Avalon Waterways – A Traveling Fool

November 21, 2022

Thoughts While on the Avalon Waterways Grand France River Cruise: Knowledge of the history of a place makes being there more interesting

I love history anyway, so I can easily get excited over seeing someplace like Hadrian’s Wall or Egyptian pyramids and temples or battlefields like Gettysburg, Fredericksburg, Yorktown, Culloden, the D-Day landing beaches, etc. Smaller historical events are also intriguing to me.

Whether you are fascinated by history or not, knowing just a little bit about a place can make it much more interesting, such as what is the significance of an old cemetery? Who is buried there?

In St Augustine, Florida, I was fascinated by the fort. It had been built by the Spanish prior to the English settlements at either Jamestown or Roanoke, Virginia or Plymouth, Massachusetts.

In Israel, Masada would have just been several piles of rocks up on a high, hot plateau without knowledge of its history. For those who hadn’t read up on it before the trip, there was a short film down at the base that everyone watched before taking the cable car up to see it.

At Thermopylae in Greece, without knowledge of what had taken place there a couple thousand years ago, just looking at a monument to Leonides and the 300 Spartans who fought and died there wouldn’t have been all that fascinating. Since I knew the story, I could use my imagination. And a good imagination was necessary. The topography has changed quite a bit since 480 BC.

On this trip, my knowledge of Joan of Arc came in handy while in Rouen. I knew that the museum dedicated to her was in the very building where her trial had taken place. I also knew about all of the other locations associated with her.

In Avignon, I was aware of the history of the town, the Pont de Avignon, and the Palais des Papes. Despite it being a very hot day, my back hurting, and lots of stairs to climb, I was very interested in seeing it all.

Sometimes when visiting a place where you already know the history, you can find that seeing the place itself can make your understanding of it much clearer. It was one thing to read about traboules (the secret passages that had been used by the French Resistance to escape detection), but quite another to actually walk through a few of them. They had been built in the old, Renaissance portion of Lyon back when that part of the city was new. People who lived there knew about them. But people who didn’t live there were at a loss. To this day, only a handful of them are open to the public.

Although most people are well aware of who Napoleon was and his role in history, I always find it to be fun to see personal objects used by such iconic public figures. In Napoleon’s case, it was his hat on display in the library of Malmaison – the home he shared with Josephine. It made him seem more human. Like when I saw one of Queen Victoria’s gowns and Admiral Horatio Nelson’s uniform.

October 2, 2022

Grand France River Cruise – Notre Dame de Paris

This trip was the first that I have taken to Paris without spending any time inside of Notre Dame de Paris. It and Westminster Abbey in London are my favorite cathedrals. They are both very old, very large, and very historic.

It is believed that there have been religious structures of various sorts and sizes on the site of Notre Dame almost since the Parissii first inhabited the Île de la Cité in the 3^rd century BC. In 1710, the Pillar of the Boatman, which was part of a Gallo-Roman temple to Jupiter, was discovered beneath the cathedral. The remains of an early Christian church, the Cathedral of Saint Etienne, built in the 4^th or 5th century AD has also been discovered.

In 1160, the buildings on the site of where Notre Dame is now were all demolished so a new, much larger cathedral could be built in the Gothic style. Construction began in 1163 and lasted until 1345, though there have always been additions and adjustments made throughout its existence. Analysis of the vault stones that fell during the 2019 fire indicated that they were quarried in Vexin, which is northwest of Paris.

The choir was completed in 1177 and the high altar was consecrated in 1182 as part of Phase One. Phase Two involved the four sections of the nave behind the choir. This lasted from 1182 to 1190. Building of the west façade began in 1190.

Although the flying buttresses were replaced by larger and stronger ones in the 14^th century, they were originally created in the 13^th century and are now considered (because of scans showing that the upper part of the building hasn’t moved at all for the past 800 years) to have been part of the original design. This was a new innovation at the time to allow the buttresses themselves to carry the weight of the walls. The walls could then be taller and thinner, with more windows.

During the French Revolution, the statues along the West façade of biblical kings were mistaken for French kings and beheaded. Many of the original heads are now inside of the Musee de Cluny. After the Napoleonic Wars, the cathedral was in such bad condition that its demolition was being considered. Author Victor Hugo (who also wrote Les Miserables) wrote The Hunchback of Notre Dame in order to save it.

During the Paris Commune of 1871, the cathedral was threatened again. The Communards had the furniture piled up to set on fire when they realized that burning Notre Dame would also destroy the hospital next door. Fortunately World War II only created some minor damage from stray bullets.

On April 15, 2019, a fire broke out in the attic of the cathedral which ended up destroying the spire and the forest of oak beams supporting the roof. The stone vaulting in the ceiling ended up with several holes, but did not collapse.

The stabilization of the building was completed at the time of my visit in September of 2021. So the photos of all of the scaffolding and bracing that I took was erected to prevent any further deterioration and keep things safe for the teams that would be involved in the reconstruction.

Prior to the completion of the Eiffel Tower in 1889, the two towers of Notre Dame at the western façade were the tallest structures in Paris. They currently contain the ten (originally fourteen) bells of the cathedral. Some smaller bells in a carillon in the spire and in the roof were destroyed in the fire. Although the fire threatened the towers, the firefighters were able to protect and save them from destruction.

The copper statues surrounding the spire had been removed a few days before the fire. The weathervane at the top of the spire, which contained a tiny piece of the Crown of Thorns plus relics of Saint Denis and Saint Genevieve fell when the spire fell. It was recovered with the relics intact in the rubble shortly after the fire.

The gargoyles are the rain spouts. The other creatures that decorate the building are called “grotesques”. Several of them are chimera, a mythical creature with the head of a goat and the body of a lion. They seem to mostly be in pretty good shape.

The three rose windows sustained damage, but are essentially intact. Just one needs to be dismantled and stabilized.

The first clocks in the cathedral were clepsydras, which were used to tell the hours, marked by striking bells. In 1766, these were replaced by a mechanical clock which was located at the north portal. In roughly 1812, the clock and its bells were moved to the north tower.

A new clock made in 1867 was located in the forest underneath the central spire. It was destroyed by the fire. A nearly identical movement has been located at another church that will be used as a model for creating a new clock for Notre Dame de Paris.

The paved area in front of the western façade is called the Place du Parvis Notre Dame. Originally Notre Dame would have been somewhat hemmed in by other buildings. So the parvis was created to provide more majestic sightlines to the main entrance of the cathedral.

Over the centuries, the square has been greatly enlarged. A statue of Charlemagne was installed on the south side of the square in 1882 and the point zéro medallion was installed in 1924. This marker was used as a starting point for measuring distance on the National Route system in France.

Since the 2019 fire, the eastern half of the square has been closed off to be used as working space by the restoration team. In addition to Charlemagne, a statue of the Virgin and Child was also located near the parvis at the time of my visit. It was one of thirty seven representations of Notre Dame that were part of the cathedral. I don’t remember ever seeing it before, so it could have just been temporarily outside of the cathedral.

In 1965, excavation work began to create an underground parking facility under the parvis. This was when many ancient foundations, some going back to Roman times, were discovered. So the Archaeological Crypt was created beneath the parvis. Normally this is open to the public, but was not while I was there.

Next time – Thoughts while on trip about experiences, learning new things, family history and a general knowledge of the history of a place.

September 14, 2022

Grand France River Cruise – Paris Louvre & Île de la Cité

Paris is one of my very favorite cities. I think it is for a lot of people. The history, the culture, the food, the art – so much to do and see. Or, just hang out at one of the sidewalk cafes and let Paris parade by.

I am separating a post on just Notre Dame Cathedral from this one on the rest of my visit to Paris partially because of all of the photos I took of the cathedral. That post follows this one.

The included morning excursion on our full day in the city was a choice between a coach trip of the entire city of Paris, or a walking tour of part of Paris. Since I had been to Paris a few times before, I chose the walking tour. It was to take place mainly on the Île de la Cité, which was the location of the origins of Paris.

A Celtic tribe called the Parissii inhabited what eventually became the Île de la Cité starting in the middle of the 3^rd century BC. In 52 BC, the Romans settled on Paris’ Left Bank and called their settlement Lutetia. Eventually Lutetia joined with the Île de la Cité becoming Parisius and then Paris.

During the 12^th century AD, the royal residence was located at the western end of the Île de la Cité and Notre Dame Cathedral was being constructed at its eastern end. As the marshland on the Right Bank began to fill in, the city expanded in that direction. At this time the medieval Louvre fortress was extended to defend the city on the far west of the Right Bank.

Our ship was docked by the Eiffel Tower, so we were piled onto a motorcoach and driven to the Louvre, from where we would begin our tour. On the way to the Louvre, we could see the Musee d’Orsay on the other side of the Seine.

Remnants of the original medieval building of the Louvre can still be seen in the crypt of the current building. We would not be going inside though. It can take an entire day just to explore the Louvre. My mom and I had done so on a couple of previous trips.

In the 14^th century, the Louvre was converted from a fortress to a royal residence and began to be rebuilt in the 16^th century in the French Renaissance style. But in the 17^th century, the court was moved to Versailles and building at the Louvre was stopped.

The Louvre had started to house works of art during the 16^th and 17^th centuries. By the middle of the 18^th century, a public gallery began to be planned. By 1776, the Grande Galerie of the Louvre was being converted, but remained incomplete until the French Revolution.

We entered the Cour Carree through the portion of the Louvre known as the Sully Wing. This is the oldest part of the building. When I had been in the museum in 2000, there was a wonderful Rembrandt exhibit up on the 1^st floor. The Venus de Milo usually hangs out on the ground floor.

We then passed through the Pavillon de l’Horloge into the Cour Napoleon where we could see the glass Pyramid that was used as the main entrance. In the Cour Napoleon (named after Napoleon III who greatly enlarged the museum), we not only checked out the Pei Pyramid, but also the Carrousel de Louvre and an equestrienne statue of Louis XIV.

The Carrousel was a much smaller version of the Arc de Triomphe and once had the horses from Saint Mark’s Basilica in Venice at the top. Napoleon Bonaparte stole them from there. But they had been stolen from the Hippodrome in Istanbul (then Constantinople) many centuries earlier.

In addition to the Sully Wing, the other two main wings are the Denon Wing (home of both the Winged Victory and the Mona Lisa) and the Richellieu Wing (chock full of loads of cool stuff, including the rooms used by Napoleon III).

When leaving out through the Cour Carree again, we encountered a heavily-scaffolded Church of Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois. It also had the sun behind it. So a decent photo wasn’t possible. It had been originally built in the 5th century to commemorate a meeting of Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois with Saint Genevieve (the future patron saint of Paris) on the spot where it is said the meeting took place. Over the centuries it has been enlarged and rebuilt several times. Since the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral, it temporarily held the services that had been conducted at Notre Dame.

We headed over to the Île de la Cité where we would have visited the Conciergerie and Sainte-Chapelle Cathedral. But there was a very big trial going on which meant that both of those buildings and much of the island were off limits. The trial of 20 men accused in the coordinated attacks on Paris (on a stadium, bars, restaurants and the Bataclan concert hall) in 2015 was underway. The lone surviving actual attacker from that night, Salah Abdeslam, was the key defendant. He was also the only one charged with murder.

The Palais de Justice de Paris includes both the Conciergerie and Sainte-Chapelle in addition to the Prefecture de Police. A special courtroom had been constructed somewhere within the vast expanse of court buildings covering the west end of the island. What was needed was very high security (bomb-proof and bullet-proof) as well as an attempt to create a calming atmosphere.

Normally we would have been able to cross over the Pont Neuf to reach the Île de la Cité, but we weren’t allowed to cross there. We went down some stairs to the Quai de la Megisserie, which didn’t allow any motorized vehicles so we could walk along in relative peace and quiet while looking across the river at the island. Normally there would have been sightseeing boats along the river, but we didn’t see any other than those docked by the Pont Neuf.

In the included photo of the Île de la Cité with the Pont Neuf, can be seen an equestrian statue of Henry IV. He was the king who inaugurated the Pont Neuf in 1607.

At the Pont au Change, we went back up some stairs to see if we could cross there. We couldn’t, so we just stayed up on the street level until we got to the Pont Notre-Dame. I was so glad that it wasn’t my first (or only) time in Paris. The Conciergerie and Sainte-Chapelle are both very much worth a visit. I had been looking forward to spending some time in both.

The Conciergerie was originally part of the former royal palace. During the French Revolution, 2,780 prisoners, including Marie Antoinette, were imprisoned, tried and sentenced there. Most were executed elsewhere by use of the guillotines which were set up all across Paris. But there were still hundreds who died in what is known as the Women’s Courtyard when they were simply shot to death there.

Parts of the 10^th century building constructed under Hugh Capet still survive. The cell where Marie Antoinette was imprisoned can be visited, as well as a later chapel built in her honor. Many other historic areas of the very large building were also normally open to the public.

The original version of Sainte-Chapelle was built in 800. In 1238, Louis IX had it redesigned and enlarged. The two levels of the new chapel, equal in size, had entirely different purposes. The upper level, where the sacred relics were kept was reserved exclusively for the royal family and their guests. The lower level was used by the courtiers, servants, and soldiers of the palace.

Sainte-Chapelle is breathtaking. It appears to be all stain-glassed windows with no real structure other than the windows. It glitters and shines like thousands of jewels.

Everywhere on the Île de la Cité we could see barricades and lots and lots of police. They were watching everyone. Not wanting to attract any attention, we kept quiet and kept moving across the island towards Notre Dame. I did manage to take a quick photo of the spire of Sainte-Chapelle as we passed from a couple of blocks away.

After a fairly long time sitting in front of Notre Dame while listening to our local guide talk about its history, we crossed the Petit-Pont and had some free time on the Left Bank. I took tons of photos of Notre Dame, then a short break at the café on the corner of the road there. After that, I explored the Square Rene Viviani and the adjacent Church of Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre, which was built at the same time as Notre Dame.

When we regathered by the entrance of the square to continue our tour, we heard a lot of sirens heading our way. It turned out to be the main terrorist going right by us on his way to his trial.

Moving further into the Latin Quarter, we could see the remains of a Roman bath house upon which was built part of the Musee de Cluny (aka Musee National du Moyen Age Paris). This museum is loaded with tapestries statues and other artifacts from the Middle Ages in Paris. They also have quite a few pieces of Roman antiquity in addition to the bath house.

Once we hopped back onto the coach to head back to the ship, we drove by the Sorbonne, Pantheon, the Luxembourg Gardens, a cute little church called Notre Dame des Champs, the Hotel des Invalides (containing Napoleon’s tomb) and the Eiffel Tower again.

Next time – Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral (with loads of photos of the building in scaffolding)

August 29, 2022

Grand France River Cruise – Versailles

I had been to Versailles before (back in 2000). But it is huge, overwhelming, and usually terribly crowded. Also, on this trip in 2021, we would be able to see the private apartments as well as the Opera. Those areas had not been available to Mom and me before. I felt it was worth going a second time.

I had read that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of visitors had dropped from eight million in 2019 to two million in 2020. It seemed to me that either visitorship was up in 2021 or everybody decided to show up the same day we were there. Versailles had the most visitors of any of the places we had been to on our entire Grand France River Cruise.

Since I had been having difficulty with my back (having had surgery just two months earlier for cancer next to my spine), I was using my cane and trying to sit down whenever we needed to stand for any length of time. It wasn’t the walking that was a problem, but the standing still.

At most places we had visited, either there were empty spots to sit or people would rise and make room for me. Not at Versailles. All benches and other seating were full of mostly younger people with no visible signs of a disability. Not a soul was going to get up and allow me to sit. Most looked away and pointedly ignored me. Interesting. This was in the State Rooms. In the Private Apartments, there were much fewer people, but no spaces provided to sit down.

We began our tour with the Private Apartments, entering through the private entrance. The Private Apartments were in the original red brick chateau that Louis XIII built to replace the 1623 hunting lodge in 1631-34. Louis XIV expanded the chateau into a palace and moved the seat of his court and government there in 1682.

The oldest part of the building, with the Private Apartments, had what they called an Enveloppe built around the outside of it starting in the 1660s. This mainly contained the State Apartments and the Hall of Mirrors. Both the South and North wings were also added. All of this was mostly completed by the time of Louis XIV’s death in 1715.

From the Private Entrance, we passed through the Room of the King’s Guard before climbing the King’s Staircase. Once we were upstairs in the Private Apartments, the first room we entered was the Antichambre des Chiens. This was where the King’s dogs would sleep at night. The first interior photo with this post shows the entrance to the Clock Room as seen from the Dog’s Room.

The Clock Room has an amazing astronomical clock. The small equestrian statue in the middle of the room is of Louis XV.

The next room we entered was the King’s Private Chamber. This room had a very beautiful and ornate desk (quite different from the one at which I am currently seated). It was the first desk of its type, allowing the King to leave his papers on his desk but keep them away from prying eyes. It was from the balcony of this room where Louis XV (with tears in his eyes) watched Madame de Pompadour’s funeral procession depart from Versailles in 1764.

We passed through a few more rooms and took a look inside of the Bathchamber before entering Louis XVI’s private library. Although these rooms are considered to be small and intimate compared to the State Rooms, this library is still much larger and more ornate than the libraries of most people other than the very wealthy.

The last rooms we visited before heading back downstairs were the Porcelain Dining Room and the Buffet Room. These rooms were for more intimate suppers than the formal dining room. If there were more people than the Porcelain Dining Room could comfortably hold, the men would retreat to the Buffet Room.

Once back downstairs (down the Ambassador’s Staircase), we crossed over to where the Opera was located in the North Wing, passing through the Vestibule of the Chapel (closed for restoration) and the Stone Gallery. Built for the celebration of the 1770 marriage of the future Louis XVI to Marie Antoinette, the Opera had been built almost entirely out of wood (which has better acoustics than other materials) and painted to look like marble. This was the first time I had been able to see it. I thought it was quite beautiful. We were able to sit in the seats while we looked around and listened to our guide.

After our nice leisurely visit to the Opera, we climbed the stairs to the State Apartments. The first one we entered was the Salon of Hercules, followed by the Salon of Abundance, the Salons of Venus, Diana, Mars, Mercury, and Apollo.

At the time, I figured that they just liked naming very large, ornate rooms after Roman gods as I didn’t notice anything in particular in most of these rooms to connect with the particular deity after it was named. But I was also beginning to realize that I wasn’t going to be able to sit down again until I reached the gardens and I was getting a little testy.

The Salon of Hercules had originally been a chapel. It did have a painting involving Hercules on the ceiling, so it was appropriately named. So too was the Salon of Abundance. It had a painting with the title Abundance and Liberality. This room had once been the antechamber for the Cabinet of Curios next door. That room later became a Games Room for Louis XVI.

Actually it turned out that they all had something that did showcase the name of the room. I had to look at the photos later, when I wasn’t so cranky, to see them. The Salon of Venus, which was used for light meals during evening receptions, had a painting with Venus in it.

The main thing that I had noticed in the Salon of Diana, was a bust of Louis XIV by the great Italian sculptor Bernini. I guess I had been blind to the paintings as there were several on the walls and ceiling from the life of the Roman goddess Diana. This room had been used as a billiards room.

The Salon of Mars had a military theme and had been used mainly by the Royal Guards until it was turned into a concert room with platforms on either side of the fireplace for the musicians. The platforms are no longer there.

The Salon of Mercury was the original State Bedchamber of Louis XIV and has a replica of the original bed in it now. The ceiling paintings depict the god Mercury. The original throne room under Louis XIV was the Salon of Apollo with a painting of the Sun Chariot of Apollo in the center of the ceiling.

It is interesting to note that the apartments of Madame de Pompadour (in her days as Louis XV’s mistress) were directly above this line of salons. The King had a private staircase from his private apartments that he could take to reach her rooms. Later in life, when she was no longer the official Chief Royal Mistress, she was still a court favorite and occupied rooms on the ground floor that I believe were in the south wing.

The Salon of War is the last room before the Hall of Mirrors. It celebrates the French victories in the Franco-Dutch War during the time of Louis XIV.

The previous time I had been to Versailles, the Hall of Mirrors had been wall-to-wall people. This time it was possible to see the actual room. It was great to be able to take it all in slowly. On the right were the windows to the gardens, to the left were hidden doors to the King’s Apartments.

Built between 1678 and 1681 on the site of a terrace between the King and Queen’s apartments, the Hall of Mirrors was built to impress. Weddings, balls and diplomatic receptions took place here. This was the room where, during a masked ball, Louis XV met Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson d’Étiolles (who later became Madame de Pompadour). Both the Treaty of Paris, ending the American Revolution, and the Treaty of Versailles, ending World War I, were signed in the Hall of Mirrors.

At the other end of the Hall of Mirrors is the Salon of Peace. After zipping through that room as quickly as one could zip while navigating their way around other tourists, we entered Marie Antoinette’s State Bedchamber. This was followed by the Salon des Nobles, the Antechamber of the Grand Couvert (which had a lovely portrait of the Queen and her children), and the Guard Room.

From there we took the Queen’s Staircase down to the ground floor and exited the chateau to visit the gardens. On our previous visit, Mom and I had a fair amount of free time to spend exploring. Instead of the gardens, we walked down to the Grand Trianon, the Petite Trianon, and the Hamlet, spending our time touring all of them. This time with a much shorter period of free time and an included ticket to the gardens, I did that.

Looking at the ground and first floor plans of Versailles, I realize that there is still so much that I haven’t seen. There are the Dauphin (Crown Prince) and Dauphine (Crown Princess) apartments as well as the Queen’s Private Apartments, the Hall of Battles, the 1792 Room, the Old Wing, the Gilded Cabinet, apartments of various courtiers and the Captain of the Guard, plus numerous other chambers and salons. I wonder how much of that could be seen with the right tour or pass.

Next time — Paris

August 14, 2022

Grand France River Cruise – Josephine’s Malmaison

Our morning excursion choices were to visit either Auvers-sur-Oise or Malmaison. I had been to Auvers-sur-Oise on an earlier trip to France. This was where Vincent van Gogh had lived out the last couple of months of his life. He painted several paintings while there. Placards showing the paintings stand near the locations where van Gogh painted them.

It is believed that van Gogh died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest nearly 30 hours after the shot was fired. He walked back to his room at the Auberge Ravoux where he died. When we were there, Mom and I walked from the field where he had supposedly shot himself to the Auberge Ravoux and climbed the stairs to his room. It seemed a long walk to us, especially for someone who was dying.

The Auberge Ravoux is now a restaurant. Although no furniture remains in van Gogh’s room, it has been preserved as it was when he died and is worth a visit. The church that Vincent painted is also where he and his brother Theo are buried. Theo died only six months after his brother. Vincent was only 37 when he died.

Malmaison was purchased by Napoleon Bonaparte’s wife, Josephine, in 1799. At the time, it was rather run down, needing extensive renovations. It is said that Napoleon was not happy at the large amount of money spent on buying and fixing up the place. But they lived there together until their separation in 1803 and Josephine remained for the rest of her life.

The chateau was famed for its gardens. Josephine’s real name was Rose. So she had numerous types of roses – roughly 250 varieties. The Dahlia flower was actually developed there.

Josephine also had kangaroos, emus, black swans, zebras, sheep, gazelles, ostriches, antelopes, lllamas, and a seal roaming the grounds. Josephine loved her home. I felt that it was fairly cozy and could see why she felt the way she did about it.

After Josephine’s death in 1814, Napoleon did return in 1815 after his defeat at Waterloo and stayed until his exile to Saint Helena.

At the end of a long, garden-lined drive we entered the home and began to explore. The entrance had a exhibition in it, which made it difficult to see the room. But it was easy to tell right away that this was a smaller, more intimate chateau than most I had already seen.

Off to the right was the billiard room, followed by a little antechamber and then the Salon Dore, which was a small state room. The music room, with midnight blue walls and red furniture was next.

To reach the rest of the rooms on this floor, it was necessary to retrace our steps back through the rooms and the entrance hall. The first room we came to on the other side of the entrance hall was the dining room. I loved the salmon-colored walls.

My only photo of the Council Chamber is a bit fuzzy so I didn’t include it here. The room was made to look like a tent. Beyond this room is the library. It is the room that needed the least amount of restoration and is closest to what it originally looked like when Napoleon and Josephine lived there. One of Napoleon’s hats could even be seen in a glass case.

We viewed a bust of Napoleon inside of a side entrance, which was for family and friends. Then we saw Napoleon’s formal bedroom and salon plus a room with the famous “Napoleon Crossing the Alps” painting. Although he really used a donkey, the painting depicted a beautiful horse. Image was all. His formal bedroom also resembled a tent. I managed a good photo of that room.

Josephine’s formal bedroom also looked like a tent and was very grand. We also saw her informal bedroom, her dressing room, and her salon. After this, we went outside to view the beautiful gardens with their Dahlias, roses and other flowers.

There were not a lot of other people at Malmaison with us. That was nice. We were able to have an intimate visit in what had been an intimate home.

Our afternoon visit was where we found the huge crowds, even during the pandemic – Versailles.

August 1, 2022

Grand France River Cruise – Joan of Arc & Rouen

The symbolic figure of Rouen, Joan of Arc, is present everywhere in the streets, squares and monuments in the former capital of Normandy. I have always been fascinated by Joan – her visions, her courage, her faith. Other locations associated with Joan – Paris, Orleans, and Reims – had drawn my interest in past trips.

Jeanne d’Arc (“The Maid of Orleans”) was born roughly 1412 in Domremy. She came from a peasant family. She began to have visions of the archangel Michael, Saint Margaret of Antioch, and Saint Catherine of Alexandria telling her to help Charles VII to recover the throne of France from English domination. She gained prominence after her quick victory at Orleans. Several more swift victories later led to Charles’ consecration as King of France at Reims.

She was captured in May of 1430 at Compiegne by some French nobles who were allied with the English. She was handed over to the English and put on trial for heresy. She was convicted and burned at the stake in May of 1431. Her imprisonment, trial and execution all took place in Rouen. She was only nineteen when she died.

The main charge in her conviction seemed to be her dressing as a man. Women’s clothing would have been terribly impractical for leading an army. She also found that it was much more difficult for men to try to sexually assault her when she was dressed as a man. Women’s clothing offered no such protection. While imprisoned, it is said that she was repeatedly raped by her captures until she put men’s clothing back on. That was the final evidence (the donning of men’s clothing while imprisoned) that was used to convict her.

The only remaining part of Rouen Castle is the keep or donjon, which is now known as the Tour Jeanne d’Arc. This was where a portion of her trial took place and where she was threatened with torture. Some people believe this was where she was imprisoned, but she was actually held in the Tour de la Pucelle, which no longer exists. There is a building at 102 Rue Jeanne d’Arc where the foundations of that tower may be seen.

It was the Archbishop’s Palace, just behind the Cathedral, where Joan was condemned. A retrial also took place there in 1456, which nullified the first trial. A little too late for Joan. The Historical Jeanne d’Arc (Joan of Arc Museum) is now housed in the Archbishop’s palace. They use multimedia to present the story. I really like it when the actual locations of history are used to tell history.

The cathedral has a small chapel dedicated to Joan near the choir and a more modern statue in the choir area. When I was sitting and listening to the local guide tell us about the cathedral, I could see the modern statue and was wondering if it was Joan. When we had our own time, I walked straight to it.

At the main market square (the Place du Vieux Marche), I was feeling a little impatient while we were led through the market itself and told about its history. I wanted to get over to the garden area by the modern church of Joan of Arc (L’eglise Sainte-Jeanne-d’Arc). This time, fruits, vegetables, pastries, and other edibles weren’t interesting to me.

When we got to the garden, I was looking for the little sign that used to be there, but couldn’t find it. Then the local guide (Evangeline) said that the tall, modern cross now marked the spot where Joan had been burned at the stake. A statue of Joan being executed stands near the entrance to the church, facing the cross.

We finished our tour inside of the church dedicated to Joan. It was built in 1979 with sweeping curves to represent the flames as well as an overturned longship. Many early churches, especially those of wood, were designed to represent an overturned boat.

The stained glass windows came from a 16^th century church whose ruins are a short distance away. The windows had been removed from the church during World War II. When the church was destroyed by bombs, the decision was made to incorporate them into the new church to Saint Joan.

Also inside the church is a bust that may or may not accurately portray Joan. I don’t think she was ever drawn, painted or sculpted in her lifetime. The signature etched beneath the bust is believed to have been her actual signature.

When the fire was still smoldering, Joan’s ashes were collected. Her enemies didn’t want anyone collecting any potential relics.

It is said that her heart did not burn. Her heart and the collected ashes were thrown into the Seine near the cathedral. This would have been roughly where our ship was docked. When the ship pulled out from this location, I took the included photo of that area of the Seine.

Next time –Josephine’s Malmaison

July 3, 2022

Grand France River Cruise – Rouen

Rouen has so much that I have separated it into two posts. The first is on Rouen itself and the second has to do with Rouen’s connections with Joan of Arc.

Founded by the Gaulish tribe of the Veliocasses (also known as the Vexin), Rouen was second only to Lyon. Under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, the city prospered and built both an amphitheater and baths. The foundations of both remain.

By the time of the Viking raids, beginning in 841, the Normans took over Rouen and made it their capital until William the Conqueror moved the capital to Caen. During the Hundred Years’ War Rouen kept changing hands between England and France and ended up being the site of the imprisonment, trial and execution of Joan of Arc.

Rouen was heavily damaged by bombs during World War II with the cathedral being heavily hit.

For our excursion into Rouen, we were docked between the Pont Boieldieu and the Pont Comeille on the same side of the Seine as the cathedral. It was easy to see the spire directly in line with our ship.

We came up to the city at the Pont Comeille. This was an area that had been quite heavily bombed and was mostly modern. As we headed north and a little bit east, the buildings became older until we were immersed in an original, medieval section of the city.

We briefly visited the Church of Saint-Maclou. It was a 15^th century church that incorporated a previous, neglected 14^th century church. The interior decorations were rather macabre as the previous church had been consecrated during the time of the Black Death. At that time, the Black Death was the deadliest plague in history with an estimated 75 – 200 million deaths over a five year span.

From there we headed over towards the Rouen Cathedral, visiting a couple very narrow, pedestrian-only, intact medieval streets along the way. We also stopped at the Historical Jeanne d’Arc, which was in the Archbishop’s Palace next to the cathedral and had been the site of Joan of Arc’s trial. More about that in the next post.

After entering through a very, very old door that we entered through a courtyard, we spent quite a bit of time in the cathedral.

Christianity first came to Rouen in about 260. The first church was believed to have been close to or under the present cathedral. In 395, a large basilica was built on the same site.

The cathedral was enlarged in 650 and visited by Charlemagne in 769. However, the Viking raids caused a great deal of damage.

The first Duke of Normandy was the Viking leader, Rollo. He was baptized in the cathedral in 915 and buried there in 932. His grandson enlarged it again in 950.

In the 1020s, parts of the cathedral were rebuilt in the Romanesque style. William the Conqueror was present at the consecration shortly before his conquest of England.

In the 12^th century, a complete reconstruction of the cathedral was undertaken in the new Gothic style. This style tended to fill the space with light.

During the 16^th century some Renaissance features were added and some repairs made. The Western façade (later painted by Monet) was tilting, so it was completely reconstructed in an extremely ornate Flamboyant style with lots of lacelike stone tracery and hundreds of sculpted figures. Buttresses were also added.

During repairs made after World War II, excavations were also done under and around the cathedral. Vestiges of the previous versions of the building were found.

We had some free time in the cathedral. So I wandered around looking at some of the old tombs, including Rollo. I also checked out some of the chapels, including Joan of Arc.

When we left the cathedral, we were shown the building where Monet stayed while painting his series of the Western façade. It is now the Office de Tourisme.

We then had the 14^th century astronomical clock (Gros Horloge) pointed out from a distance before taking a detour to see the Palais de Justice. When we walked back down to the Rue du Gros Horloge, we could see the clock close up from a different angle.

There were loads of museums in Rouen which we didn’t have time to visit. We were heading for the Market Square, also known as the Place du Vieux Marche. There was a very large market where all kinds of items could be purchased. Several shops and cafes were located in the buildings that lined the square as well. This was the location of the execution of Joan of Arc.

Next time – the Rouen of Joan of Arc

June 12, 2022

Grand France River Cruise – Bayeux, Beuvron-en-Auge, and Calvados

First, let me say that, in case you haven’t already figured it out, I truly do love French food. On this trip, all of our meals were on our ship except for the one day that we spent the entire day off the ship on an adventure in Normandy. The meals on the ship were wonderful, but I was looking forward to our lunch.

There were three choices of excursion that day: 1) Normandy World War II United States D Day Landing Beaches, 2) Normandy World War II Great Britain & Canada D Day Landing Beaches, 3) “A Taste of Normandy”, which included Bayeux, Beuvron-en-Auge, and trip to a Calvados distillery. Since I had already toured all of the landing beaches (US, UK & Canada) on a prior trip, I chose the third excursion.

I was really excited about seeing the Bayeux Tapestry and the town of Bayeux. This was another place where some ancestors had been born. Just three this time, but still.

Apparently Bayeux had originally been founded as a Gallo-Roman settlement in the first century BC. It became famous as the location of the Bayeux Tapestry.

The tapestry (which is really an embroidery) was created in England, although from the Norman point of view, shortly after the Normans conquered England in 1066. It depicts the events leading up to William the Conqueror’s conquest of England. The main characters are William (who was Duke of Normandy at the time) and Harold (Earl of Wessex and King of England). The action shown culminates with the Battle of Hastings.

No photos were allowed. However, they said I could use video. Fortunately, I had my camera that records video directly onto miniature DVDs. So I filmed nearly the entire length of the 230 foot (70 metres) cloth. It is roughly 956 years old!

In addition to the tapestry itself, the building contained an exhibit presenting the secrets of the creation of the tapestry, an overview of the historical context and the Anglo-Norman kingdom in the 11^th century. There was also a film that interwove the scenes from the tapestry with reconstructed scenes from the Battle of Hastings.

I was looking forward to having a special three-course French lunch at one of the restaurants in town. The vast majority of our fellow passengers went on one or the other of the D-Day tours, so there were only four of us on this excursion. We had a choice of three options for where we could eat. We all chose the same option and so had a nice leisurely lunch together at a lovely restaurant specializing in local food.

My appetizer was a puff pastry filled with seafood. It was very light and delicious. The main course I ordered was filet mignon with a Camembert sauce. It too was absolutely delicious. The dessert was a chocolate mousse. I have made chocolate mousse several times. However, this one far exceeded what I have ever created. It was much more delicate in flavor – whispering chocolate instead of shouting it.

After lunch, we visited the cathedral. It is thought that it was in the cathedral where the Bayeux Tapestry was originally displayed. It is also thought that the cathedral may have been the location of where William the Conqueror forced Harold Godwinson to take an oath of fealty to him.

We rejoined our coach and driver and set off for Beuvron-en-Auge. The tiny village has the official designation of being one of the most beautiful villages of France. I certainly couldn’t argue with that. It had been raining just before we got there and everything was wet. The village center had a manor house and several smaller buildings that mainly had shops or restaurants on the ground floor and homes above. The main purpose of the village was definitely tourism. I explored a few of the antique shops during the time we had there.

The region we were in was called Calvados and was part of the province of Normandy. Apple orchards and breweries in the area were mentioned as far back as the 8^th century by Charlemagne. In the early 16^th century, apple brandy (called Calvados) was mentioned and a cider distillation guild established about 50 years later.

All of the apples used for Calvados must come from Normandy, where there are roughly 200 different varieties. First the apples are fermented into a juice, which then becomes cider as it ages. The cider can just stay cider and be sold as such, or it can be distilled and aged in oak casks for a minimum of two years to be become Calvados. The longer the aging, the smoother the taste.

Our final stop of the day was at the Le Breuil-en-Auge Calvados Distillery. We learned all about the creation of Calvados and sampled some of the finished product. I felt that the amount in the glass was a tad stingy until I actually tried it. It is about 82 proof so, it has been known to take off the back of a person’s head when drunk too fast. It made my eyes water and my voice go raspy.

We were told that the first glass of Calvados was simply called “a glass”. I don’t remember what the second and third glasses were called, but the fourth glass was called “the Gloria” because the drinker would start to sing. The fifth glass was called “kicked by a mule”. There didn’t seem to be anything else after that. I personally felt a little bit like I had been kicked by a mule after the second glass. When we returned to the ship, everyone was given a glass of Calvados to sample. That was glass number three for me. I started thinking of potential songs to sing just in case a fourth glass came my way.

Next time — Rouen

May 22, 2022

Grand France River Cruise – Honfleur

The beautiful town of Honfleur is located at the mouth of the Seine, across from Le Havre and was a favorite of artists during the Impressionist movement in France. The first known reference to Honfleur was in 1027 by Richard III, Duke of Normandy.

Though fortified during the Hundred Years War, it was still captured by the English. After the war, it became a great trade center, including as a slave trade port. The French Revolution and the First Empire Napoleonic wars, plus the development of the modern port at Le Havre, ended Honfleur’s time as a major trade port.

Upon entering the main tourist part of Honfleur, we immediately encountered L’Absinthe Hotel. It is in a 16^th century building with a Caen stone ground floor and the upper stories in grey slate tiles. I found the name of the hotel intriguing. But absinthe was quite a common and popular drink in France back a few centuries ago.

We headed down a narrow street and soon came upon an old prison and some 16^th century houses. Then we stopped at the entrance to another street and took a look at its sign. Our guide asked if we knew what the street was. The sign said “Rue des Petites Boucheries”. Thinking of my high school and college freshman French, I said, “street of the small butchers.” They were the shops that regular people would visit for their meat.

After a couple more narrow streets, we arrived at the harbor. Most of the houses surrounding the harbor were tall, narrow and mostly covered in slate tiles. The harbor had been created in the 17^th century and most of these houses were as well. The harbor had been a very popular place for Impressionist artists.

On the other side of the harbor was a memorial to Samuel de Champlain. He had departed from Honfleur for many of his adventures, including the founding of Quebec.

Up a hill and a winding road, were the bell tower and church of Saint Catherine. This church is the largest wooden church in France. It was built in the second half of the 15^th century immediately after the Hundred Years War ended. The bell tower was built across the road to protect parishioners from lightning strikes and subsequent possible fires. No saws were used in construction, just axes.

We were given quite a bit of free time at this point, so I chose to do one of my favorite things when traveling – sit down and take it all in. There was an outdoor café on a traffic island in the middle of what was still a narrow street. So I sat down there, bought a pastry and some lemon squash and enjoyed soaking in the atmosphere while watching the people who were milling around or shopping.

When I was done, I headed off back down the hill and across the harbor to another church. This one was Saint Stephen’s. It was an old parish church in the Gothic style with the oldest part dating to the 14^th century. The church was built with a combination of chalk, flint, and Caen stone. Its bell tower had a façade of chestnut. It was now a Naval Museum. It was also an excellent landmark to know where to turn to be able to wander back down the maze of narrow, medieval streets.

I sat down once again near an interestingly named restaurant – le chat qui pêche –the fishing cat. The couple in the photo seemed to think I was taking a picture of them and didn’t appear to be too happy about it. C’est la vie.

Nearby were the remaining two 17^th century salt barns (the third had been destroyed by fire). The large quantity of salt stored in these buildings was used to preserve the cod caught by Honfleur’s fleet of fishing boats. Nowadays, the buildings are used for exhibitions and concerts. Their wonderful ceilings looked like the insides of an upside down hull of a ship.

Next time – Bayeux, Beuvron-en-Auge & Calvados

May 2, 2022

Grand France River Cruise – Jumieges Abbey

Another Benedictine Abbey, Jumieges was destroyed during the French Revolution. At the time of its destruction in the late 18^th/early 19^th century, Jumieges was referred to as “the most beautiful ruin in France”.

Like St Wandrelle de Fontenelle, Jumieges also originated in the 7^th century. St Philibert was the founder, using land that had been granted to him for the purpose by King Clovis II. The abbey thrived until it too was pillaged during Viking raids. The monks abandoned the abbey for about ten years until the Duchy of Normandy was created and the second Duke, William Longsword, decided to restore it.

The Notre-Dame Abbey Church was rebuilt and inaugurated by William the Conqueror in 1067. Starting with the French Revolution, the property was mainly used as a stone quarry until the ruins were purchased by a private citizen in the 19^th century, who preserved what was left. The State took it over in 1946. The contents of the library had been moved to Rouen when the abbey was dissolved in 1790.

We began our tour just outside the entrance of the 11^th century Romanesque nave of the abbey church that had been inaugurated by William the Conqueror. Although roofless, the walls still soared on their rounded arches and were very impressive and beautiful.

When we reached the transept, we found that a great deal of the transept, plus the gothic quire and the surrounding chapels were missing. From there we could see the Abbot’s residence, dating from 1666. It had been sold prior to the Revolution, so it survived as an independent building from the abbey.

I did duck into the remains of a small gothic chapel that still had a portion of its ceiling. This would have been from roughly the 13^th century.

Wandering over to the much smaller St Peter Church, we entered into the Gothic Nave. Here, as with the little chapel, there were pointed arches.

As we moved towards what would have been the front entrance of the smaller church, the arches rounded out again. This part was older.

It turned out that this part was much older. Recent archaeological excavations revealed that this section actually dated from the late 8^th century. This put St Peter’s Church into the category of a Carolingian Christian church and made it quite unique.

In that older, front part of the church, several circles could be seen in the walls. We were told that the circles once contained colorful, round medallions. We could also see a portion of a very old wall painting in a corner of the wall next to an arch.

Stepping out of the church into the area that had been the cloister, we could there see a gigantic, 500-year-old yew tree. That tree would have witnessed a lot of history.

We exited the complex through what had once been the cellars. This would have been where the wine and grain and other provisions would have been stored. My last photo of the abbey was of a very interesting arch with a construction that resembled modern Legos.

Next time – the sea port of Honfleur.