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.