Visiting Friends in Normandy

As the son of a history teacher who grew up in the shadow of WWII, when we decided to accept the invitation from a couple of friends to visit them in Normandy, there was little choice about one part of our literary. We did visit Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery near by. It was an emotional experience, but only one of many highlights from our trip.

Two of our neighbors in Columbus were working in France. Jim is a medievalist and Ann is an expert in Gothic art, both former professors of art at the Ohio State University. Jim has spend part of the last 20 years studying the Abbey at Jumièges. So when we got an invitation to visit them and perhaps see a bit of Gothic France through the eyes of these experts, we jumped at the chance.

Tympanum of the central west portal
Amiens Catheral

On the way to Jumièges, we stopped in Amiens to see the Notre Dame Cathedral there. This cathedral, started in the 13th century, has the highest ceiling  of all completed cathedrals in France, and also largest interior volume. The exterior of the cathedral is famous for the quality of the sculpture on the north and west entries, and for the tall central spire. The interior is surprisingly light, with large nave and chancel. The ambulatory around the choir provides access to a number of richly decorated chapels. The floor of the nave features a large labyrinth (walking the labyrinth was equivalent to a pilgrimage to Jerusalem) and swastikas that in the 13th century symbolized the triumph over death by Jesus.

Jumièges is a small town on the Seine. It one major tourist attraction is the ruins of the Benedictine Monastery that was founded in 654 AD. The monastery operated up until the French Revolution (which was as much a revolution against the church as against the monarchy). At the time of the Revolution, it was one of the largest monastery complexes in France, containing two churches, cloister, library, walls, and a number of other buildings made from the white limestone quarried in the area. But after the revolution, it was closed and sold off. The owner used the complex as a quarry, tearing down the buildings and selling off the stones. What is left is impressive and beautiful, but gives only a hint at the former glory, as the slide show below indicates.



On the second day, we made it to Omaha Beach, but not before stopping off in Bayeaux to see the famous tapestry from the 1070s that illustrates the story of William's conquest of England. It is wonderfully displayed    behind glass, but at eye level. The audio guide that is provided as a part of the admission fee explains the illustrations as you walk along the 70 meter tapestry. Afterwards a short film tells a little more about the history of the tapestry.

Cliffs above Omaha Beach

Outwardly, Omaha Beach now appears for the most part to be just another a beach. But there are a few hint to the events of June 6. Most visibly are the two memorials on the beach dedicated to these events. Then is the museum that you pass just before arriving at the beach. And, of couse, there is the constant flow of tour buses, even on a an October day, bringing Americans, mostly my age or older it appears, on their pilgrimage to this hollowed ground in American history. Seeing the cliffs above the beach, you have to wonder how the US troops were able to over come such a disadvantage (and why such a spot would chosen to send these troops). The American Military Cemetery not far away is a reminder of the exactly what it did cost. It is a beautifully manicured cemetery overlooking the ocean and is deeply respectful of the sacrifice of these troops and a reminder for anyone that visits. I wanted to weep. It was only a couple of hours, but it was emotional.

The third day was spent in Rouen. Maybe it was that I didn't really have high expectations, but I as blown away by this city. It has a incredible wealth of 5-6 story, half-timbered medieval buildings. It just seemed like street after street, on both sides, we were fascinated by one building after another. Then there is the cathedral. You know the one that Monet painted in various lighting. The interior isn't much, but the exterior is pretty special. We were particularly intrigued by the reliefs and sculptures of the north portal. The following slide show contains pictures of some of these carvings that we found interesting.

Spring Vacation 2010 - Further Lessons from the French Autoroute

We learned a couple of lessons about the French Autoroute on this trip. One of these was covered in an earlier blog. It is expensive. If the West Virginia Turnpike would charge at the same rate as the French Autoroute, it would cost $5.28 per toll booth instead of the current $2.00.

Others can be guessed. Like the gas from the service stations on the toll road cost .10€/liter more that gas off the toll road. And traveling on Sunday is easier than other days of the week.

There are a couple of other lessons we learned and will not forget. One is that all roads lead to Paris. It is really pretty difficult to get around Paris.

The companion lesson to this is if you are traveling on a Friday afternoon, avoid Paris at all costs because all of France is either on the road ahead of you, or coming from behind. Take a smaller road, take a gravel road, take a dirt road. Whatever is available, as long as the road is not taking you to Paris.

We took the Autoroute that cuts through the southern part of Paris and got stuck in a 2 hour traffic jam. And there was no apparent reason for it, no accident, no lane closures, no construction, no nothing. That was just how it seems to work and the French are apparently fine with it.

Spring Vacation 2010 - Chartre

Last stop on our way home was to see the cathedral in Chartres. This was one of the cathedrals that I always wanted to visit. So when we noticed that it was just a short detour from our route home, we decided to go for it.

We caught our first glimpse of the cathedal from about 8 km, a solitary building seeming to rise out of the fields. In fact, it is in the middle of a city, but it appears that they have been careful not to build high enough to compete with the height of the cathedral.

There are a couple of things that make the cathedral in Chartres special. One is that it was built is a relative short time frame and so reflects a uniformity in style that other Gothic cathedrals lack. Work began on the cathedral in 1194 and the roof was put on in 1220. Work on the north and south portals took another 40 years. The north tower was erected in second half of the 13th century. The south tower waited until 1507, which explains the difference in styles of the towers.

The other special thing about Chartres cathedral is that it was undisturbed by the French Revolution or by the World Wars. This means that the stained glass is original and dates to the 13th century. As are the cravings decorating the exterior and the interior of the cathedral.

Even on the dark and raining day the we visited, the 176 stained glass windows were spectacular. Unfortunaely, it was too dark for our attempts at pictures to come out. We could only imagine what it would be like on a sunny day. It is a reason to return.

Spring Vacation 2010 - Loire Valley

The first stop over on the way back from Chasseneuil was to visit a couple of chateaus in the Loire Valley. We visited 4 chateaus, Chenonceau, Amboise, Chambord and Blois.

Chenonceau was the first, and under normal circumstances would have been the best. This is the one of the best known of the Loire chateaus. It is the one that seems to float above the Cher river. It was built on the site of a fortified castle in the 16th century. Only the keep from the previous castle was left standing. It was then owned by a series of 5 women that were responsible for refinements in the design to create what stands today. One of the 5 women was Catherine de Medici who ruled France from a small room over the Cher until her son came of age.

The each room in the chateau is decorated in a style of one of the owners. The thing I remember the most are the tapestries on the walls. Some of them were exceptional.

There were a couple of unfortunate things about visiting Chenonceau when we did. The first, we knew about. One of the magnificent things about Chenonceau is the gardens. But at this time of year, we were a bit early to enjoy the gardens. Second is that this time of year, Chenonceau is a magnet for buses full of kids on school trips. Third was that the front of the chateau was covered for repairs.

Still, we spent 2 hours before we had to leave. We could have easily spent doubled that with out being bored, more if the gardens had been in bloom.

Amboise was a fortified position on a hill above the Loire. It was the home of Francois I who became the king of France in 1515. Francois I was a patron of the arts. He was the first to build in the style of the Italian Renaissance. He surrounded himself with Italian artists, including Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo served Francois I from 1516 to his death in 1519. Leonardo is buried in a small chapel on the ground of Amboise.

One of Leonardo's projects was certain design elements for Francois' hunting lodge at Chambord. As you turn the corner in the forest and look down a 2 mile path cut out of the forest to view the chateau, you understand the this was more than just a hunting lodge. It was a statement that the King of France was one powerful fellow.

Work began in 1519 and the chateau was completed in 1537. I don't think the picture give you an idea of the scale of this place. It is simply huge. This is also the chateau with the double winding stairways.

After Chambord, we were pretty chateaued-out. But we did stop be Blois to view the exterior of the chateau there. It is famous for the staircase in the picture that could be used to ride a horse into the upper floors of the chateau






The slide shows below can also be used to links to more of our pictures from Chenonceau and Chambord.

Spring Vacation 2010 - Cognac

We took a side trip with Jacqueline and Sonja to Cognac to visit the Hennessy distiller. Cognac is made from grapes grow in the area around the city of Cognac. Hennessy, being the largest producer of Cognac and one of the oldest controls many of the vineyards close to the city, which they say produce the best grapes for their brandy.

The tour at Hennessy was informative, but a bit too staged for me. At 9.50€ per person, it is not a cheap thing to do.

Cognac is made by double distilling the wine from grapes grown in the Cognac region. To be called Cognac, the distillation must be done before the end of March and must be done in a traditional three stage still. The result is a clear liquid with a fruity, flowery aroma that the French call "l'eau de vie" or "the water of life". The liquid is then stored in a cask made with French oak for at least 2 years. These cask all come from a single producer at a cost of about 700€ per.

Each barrel is carefully labeled with the year, the vineyard, name of the distiller, and the volume. As they as stored, a certain amount of the alcohol evaporates. The French calls this the angel's portion. It is also the reason that the storage building, and all the building in Cognac appear black. There is a black fungus that feeds on the evaporate and colors the buildings.

Each barrel is checked annually to determine it's quality, decide if adjustments need to be made in the aging, or if it is ready for one of Hennessy's products. Possible adjustments would include a drier or more humid warehouse, putting the vintage in a new cask, or deciding that it cannot get any better. The the latter case, the vintage is placed in a wicker-covered, glass bottle which stops the aging process. Note that the cask in the first picture here is from the 1898 vintage and is still being aged.

Hennessy's products are all blends. VS is made from 4-5 vintages, each 2-5 years old. VSOP is made from 10-15 vintages 5-10 years old. XO is made from 100 vintages from 6 to 100 years old.

Cognac in a sealed bottle does not age. So a sealed 40 year old bottle of Cognac tastes the same as when it was bottled. However, once opened, deterioration begins.

Below is a link to my photo album from Cognac.

Cognac

Spring Vacation 2010 - Jacqueline's Parents

Magda had her reunion with Jacqueline's parents, and I met a most interesting couple. As I mentioned in a previous blog, Jacquiline's parents are 95 years old, but your would never know it.

They are former teachers that retired almost 40 years ago and moved to Chasseneuil to his family home. A 95 they are remain bight and aware. They still live independently in their home and maintain their large garden behind the house.

Monsieur has a dry sense of humor. You can see a tinkle come to his eyes when something strikes him as humorous. He drinks a glass of wine each day, almost always red and almost always from Bordeaux. He does still drive on occasion.

Madame spoke to use the way she probably talked to her primary school classes over 40 years ago, slowly and with great expression. This is exactly what both Magda and I needed as we struggled to recall our French. She shops an the market each Wednesday and Saturday, engaging the merchants in conversation.

They are a part of the old French bourgeois. That is to say no only are they middle class, but also certain attitude and formality about how people relate to each other. This implies an expectation of  gentleness in relating to others that we were fortunate enough to enjoy. It is also the reason that Magda and I never asked their first names. For us, they were address as Madame and Monsieur, as it should be based on our difference in age.

The picture was taken after dinner the night before we left. In it, you can see, right to left, Jacqueline, Monsieur, Madame, Magda, and Sonia, Jacqueline's daughter.

Spring Vacation 2010 - Chasseneuil sur Bonnieure

The town in France that we visited was Chasseneuil sur Bonnieure in the region of France known as Charente. To get there, we had to leave the autoroute and drive 90 km across country, through small towns, farmland and pastures filled with sheep and small brown cattle. we learned later that the cattle were the Limousin cows that the area is famous for.

We arrived in Chasseneuil to find a town of about 3000 people who are living in one and two story homes with wooded shutters. The buildings are of a uniform brown color matching the local stone and have just the right level of exterior dilapidation to give the town the label "charming". This must be like Provence was 30 years ago, before Peter Mayle wrote his books. Like the towns in Provence at that time, this is a small, charming,  working agricultural town, built from the local materials and still relatively untouched by tourism. As someone that has shared the Mayle dream, I fell in love with this little hamlet in the French countryside almost immediately.

Chasseneuil and Charente are in the southwest of France, north and west of Provence. It is therefore a bit colder. Wines are made in Charente, but it is not important product. Most of the grapes grown in Charente are used for another product, Cognac. However, Bordeaux is only 100 km south, so good wines are quite available and are still cheaper than water.

Several restaurants in town offer excellent 3 course meals using local ingredients (including those Limousin cattle) for around 12 €. A half liter of wine at a restaurant cost 5€. We found four bakeries in the town, two butchers, three grocery stores, and two gas stations. There is a small Romanesque Church on the main square and an art deco city hall.

The main square in town has a small market on Wednesday and Saturday that includes fresh fish (it is only 100 km from the Atlantic), produce, and cheese.

A few English have discovered Chasseneuil and are living there. It is only 5 hours by ferry and car from the southern coast of England. There is an English tea room there that will serve an English tea or a full English Breakfast, in case you get tried of the daily availability of fresh baguettes and croissants. 

All in all, this is the kind of place that someone can escape to and truly experience what it means to be French. It would not surprise me when the world is ready for the next escape book like in "A Year in Provence" or "Under the Tuscan Sun", that the book would be about life in Charente

The one tourist attraction in town is the memorial to the French Resistance. Chasseneuil was a center for the French Resistance during WWII. They were actually able to keep the Nazis from fully controlling this part of France through their sabotage efforts.

An interesting note in looking at the graveyard surrounding the memorial, the head stones mark the religion of the person. There you can see former Jewish and Muslim members of the resistance lying side by side. It was a different time then.

Spring Vacation 2010 - French Autoroute

Koblenz to Chasseneuil sur Bonnieure is 977 km. The plan was to head to Chasseneuil as quickly as possible, spend a few days there and then work our way back visiting Loire valley and the cathedral in Chartres.

So on Sunday we spent some 9 hours driving, mostly on the French equivlent to the Autobahn, know as the Autoroute.  About 450 km of this was toll road. The toll road was great. They were smooth as can be, I don't remember rough spots. And there were almost no trucks. The non-toll portions were also good road, although certainly not as improved as the toll portions. There was some congestion as we passed through the southern part of Paris, but there was no toll there.

Certainly traveling on Sunday was one reason for the lack of congestion on our trip. But another reason for these wonderful, uncrowded road was the toll. The cost of those 450 km was 40€ (between $55 and $60). Pretty stiff tolls by anyone's standards. However, we checked on what it would mean to avoid the toll roads on the same trip, it would mean a 16 hour trip. Is 40€ worth a time savings that makes a two day drive into a single day?

Still we wondered about the logic of such high tolls. Well it does seem to keep the Autoroute free of trucks which helps the traffic flow and reduces maintenance cost, it forces those trucks onto smaller highways that often runs through small towns. 

Spring Vacation 2010 - Why France

German schools take a 2 week spring vacation that includes the the week before Easter and the week after. So Magda had some free time. My school was closed on Good Friday and Easter Monday. So by skipping out on 4 days of classes, we could take a week vacation. So on Palm Sunday we packed up the car, took Frannie to a dog sitter, and headed off to France.

Why France?

Well largely because one of Magda's uncle was a German POW in a region of France called the Charente and loved it.

OK, the story is a bit more involved that than.

Magda has known one her close friends Jacqueline since the early sixties while Magda was in Gymnasium (the German equivalent of out High School). They started their relationships as pen pals when Jacqueline was given Magda's address by one of Jacqueline's friends, also named Jacqueline.

Magda and this second Jacqueline had met when she and her mother had traveled to Magda's home town to meet with Magda uncle. Magda's uncle and the mother had meet originally in France when he was a German POW there. Magda and the second Jacqueline had agreed to be pen pals, but this Jacqueline wasn't really so interested in writing so she passed Magda's name along to her friend, and now Magda's close friend.

Jacqueline has been living in Germany for a number of years. They see each other and talk often. This visit was actually to see Jacqueline's 95 year old parents who live in Chasseneuil sur Bonnieure in the Charente. Magda had visited them in France in 1971. Although Magda had seen them a few times in Germany, that was her last visit to see Jacqueline's parents in France. Jacqueline's parents had for years extended an invitation to Magda to visit them again. But for the last 20 years trips to the USA prevented her from going. But this Easter, since I am in Germany now, Jacqueline was planning to visit her parents and Magda had vacation time, it seemed an ideal time to accept the invitation an go.

So that's the story of how we were going to France because Magda's uncle was captured during WWII and sent to France as a POW.