cathedral, a market square, parks, monuments, and a very nice shopping area in Center Ville. Cathédrale St.-Etienne was built starting around 1235, in the Gothic style that was somewhat invented at Chartres and St.-Denis. There are some exceptionally beautiful stained glass windows.
In the countryside there are miles of farmland, and just west of here one year the farmers were harvesting sugar beets in miles of fields next to Connantre’s campsite. The work continued well into the night, as the tractors and beet harvesting equipment worked under great flood lights. In this part of France it appears the farmer’s fields are very large, with relativity few sets of farm buildings. The farmer must drive miles to get to the field. They are in the process of beautifying the countryside, we see many new trees planted at the side of the road.
%L’EPINE
A short drive east of Châlons-S-Marne there is an extraordinary sight. L’Epine, a small village with one main street, is somewhat typical of many in France. But at a curve in the street in the middle of the town, stands a stunning, huge basilica of Notre Dame, a building that dominates the countryside for miles around. We have driven through this area many times, and the sight of the huge structure rising above a sea of wheat, never fails to amaze. If it were somehow possible to make a comparison of the size of this town and beauty of this church, as compared to the size of other cities and the beauty of their buildings, L’Epine has little competition. There are few buildings anywhere that compare with this basilica, and almost certainly none at all in a town this size.
Especially remembered was the time a low fog displayed only the tips of the towers from miles away. As we parked near the church the sun broke through for a brilliantly lit view of this masterpiece of aesthetically pleasing gothic art. The style and the design of this building is as beautiful as any gothic cathedral to be found anywhere.
%SEZANNE
Things don’t always work as we would like. We drove to the little town of Sézanne looking for a grocery store, and passed a scene that was exceptionally beautiful. But as happens so often, we found no place to park nearby. We intended to return after we finished shopping, find a place to park, spend time walking to the scene, and take some pictures. One Senior Moment led to another and we forgot to go back. Now while we both remember there was a special scene, we have neither pictures nor a clear remembrance of what it was. Thank goodness we expect to return in the near future, and we will make sure we attend to “business” a little better next time.
%VERDUN
This is the site of one of the longest battles of World War I, with 750,000 troops killed during 1916. Verdun was captured by the Germans in World War II in 1940, and liberated by the Americans in 1944. There are large monuments to both wars.
Several years ago this was the first place in Europe where we obtained money from an ATM machine, using our Visa card. Imagine our surprise when the computer recognized our card as being from the US, and presented the instructions in English. This is the best way to get cash in most countries. If we go inside the bank they usually have a service fee, and the exchange rate for just a few dollars is not as good as the exchange rate for the millions of dollars the major credit card companies exchange each day.
%MONTMEDY
Near the Luxembourg and Belgian borders, at Montmedy, we approached a castle high on a hill. A sign read “Car Parking Ahead” so we went on through the small archway with only a couple of inches to spare on each side of the RV. We then crossed a small drawbridge and discovered that the next archway would permit no more than half of our vehicle to pass, and there was no way to turn around.
Very carefully we backed down the hill, across the drawbridge and through the arch, with still that inch or so on each side — it did seem narrower going backwards. We finally got through that first archway and were able to turn around and go on our way.
%SENS
Sens is a little town with a big beautiful City Hall, and a beautiful cathedral just around the corner. The master builder in charge of this great cathedral was concerned about the side thrust of such a wide span, so flying buttresses were used, about fifty years before Chartres. Sens’s splendid museum has a fine display of Gallo-Roman sculpture and household objects that give a good glimpse of what life was like, two millennia ago. There are attractive homes in the countryside near here, many built on a ten-foot mound of earth with the lawn rising up to the sides and to the front door. The garage entrance is at the side, under the house, in the basement.
While walking along the street in Sens we met some people from Washington, DC who told us about the famous and expensive “starred” restaurants where they had eaten during their vacation. Reservations were awaiting them at other gourmet restaurants for the next week or so. Eating in highly rated restaurants was what they liked best about travel, and we wouldn’t suggest they change a thing. We don’t understand why someone would make restaurants a vacation destination, but to each his own.
In a little Boulangerie in a town near Sens, Jim said “Good Morning” in English as he often does. Sure enough, there was a man who understood and wanted to talk. He was seventy-two years old, had lived in Washington, DC until he was twelve, and when WW II started he was a soldier on the Maginot Line. He said the Germans couldn’t run fast enough to catch him and make him their prisoner, so he was able to hide out for the remainder of the war. He couldn’t imagine we would drive around Paris when we could park and use the Métro. Jim told him that we couldn’t see anything from the Métro, and we enjoy seeing the people, the street scenes and the magnificent buildings of Paris.
%TROYES
The old part of the city is a protected area full of narrow medieval streets and half-timbered buildings, several of the buildings had recently been renovated. They look so much alike, it must have been a government job. Emmy bought an ice cream cone from a street vendor’s push cart, and as happens many times the vendor had dipped one flavor after another many times without rinsing the dipper, so all the flavors were mixed. Ugh.
Nearby, we stopped to watch an auction of furniture and household goods, underway at a home along the road. We spoke to a man who was bidding on furniture for his home, and he said that the prices were being bid too high for the quality of the goods for sale.
That night a very busy spider spun a web between our RV and a tree. The web must have been three or four feet in diameter with very intricate detail. We remember another beautiful over-night spider web that connected our RV to a nearby tree, when we spent the night in Stratford, England. Can’t imagine a spider could spin that much, that fast. In the morning it was covered with dew and shining in the brilliant sunlight. Too bad there was no way to save this exquisite piece of art.
%AUXERRE
As we approached the town of Auxerre from the east, we saw a picturesque setting. Several boats and barges, a vehicle bridge and a separate bridge for pedestrians over the River Yonne, stone buildings and towers of Cathédrale St.-Etienne in the distance — an exceptional tableau.
After walking through the town, however, we decided that the first glimpse was the best thing to see in Auxerre. Many times we have had this opinion — an outstanding view from a distance, but nothing extra-special when we finally arrive inside the town. That last statement needs clarification: If these lovely old stone streets and buildings were to be reproduced anywhere in the US, millions of tourists would be attracted to them. We do not wish to imply that the town is not interesting, but we want to make the point that the view as we approached was exceptional.
Come to think of it, that would apply to many cities in the US, also. The skyscraper skyline view of Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, or New York City is more impressive and more interesting than the views seen right in the heart of that city.
Auxerre is, as are dozens of other towns and villages, an old city with Gothic churches and other beautiful old buildings, but with an especially matchless picture postcard view. In an antique book store along the river, we paid $12.50 for “Paris-Atlas,” published by Librairie Larousse, the old book mentioned earlier.
%TONNERRE
The Fountaine de Dionne in Tonnerre is surrounded by old houses, with a hill on three sides. It’s an interesting spot with a roof around the small pond so people wouldn’t get wet from the rain while dipping their bucket of water. A modern water system now supplies the town with water, so the only activity we saw at the water hole was a man washing his car. Nearby, the weekly outdoor market lined several blocks of city streets.
%CHATILLON - SUR - SEINE
We stopped in Châtillon-sur-Seine, to see the beginning of the Seine River. At least that’s what we thought someone told us, then we found the Seine starts south of here, and first becomes navigable at Châtillon. The large spring flowing from a shallow cave covered with greenery in a beautiful park is an excellent place to visit. Interesting street views and old stone buildings in the town made our walk very pleasant.
This part of France is served by rivers and canals that flow towards the English Channel, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea. Boats can sail from here to Le Havre, and on to the English Channel. Canals are available for barge trips where the peace is broken by the squeak of the lock-gate, and the splash of the fishing line hitting the tranquil waters. Small outboard motorboats, 12 berth barges, and cabin cruisers can be rented at a score of places, and can be moored in a busy town center, a homey waterside village, or in the countryside. The miles of waterways offer different aspects of the riches of the countryside, past and present.
%CHAUMONT
When we arrived in Chaumont a sign said there would be an antique show in town the next two days, so guess where we spent the night? Beats having a schedule. The municipal campsite was right next door to an outdoor stadium with a music festival underway, but there was no noise or problems in the campsite. In the street market the next day we bought some fruits and vegetables, and a few odds and ends, ‘tiques and non-’tiques, at the antique show.
Jim bought another Librairie Larousse book, “L’Italie Illustrée,” 784 pictures of Italy, explained in 370 pages using the French language. The inscription inside the book indicates it was a Christmas present in 1911. A postage-stamp size picture of a suave, sophisticated man-about-town pasted on the flyleaf, may be either the giver or the givee. Between the pages we found an old city map of Florence, Italy, with an advertisement for the Hotel Stella d’Italia et San Marco, price seven to nine Lira per day for a room, or about $2 per year at today’s rate of exchange. That same hotel at about the same price is listed in our 100 year old Baedecker’s Italy, guide book.
%DOMREMY
Jeanne ‘d Arc’s home town, Domrémy, is about thirty-five miles west of the city of Nancy. The stone house where Joan was born is a charming, substantial two story stone house, with huge beams in the ceilings, and a shed roof. That is, a steep roof sloping one direction only. The room where Joan ‘d Arc was born on January 6, 1412, looked as if it could have been the living room, with a fireplace. The home is next door to a small, pretty, stone church. The architecture of these little churches is not nearly as pretentious as the larger ones, but many do have a very special charm. These old stone churches must be very cold in the wintertime, so the pews are set up on a wooden floor, constructed a few inches above the cold, cold, stone floor.
Near the woods where Jeanne d’ Arc saw her visions, a beautiful basilica was recently completed. Although small compared to many other churches in Europe, the walls were covered with splendid mosaics depicting scenes of the life of Jeanne ‘d Arc. A circular staircase, its walls decorated with more mosaics, leads to the church balcony.
Looking away from the basilica, rolling farmland and clumps of trees can be seen, a quiet peaceful countryside, just what the “Maid of Orléans” saw hundreds of years ago. As we viewed the scene, we felt as if time had stood still.
RAILWAY CROSSING GUARD
While waiting at a railway crossing near here, we noticed another of the thousands of little houses where the crossing guard lived, right where the railroad tracks cross the highway. Until recent years the guard would operate the gate by hand, but today most of the crossing-gates are automatic. We’ve read stories that said years ago the gate would be put down at bedtime, and a late traveler needed to wake the guard to gain passage — perhaps a few francs changed hands. The house is still usually occupied (by a crossing guard?), and at a few crossings in the 1980s, we did see a guard still operate the gate.
We remember reading a story, written 50 years ago, about a very special crossing “gate.” The person telling the story was a passenger on a train, and happened to look out the window in time to see a crossing guard with several tethered goats standing across the road, in place of a crossing gate.
%TOUL
The city wall of Toul is a dirt embankment with stonework at the gates and on the top of the wall. Inside, buildings are constructed into the embankment, and a moat protects a portion of the wall. When we visited, the old cathedral was under renovation. Its cloister and garden reminded us a little of the one at Mt.-St.-Michel.
In a field outside Toul, a farmer was using an interesting contraption: A large wagon with three milking stalls and the equipment needed to milk the cows in the field, eliminating the need to have the cows walk to the barn.
Near Nancy we were reminded again that the French Autoroute (toll road) is not operated with the motorist’s requirements and good-will in mind. To mow the weeds, or do other repairs on twenty miles of the road, for example, they may close down one lane all day long. Ten miles might already be completed by the time we get there, but they may not remove the barriers until the work day is over.
A reminder: If we need to use the Autoroute, we keep our eye open for “péage” which means we are going to pay a toll, and it always seems to be a large toll. Sometimes as the Autoroute nears a city it suddenly becomes “libre,” and on the other side of town, it is “péage” again. We only use the Autoroute when absolutely necessary. It is an expensive way to drive fast and miss all the scenery and small towns, which are the reason we visit France in the first place.
%DOLE
Near the town of Dole, the birthplace of Louis Pasteur, we found an RV shop where we bought some supplies, including two sets of the plastic stop light covers for the back of the Renault — one to replace the broken one, and since we still had the same driver, one as a spare. Dole must be seen again for its unusual architecture, a very distinctive style of chimney, with two or more on many buildings. Some buildings were surrounded by water, but we didn’t take the time to find out why.
%LANGRES
Located on a summit of a rocky spur, Langres has kept its belt of ramparts and beautifully preserved Renaissance houses. The inner town has six gates and seven towers, a masterpiece of military architecture. In Langres, which the guide book said was entertaining, we expected to drive around inside the city, admire the scenery, then continue our trip.
Many streets in Langres were under repair, and believe it or not, we could not get out of town. We would be directed here and there, and we would find “here” was under construction and “there” was just too narrow for us to travel, or perhaps one-way the wrong direction. We finally got to the campsite, right on top of the very wide town wall, next to Langres’s fortress, with a view of a beautiful sunset over the town and the countryside. The guide book was right, this attractive town must be seen again.
%NANCY
Place Stanislas, Nancy’s attractive public square, was developed by the architect Emmanuel Here in the 1700s. It was named after Stanislaw I Leszczynski, the former king of Poland who became Duke of Lorraine (1737-66). The Duke was loved for his magnificence and benevolence, and was the father of Maria, the wife of King Louis XV.
The spectacular stairway in the Hôtel de Ville (city hall) leads to the Salle des Fetes (Festival Hall) from whose windows we can see the full beauty of the wrought-iron gates in opposite corners of Nancy’s Place Stanislas. The Arc de Triomphe, the Tourist Office, and other beautiful buildings are on the far side of the Place. When Emmy first entered the building, a lady who must have guessed she was a tourist, informed her that there were no rooms for rent in this Hôtel de Ville. Perhaps others have arrived with suitcase firmly in hand.
As we walked through the Parc de la Pépinière (tree nursery park), we ate an interestingly prepared hot dog. First, the bun had been pushed down over a metal heater the size and shape of the hot dog, then when the bun was removed from the heater, the hot dog (with a little catsup or mustard) slipped right into the hole in the bun. Different, but not too practical for use in the US where people usually want their hot dog loaded with various condiments.
Stone buildings throughout Europe have been collecting dirt, dust, and grime for hundreds of years. One year we watched them clean a portion of a building in La Vieille Ville, Nancy’s Old Town. A small part of a wall is soaked for hours with water from a hose, and then it’s scrubbed with a brush. We were told that the use of high pressure water or sand, or anything harsher than a brush, might cause damage to the old, sometimes soft stone. After cleaning the surface, stone blocks are replaced as needed, and the mortar is repaired or replaced.
Some people complain that the clean buildings look out of place. As one man said, “They are washing off not dirt, but tradition.” Since we like to see buildings as they were originally intended, we’re happy to see the cleaning process underway in Paris, London, Vienna, and virtually all over Europe. But there are towns and cities, such as Edinburgh, Scotland, where the people objected, so buildings remain with the layers of “tradition” that have accumulated over the ages.
%VILLERS - LES - NANCY
On rolling hills in the outskirts of Nancy a whole new town is being built. Individual houses, apartment buildings, and shopping centers are creating a new town called Villers-lés-Nancy. Too bad the architect hasn’t used more imagination though. Five hundred years from now, tourists won’t be as interested in Villers-lés-Nancy, as today’s tourists are in old Nancy.
%METZ
The deep-colored stained glass windows in the Gothic Cathedral of Saint Etienne (St. Stephen) built in the 1200s to 1500s, are of special interest. The windows aren’t all old, one group was created relatively recently by the famed Russian artist, Marc Chagall, who died in 1985. We wandered through the cathedral, then shopped in the “flea” and food market area that surround the cathedral.
In the downtown shopping area the multi-level shopping mall, as well as individual department stores and blocks of smaller shops, invited us to stroll and window shop. Many stores in Europe have escalators going to upper stories, but to come down we must first find the stairs. In one large department store in Metz (and many other places), we saw an arrangement of two escalators going up, and one coming down — makes it easier for customers to buy things on the upper floors, which is the reason for the store in the first place.
FRANCE DOUANE OFFICERS
One day as we crossed the border into France just north of Metz, the man at the Douane (customs) office inspected the RV extra carefully. He had a rather puzzled look on his face as if he were not quite sure what he should be doing. Usually a glance at the vehicle registration sufficed when we crossed the French border in those days, so we asked him if he was new on the job, and if the official-looking gentlemen at the office doorway were monitoring his actions. When he replied affirmatively, we told him to do whatever it took to impress the observers — much to his relief.
A few weeks later we crossed again at this same border point. This time it was a young lady who had just finishing her training as a French Customs agent. She came out, opened the camper door and looked under a couple of seats, as a good customs agent should. We could see her boss or trainer standing just inside the office door, watching her.
Since the European Union established new rules a few years ago, border crossings between those fifteen countries in Europe have become similar to crossing State lines in the US. We have not had our passports or the vehicle papers checked since then.
VALUE ADDED TAX
The tourist is told that when he returns home, if he has spent enough money, kept all the receipts, and has followed all the rules (which seem to change year by year), he can get a refund of the Value Added Tax (sales tax) he has paid for products he is taking out of the country.
One year after having a set of tires mounted on our RV in Germany, a Value Added Tax refund was arranged as we left Germany and crossed the border into France. Another year, at the French border on our way to Germany we tried to get a tax refund from the French, for a tire we had purchased near Bordeaux. Now we were told that if the tire was cargo, a refund was due, mounted on the vehicle, no refund. A different year, a different country, a different rule, a different result.
MAGINOT LINE
In the 1930s the French constructed the Maginot Line, a network of gun emplacements, antitank obstacles, barracks, command posts, hospitals, and supply depots, all connected by underground railroads. It was built along France’s eastern boundary, to protect their border with Germany. It extended more than 200 miles from the Swiss border to a point near the Belgian frontier. Since there was no disagreement between the French and the Belgians, French officials felt that if they built a defensive line along that border, their intentions would be misunderstood, so they completed this defensive line only on their border with Germany. As should have been expected, when this phase of WW II started, the German Army advanced across Belgium, then into France (May 16, 1940), and reached Paris on June 14.
Twice we visited a fort on the Maginot Line at Hackenberg, near Veckring, a few miles east of Thionville. Not one word of English was found in the brochure or heard on the tour. We understand that local clubs at several locations along the border with Germany, have been permitted to renovate a portion of their fort and conduct weekend tours.
One of the huge diesel engines had been rebuilt to generate electricity needed to power the trains and light the tunnels. As the tour began, we rode the underground train for a couple of miles to where we toured displays of WW II uniforms and equipment, kitchens, living areas, and the hospital and dental clinic. We were told there were twice as many soldiers as bunks; some slept during the day, the others slept in those same bunks at night.
Still underground we climbed stairs and rode elevators to the turrets where the large cannons had been installed. Although none remained, the tour guide demonstrated that the turrets still turned, and the mechanism where the guns were originally installed, still went up and down as needed to raise the gun to firing position. When we went outside near the gun emplacements, we could see that trees and bushes have grown so high they blocked the view of what ever they had expected to shoot at, 50 years ago.
The tour lasted over two hours, and once started, there was no way to leave early (not that we wanted to). Later we remarked to Emmy’s German cousins that in our two tours, we had spent more time visiting the Maginot Line than it took the German Army to cross it, all those years ago.
MARNE - RHINE CANAL
Usually we are most interested in finding old towns and buildings, but where the Marne-Rhine Canal crosses the watershed of the Vosges Mountains at St. Louis just west of Saverne, we saw a very interesting modern device. They’ve constructed a “transverse shiplift” to replace the seventeen locks over a distance of two-and-a-half miles that had been needed to lift barges over the small mountain.
What they really did, was build a “bathtub” 136 by 18 by 10 feet deep, large enough to handle barges weighing up to 350 tons. The tub was placed on an incline railroad track that can move up to thirty-nine barges a day the 350 feet between the upper and lower parts of the canal. Travel time on this section of the canal has been reduced by six to eight hours.
There are other places in Europe where “unusual” canals are required, including places where we have seen “ships” cross high above the road on a canal built as a bridge.
OLD WICKER BASKET
Three different years we stopped at an antique store in this part of France. The first time, we saw an old wicker basket about two by two by four feet, just filled to overflowing with at least 150 different very old, cabinet-maker planes with the metal blade held in a wooden “handle.” The blades were formed to cut every shape and curve imaginable. The cost was maybe $300, or about $1.50 or $2.00 for each plane. During our first stop Jim couldn’t make up his mind to buy the basket full of tools. By the time we got back a year or two later, the basket full of planes had been sold. We stopped again still another year, hoping that the basket and the planes had been returned, but they still weren’t there. Emmy isn’t the only shopper with a “can’t make up the mind” problem.
Chapter 11
Alsace
%STRASBOURG
The European Parliament meets in Strasbourg, our favorite mid-sized French city (population about a quarter of a million). The canals and the River Ill, with tourist boats available for sightseeing, encircle downtown Strasbourg. The most picturesque district is the “ancien quartier des Tanneurs,” or the Old Tanner’s Quarter, which is located on the west end of the downtown island. Its beauty consists of half-timbered buildings, dams and locks for the canals, stone streets, bridges, huge old shade trees, flowers everywhere, along with the customary antique and tourist markets, some street-side, others inside stores — all just as lovely as can be imagined.
The Strasbourg Cathedral’s history is unusual in that it has changed from Protestant to Catholic and back, a couple of times over the centuries. Only the north tower has a steeple with a pointy spire, while the top of the south tower remains flat. Some cathedrals were designed for only a single steeple, Strasbourg was planned for two, but only one was built. In contrast, the Basilica St. Denis, just north of Paris, the south tower has a small steeple, the north tower is flat. Other buildings, such as the Notre Dames of Paris, Amiens, and Reims, have two towers that were designed for pointy spires, but none were built. The city and roof-top views from any cathedral’s tower, is well worth the climb.
In August 1944, two bombs damaged Strasbourg’s Cathedral, but on November 23, 1944, the French tricolor again floated from the spire. A short time later, General DeGaulle led the congregation in singing the unforgettable Te Deum laudamus (“We praise Thee, God”) of liberation.
The astronomical clock, first completed in 1354 and updated from time to time, is nearly forty feet high. This clock has a perpetual calendar, and with precision on the order of one-hundredth part of a million, it keeps track of the movement of five planets and the earth. The last time we visited, in 1995, the inside of the church was under repair and most of the nave was filled with scaffolding.
It would seem that a church organ is a complicated device that just had to have been invented rather recently. But here’s the history of just one organ, in this one cathedral: The first grand organ of the cathedral was donated in 1260; replaced by another in 1292 that was destroyed by fire in 1298; the next, completed in 1327 befell the same fate in 1384. The organ was rebuilt on a larger scale in 1385, and in 1491 they completed yet another, whose cabinet is still there. This instrument was restored in the early 1700s, and was completely re-made in 1935. It now includes three keyboards, thirty-nine stops and 2,602 pipes, and it takes a two-and-a-half horsepower motor to supply the needed air. We wondered how many “boy powers” it took to pump the air before the electric “horses” arrived.
They plan to demolish the 2,326 pipe choir organ, dating from 1878, and incorporate its twenty-two remarkable stops in a new organ with 5,000 pipes. There are similar stories about the mighty instruments in cathedrals and churches throughout Europe. One reference says the largest church organ, with 17,000 pipes, is installed in St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Passau, Germany. An encyclopedia states that a type of pipe organ was first produced in BC times, and an organ in Atlantic City has 1250 stops and 32,882 pipes. In Villa d’Este, Tivoli, Italy, an organ was “played” by a fountain. The falling water forced air to escape through organ pipes, and a jet of water played the keys. It would seem that Hammond, Lowrey, and Wurlitzer are just “Johnnies come lately.”
Strasbourg’s beautiful new indoor shopping mall, located just north of the downtown island, is designed like malls in the US, complete with a McDonald’s Restaurant. Just remember, here as in all fast food restaurants imported from the US, clean restrooms are available for their customers. Restaurants, stores, and gas stations will usually have facilities, but we better be a paying customer if we expect to make use of their restrooms, and even then they may charge a small fee. And some of the facilities (not at McDonald’s) may be a surprise. No, that isn’t a stall shower with well defined spots to place the feet, that really is a toilet.
When we hear American tourists making fun of McDonald’s, we remind them that when mealtime comes in Europe, there is generally a choice between sitting for a couple of hours in a restaurant, or buying a hot dog at an outdoor stand. (How about a 12” sausage with a 3” bun? That’s what is found at many street kiosks.) McDonald’s falls somewhere in between. Whatever we (and you) may think of their hamburgers, the French Fries, ice cream sundaes, Cokes with ice cubes, and the breakfast items, where available, are all excellent. Even though ice cubes are available at all McDonald’s, if we don’t insist, we may get only one or two small pieces of ice in our Coke. Ice cubes are almost unknown, and are usually unappreciated in much of Europe.
Each anniversary we eat in a restaurant where neither of us has ever eaten before, in such places as Athens, Monte Carlo, Hawaii, Phoenix, Dallas, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Las Vegas, San Francisco, San Diego, a small town in Germany, and now we are in Strasbourg for our 44th. Obviously, for our anniversary dinner we could not eat at anyplace like a McDonald’s, so we ate at the “Strasbourg Cafeteria.” We find similar establishments the best place to eat in Paris, Rome, Prague, London, in Venice, and all those beautiful cities that have street scenes far more engrossing than the inside of any restaurant. An order of French Fries here, a piece of fruit there, a very special loaf of bread from a Tunisian bakery in Strasbourg, topped by an ice cream cone for desert; all eaten while we walk and walk the beautiful streets of this European city.
ELDERLY MAN WITH A CANE
As we waited to cross a street in Strasbourg we noticed an elderly man with a cane that had a 3/4 inch braided silver wire decoration, the exact design of the 2 and 3/4 inches of silver wire that decorates the cane Jim bought at Spandau, Germany in 1991. The man spoke English and told us he was 94 years old, this cane had belonged to his grandfather. He said it was quite old and very valuable. He was sure Jim’s cane must be at least as old, and even more valuable.
As we were boarding the plane in Frankfurt, Germany for our trip home that year, they thought the cane meant Jim was handicapped. They told him to board early, and let Emmy take care of the luggage. Boy, was that tempting.
RV BREAK - IN, TWICE
Two times we have had our RV broken into in Europe, both times we were carefully parked in what appeared to be a safe place, in what is reputed to be a very nice part of Europe. The first time was in 1989 in the church yard at the tiny town of Eguisheim, just outside Colmar. The door lock was broken, a few traveler’s checks, photographs, and an old briefcase were stolen. American Express in Luxembourg enthusiastically replaced the checks; we still had the negatives; the briefcase was old; and the door lock was easily repaired.
In 1995 we were parked with dozens of others on the south side of a street named Quai Louis Pasteur, right next to a canal, the Port de la Porte de l’Hôpital, across the street from Strasbourg’s Hôpital Civil. While the RV door lock was broken and everything inside was disturbed, nothing was stolen. Perhaps the thief was scared away.
No fun, but neither instance was disastrous; no plane tickets, cash, or passports were stolen, traveler’s checks were easily replaced — just like the advertisement promises. Both break-in’s happened in the Alsace, about our favorite part of Europe. We’ve visited the Alsace over a dozen times, and we will return.
A LOW UNDERPASS
One year just south of Strasbourg, we almost suffered what would be the ultimate embarrassment to an RV driver, in addition to potentially being both dangerous and expensive. We were traveling east on a divided highway, and at the last moment saw the sign that directed us to the right, toward a tunnel that circled down and under the highway, to the Baggersee shopping mall parking lot.
Since we had been distracted looking for the entrance, we missed the sign that said, “Two Meters Maximum,” and of course the RV was much higher than that. At the last moment we both saw the contraption hanging down, meant to let us know if our vehicle was too tall. It was too late to stop and there was no place to swerve, so bang, and we do mean bang, as the top window and the top-front of the RV hit the hanging barrier. Then we listened as it bounced across the top, banging and crashing on the roof-top, the skylight, and the luggage rack.
When we finally pulled to the side of the road, Jim climbed the ladder to the roof, looked over the top and the high front window, and found not one sign of damage, not even a scratch. The hanging barrier was made to be kind to the vehicle, but very damaging to our ears, nerves, and minds. And it really did its job, we didn’t crash into the low underpass.
In the nearly ninety thousand miles we have driven an RV, and ten-thousand miles we have driven a rented car in Europe, we have encountered low arches and underpasses, narrow roads, unbelievable drivers, and at most our vehicles have suffered a few minor scratches. That’s a result of careful driving, and an awful lot of luck.
MARQUETERIE D’ ART SPINDLER
One of Emmy’s friends has a picture, created by an artist named Spindler, made entirely of small pieces of wood veneer, an art called marquetry. Her husband bought the picture “… somewhere near Nancy, in the Vosges Mountains,” when he was in France with the US Army.
With the help of the Tourist Information Office in Nancy, we found Spindler’s all right, but at Saint Léonard, near Obernai, about twenty miles from Strasbourg — many, many miles east of Nancy. Emmy is like that, she says, “We must find ‘whatever,’ ” then after each success the next episode is even more traumatic.
Mr. Jean-Charles (John) Spindler, the third generation of this artist family (his wife Betsy and the fourth generation are on the scene), creates beautifully accurate pictures of the Alsace. Hundreds of veneer-thin pieces of wood from a variety of trees supply the different colors and are cut to fit together to form a perfect picture — no paint, stains, or varnish are used. Wood grain is selected and positioned to show the texture of streets, buildings, and the sky. Many times we have watched the artist create these pictures, and we have his art displayed in our home, but we can tell one thing for sure — it’s hard to believe that anyone can create a picture with such beauty and intricate detail, using only wood veneer.
The small group of buildings that include the Spindler studio is on the west side of the road at St. Léonard between Boersch and Ottrott, just outside Obernai. We drove through an arched passageway and found ourselves surrounded by a winery, a couple of homes and other buildings, and on the right, with a courtyard, is the ancient studio.
At one time this was an abbey, but its church was destroyed during the French Revolution. The studio buildings were built between the years 1000 and 1300, but the deed for the property only shows the names of the owners since 1450. Christopher Columbus wasn’t even born until 1451.
John’s mother, born in America, went to France to work with Dr. Albert Schweitzer just before WW II. She worked at the American Hospital in Paris during the war, and then met the late Mr. Paul Spindler after the war was over. They were married in the chapel at the nearby hilltop abbey, Mont St. Odile. “The Twelve Stations of the Cross,” marquetry pictures created by Mr. Paul Spindler, line the walls in the pink and gray stone chapel at the abbey. When we visited the beautiful Mont St. Odile at noon one day, we found several large restaurants, crowded with tourists.
Marquetry pictures, created by John Spindler’s grandfather, who started this family enterprise many years ago, line the walls of the second-floor dining room of the restaurant Chez Jenny in Paris
At the Spindler Studio we visited in the private apartment in the old abbey building. The first room we entered was two stories high, with a balcony and a library around the second level. The room was filled with books, maps, and with slides and pictures taken on their many travels. Some small sculptures, various paintings, and some marquetry pictures, are displayed as if the late Paul Spindler was expected at any moment, to continue his work.
The living area is rather small but comfortable, and unlike anything we are likely to see in the US. We were surprised to see they had TV and electricity in those days — but maybe that was installed later. Among the reasons it looks different, it was built long before Columbus took his little boat ride.
One year the nearby campsite had no plugs available to supply electricity to our RV. The problem was solved by twisting our bare wires with theirs, and that worked just fine.
THE WINE ROUTE OF ALSACE
The Alsace has been won and lost in more than one war over the years, changing from France to Germany, and back to France several times. Some families have changed nationality five times. The architecture is perhaps neither German nor French, but more a combination of both. The French and German languages are spoken by many of the people, and while it seems to us that the area is a blend of both cultures, we have a suspicion the French think it is more French.
Even if we had not found “Marqueterie d’Art Spindler,” this part of France would still have made our whole trip worth while. The Alsace is an uncommon area, unique, the most picturesque that we have seen anywhere. The little towns, each with walls, gates, fountains, flowers, wineries and abundant charm, are separated by two to four miles of vineyards. All those things that made Kodak rich.
Here we go again. Where are the words? What can we say? Pictures can’t completely describe the Alsace, it has a warmth, a charm of its own that must be experienced. The tourist brochure “The Wine Route of Alsace,” displays a rectangle of about twenty-five miles east to west, and sixty miles north to south, from Strasbourg at the northeast corner, to Mulhouse on the south. The brochure highlights sixty-five little towns and villages on the “Route du Vin,” and shows about 135 towns within the rectangle. The local road map shows even more towns and villages, and off-hand, we can’t remember even one without an attractive site or two, or a dozen.
We’ve collected many tourist brochures from this area, and except for saying “… this building was constructed on this date, and that building was constructed on that date,” there just isn’t any way to describe differences between the towns, except — no two are alike. Bergheim, we remember, looked especially attractive in the bright sunshine. The town gate tower displays the date 1300, and its roof is patterned with multi-colored tile. A set of row houses built around the town serves as the town wall, and when an elderly lady is sitting in one of the windows — Kodak makes it again.
Among the little towns in the Alsace, our favorites include: Obernai, Barr, Dambach la Ville, Bergheim, Ribeauville, Riquewihr, Kaysersberg, Eguisheim, Turckheim, and Guebwiller. At first we thought we should write a little description of each, but the one that follows really does describe them all:
• Half-timbered and stone buildings; magnificent churches; interesting roof patterns created with multi-colored tiles; bridges over streams and small rivers; castle ruins; vineyards by the mile; wineries by the dozens; courtyards covered with flowers; clean, clean stone streets; and walls; and gates; and fountains; and storks making love in especially constructed nests high above the town.
%BARR
The beautiful town of Barr has more than its share of flowers and old timbered buildings. Large fountains are found along the cobbled streets, and some sidewalk gates were opened into photogenic backyard gardens, and street restaurants.
Our daughter has some friends named Barr, so we thought it would be a good idea to send them a bottle of wine with their name on the label. We were told it was illegal, it would cost $50, it wouldn’t work, but maybe all that was because we couldn’t communicate too well. Finally we visited the office of the wine co-op, and found that no wine was labeled with the word Barr as part of the name, but Barr did appear as part of the address. They gave us several labels that we mailed to the Barr family with the suggestion that they remove the label from another bottle of wine, then take some glue and — well, that was just an idea.
HAUT - KOENIGSBOURG
We don’t go inside many castles, but the massive Châteaux du Haut-Koenigsbourg, situated at the top of a cone-shaped hill, is too imposing to resist. It is located just west of Selestat, and unlike most Châteaux in France that are large stately mansions, Haut-Koenigsbourg really looks like a castle.
A medieval citadel has overlooked this valley since the 1100s, and in 1618, during the Thirty Years War, the large fortress on this spot was demolished. Germany captured the Alsace during another war in the 1870s, and Wilhelm II, Emperor of Germany, spent ten years reconstructing this medieval castle, completing it in 1908. Moats, drawbridges, turrets, a roofed wall, many, many steps to the top of the main tower, and museums filled with armor and weapons of ancient days — this is the most “castley” castle of them all.
The second time we were at the top of this hill, it was so crowded no parking was available within a reasonable walking distance. A couple of years later we arrived a few minutes after they had closed for the lunch hour, and the morning visitors had left for lunch. We easily found a parking place just outside the entrance, prepared lunch, then rested until they opened again after their lunch hour(s). When others returned from lunch and looked for a good parking place, we already had ours. Another wonderful advantage of travel in an RV.
%KAYSERSBERG
If we have time to see only one town in the Alsace, it must be Kaysersberg. The birthplace of Dr. Albert Schweitzer, a castle ruin on the hill — all those things mentioned earlier, and it just can’t be beat. To paraphrase the old potato-chip ad, “Bet you can’t see only one.” There is no way to get here without driving through other villages, and we wouldn’t even if we could. Most are small enough so we can walk across town in short order, and it’s only two to three miles to the next one. Smell the flowers, enjoy the fountains, absorb the flavor of the Alsace.
%COLMAR
East of the wine route is the larger town of Colmar, about forty miles south of Strasbourg. As we walked down the cobbled streets, lined with four-to-five-hundred year-old half-timbered buildings, we felt the atmosphere of this authentic medieval city. The shopping streets are included in a large “pedestrian only” zone, crowded with shops, marketplaces, a couple of cathedrals, and the Unterlinden Cloister and Museum with Mathias Grunewald’s masterpiece, The Issenheim Altarpiece, painted in 1515.
Frederic Bartholdi was born in Colmar and he created our Statue of Liberty. A statue of Bartholdi, with a miniature Liberty, is displayed in a local park.
Chapter 12
Les Alpes, Central France
%CHAMONIX
One of the most beautiful mountain areas in France is just south of Lake Geneva, surrounding Chamonix at the northern end of the seven and a half mile Mt. Blanc tunnel from Italy. This is a wonderful winter resort area. One brochure shows forty-nine different ski lifts of various kinds within a short distance of the town of Chamonix.
We rode the cable car to near the top of Aiguille du Midi, facing Mt. Blanc. At the top station we walked through a tunnel into the mountain, then took an elevator the rest of the way to the top and saw the most spectacular mountain panorama we have ever seen. These Alps are very sharp and pointy, with snow and glaciers to the horizon. At certain times of the year it’s possible to ride one of the cable cars across the mountain range, and then ride another car down into Italy. One day we’ll try that.
One of our favorite pictures is of the snow-covered little church in Chamonix, shadowed by Mt. Blanc, with its steeple silhouetted against the sunlit snow on the mountain in the background. The problem is, the photo company lost the slide while trying to make a print, and they won’t pay our expenses to return for another shot of that exact scene.
The church with the steeple clock, its shadow, the mountain, the sun, and the snow were all there the next time we visited, but not in exactly the same arrangement. We will have to visit again on a bright clear November the 18th, at twenty minutes before 10:00 AM just after a slight dusting of snow, to be able to recreate that exact picture. That scene is not about to disappear, our one-hundred year old Librairie Larousse book of France has a portrayal of that church, with the same steeple, and with the same mountain in the background.
%ANNECY
West of Chamonix is the town of Annecy, a rather famous resort town next to a large lake. It was lunch time and everything, except for restaurants, was closed and we could not find an easy place to park. We continued on our way after driving and looking around the town for a few minutes. It looks like a place we must see in more detail on another trip.
%VILLERS LES BONIVERS
One of our more interesting campsites was located behind a farmhouse near Villers Les Bonivers, northeast of Lyon. The sign said something like “Camping Ferme,” or camping on a farm. Our farmer host had installed electrical hookups and rather primitive bathroom facilities for his guests. He also grew hay to feed his cows, milked them, processed and bottled the milk himself and personally delivered it to restaurants and stores in nearby Lyon. His wife took care of the three children and many chickens. We bought both fresh milk and fresh eggs. A hard-working family, making the most of what they have.
%PEROUGES
Since at least the year 1130 the walled village of Pérouges has been an outstanding example of a medieval hill-top village, with walls, gates, stone buildings, a beautiful courtyard, and uneven cobblestone streets, located about twenty-five miles east of Lyon. The old church, called the Church-Fortress, is really built like a fortress, and while under construction in the late 1460s they had to stop building the church and use the stones to reinforce the ramparts of the city. The church was finally completed in 1479. A couple of small, very unusual stained glass windows date from a renovation that was completed within the last few years.
The market square is exceptional and is in itself well worth a journey. From the verandah of the museum we could gaze over the old vine-covered buildings. Large trees shade the square, flower boxes grace the window sills, and wisteria twists from building to building along the ancient stone streets. While Pérouges has restaurants, hotels, and stores for today’s tourists, we found it incongruous to see school children playing in the 500-year-old (or older) school yard.
The Pérouges guide book says that in 1773 twelve shops were open, 124 houses were occupied and only about fifteen were in ruins. Of special interest to us, the book mentions some “rights” that were granted by “Humbert 2nd, Dauphin of Viennois.” “Dauphin” was the title given to the eldest son of the king of France, but here again, we wonder if the last letter of “Humbert” is misspelled in his name or ours.
%MONTLEUL
In the town of Montleul we visited an antique store where Emmy bought what Jim hopes is not the first of a large collection of pewter. This is also the store where Jim bought the first of what is becoming a heavy collection of books. Volume II of La France Géographie Illustrée, (500 pages, 1017 photographs, 29 maps, nine pounds) was published by the Librairie Larousse around the turn of the century — but we still haven’t found Volume I. With the heavy paper and the thick covers they used a hundred years ago, each addition to our library eats into our baggage allowance for the flight home.
%LYON
On our first trip to Lyon, we didn’t spend much time — just drove around for a few minutes, then went on our way. The Romans first arrived in 43 BC, and they stayed a lot longer. Our second visit to Lyon was on a Saturday morning. First we patronized the outdoor fruit market along the river, then the Basilica of Fourvière, constructed in the most unusual architectural style we have seen in France.
Here’s a quote from the tourist brochure: “Looking down upon the old city of Lyon, the basilica of Fourvière, with its 4 crenelated towers, big buttresses, machicolations of acanthuses and lily finials, appears as a noble stronghold for protection of the big City. Outward, the characteristic is: Power, ‘Tower of David,’ the Queen’s Holy Citadel.” Now here’s the translation: That is “tourist brochure speak” for “Great big Beautiful Church, High on a Hill, Overlooking Lyon.”
We were told the architecture is not “pure” Byzantine, but it is of the Byzantine style. To our untrained eye, it has a moorish look. A huge octagon tower at each corner of the basilica; immense bronze doors with three-dimensional detail; the apse appearing almost as a separate tower; and the west entrance through an open gallery supported by four twenty-seven-foot-high polished granite columns from Italy. We did say it was different.
When we first entered the sanctuary our reaction was one of genuine awe. The detailed carvings on the arches and columns are very ornate and the windows are exquisite. The interior is almost indescribable, so we must again quote from the tourist brochure: “The spacious nave is gleaming with golden light. Everything is ‘full of grace,’ of spell: the slender pale blue marble columns, the deeply carved cornices, the flowery cupolas sustained by angels; the enamel and gold show to advantage beautifully designed compositions. We are indeed in the palace of the greatest Queen.”
Six wall-mounted mosaics, each sixteen by thirty-three feet, grace the walls with the most detail and color we have seen anywhere. Each tells a story, but the mosaic of Ste–Jeanne d’Arc, from Domrémy to Orléans to Reims to the stake in Rouen, is the one we found most interesting. Unbelievable detail, exquisite colors.
%CLERMONT - FERRAND
The countryside between Lyon and Clermont-Ferrand is beautiful rolling hilly farmland with little villages tucked among the hills. In Clermont-Ferrand the cathedral is built of volcanic lava, and while the other buildings in town looked older and in need of cleaning, the cathedral appeared purposely black. As we looked back from the high ground after leaving the city, we could see the black cathedral rising above the russet-colored roof tiles of the other buildings. A memorable sight.
%LIMOGES
From Clermont-Ferrand to Limoges, the drive on the “little road” was almost work. We went up and down many hills, and the rough road was full of twists and turns. The dandelions were out in full force, making many fields as yellow as the fields of hops in Germany.
In Limoges Emmy saw an enameled porcelain picture she liked, and went back to see it time and again. When she was finally ready to buy, the store was ready to close for lunch. That only stopped her for an hour though, we had lunch near the river then came back to get her picture. The young lady at the Limoges Syndicat d’Initiative (Tourist Office) gave us good information and a lot of literature about places to see and things to do as we head south from here.
%ORADOUR SUR GLANE
Oradour, on the Glane River, was attacked by the German Army on June 10, 1944 (a few days after the Normandy landings), and 642 men, women, and children, everyone in the town that day, except for six people, were killed. Rather than rebuild the old town, they put a wall around the ruin, then built the new town next door. The old town remains as it was, with stark building walls, streetcar tracks still in the street, with rusted skeletons of automobiles, sewing machines, and other objects, where they were on that day.
Men of the village were forced into several buildings, and were shot or burned to death when the buildings were set ablaze. Of the five who “played dead” and escaped, four were still alive in 1988. Several hundred women and children were herded into the church, which was then set afire. Only one woman escaped (through the window above the altar), and she died in May 1988. As we listened to the official town guide, we asked a lady standing nearby to translate portions for us. She was a lot of help, answered our questions, then asked that we visit her home in Grasse, when we get there in a few weeks.
Rusting streetcar tracks remain as if awaiting the tram crowded with visitors from Limoges, 20 kilometers to the southeast. In the ruins of 124 homes are the remains of bicycles, sewing machines, bed frames, and cooking utensils. The Renault dealer, the butcher shop, a machine shop, the Post Office, and other businesses found in a thriving market-town, contain rusted equipment that has survived all these years. Rusted skeletons of automobiles are parked in courtyards and along the village streets. Dreadful, but educational.
At the entrance to the old town there is a sign with only the words, “SOUVIENS-TOI, REMEMBER.”
There have been investigations that tried to ascertain why this little town was selected for such a horrible episode. No reason has ever been found, but one excuse was that they had the wrong town; the Germans had planned to attack Oradour-sur-Vayres (on the Vayres River), a few miles away. No one has determined why either was to be destroyed.
We have visited the remains of Oradour sur Glane (twice); the Nazi Concentration Camps at Buckenwald, and Dachau (twice) in Germany; Auschwitz and Birkenau in Poland; and the prison at Breendonk, Belgium. There is nothing but horror at any of these dreadful places, but if a tourist is near, he must visit one of these monuments to the revulsion of WW II.
%LA COQUILLE
We stopped at an outdoor antique show where Emmy found some brass and copper pots she was interested in buying. She was having a problem with her negotiations, so a man and wife nearby helped with the translation and successful acquisition. John and Arlene were from Scotland, and invited us to spend the night in the driveway of the nearby French farmhouse they had refurbished as their summer-home.
In the evening they served tea in their back yard. Jim had been trying to find a “Tea Cozy” for Emmy (really for her tea pot), and commented on the one Arlene was using. A few minutes later she presented one to Emmy, an extra one she had brought from Scotland. Wasn’t that nice of her! We spent the night in our RV in their driveway, and they visited our home in La Quinta the following year.
%PERIGUEUX
In Périgueux we parked along the River Isle, below the Byzantine designed St. Front Cathedral. It was built in the 1100s with five domes, like St. Mark’s, but without all the gold, tile, and artwork at Venice. This cathedral was restored at the turn of this century, by Abadie, the architect who designed the Sacré-Coeur in Paris.
We walked past the 81 foot high Vesunn’s Tower (built by the Romans in the 100s AD), on our way to St.-Etienne-de-la-Cité, (St. Stephen). Originally there were four domes, but after pillage, restoration, and mutilation, only two remain. But why two churches so nearly alike, just a few blocks from each other?
Another couple of blocks brought us to the ruin of the Roman Amphitheater. Built in the 200s AD to hold 20,000 spectators, by the 1400s it had been turned into a quarry, its stones used to build many buildings nearby. They have filled the elliptical playing field half-way to the top of the arena, created a beautiful park with huge trees, grass, and a fountain. All that remains are the tops of several arches, and they aren’t in good condition. We have seen a dozen Roman Amphitheaters, all are fascinating, this one especially so.
One year the “farmers” market had been open in the parking lot next to the St. Front Cathedral. By the time we returned from our walk they had closed the market, removed the tables and booths, swept the area, hosed it clean, and now it was back in business as a parking lot. We have seen this market transformation take place many times all over Europe. About the most interesting, both in operation and in location, was at Dubrovnik, (former) Yugoslavia. Instead of a parking lot, the result was two dozen tables for a couple of restaurants where the marketplace had been just a few minutes earlier.
Périgueux’s campsite was rather special, with a lake and a waterfall. When Emmy first arrived with her large bag of stale bread there was but one lonely duck, who was about to be overfed. As Emmy tossed the bread, the duck quacked frantically and was soon joined by four dozen hungry friends and relatives.
%LES EYZIES
The tourist brochures call the town of les Eyzies the “prehistoric center of the world,” with its numerous prehistoric sites and decorated grottoes and caves. Tours are available through certain caves where prehistoric people left traces of their activities. Since too many visitors would change the temperature and humidity in these caves, and that might destroy the wall paintings, visiting has been prohibited in some. In one place they carefully copied the prehistoric paintings from the walls of one cave to the walls of a nearby cave, so visitors can at least capture the flavor of the original.
Nearby, on our first trip we took pictures of houses that were built under huge convex cliffs with a million tons of stone above the roof. The cliff formed one-half of the roof, and chimney smoke blackened the cliff above each house, making inky streaks on the white stone.
We tried to find this scene during our next visit to les Eyzies, but despite Jim’s drawings, no one recognized the spot. Next time we must take the photos with us; they give better detail than Jim’s pencil scratches on a restaurant napkin.
%SARLAT
On more than one morning we have meandered through the narrow cobblestone streets of the ancient walled city of Sarlat. The city’s tone is set by the warm, cream colored, perhaps straw colored stone used for everything from paving stones, to flat roof tiles. We enjoyed the cathedral and the old stone buildings as we walked through the gas-lamp lit (gas lamps at night, a pilot light during the day) narrow streets and lanes in this attractive venerable town. Sarlat has changed little since the 1600s, but we were told the stone buildings were cleaned for the umpteenth time in 1964. The abundance of timeworn buildings make Sarlat an outstanding architectural site, which is best visited on foot.
Once we were stopped so long in a traffic jam on the edge of Sarlat, we felt we must stop and buy bread, just in case we didn’t get through the traffic mess before the stores closed for the day. We discovered the first and only bread vending machine we have ever seen, but all the loaves were baked much too brown for our taste.
Another time we were here on market day. A dozen village streets, the market square, and all the space between were carefully lined with booths and market vehicles selling food and drink of every description. A couple of “meat markets” were in long, sleekly-designed refrigerated trailers with the meat behind glass — a well designed store on wheels. Other dozens of booths were selling clothes, shoes, kitchen equipment, and gadgets of all types, but we found no antiques or the flotsam and jetsam often seen in a flea-market.
Much is made of the Frenchman’s love of good wine. Here, as in many street markets we have visited, and even in many supermarkets, there are huge tanks of wine, from which the customer fills his own bottle for about 50 cents a liter (about a quart).
At one booth, a man and his wife had a machine that made donuts an inch and a half in diameter. They charged 10 Francs for ten tiny donuts in a paper cone, sprinkled with powdered sugar. Delicious, outstanding. Maybe we haven’t looked carefully, but here, and one other machine like this one, are the only donuts we have seen in France. One year we did patronize a Winchell’s Donuts store in Madrid, the only Winchell’s we’ve seen in Europe.
A cemetery in Enna, Sicily had little houses of stone or cement slabs built over each grave, but Sarlat has the only cemetery we have seen with little grave-houses made of glass, just like a greenhouse. Gravestones in many cemeteries in Southern France are capped with a granite cross — sometimes as big as the gravestone, sometimes much smaller — slanted on top of the gravestone, with a round stone ball under the intersection of the cross.
%LA COQUILLE
The campsite in the little town of La Coquille sits right on the Dordogne River, and there were several businesses where kayaks or canoes could be rented for a trip on the river. It appears a truck would take a load of people and boats up the river, then the boats and passengers returned to this spot. Or boaters would float down the river from here, then the truck would bring them back. Either way, it looked like fun, and the river was filled with people and boats the Sunday afternoon we were there.
Throughout France there are ladies enjoying the sun and water barely (pun intended) restricted by a bathing suit. Jim is smart enough to know that the loveliest lady in the campsite was in our RV, but there was one absolutely beautiful lady at the riverside, a lady who would have been considered gorgeous, however she was clothed.
As we have seen other places, the bridge a
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