Invitation to France 3 of 5
a need to sit and rest. But rest while looking over the ramparts (and depending on the weather and the tide) at either miles of sand, or water to the horizon. Here we joined the guided tour that took us floor by floor through a maze of passages, stairways, and the Cloister, the Refectory, and the Guest Hall. A tour that was more rewarding than most we have taken.
About 300 rooms are available in hotels on the island, and several hotels and campsites are on the mainland, at the end of the causeway. As we entered the town of Mont-St.-Michel (two kilometers from shore) we found the Grand-Rue lined with restaurants with $100 menus; others that looked impressive but less expensive; one that said “Fast Food.” Our video from one trip has a few moments of what we wish we had continued to tape. In the kitchen of one of the expensive restaurants, a young lady, in costume, was using a whisk to beat something in a large copper bowl. With a stern look on her face, she kept a steady beat as she prepared a patron’s dinner. We’ve seen this same lady, playing this same musical beat, on a TV Travelogue.
One evening, as the sun was setting through the clouds and the floodlights were gradually illuminating the Abbey, we walked the two kilometers from the mainland and took twenty-five or thirty photos of the ever-changing ethereal scene in front of us. As may well be imagined, the view from the RV’s dining or bedroom window as this magnificent structure is illuminated by the rising or setting sun, is a transcendent travel highlight.
Chapter 8
Brittany
%DINAN
About thirty-five miles west of Mont-St.-Michel is the town of Dinan. Now that we are at Dinan, we’ll say: There is no doubt at all, this is our favorite place in all of France. That statement will hold true at least until we arrive at the next beautiful place further down the road. There is just no end to the problem of trying to relate in clear, non-repetitious detail, just what is the best, the favorite, the only, the unique, the … .
To quote one brochure, “First smile of Brittany, Dinan, a city of history has an unrivaled charm; walls clinging to hard granite rocks; a cascade of roofs imprisoned by the ramparts; bell towers with harmonious spires; streets bordered by picturesque houses and stately hotels; marvelous panorama over the quiet Rance River, Dinan looks like a richly illustrated book, each page being a discovery and remaining a souvenir.”
All this is to say that Dinan is another very special destination. The dozens of tour books will give facts, including the name of each building, and street names as well. Other books will just tell about restaurants and hotels. We are trying to say that we are enthusiastically in favor of visiting these most unusual towns and villages. “Just the facts” won’t tell the story.
Dinan stands on a plateau 240 feet above the Rance River, just fifteen miles from Dinard and St.-Malo on the Channel coast. The approach from the east crosses a viaduct above the Port of Dinan. About the only activities at the port now are pleasure boats, motor boats available for river trips, and Jim and Emmy — walking along the quay enjoying the ambiance. One year as we walked down the long steep street towards the Quay, Jim reminded Emmy that she must walk up, just as far as she walks down. Well, to coin a phrase, her eyes were almost bigger than her feet, but we did make it back to the center of town.
We took our time strolling along these old streets, appreciating their charm and enjoying the old half-timbered arçaded buildings. We climbed to the top of the Belfry or Clock Tower, only sixty-five feet high, but the highest thing around. The rooftops, the narrow streets, the fortified walls with 14 towers, and the countryside view make this a worthwhile climb. We remember to make the Syndicat d’Initiative (Tourist Office), across the street from this tower, one of our first stops in every town.
At the Place des Merciers (Haberdashers) we saw several leaning, almost overlapping houses. The buildings lean and tilt, some roofs almost touch, and the half timbers run every which way but straight. The first floor is recessed as an arçade with huge wooden pillars that seem to invalidate the law of gravity. The buildings appear to be temporarily winning a losing battle to keep from lurching down the hill.
We often wonder what the original plans of these distinctive buildings might have looked like. We can’t imagine that 500 or 1,000 years ago these buildings were designed and built to lean and bend and hang over here and there, but they do, and there is no indication they will not continue to lean and bend and hang over, and do it in a delightful manner.
These buildings would drive a building inspector nuts if someone tried to build one anywhere in the US. One thing for sure, no building constructed with a building permit has stood as many years as these ancient structures. As in other cities, Dinan has more than enough old churches, castles, and museums to fill a day or two of our time.
For one (of several) visit(s) our campsite was just a few blocks from the Vieille Ville (Old Town), so we spent the evening exploring the town. When we returned to the campsite, we stopped to talk to an elderly couple from England who were using the smallest RV we had ever seen. It was so small they had to step outside just to change their mind. For traveling three or four weeks at a time, the tiny RV and forty miles to the gallon serves their purpose just fine.
%DINARD
The luxurious resort of Dinard is located at the coast on the west side of the Rance Estuary. It’s a rather modern resort city, with not much of the charm we generally enjoy. The second time we were in the area, we went back to see if we had missed something the first time. The Promenade du Clair de Lune is a walk along the water’s edge, and we could see hotels, wind-surfers, and boats galore. We are sure that, like Deauville, it is a luxurious resort with intense social activity and splendid gardens, parks, and villas. A very nice place for “some kind” of vacation, but for our kind of vacation, do continue on to St.-Malo.
%ST. - MALO
As we drove from Dinard to St.–Malo we crossed a “bridge” of a most unusual design. Underneath the bridge is the Rance tidal hydro-electric generating plant. Electricity is generated solely with the movement of the tide rising and falling in the Rance Estuary. Sounds like a nice new invention, doesn’t it? Not quite. As early as the 1100s, little reservoirs were built along the Rance to drive waterwheels as the reservoirs emptied during ebb tide.
The sign at the entrance to the old walled city says “St.-Malo, the Museum of France,” and that’s our favorite type of museum. The walled city of St.–Malo is built on a small island, we can walk on top of the wall, and throughout the town in a couple of hours. During WW II it was so badly damaged that much of what we see has been faithfully reconstructed. The view from the wall is most interesting, especially since the tide rises and falls from twenty-five to forty-five feet, completely changing the look of the shoreline several times a day.
Walk around inside the wall, enjoy the stores, the cobbled streets, and especially the St. Vincent Cathedral. Sunlight streaming through the beautiful stained glass windows in back of the altar cast a lavender glow throughout the cathedral. One time we were there, an organ concert, or at least organ practice, was underway. We have heard organ music in many cathedrals and large old stone churches, and although the buildings don’t all have good acoustics, and the organist usually doesn’t play hymns we recognize, we must always stop and listen. We try to imagine a Gothic cathedral, the cathedral organ, a choir of a thousand voices and the hymns “Amazing Grace,” “Because He Lives,” and “How Great Thou Art.”
One store in St. Malo had a large display of military medals and other memorabilia of the war. We noticed an elderly man studying the exhibit and discovered he had been in the German Army during WW II. He fought in many countries, and had been wounded five times. As we talked for a few minutes, commenting about the collection in the window, he said, in a very wearied and disconsolate manner, “I wouldn’t want a collection like this, I have already had more of the military and medals than I care to remember.”
There are numerous peninsulas and bays, and other tourist towns in this area, including St.-Servan Sur-Mer, Paramé, and Rotheneuf. Each has beaches, promenades, gardens, and are favorites of people who enjoy beaches and water sports. The weather in this area is often quite chilly, even in the middle of summer. Despite that, we were told that people from England flock here because, for some reason, the sun shines more here than at home, on the beaches north of the la Manche.
%PLOUMANACH
The drive west from here to Brest is pleasant, whether we drive along the coast, or inland. Miles of farmland, interesting groups of farm buildings, and friendly little towns are sprinkled throughout the countryside. The resort and fishing village of Ploumanach, for example, is famous for its piles of rose and gray boulders, the lighthouse, and the Municipal Park.
%ST. - POL - DE - LEON
St.-Pol-de-Léon’s Cathedral, built in the 1200s and 1300s, is now a “Former Cathedral.” Something about a “bishopric” that did not survive an agreement between the pope and the government. The Kreisker Chapel (Chapelle du Kreisker) has the finest belfry in the province. We have seen hundreds in Brittany that follow the same style. Sometimes one, sometimes two filigreed steeples, with four copies as pinnacles at the base of the steeple.
Women on the street were dressed in one of the many Breton costumes, but it may have been for a special holiday. The costumes of Brittany possess surprising richness and variety, there are dozens of different designs of these fine clothes. The coiffe, or headdress, is unique to a town, or area — the residence of the wearer. Several cities display collections of traditional dress in their museums.
The Breton language, more like Welsh than French, is very important to the younger generation who are working to ensure its survival.
BRETON ARCHITECTURE
Church belfries and steeples in Brittany are of a very distinctive style. The tower, and indeed the spire above, are of various designs. But at the top of the tower, at each corner of the base of the steeple, there are small copies of the main spire. Dozens of cathedrals or large churches, and hundreds of country churches, seem to follow this pattern. (A few dollars well spent will get a Michelin Green Guide. The first several pages of each provide a wealth of information about the people, art, architecture, food and drink, and other interesting details about the portion of the country covered by that guide.)
Large stones, used as a border around the doors and windows, give many Breton houses a unique style and appearance. The lintel above the front door may be arched or flat, and there are usually two large windows on the front of the house. The walls at each end of the house extend up past the slate roof, with a rectangular large chimney structure extending a little higher, with three or four protruding little chimneys. We have seen thousands of these homes, both old and new, and we don’t recall any other area in Europe where the houses and churches can be so distinctively identified as belonging to a specific area, as in Brittany.
%DOSSEN
One year we spent several days visiting with Emmy’s German cousins who were vacationing in Dossen, a few miles west of St.-Pol, at a beach house owned by Henri’s parents. A short distance from shore is an island twice a day, and a peninsula where residents can drive twice a day. The tide goes in and out and up and down a great distance. For those who live on the “island,” their drive to work and to the store must be scheduled with the tide that comes and goes a couple different times each day. That may be interesting for a day or two, but we would find it a very inconvenient way to live.
At one place the beach was covered with bright green large-leafed plants that must have washed in from the sea. We saw no indication they grew near the beach, it must be some kind of sea-weed. We saw men with large wheeled carts hauling the leafy greens somewhere. We don’t know if they were just cleaning the beach, or if the plant-life was being “harvested” for some useful purpose. We had no idea what it was. One year we saw a similar thing on Italy’s east coast, just below Bari. Next time we are in Dossen or in Bari, we must investigate, not just observe.
One day we went to a Boulangerie (bakery) with the cousins to buy some bread. There were only two loaves left on the shelf, one with a beautiful golden crust, and the other with a very dark “burnt-looking” crust. The clerk started to hand us the golden loaf, when one cousin insisted on the other. Many Europeans love it that way. Someone told us about “double-baked” bread. They really do take baked bread and bake it again to get it nice and dark. Many bakeries throughout Europe didn’t get our business when all of their bread looked too dark for our taste. Emmy says that Jim likes his steak well-done, and his bread medium-rare.
%LANDIVISIAU
One of our favorite photos was taken in St. Thivisiau Church in Landivisiau, a Gothic church with a belfry and porch dating from the 1500s. Henri and Monika were married in St. Thivisiau’s, and Henri’s parents lived just across the street, above their grocery store.
While we were in the church we spotted a shaft of sunlight shining through a high stained glass window, spot-lighting a bouquet of gladioli in front of the altar. Two large candlesticks stood to the left, and the scene was backlit by the stained window just past the altar. A few minutes later the spot-light had disappeared, but the enchanting picture remains.
%BREST
The largest city in this part of France is Brest. Its main business has to do with the Navy, and that was also its primary job in WW II. In 1940 the Germans arrived and built submarine shelters so they could attack Allied convoys in the Atlantic Ocean. The city was bombed for four years, and when the Americans finally entered the town in late 1944, they found a city in ruins.
While driving around the city looking here and there, what we remember best is a city bus driver who made a sharp turn, so that the rear of his bus broke our outside rear-view mirror. He was very sorry, but it didn’t seem worth all the effort to fill out the necessary paperwork just to have the city make the minor repairs.
%LE FAOU / LOCRONAN
One lunch time we stopped in the little town of le Faou and enjoyed the sights in the area. The village of Locronan, located just west of Quimper, is also worth a visit. Its town square is surrounded by granite houses, an old church, and a pretty chapel built in the Renaissance style.
The Breton “pardons” (an indulgence) also known as Troménies, with the tradition of a thousand years, are celebrated with religious fervor. The Petites Troménies is held on the second Sunday of July, and the Grande Troménies takes place every sixth year. These celebrations originated in centuries past when the residents of the villages would gather for blessings to be bestowed on the cod and whale fishermen and their vessels, as they left for Iceland and Greenland.
It was a dark and rainy morning, the streets were empty, and combined with the somewhat foreboding stone buildings, we remember tiny Locronan as rather interestingly dreary.
%QUIMPER
That’s not what we would say about Quimper — rain or no rain. Quimper lies at the junction of the Steir and Odet Rivers. The downtown area again has streets lined with stone and half-timbered buildings, and a fine Gothic cathedral built in the 1200s to the 1400s. Its towers were built in the 1800s.
When we toured the St. Corentin Cathedral, we noticed the choir and nave were not in line. That is, when we got to the choir, about midway in the church, we saw that the whole building now makes a slight turn to the right. It is as if different people designed and built each end without seeing what the other was doing, but more likely it is a consequence of re-use of the foundations of earlier buildings. One thing for sure, the cathedral spires can be seen from all over town.
As a contrast to the leaning, almost touching buildings near the cathedral, a couple of blocks away is the very modern, new marketplace. We can even see the cathedral through the glass roof of the market building. A half-dozen or so little walking bridges, just a few yards apart, cross the Odet River about a block south of the cathedral. Can’t imagine why so many, so close together. We have seen individual small bridges where there are houses on just one side of a river, but that is not the case here, at least not anymore.
Quimper and its environs are a must when we are in this part of France. The Odet River is quite wide for the twenty-five miles or so south to the coast. From Quimper east to the Loire River, this coast has one place of interest after the other. The nearby town of Quimperle is also interesting, with its quota of churches and old houses.
%CONCARNEAU
A heavy rainstorm greeted us in Concarneau. The town was crowded with people, but the rain did not seem to deter them. A cruise ship was just off-shore, and we were told that the Captain was from Concarneau, and he had made arrangements for the townspeople to visit his ship.
Concarneau is France’s second largest fishing port, and has several fish and vegetable canneries. Compared to other cities in this part of France, Concarneau may not be so special, but there is just nothing like this little city, and a thousand others in Europe, anywhere in the US. And if we expected to see a Villa Close in the US, we wouldn’t be successful.
The Ville Close (Walled Town), is a small pork-chop shaped island a few steps from the harbor, right in downtown. The islet is only about 100 X 350 yards, and is secured to the mainland by two bridges. Tickets are available for a walk around the ramparts, and since this island is almost surrounded by Concarneau, as we look in any direction there are differing views of the city, the water, and the fishing boats.
The huge walls surrounding Ville Close were begun in the 1300s and finished in the 1600s. Information like that is amazing. How, or why, would they have city walls that took three hundred years to build? Most likely the island didn’t get any bigger, but perhaps the wall was made higher, or maybe thicker. A guide book says that in the 1600s gun emplacements were fitted in the towers of the town wall.
Ville Close is not the only little island located in the harbor, near a larger city. We remember the Cittá Vecchia (Old Town) on a small Italian island called Ortygia, moored to the newer area of Siracusa, Sicily by a causeway. Taranto, Italy’s Cittá Vecchia is massed on an island that is linked to the mainland by a swing bridge. The city center of Gallipoli, not far from Taranto, occupies a small island that is connected to the shore and the modern city by a bridge. Amazing “harbor” islands that are worth hours of anyone’s vacation time.
%CARNAC — PLAGE (BEACH)
On the beach near Carnac the tide was out, people were digging in the mud for crabs, or some such thing, and there were hundreds of boats setting on the mud waiting for the tide to come in. Most of the boats are constructed with small legs (with feet) attached to their bottom, so as the tide goes out, the boat sits level on the mud. If someone intends to use their boat, they must be aware of when the tide goes out and when it comes back. A miscalculation could mean at least a few hours delay, and perhaps some embarrassment if they don’t get the boat back to shore while there is still enough water for it to float.
Sea water thermal baths were used by the Romans in this area in 100 AD, and Carnac is still in the sea water and thermal medical treatment business. The seaside resort is highly recommended by the medical profession for holidays for the whole family. Throughout Europe, “cures” are big business. Often we see advertisements for baths and various kinds of waters, promising results that could not be promised (delivered?) in the US.
%CARNAC — MEGALITH AREA
While Carnac-Plage is one of the finest beaches on the south coast of Brittany, the name of Carnac is usually associated with the rows of several thousand Megaliths or “great stones” erected thousands of years ago. Groups of these stones are found in many places, and near Carnac alone there are 2,792 menhirs (a prehistoric, single tall, upright stone). The Menec, Kermario, and Kerlescan Avenues have over 2,500 huge stones (up to 12 feet tall) set in rows, very likely used as a prehistoric astronomical “computer.”
Most references do not indicate a connection between Carnac’s Avenues and the Great Circle at Stonehenge, across the Channel in England, but the use of huge stones (some that weigh perhaps 30 to 50 tons), and the apparent astronomical purpose are certainly similar.
Think about that for a moment. Did two different groups of people (separated by a few hundred miles and the English Channel), study the sky, come to the same conclusion, and build similar astrological installations? Or did members of one civilization cross the channel in one direction or the other, and transplant the knowledge that must have taken many generations to perfect?
When did someone first notice a characteristic that connected the stars, the moon and the position of the sun, with the seasons? How many generations studied this characteristic before they determined a pattern existed? How was the information “recorded” and passed from generation to generation? How many centuries did it take before they decided to spend the millions of man days needed to create these bewitching stone “structures?” Fascinating questions that would require more research and far more pages than available in this book.
In comparison to that construction activity, several millennia later it was considered quite a feat when the 220 ton Obelisk was set upright in the Place de la Concorde in Paris in 1833. And at the Vatican it took 44 windlasses, 140 horses, and 900 laborers to erect the 350 ton Obelisk in Piazza San Pietro (St. Peter’s Square) in 1585. (Or it took 75 horses, 800 men, and four months, another reference says!) Remember, that was three or four thousand years after the Stonehenge and Carnac menhirs were put in place.
%AURAY
When we arrived in the little village of Auray, we stopped for lunch near a small church. Bright colors and wood carvings decorated the interior, and we enjoyed beautiful organ music during our lunch hour.
%VANNES
We have wondered just how many churches, basilicas, and cathedrals there are in France that are named Notre Dame. It is almost a curiosity to find, as in Vannes, a cathedral named St. Peter, built from the 1200s to the 1800s. One chapel, that juts from the side of the main church, was built in 1537 in the style of the Italian Renaissance, not what is usually seen in Brittany.
Vannes is the location of another of our favorite photographs. We have enjoyed the picture so much we made a special point to look for that exact spot, the next time we were in town, but we couldn’t find it. When we got home and looked at our slides again, we finally determined where the picture had been taken.
We are sure that Jim took the picture, just mentioned, with his back to the cathedral, looking towards the Prison Gate. It was a rainy day and Emmy happens to be in the picture, so come to think of it, that might make it a little difficult for someone to capture the exact same snapshot.
There are some special views of the ramparts of Vannes, and we could look down on some old wash-houses with very curious rooflines. While walking along the Rue A.-Le-Pontois we enjoyed the flower gardens, the Decal Castle, and a most picturesque corner of Vannes.
%MUZILLAC
At times we are concerned about the possibility of a fire in over-crowded campsites. One night in the municipal campsite in Muzillac, we heard a fire alarm sound for the first time during our travels. While the campground, located in an open field and nearly empty of campers, was not near any house or other structure, it was a strange feeling lying there wondering what was going on, and what poor soul and his family were having a problem. Jim looked out the RV windows, but could see no sign of a fire. We knew we were in no danger, but it was worrisome nonetheless. (Near Brussels one night, there was a fire in a neighboring tent, fortunately Jim was able to extinguish it after only minor damage.)
While traveling we have had to learn how to live in rainy weather. In the Southern California desert where we live, it rains only a very few times each year, and it seems that most of that occurs during the night. When it does happen to rain in the daytime, we just wait a few minutes until it is over and then do whatever we had planned. When we travel in Europe, and of course in other parts of the US, if we stopped and waited until the rain was over we wouldn’t be able to see very much.
As we left Muzillac’s campsite the next morning, we were reminded of this as we saw a group of people preparing a barbecue and setting tables for a festival of some kind, all of this during a slight shower. As we drove on, it showered and then stopped several times, so we hope they had a nice picnic. We now wonder why we didn’t wait to see what the picnic was all about. We weren’t in a hurry, and had no schedule, but then we don’t understand the language and something prods us to keep going to the next point of interest.
%LA BAULE
La Baule was a surprise — we found it to be a popular resort, maybe the most fashionable in Brittany. The broad, curved beach extends for about three miles, and the other side of the street is lined with six- or eight-story apartments and hotels. As we drove along, it was obvious that the room-rates changed every block or two.
It was on a Saturday in late-June when we were in La Baule. Both the streets and the beach were empty. Granted, it was not long after breakfast, and it was raining a little, but it would seem that someone would be outside trying to get their money’s worth.
In France, school is in session six days a week, so families do not have much weekend time together. Workers in European countries have many more holidays and longer vacation time than their counterparts in the US, but school is out only on Sunday.
Along the beaches in Europe, little “changing booths” are available for rent, right on the beach. We’ve seen miles of booths on beaches in France, and in Italy. It’s amusing that the ladies will spend their time and money for a booth, and then appear on the beach a few minutes later, perhaps wearing only one-half of an almost non-existent bathing suit.
Lunch was eaten in the RV while parked in the rain along the beach in St.-Nazaire, viewing the long sweep of beautiful empty beach with a gray stormy ocean in the distance. We had expected to drive east from St.-Nazaire to Nantes via the high-arched bridge that crosses the mouth of the Loire River. Maybe in good weather we could see for some distance from the bridge, but with the stormy rainy weather and a costly toll for a high bridge, we made a U-turn and drove to where the river was not so wide.
%NANTES
Nantes is Brittany’s biggest town and was at one time an important French port, the home of 2,500 ships of various sizes. As bigger ships were built, they could not sail this far up the Loire, so a canal was started. Later the Loire was dredged deeper so now large ships call at Nantes, and some of today’s newest, biggest cruise ships are built here. During WW II there were a few air raids but damage was not nearly as extensive as it was in Brest, Lorient, and St.-Nazaire.
The character of the old part of Nantes has been preserved, and there are many new homes and buildings on the outskirts of town. The two main buildings in Nantes are the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul, and the Ducal Castle built by Anne de Bretagne. Several museums display the art and history of Breton life, and a little church is called the Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Port (Our Lady of Safe Return).
There are thousands of locations in France with trees lining one or both sides of the street or highway, and as we left Nantes, we drove down a busy street, lined with beautiful trees. They resembled what we think were poplar trees, but they looked as if they’d been trimmed to a perfect oval shape. Perhaps they weren’t trimmed, it was difficult to tell, they just looked so perfect.
Chapter 9
Loire River Valley
THE “CHATEAUX” OF THE LOIRE
As we looked at our map of France we noticed that the cities of Nantes, Angers, Tours, Blois, and Orléans are located along 200 miles of the Loire River Valley. The Seventeen Great (and uncounted smaller) Châteaux of the Loire River country are located on both sides of the river.
Our dictionary says that the French word Châteaux means the same as “castle” in English, but the turrets, walls, and drawbridges on these Châteaux (except for Angers) do not look like, for example, those on castles in England and Germany. Most of these Châteaux are more like huge beautiful mansions.
There are many historical reasons why the Loire River Valley was chosen as the location for these Châteaux. This area is about two hundred miles south and west of Paris, well away from the hustle and bustle and the problems of the big city. And it was far from their enemies in countries east of France.
The Loire River is shallow in the summer, sometimes bursting its dikes in late winter, and at many places it is quite wide with scattered small islands and sandbars. These features made it attractive to the rulers of France, since ships could not use the river as an avenue to attack their castles.
This part of France does not have mountain and valley scenery as spectacular, for example, as the French Alps; but perhaps they weren’t the French Alps in those days. A great number of the Châteaux were built in forest and hunting reserves over a period of several hundred years, so after one king built his “home,” that just invited the next king, or nobleman, to build in the same area.
We don’t know how many Châteaux (Castle) there are in this part of the country (one tourist map identifies over 50), or even what size or age is required for a structure to be called a “Châteaux of the Loire.” We have toured several; we have stopped and looked at the exterior of many others; we have seen Châteaux as we drove by; and goodness knows how many we never even knew existed, or just ignored.
Thousands of people really love these old mansions and will spend vacations or weekends visiting one after another. That’s easy to do as it’s usually just a few miles from one Châteaux to the next. For someone who is interested in huge old castle-like mansions, the Loire River Valley is the place to be. Several welcome paying house guests, supplying luxurious service and food, and the guest is made to feel part of the scene.
%ANGERS
One of Angers most impressive structures is the Châteaux de Foulques, which looks much like we expect a castle to look. Located on the Maine River, just before it joins the Loire, the seventeen large round towers, 130 to 165 feet tall, are layered in dark and light stone.
For some reason, during our first two visits we were not aware of the fabulous tapestry on exhibit in this Châteaux. In one huge specially designed, 350-foot-long, three-story room, we could view what remains of the Apocalypse Tapestry, made in Paris between 1375 and 1380. Originally ninety scenes on six tapestries that were 78 by 20 feet each, the Apocalypse Tapestry was at one time discarded as a piece of no value. The seventy pictures that remain as a 335 by 16 foot display, closely follow the text of the Book of Revelation in the New Testament. Information guide booklets, available in several languages, contain explicit detail that will take a visitor step-by-step through the exhibit. About the most inspirational exhibit we have seen. Truly a work of art.
St.–Maurice Cathedral is situated on a hill, with a long, broad staircase leading to the river’s edge where there is a beautiful rose garden, and a view of the nearby Châteaux.
Angers’ Cathedral is beautifully furnished with large and intricate carvings. The 1800s pulpit, the high altar, and other furnishings are carved from wood and marble, and a huge wood carving is beneath the organ. Aubusson tapestries hang from the walls, and the stained glass windows have particularly vivid blues and reds. Various windows in St.-Maurice will allow the visitor to follow the stained glass art from the 1100s to the present day.
%LE MANS
St. Julian’s Cathedral in Le Mans is unique. (If we see one that isn’t, we’ll be sure to let you know.) It’s situated on a hillside with the front entrance resting on the side of a hill, and the other end, the apse, extending down to a lower level. From top to bottom, the apse may be almost twice the height of the main entrance, at the opposite end of the building.
As might be expected at Le Mans, the Motor Museum of the Sarthe (the river) is of interest to many people. In 1873 Amédée Bollée built his first automobile, and on June 26, 1906, the first Grand Prix took place on the 65 mile long Sarthe Circuit. The museum has various items that display some of France’s contributions to the development of the automobile.
%SAUMUR
The Châteaux de Saumur was just across the river from our RV in the Municipal Campsite at Saumur. We’ll bet no hotel room offered such a view. One year the main street and all the store windows were decorated with hundreds of flags, the US Stars and Stripes, for a special celebration in town. Since we arrived in town on a Sunday when the stores were closed, and left before they opened at noon on Monday, we never did discover why all the US flags were flying.
The Châteaux is situated on the side of a hill, south of the Loire. On the grounds just outside and above the Châteaux, a theatre with a couple of dozen benches faced a stage in preparation for musical concerts and other artistic presentations. This is common practice throughout Europe — open-air theaters next to castles, cathedrals, in town squares, and even in the Michelangelo designed Piazza del Campidoglio on Capitol Hill, in front of the City Hall in Rome.
Organ concerts are regularly scheduled in cathedrals throughout Europe, often accompanied by other instruments. For someone interested in festivals, plays and concerts, they will be able to attend to their heart’s content.
CHAMPIGNONS (MUSHROOMS)
This part of the Loire Valley is famous for its yearly production of 100,000 tons of champignons (mushrooms). They are grown in caves that were created when tufa-stone was quarried from the hills along the river, to build the Châteaux in the Loire Valley. The humidity and temperature remain constant year-round in the 300 miles of caves. As we drove along the river the entrance to the tunnels could be seen, and sometimes it looked as if a home had been built into the mouth of the cave.
We made sure we had detailed tourist literature before we went too far in this part of France. Some of the most interesting Châteaux are not in the larger cities and towns, and without the literature and maps we could miss the “best” one.
%TOURS
Tours, an old Roman city, is an excellent location from which to explore this portion of France. To spend a few days in the Loire Valley, we suggest a hotel in Tours as the headquarters for day trips to the nearby Châteaux. Tours has a stately City Hall, a fine cathedral, old houses, museums, and the landscapes of the Loire Valley. Vieux Tours (Old Tours), was the subject of restoration during the 1970s, and is well worth a visit today. A few portions of the Basilica of St. Martin (1000s) are still standing, although they tore down part of the nave in 1802 to build a street.
The west front of St.–Gatien Cathedral, with its foundations set on the old Gallo-Roman wall, is very ornate and attractive with rich flamboyant decorations. Although built at different times, the base of each tower is Romanesque, and their tops were built in the renaissance style. St.–Gatien’s interior is strikingly beautiful, and the stained glass windows are the pride of the cathedral. The balanced arrangement of the chancel windows strongly resembles those of the Sainte–Chapelle in Paris.
When walking down city streets in Tours, and many other towns and cities in France, we often find a continuous high wall built right to the edge of the sidewalk. Usually the wall is part of a building, but sometimes it’s simply a garden wall. We are always alert for an open gate. We may see just a parking area, but perhaps a lovely garden courtyard, sometimes with an outdoor cafe, will provide that perfect “photo opportunity.”
%LOCHES
The little village of Loches is one not to miss. We did not go inside the Châteaux, but La Cité médiévale (the old town), is special. This is just one of the exciting points to see within a few miles of the Loire River.
%CHENONCEAUX
Continuing east we arrived at the Châteaux de Chenonceaux, one that we have visited a couple of times. A large parking lot is just off the highway, with a ticket office, rest rooms, and a tourist store nearby. The Châteaux is reached by walking a quarter mile down a broad avenue lined with huge plane trees. For a while we were confused when people explained that the trees seen in abundance along the highways, and in the village marketplace all over France were “plane trees.” We thought they were saying that they were just “plain ol’ trees.” We were later told they would be called Sycamore or Buttonwood in the US. (Jim never was much of a botanist.)
On the left as we approached the Châteaux we found a very large precision-planted flower garden. It measures about 100 by 200 yards and is called the “Diane de Poitiers Garden,” named after Henri II’s mistress. She was called “the ever beautiful” and is said to have been “as beautiful at seventy as she had been at thirty.” Since a reference says she died at age sixty-seven, that’s a little hard to believe.
The “Catherine de Medici’s Garden” on the right, is named after Henri II’s wife, “The Magnificent.” While her flower garden measures only 50 by 75 yards, it is just as pretty as the larger one. After Henri II died, Catherine threw Diane out of the Châteaux and lived there herself. Poor Diane had to move 12 miles away to Chaumont, a more modest medieval fortress.
Chenonceaux is called “The Châteaux of Six Women.” In addition to the “Magnificent” and the “Ever Beautiful” mentioned above, Catherine Briçonnet “the Builder”; Louise of Lorraine “the Inconsolable”; Madame Dupin, “Lover of Letters”; and Madame Pelouze, “Lover of Antiquity”; all lived there at one time or another, ranging from the 1500s to the late-1800s. By the sounds of those names, public relation firms have been in business for many years.
Henri III, the husband of Louise, held a sylvan festival at the Châteaux where, “… the most beautiful and virtuous ladies of the court appeared half naked, and waited on the guests.” We understand that party is not an annual event open to the public.
The Châteaux de Chenonceaux, constructed from 1513 to 1521, was built as a bridge. The great two-storied gallery is 197 feet long and extends completely across the Cher River. Parts of the kitchen look rather modern, so perhaps it has been rebuilt since the 1500s. The cook stove appears newer than almost everything else in the Châteaux.
The rotisserie in the great fireplace in the kitchen is a fascinating gadget with a large “works” like a clock, with a small windmill attached. The purpose of the windmill was a mystery until we found a similar contraption at the Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany. That time someone explained to us that when in use, the windmill is extended inside the fireplace, and rising hot air in the chimney turns the rotisserie that is used for cooking game and poultry. (As invented by Leonardo da Vinci.)
%CHEVERNY
Châteaux de Cheverny is a stately mansion like those often seen in movies about wealthy people in France. It was completed in 1634 and is one of the more modern Châteaux. The “Bourre” stone (quarried 17 miles away) used in its construction gets harder and whiter as it gets older. When we toured these Châteaux, Emmy said, “I like my kitchen better, my bath is nicer, etc.” As would be expected, the baths and kitchens in a 300 to 500 year old, 400 room mansion, do not have all the latest in fixtures and features.
One evening we took a walk around the town of Cour Cheverny and saw an antique shop that appeared to be an antique itself. By the looks of the cob-webs and the dust covered items on the shelves and in the windows, it may not have been open since some of the items inside were new. Many items looked interesting, but we had no idea if the store would open again in our lifetime.
%AMBOISE
The Châteaux in Amboise sits on a hill overlooking the Loire, and was in its glory in the 1400s. Charles VII was born here in 1403, and he died here in 1461 after bumping his head on a low doorway in the Châteaux. Charles VII had brought many treasures when he returned from Italy. François I, who ruled France from 1515 to 1547, continued the Italian influence and brought Leonardo da Vinci to Amboise where he lived in the Clos-Luce, a red-bricked manor house, until he (da Vinci) died on May 2, 1519, at the age of 67.
%BLOIS
Châteaux de Blois, with a five story spiral staircase, is situated on top of a hill, in the heart of town. The Châteaux became a royal residence, and for a long time it played a part comparable with that of Versailles a few hundred years later. During those years, kings and queens were born and died at Blois, and they built and remodeled the Châteaux and its gardens. The Tourist Center is in the graceful little pavilion of Anne de Bretagne, where Anne and Louis XII had carved their initials in the stone balustrade.
BOULANGERIE
In a small town near Blois we stopped at a Boulangerie to buy bread. When we selected a loaf, the sales girl was quick to explain that it was salt-free, and she needed it for a special customer. She then counted the remaining loaves to make sure that she had plenty before selling one to us. She does not get many drop-in customers, and had to be able to take care of the townspeople who counted on her for their daily, or twice-daily, bread.
Hundreds of Boulangerie do not bake their own bread. In many locations it is baked in a large bakery and delivered in back of little ol’ trucks and in the trunks of little ol’ cars. Only in big supermarkets do we find bread wrapped in plastic. (Best not to buy it there, many times the crust is not crisp.) In recent years, the Government has tried to implement a law that prohibited supermarkets from calling their bakery a Boulangerie. It was intended to permit only real, live, actual small bakeries to call themselves Boulangerie, a massive bread factory must be called something else.
When we cross the border into France, one of the first sights will be people with a long loaf of unwrapped bread under their arm, or in the basket of their bicycle. Often they will tear off pieces to eat as they go on their way. Although it is handled by many hands, we have never heard of anyone getting sick from eating the unwrapped bread in France.
%CHAMBORD
Chambord, the Châteaux built in the 1500s with dozens of pointed towers, looks like a roofer’s nightmare, or rather a roofer’s retirement plan. This is the largest Châteaux in the area, with 440 rooms and a famous double spiral staircase said to have been designed by Leonardo da Vinci. It took Francois I up to three days to reach this 13,600 acre hunting lodge from his palace in Paris. These days it takes an hour by train.
The River Cosson was redirected to flow past the front of the Châteaux to improve the scenery, and to supply water for the moats. The little town of Chambord is just a few hundred meters away.
%VENDOME
During lunch hour we walked around Vendôme and visited an antique store that just happened to be open at mid-day. We read somewhere that the town records show Honoré de Balzac was enrolled in school in Vendôme on June 22, 1807, and the former Trinité Abbey was consecrated on May 31, 1040. Just a couple of details — the 22nd and the 31st. Most of us have trouble remembering birthdays and anniversaries this year, let alone the 31st of something almost a thousand years ago.
%CHATEAUDUN
With its foundation extending vertically down the face of the cliff, the Châteaux de Châteaudun appears to tower over the countryside from its perch above the Loire. Viewed from across the river it looks quite austere, but when we arrived on top of the hill, the Châteaux resembled a stately mansion that has been restored with care.
We stopped to visit La Madeleine, a cathedral-like building that appears no longer to be a church. When we visited, the spacious interior was being cleaned following an art exhibition.
FRITES / BOISSON
On many highways in France signs advertise “Frites/Boisson” (French Fries and drinks) ahead. Usually the sign identifies a small truck or trailer in a rest area beside the highway, but between Vendôme and Châteaudun we found a little shack in the woods with a few tables and chairs, doing a big business. They served about the best tasting and the biggest portion of French fries we have had anywhere in any country. There were many cars parked along the road, and people were lined up at this little kitchen. “Give quality and quantity, and the crowds will beat a path…,” or something like that.
%BEAUGENCY
A fine view of Beaugency and the Tour (tower) St.-Firmin can be seen while crossing the Loire River from the south, and a portion of the city’s walls and fortifications remain from the Middle Ages. At the Notre Dame Cathedral we saw a plaque displaying the names of the casualties of World War I, another for World War II, and yet another with the names of local people killed in the French Vietnam War.
A fourth plaque listed the names of civilians who died on June 14, 1944 (a week after the Normandy landings), during a bombing of the city. (It doesn’t say who bombed, the Axis or the Allies.) In several cases the last names were the same for two or more people, most likely members of the same family. Similar plaques were seen in cathedrals in other towns in France, monuments serve that purpose in many town squares.
%ORLEANS
Originally named Genabum, and conquered by Caesar in 52 BC, the city was rebuilt by Emperor Aurelian and named Aurelianum, from which the name Orléans is derived. Always a business center, Orléans played an important part in French history. One time the capitol of the country, a king was crowned here in the year 996.
During the Hundred Years War (1337-1453) the English attacked the city from south of the Loire, and the siege continued until Joan of Arc arrived from Domrémy to save the city on May 8, 1429. Joan took command of the troops of the Dauphin Charles VII (eldest son of King Charles VI), and in 8 days during May 1429, she lifted the siege that had lain on Orleans for 8 months.
Orléans does not get much notice in some of the guide books, but what a lovely city it is. The Cathédrale Ste-Croix (Cathedral of the Holy Cross) with its very large open foyer or narthex, and round, flat-topped lacy spires can be seen for miles. We’ve seen no other spire even a little like these.
Construction and remodeling of buildings in the area near the cathedral were underway the first time we visited, so it was fun to return a few years later to see the results of that work. The buildings near the cathedral are now beautifully marble-faced, and the area is neat and clean. The Hundred Years War, Wars of Religion, and the bombing in the 1940s have left only a few of the picturesque old renaissance and medieval buildings, but Orléans’ modern downtown shopping district is very pleasing indeed.
In 1995, as we walked to the cathedral we heard a band playing, then found a dozen or more antique cars with drivers and passengers dressed for the part. It took only a few minutes to determine there was an auto “rally” underway. Every so many minutes the man with the microphone would count-down from ten to one, (or at least the French equivalent of 10 to 1) the band would play, then another car would leave with a specific time table and a well defined destination somewhere out there.
We didn’t recognize many of the aged cars, but two foreign cars, an old Lincoln Continental, and a two-door Pontiac did look familiar.
The cashier at a gas station in Orléans had once lived in Detroit and said she wished she lived there now. In several countries we have met people who had lived in the US at one time in their lives, and we can only recall one or two who didn’t wish they were still in the States.
Chapter 10
East of Paris
DISNEYLAND
As we checked into the campsite near Phalbourg one evening in 1983, a little girl wanted to know where we lived. Jim mentioned (through an interpreter) America, California, Los Angeles, and Hollywood, with little sign of recognition. But when he mentioned Disneyland, her face lit up and she said, “If you could be in Disneyland today, why are you in France?”
In 1991 in the marketplace in Warsaw, Poland’s Old Town, a little girl wearing a Mickey Mouse hat, was sitting for a portraitist. Jim mentioned that we had seen posing subjects and artists at Disneyland in California, and the girl’s mother said, “We were there last year.” Now that was a surprise.
In 1989 we stopped east of Paris and tried to find where the new Disneyland was to be built. One man (born and raised in Georgia) told us approximately where to find the planned park, but said he knew of no indication that work was underway. This part of France appeared to be booming, they expected billions of French Francs would be spent during the next few years. New hotels, apartments, houses, and shopping centers line suburban streets that are identified with celebrated names such as George Gershwin and Beethoven.
In 1991 we looked for and found, the new Disneyland east of Paris, twice. On our way to Paris we passed on the north side of the park, and could see a few towers sticking high in the air, but that was about all. They were paving the streets in this area, and we could not get very close to the Park. The thing of most interest was a huge, huge tree, whose branches spread for a great distance, right outside a tourist office just north of the Disney complex. Disneyland doesn’t have an exhibit that majestic.
A few days later when we were headed east from Paris, we stopped on the south side of the still-under-construction park, and found a special building where we could see a model of Disneyland that would be open about a year later, in April 1992. We were surprised to find that an entrance ticket to an “advertisement” cost 10 French Francs, about $2. We thought they would be handing out free, or discounted passes good when the Park opened the following year, rather than trying to squeeze a few dollars from people who had an interest in this new Disneyland. Perhaps that public relations blunder contributed to the poor performance, the first year or two the park was open.
The people who ran this particular attraction had not yet been indoctrinated in how a Disney organization is usually operated. The two of us were the only people within 20 yards of the booth when Jim presented 20 FF to purchase two tickets. As he turned to leave, he was called back and 10 FF was pressed in his hand. He thought perhaps there was a Senior Citizen special, but since the lady only spoke French, and Jim, at best, understands English, they couldn’t communicate. Jim said thanks and we continued to the presentation. A few minutes later, while an English speaking young man was explaining the beautiful exhibits, someone whispered something in his ear. Imagine our surprise when we were told a mistake had been made, and would we please give him the 10 FF that had been returned to us by mistake. Most times at Disney, “the customer is always right,” but not this time. It was no big deal, but we were surprised.
Generally Frenchmen stop to eat lunch at 12:30 each day, and they expect a waiter or waitress to take care of them, right then. They don’t eat at 11:00 or 11:30 or at 1:20 or 2:00, they eat at 12:30. As we drive and ignore that custom, we find the restaurant parking lots are filled at noon, but nearly empty between mealtimes. At noontime, roadside restaurants that cater to truckers have parking lots overflowing with huge transports. Jim asked the Disney people how they intend to handle that at Disneyland. They said they have built more restaurants than they would have in a park this size in the US, and that more of these restaurants would employ waiters and waitresses, not mainly fast food places as found at California’s Disneyland or Florida’s Disneyworld.
In 1995 we drove around just outside Disneyland, and while we could see tops of some of the towers inside the park, it wasn’t convenient for us to spend the day. When we wanted to drive into the Disneyland Hotel parking lot to see what we could see, we were stopped by a guard gate. Emmy’s diary says, “A cute black man named Zaid, with the most gorgeous smile said, ‘Oh why not, go ahead.’ ” He was from Casablanca, Morocco, and told us there were people of 87 different nationalities working at Disneyland Paris.
At one place we saw a parking lot with thousands of cars and hundreds of RVs. We were told the RVs were permitted to spend the night in the parking lot. Disneyland has a campsite nearby, in addition to the hotels, but we were told it is dreadfully expensive. We have spent the night in several strategically located parking lots in France, and oftentimes the view out our bedroom window was exceptional.
AUTO ROUTE TEST MARKINGS
As we left Disneyland we drove on the Auto Route (toll road), for a few miles. On this section of the road, they have painted a “caret” on the lane every hundred feet or so, and the sign says we must be able to see two markers between us and the car in front. Sounds like a good idea. This is a test to see if there are fewer accidents if this system helps drivers to maintain a reasonable distance between cars. We remember this test on an Auto Route elsewhere in France.
%CHATEAU - THIERRY
From Château-Thierry to Reims to Verdun and beyond, this part of France is filled with reminders of armies and wars past. The cemeteries, monuments and statues from a variety of wars commemorate the dead from several countries. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to find the solution to that kind of problem.
%REIMS
About the most famous sight in Reims is the beautiful Notre Dame Cathedral, and as with many existing religious structures, other church buildings preceded the current one. A terrible fire on the night of May 6, 1210, destroyed the then existing edifice, and exactly one year later Archbishop Aubri de Humbert laid the first stone of what was to become the Reims cathedral of today. We have seen that name many places in modern France, and several times it has been the name of important personages in French history. But we have no idea who it is that can’t spell, them or us.
Starting in 1211, the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Reims took “only” 200 years to build (not even near a record). Just think how much change there has been in material, tools, and engineering these past two hundred years. The change in the 12 and 1300s perhaps wasn’t as drastic as it was in the 18 and 1900s, but it must have been considerable. Isn’t it remarkable that the different architects and builders could or would continue the same style and adhere to the same plans for all those years, and construct this superb example of Gothic architecture.
At first glance the front of the Notre Dames of Paris, Amiens, and Reims (among several others) look much the same, but they are interestingly different. These three cathedrals each have three portals, a rose (round) window, a row of statues, a row of thin columns topped with arches, all topped by two towers without tall pointy steeples. However, while the portals are all on the ground level and the towers are high above everything, the sequence or level of the other features are different in each. At first glance the cathedrals may appear to be the same, but after a little study the difference is definite and intriguing. As an added uniqueness, in addition to the large rose window high on the west front of Notre Dame at Reims, a smaller rose window sits just above the center portal.
The front of Notre Dame in Paris is neat and symmetrical in design and devoid of frilly decoration. Every level of Notre Dame in Reims is replete with lacy frills, and while the Notre Dame at Amiens has some lacy decoration, its towers do not match, and it is not symmetrical in design, as is Paris.
The towers at Reims had been prepared to hold tall pointy spires, but after a fire required the rebuilding of a portion of the roof and bell tower, they just didn’t have the money or the will to finish.
It’s interesting to see that the Michelin Green Guide gives the names of four architects responsible for this masterpiece: Jean d’Orbay (1228), Jean Le Loup (1244), Gaucher de Reims (1252), and Bernard de Soissons (1287). It was common practice for an artist to derive his name from his home town. Reims and Soissons are French cities, and for example, Leonardo was born a mile north of the Italian town of Vinci, Italy.
Whoops, now we see an encyclopedia says architect Jean d’Orbais started the cathedral, and it was completed under Robert de Coucy. Since we don’t really know what happened, we’ll let the six of them share the credit. Those facts illustrate that information found in guide books, encyclopedias, and other reference material, don’t always agree. This contradiction, as well as dozens more we have seen, are unimportant for a tourist visiting this beautiful building.
For 650 years the city of Reims was selected for the consecration of twenty-four kings of France, and Joan of Arc had her King Charles VII crowned here in 1429, in the middle of the Hundred Years War.
Major battles in WW I were fought in this part of France, and the damage to the city and to the cathedral was extensive. We have a copy of the 1920 “Michelin Illustrated Guide to the Battlefields (1914-1918) near Rheims,” with page after page of pictures and text describing war damage to this part of France, to Reims, and especially to the cathedral. Reims was occupied by the German army for a few days in September 1914, and the artillery bombardments in that September and in April 1917 were particularly destructive. Out of 14,130 homes in Reims, only 60 were habitable at the end of the war.
A little trivia: This 1920 Michelin Guide advertises that the Michelin Tyre Company sells, “The Best & Cheapest Detachable Wheel, The Michelin Wheel is practical and strong, The Michelin Wheel is simple and smart.” The picture doesn’t give a hint of what a “Detachable Wheel” might be. (Perhaps a spare tire mounted on a wheel was a new idea in those days.)
At a tourist store in front of the cathedral we bought some old postcards that pictured the WW I damage to the cathedral, and the city. Guide books say John D. Rockefeller donated $1,000,000 to pay for the cathedral repairs, and in his honor, the street right in front of Notre Dame of Reims was re-named, Rue Rockefeller.
The Carnegie Corporation, Andrew Carnegie’s major philanthropy, was founded in 1911 and established 2,500 free public libraries in the US. We have found no reference to this in any guide book, but when we visited the Bibliothéque Municipale De Rheims, located right next to the southeast corner of the cathedral, the sign said “Carnegie Library.” We assume Carnegie paid most or all the cost to either build, or rebuild, the library in Reims. Just in front of the Library is a city bus stop, labeled Carnegie. Andrew Carnegie also donated the money to build the Peace Palace in The Hague, The Netherlands.
Some destruction also took place during World War II, but that war did not cause as much damage to the city or to the cathedral, as did WW I. But it was in Reims where the Germans surrendered unconditionally to the Allies on May 7, 1945. Representatives of Germany’s armed forces capitulated to the Allies at General Eisenhower’s headquarters in a hall of the College Moderne, near the railroad station in Reims. The formal unconditional surrender came the next day in Berlin, and this brought to an end the Second World War in Europe.
Reims is the center of a major wine-growing region, specializing in champagne production. Although only 2% of French vines are grown nearby, this is perhaps the country’s most prestigious wine producing area, and about 220 million bottles are produced here in an average year. Dom Pérignon (1638-1715) had the idea of making the wine sparkle by means of double fermentation, a process carried out to this day. There are miles of underground caverns and tunnels where the wine, and this whole complicated process are kept at a constant temperature. Where champagne is concerned, the prestige of the great labels depends on the expertise of the master-blenders. As we toured underground Reims one year, we found the tour of the caves, and the champagne process, to be quite interesting.
On our first visit we arrived in Reims at about 5:00 PM on a beautifully sunny day. The entrance to the cathedral faces west, and the late afternoon sun covered the façade with a brilliant array of color, the interior was lit by the sun streaming through the magnificent hues of the large and the small rose windows. The richness and extravagance of the exterior contrasts with the more simple elegance inside. That doesn’t begin to describe what we saw. Words, and even pictures, just can’t do it justice. The Reims Cathedral has many large very beautiful stained glass windows, one group fashioned since WW II by the celebrated Russian artist, Marc Chagall.
Emmy was tired enough to quit for the day even before we arrived in Reims that afternoon, but we have learned to see what we can when the sun is shining. If we can see a cathedral in the rain we see a completely different, very interesting scene — but if we can see it only once, we pray for sunshine. Later we headed for the campsite we had seen as we entered the city, but found no freeway off–ramp. We were soon thirty miles away in Châlons-s-Marne for the night.
Amazingly enough, Reims was still there when we returned a couple of years later. The weather was again excellent, so we spent more time looking around the city. Very nice department stores, including a Peek and Cloppenburg store (part of an English chain), are located a few blocks from the cathedral. If restrooms are needed, small Golden Arches can be found nearby.
This time we easily found the campsite. The next morning while on our way downtown we saw tents pitched on the grass, next to where barges were docked on the Aisne-Marne Canal. Apparently the crew chose to sleep in the tents rather than inside their barge.
On the far side of the river we stopped for a moment at the multi-domed Basilique Ste-Clothilde, constructed in 1898, and as the sign said, “style néo-byzantin.” Doors were locked, parking lot was empty, no other information was available.
ST. REMI BASILICA, REIMS
While in Reims with three of Emmy’s cousins, we were introduced to the St. Rémi Basilica. Building began in 1007 on the site of an earlier church, but St. Rémi has suffered damage and repairs so many times, almost none of the original Romanesque style remains. Two tall towers at the front of the church are not identical, they are constructed with different detail. Our video confirms that the interior of this church is so very different from any Gothic or Romanesque church we remember — it’s exceptionally interesting and remarkable, but our thesaurus just ran out of words.
During the French Revolution in 1789 many church buildings in France were demolished, but this Basilica was saved when it was converted from a Basilica into a parish church. The Revolutionary demolition men were dissuaded from destroying this beautiful edifice.
During WW I the ceiling of St. Remi was set on fire, some of the walls were destroyed, and both the church organ and the choir organ were burnt by the flames. It took forty years to reconstruct, but not until October 12, 1958, was the Basilica given back its place as a shrine for keeping and displaying sacred relics of Saint Remi.
A few pages back we
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