Trip Blog for Alsace and Paris
Trip Blog for Alsace and Paris -- text by Michael and photos by Susan O'Brien
At 1:00 p.m. we’re sitting in Charles De Gaulle Airport, outside of Paris. Our connecting flight to Strasbourg has been delayed by fog. Hopefully we will be able to board in half an hour or so.
We’ve found that trying to traverse this airport is like trying to get through a giant maze. We took a tram, at which we arrived after a hurried, ten-minute walk, but after disembarking from the tram as directed, we still had to walk a couple of miles. The signs were either non-existent or confusing, and help was seldom available. And it wasn’t just us who were confused and frustrated – we kept running into fellow passengers trying to make connections who were as lost as we were. The glass, steel and concrete terminal buildings look impressive, but they also give a sense of the lack of welcome one finds inside.
The flight from L.A. went okay. Luckily, we were able to get seats just behind the bulkhead, so my long legs were not painfully jammed into a seat in front of me. Unluckily, in our row of three seats, sat an elderly man who was obese. Flying to Istanbul to visit old friends and family, he was friendly enough, but he literally took up a quarter of our seat next to him. Sue, sweetheart that she is, put up with him for the first two hours. I took the last eight-and-a-half. While I was trying to sleep, he put his heavy arm right on top of mine, leaning into me with his shoulder and leg. Soon my neck and torso were aching because of his weight pressing against me.
10/10/07 Wednesday
We ended up much delayed in our Paris-Strasbourg flight yesterday. However, the Strasbourg airport is lovely, modern, and on a human scale. Vivian and Alicia, the Alsace Untour reps, thankfully met us and the rest of the Untourists there with a nice bus for which Untours had arranged. So instead of having to pick up our rental car, then driving (groggy after twenty-four hours of driving, flying, and waiting in airports) in a foreign country to find an apartment in a small town to which we had never been, we got to relax and enjoy the scenery. In Bergheim our rental cars awaited. Vivian had done all of the paperwork beforehand, and we just had to follow Anne, our landlord, to our apartment in Beblenheim.
We were so exhausted that Sue turned in at 7:30 p.m., while I took a shower. When I got into bed, I read for about five minutes when I found myself falling asleep. Although I did not sleep all night through, I found myself waking up at nine this morning.
We easily found our restaurant meeting place in Ribeauville`, where we got information from Vivian and then had a very good and very large lunch. Afterwards, Sue and I walked around the little town, which is very quaint and charming, but for me, a bit too touristy (determined by the number of souvenir shops per block). The view of the castles (chateaux) and tower above the town is beautiful, though. Pickers were still harvesting grapes in the vineyards on the steep slopes just above the town’s streets.
After some grocery shopping (everything so different but the differences manageable) we drove home, rested a bit, and then walked around the village of Beblenheim. It is not as “cute” as Ribeauville` (not one souvenir store) and therefore seems more authentic to me. Plus, many of the old houses and other buildings are absolutely charming.
10/11/07 Thursday
Today I did not wake up until 10:30 and Sue not until 11:00. Neither of us had slept well, though. Plus, we are still recovering from the long travel day and trying to adjust to a nine-hour time difference.
So our intentions of driving to see Haut Konigsberg were finished before we began. Instead, we drove to Selestat in time to find many attractions closed, since we arrived just at the two-hour lunch break. But we wandered into their cathedral, St. George’s, built in the 11th-13th centuries, and as with any Gothic cathedral I have seen, it is a wonder. However, I also found St. George’s a little sad. The parish was obviously trying to raise money for restoration, but the bulletin board looked pretty sparse and the building in obvious need of repair. If people can bomb the hell out of so much of the world, we could at least afford to restore these masterpieces of the spirit.
We also visited the Biblioteque Humaniste, a small library but with a very important collection: manuscripts from the 11th century up to the early era of printing. The quality of printing was excellent, and the works included translations of classical writers such as Aristophanes, Plato, and Livy, as well as works by an author who was a friend of Martin Luther’s and expelled from the Church for his ideas.
The ancient library was quite a contrast to the Mediateque that we walked to for Internet access. This modern building sits just above a river and with its glass walls takes good advantage of the view. The architecture shows that modern buildings can be welcome and warm, as well as sleek. This modern library shows that the good people of Selestat still appreciate learning, and it also shows much civic pride.
When we got back to the apartment, we met up with Untourist ladies, Lynne and Donna, who have the apartment above us. We ended up walking with them to the “White Lamb” (Agneau Blanc), where we had a wonderful meal.
10/12/07 Friday
Today we drove up through the fog and mist to see the Convent of St. Odile. We toured it in the company of a lot of German tourists who had just been bussed in.
The church is lovely, but the several small chapels are exquisite. Unfortunately, because of the poor visibility, the views today from the top of this mountain are nil.
So we drove down to parking lot #3 and took a hike. As we walked, the skies lightened up a bit, which helped to illuminate the Celtic (“Pagan”) wall, which the trail followed for a while. Pretty stout people, those Celts must have been, based on the size of the stones fitted into the wall. Obviously, they also had the craft to create a structure that has lasted since the 5th Century B.C. One can only wonder at the fate of the poor souls who got to move and shape those big rocks. We followed the wall for a while, and I imagined how it was used to seal off the top of the mountain, providing good security for the people living up there. At one point we found a sunny spot and climbed on top of the wall, where the flat rocks, shaped a bit like long bread loaves, provided comfortable (well, at least flat) seats. Returning to the trail, we hiked our way back to the convent, passing through a large open expanse of grass just below the buildings. By the time we got back to the top, the fog had cleared up, but the haze hadn’t, so we got views of nearby mountains and valleys but not to the Rhine and Germany, as is possible on clear days.
As we looked over the lush landscape, the soft autumn light on the yellow-orange leaves made us feel content, complete. The harvests are about done, the crops picked and brought in – now is a time of rest.
However, “a time of rest” can be relative. In this area have been fought many bloody battles. Today we walked along a Celtic wall. How many did the Celtic invaders have to kill to capture that mountain-top? Archaeologists have discovered Roman ruins at St. Odile. How many Celts did the Roman invaders have to kill in order to wrest control? We know that in a few centuries the Romans were overwhelmed by fierce “pagan” tribes swarming out of Northern Europe. Becoming converted to Christianity did not seem to make them less violent. During the Middle Ages kings from east and west fought for control over this land. From the 19th through the 20th centuries Alsace changed hands several times, which is why so many of these towns with Germanic names are inhabited by French-speaking people, or by people who speak the old Alsatian language that has elements of both. Tens of thousands were killed in the two “world wars.”
So that these mountains and valleys today turn yellow-gold under a gentle sun in a time of peace is lucky for us. Chaos and death have never been far away.
10/14/07 Sunday
We are sleeping in this morning. At least Sue is sleeping in. I was lying in bed for a while, listening to the sounds of the village that were coming through the window – the buzzing of the occasional small-engine cars racing along the street, roosters crowing, and at 10:00 the church bells pealing for a good spell, calling people in for worship.
I have seen dogs in town, but I don’t believe that I have heard a barking dog.
Bird sounds, of course – a variety of songs. The trees, rose bushes, vegetable gardens and vineyards provide their habitat.
I remember that we saw a black cat through a store-front window in Selestat, staring at us with yellow eyes, but that is the only cat I have seen.
I’ve walked to the small market on the corner to buy wine, a baguette for Sue, and bottled water. I use my very limited and poorly pronounced French on the shop lady who is kind and smiles at me.
It seems that every country we have visited has its own palette of colors for the exteriors of houses. I’m poor at identifying colors, but I’ll make an attempt. These apartments have two entrances from the street. One is painted a blue and one a purple.
A house across the street has the gray, concrete walls set off by lively “baby blue” shutters. Coming from California, where so many houses are painted in “earth tones,” the French houses, at least here in Alsace, often seem boldly colorful. Yet the colors seem just right, not garish. Many of the homes in this area have, of course, the half-timbered exteriors and window-boxes full of vibrantly-red geraniums, contrasted by smaller blue flowers.
I am just hearing my first barking dog. Also, the landlord’s children are walking nearby. Youngsters here ride bicycles down the narrow streets, competing for space with the cars and ubiquitous little white delivery vans. I suppose that they develop a fearlessness that they employ later when driving their cars along the streets and country roads.
Drivers here are justly notorious for tail-gating. However, I haven’t seen them drive recklessly, really. When I’m being tail-gated, I try to pull over to allow the tail-gater to race on his (mostly his) or her way.
The country roads and highways are excellent – very well maintained and smooth. One soon gets used to the traffic circles, or roundabouts. The signage is excellent, much better than in California, for example. However, in the towns, while there are ample signs pointing to important destinations, street signs often seem impossible to find. Yesterday, for instance, we got lost in Obernai, trying to find the VieBio, a health food store. We almost had given up after crossing back and forth across the small town several times, when Sue figured out how to get us there.
It is now 5:25 p.m. as I write this. This morning Sue and I had a late breakfast, then sat and read for a while. I sat at the small round metal table on our front “porch.” Although the air was cool, the sun kept me warm. A great flock of starlings (I think) rolled and bowled around the sky. Some of them lit in the tree next to me. Collectively they make a lot of noise.
This afternoon Sue and I decided to walk the section of the Grand Cru Trail from Beblenheim to Zellenberg, which took us through vineyards to higher up in the valley. Even though some of the vines still have not been picked, their leaves are turning yellow/gold. As we walked higher, we could see more of the valley and the towns, each invariably punctuated by a church spire. In Zellenberg we walked through some of the streets, discovering how old the town is: dating from the 16th Century, if I remember correctly. One of the houses evidently was an Allied headquarters on December 14, 1944 – about two weeks before I was born.
We did some wine tasting in Zellenberg, bought a bottle of Gewurtztraminer, then tried a restaurant, too late for lunch and too early for dinner at 3:30 as it turned out. So we hiked back down to Beblenheim, where we ate again at L’Agneau Blanc. I had a traditional meal of sauerkraut, slices of ham, and sausages, with boiled potatoes. Sue had a combination of pork and veal with several salad items. We both enjoyed the Dijon mustard which had obviously been mixed with horseradish.
We have made plans to visit Colmar tomorrow.
10/15/07 Monday
I must be getting, finally, back to a normal sleep rhythm, awaking about 7:30 a.m. It is now 8:10. Sue stayed in bed, a bit longer, but I know that she was having a tough time getting to sleep last night.
We did get to Colmar by mid-morning. (As we found out again, getting into these French towns seems much easier than getting out.) I think Colmar is the biggest town in this area, after Strasbourg. Its outskirts are a mixture of industry, commerce, and modern housing, but the citizens have done a fine job of preserving the old city. (However, since much of the town must have been destroyed by the intense fighting in World War II, it is hard to tell what was rebuilt and what was preserved.)
We began our visit with the Unterlinden Museum, which was wonderful. It has items from pre-history to modern art. But the major focus is medieval to Renaissance painting and sculpture. So many crucifixes! So many last suppers! The amazing pieces by Matthias Grunewald were the highlight. The scale and daring of his art, not to mention its virtuosity, would make it the master work of almost any collection. However, another highlight was the etchings and paintings by Holmstadt, which rivaled those of Albrecht Durer, I think. Holmstadt was a local artist here.
In fact, it amazes to see how much art was being produced in these Alsatian towns about 600 years ago. The Unterlinden even has what it calls the oldest European still-life painting (12th Century?) which featured almost photographic detail of a barber/surgeon’s cabinet, making it seem modern in style.
After the Unterlinden our feet and backs were pretty tired, so we sat for a few minutes on a bench outside and planned our next foray, which was into the old town. On the way Sue bought a crepe filled with Nutella and orange jam, eating it for a while as we walked. There were a lot of clothing stores along one street. This is a long way from Paris, but the stylish fashions showed that Colmar is definitely in France. We finally stopped at a street-side table of a busy restaurant. We should have found a table in the shade because the sun soon felt too strong. But we had a good lunch there while enjoying the flowers and the passersby. After lunch we walked some more, seeing the old city wall next to a canal (I wonder if it might have previously served as a moat). Their cathedral looked quite interesting – it was impressive but looked different than others we have seen in the area. However, we could not find our way to look at the interior.
Then we decided to head off to Iguisheim, a town west of Colmar, higher up in the valley. But it was very hard going because of a lack of road signs and a surfeit of traffic. Somehow, we found our way, though. When we got to Iguisheim we decided to travel through it and up to the Cinq Chateaux, where we parked and walked a short path up to see three of the old castles, actually very old fortifications, which overlook the Rhine Valley. While picturesque, the old keeps are not in good shape.
So we spent a little time there, clambering over walls and up rock stairways, then drove back down to the town, where we parked and strolled for a while. We had heard this is one of the most beautiful towns in this area, and it is true. Some of the buildings are amazingly old. The “streets” are very narrow. They form three concentric rings inside the old fortified wall. Many of the houses have lovely displays of flowers. There are a couple of very old and picturesque fountains to see.
10/16/07 Tuesday
It is a little after 3:00 p.m., and we have just returned from a lovely hike. We drove out to Munster and then towards Mittleback to pick up the trail. At first it was mostly level, and almost immediately we found ourselves walking along a river bordered by meadows, some used for grazing cattle. After about fifteen minutes we passed some farm buildings that looked very old, ones that had evidently housed both animals and people. Shortly thereafter the trail began to climb. The fall colors were beautiful against the deep greens of grass and conifers, and we heard swift water all the way.
It obviously took a lot of work to build the trail because it crossed several big rock-slides. We crossed wooden bridges built just for hikers over the fast-moving water. Further on there were some beautiful cascades roaring down. In a bit less than two hours we made it Lac d’ Fischboedle, nothing more than a dammed up pond, really, but lovely in how it reflected the green and golden trees surrounding it. We took a mountain road down, so we got to the car in quick time.
10/17/07 Wednesday
Neither of us slept well last night. For the first time it was a bit noisy around the apartment.
Anyway, we got ourselves off to Selestat, finding our way quite easily this time to the Mediateque. We checked our email, sent a couple of messages, and then headed off to Haut Konigsberg. The drive up the mountain and then exploring the castle, itself, was really fun. The castle, restored early in the 20th Century, has lots of interesting history. One example is a long time ago a group of knights used the castle as a base from which to rob and pillage.
Although it was still somewhat hazy, the views from the castle were splendid. I think Sue got some good photos.
We are supposed to get rain tonight and early tomorrow. The sky was interesting today: periods of light and dark, sunlight shooting through gaps in the clouds.
This evening we are to meet the Untour group in Ribeauville` at L’Auberge Noir for dinner.
10/18/07 Thursday
The rain came in yesterday evening, which meant that driving to the restaurant on wet roads with someone’s headlights fastened to our rear bumper was not especially fun. The dinner and company, however, were very good.
We slept in this morning. After finally getting ready, we drove the short trip north to Hunawihr, a village slightly off the beaten path, which meant we weren’t in a crowd of tourists. Actually, there were very few, even though it is a lovely village, probably best known for its fortified church, an interesting concept, if one thinks about it. We walked about the town, enjoying the many flowers and then up to the church. Going inside, we saw a beautiful pipe organ and lovely stained-glass windows. Nobody else was inside. When we made our way outside, we spent some time walking around the cemetery. From there we could hear school children, especially boys, playing outside at the school below. The sky had darkened, and the wind picked up, so it felt pretty chilly.
We had a good lunch at a restaurant there and then drove to Requiwihr. In contrast to Hunawihr, this town was very touristy. Naturally, then, it was besieged by busloads of tourists, mostly Germans, it seemed. Thus, this town was not nearly as much fun as the other villages.
Later in the afternoon we went to Iglosheim to see the military cemetery on a hill above the town. The sky was dramatic with sun and clouds, and the site had a beautiful view. We decoded the French monuments to figure out that these buried troops, about 1500 of them, were from an allied force that included French Resistance, North African, and American troops. However, the cemetery was a bit puzzling. A French flag was the only one flying over the grounds. The headstones in the two middle sections were crosses with an occasional rounded one for a Jewish casualty. It was not clear which were American and which were French. The two sections flanking these were headstones for Muslim troops from North Africa.
These troops were all killed in the battle of the Colmar Pocket. We could easily see Colmar a few miles below. The few photos at the memorial showed troops in the snow. It was bad enough that the fighting was so vicious, but then to have to deal with the cold must have made the suffering much worse.
I left this place haunted. I also wondered if two of my uncles, Max and Rusty, both of whom were infantrymen in France, fought any where near Colmar.
10/19/07 Friday
This ended up being a long day. Our plan was to hike to Nideck, one of the castles on the Rue de Chateaux and then head on to St. Alvord, where 10,000 American servicemen are buried.
It took us about two hours to get to the trailhead for Nideck, and the drive was generally pleasant. The woods along the trail were quite beautiful, although it was overcast on the way up. About 7/8 of the trail offers a gentle ascent, but the last part, in front of and alongside the cascades, was very steep. However, we took our time and soon found ourselves at the lower keep. After looking around for a bit, we hiked up some more to the upper chateau, and then by narrow steps (augmented with a handrail) up to its top, which afforded a wonderful view over the forest.
We walked back down to the lower keep, found a bench, and then started having some lunch. Well, the sky grew darker, the wind picked up, and mist began to come down, so we thought rain was imminent. We quickly put our food back into our daypacks and then started down the trail. When we came, in a short while, to a junction, we thought we had found the other part of the “loop” indicated on the signpost at the trailhead. So we walked up and up, but when the trail ended at a road, we realized we’d taken a wrong turn, not a problem, really, since we’d hiked on this section for only about twenty minutes. Anyway, we hiked back down to the junction and then made our way back to the trailhead, fortunate that rain never began to fall. Overall, it was an interesting and lovely hike.
Looking for lunch, we drove for just a few minutes and came across a busy winstub. Sue had a nice quiche lorraine with a green salad, and I had a pommes au gratin, also with a green salad. The place had several smokers, which wasn’t pleasant, but the food tasted good and the winstub was very clean.
After that interlude, however, we began the drive to St. Alvord. We hadn’t realized that the long drive was on a highway that took us through one small town after another, which made for difficult and slow going. After a while, my right leg and back began to stiffen and cause pain. We finally pulled over, looked at the map, and decided it would take us at least two more hours to get to St. Alvord. I realized that I wasn’t up to that kind of a drive, plus the extra hours it would take us to return from there to Beblenheim. Thereafter, we got ourselves lost and thoroughly confused but finally made it back to our apartment. Both of us were stiff and sore when we got out of the Renault for the last time.
10/20/07 Saturday
Sue and I decided to sleep in and have an easy morning (as if all of them haven’t been easy). So it is mid-morning as I sit and write this while Sue solves her suduko puzzles.
The French transportation workers’ strike is affecting us here in Alsace. We’d hoped to take the train to Strasbourg from Colmar, but that option is out. Even if we drive, we’re unsure if the trams from the parking lots at the edge of the city will be operating. We worry that the strike will still be in effect next week, when we will be in Paris, which would make getting around there very difficult.
Some random observations:
The forests in this area are lush with vegetation. Rivers, streams, creeks, cascades, waterfalls, and springs are common, especially when compared to so many of the forests in the Western United States. Green moss grows on rocks and trees. Birds seem rare, though, so when one hears a bird call it is a minor event. We have seen no deer or other wild quadrupeds. But for the sounds of water and wind, the forests are usually quiet.
In this area of France there are many small towns and villages. Except for the major highways (some of which are toll roads), travel can be quite slow, since the local highways usually take one right through the middle of the towns.
A couple of afternoons ago, when we were visiting the cemetery for allied forces at Iglosheim, the sun kept breaking through the clouds, especially beautiful when it lit up patches of yellow-gold vineyards. Wine grapes have been cultivated in this area since the Romans ruled. No wonder the wines are so wonderful today. Folks here have had centuries of practice in making wine. And even aside from the wealth of the major industrial areas to the north, it is no wonder the Germans and French have coveted this land. These vines are golden in more than one way.
While looking at the three photos posted in the Iglosheim memorial of the “Battle for the Colmar Pocket,” one sees the snow that blanketed the ground in December 1944. That the fighting was fierce is cruel enough, but how bitter for the soldiers to be in the snow and freezing cold. And a personal connection for me: I was born December 29, 1944.
As we wander through the towns and old churchyards around here, we often notice memorials to local fallen soldiers (and even to fallen civilians). It is sad to read the names and see how young some of them were. And then one realizes that many of the men would have been on the “wrong side,” since many French Alsatians were conscripted by the Nazis. Some of the names on the memorials, though, were people who served with the French Resistance. In any event, the memorials and military cemeteries provide a somber counterpoint to the local beauty and enjoyment of life in Alsace.
10/21/07 Sunday
Sue and I got out the door at 9:00 this morning, heading for Strasbourg. We’d heard the day before that while the train from Colmar might be questionable because of the strike, the city trams were running. And we had a wonderful day in Strasbourg, even though it was cold all day and ultimately wet.
We found the Park and Ride easily enough, and with the kind help of some Pakistani men, we were able to figure out the tram ticket machine. Within about fifteen minutes we were in downtown Strasbourg.
We found the Tourism Office, bought our tickets, and headed, first, for the Musee des Beaux Artes, where we saw paintings and sculptures by artists such as El Greco, Titian, Giotto, Brueghel, and many others.
From there we went to the amazing Strasbourg Cathedral, saw the astronomical clock go through its routine, and then it was off to a restaurant, where I managed to fall down the steep stairs (well, several anyway).
After checking my limbs and my dignity (the former were a bit sore, but the latter was bruised), we took a bateau for a city tour by water. The audio guide had eight languages, by the way, showing what an international city this is. By the time we got on board it was raining, so we were glad to be in an enclosed vessel with a glass ceiling.
Later, Sue stopped to have a crepe, and then we rented an audio walking tour which took us through the cathedral and part of the city, ducking in and out of the rain. And what a beautiful city with so much history and a pleasant ambiance.
We got home just before dark, glad to return home to our warm, dry apartment.
10/22/07 Monday
When we arose this morning, we saw that the sky was clear to the east and so prepared ourselves for a hike to Lake Noir, starting at the French cemetery and museum called Le Lignes (The Lines).
We got off in good time and headed west into the Vosges Mountains via Kaysersberg. However, we did notice tdark clouds over the mountains. And I thought I saw some white near the mountain-tops whenever the clouds parted a bit.
Sue expertly guided us from one small road to another, each gaining altitude and often taking us by bright green pastures dotted by cows. Many of the trees had turned yellow and some were red. Then we saw a car coming down from above that had snow on its top. Pretty soon, we saw snow in the trees, on the houses (wood smoke curling out of the chimneys), and on the grass beside the road. The car’s outside temperature gauge went from –1 to –2, centigrade.
However, the best part of the museum is the section of the original battlefield that one can walk through. At least some of the battle had been fought in the snow, which softened the ugliness of the trenches and pill-boxes, but also meant the soldiers lived and sometimes dyed in such bitter cold. At one point the tour takes the walker into some of the old trenches. They seemed like a maze to me. Along the way crosses marked where relatively recent excavations had found previously “lost” soldiers from both sides, indications of how close-quarters the combat must have been. It was a moving experience. We were very glad to get back into our warm car.
Because it was so cold, we decided that it would be foolish (and very uncomfortable) to attempt a hike over an unfamiliar trail that was covered with snow. So we drove down the mountains into Kaysersberg.
This town has an ancient castle and fortifications sitting just above the main section. On the castle’s main tower flew the French tricolor. We parked and walked a bit until we found a likely winstub for lunch.
Eating out is so different here. The pace is much slower. Everything seems freshly prepared with products of good quality. The cafes and restaurants are spotless. Coffee is served only after the meal. One almost has to beg the server to bring the check. When we get back to the States, I’m afraid we are going to miss these Alsatian restaurants.
When we finally emerged from the winstub, we began to tour the charming town, but the wind had come up and dark clouds were forming. We’d left our coats in the car, so we decided to head back to it, drive home, and save Kaysersberg for tomorrow. Hopefully, it will be warmer.
Upon our return to Beblenheim, we decided to do some local wine tasting. So we put on our warm clothes and walked down the block and to the right for about fifty yards to a wine-tasting room. It had the Grand Cru Sonneglanz wines, grown and vinted right here in Beblenheim but famous throughout France. We tried an excellent Gewurtztraminer, but we ended up buying two bottles of Tokay Pinot Gris. We also bought some glasses imprinted with “Beblenheim” and the name of the vintner.
So we are back at the apartment now, enjoying its warmth and watching the sky get darker.
10/23/07 Tuesday
We slept through my watch alarm this morning – not a good omen for tomorrow, when we need to get up early and depart Alsace for Paris.
Anyway, we still got away at a reasonable time and headed for Kaysersberg, where one can still see the old city wall below the chateau, surrounded by a moat, which is dry now.
Although it was cold, we enjoyed walking through the town. We ended up not only walking to the chateau, but then up the circular stairs to the top of the keep – lovely views from there of the town, the mountains, and the vineyards.
On our way back to the car, we spotted a couple of storks socializing on the roof of a house with the chateau flying the French tricolor for a picturesque backdrop.
We returned to our apartment for lunch, enjoying some of the Sonnengranz Tokay Pinot Gris.
10/26/07 Friday
We have been so busy that I haven’t kept up with this journal. A brief re-cap:
Wednesday everything went smoothly for our transfer from Beblenheim to Paris. We had some confusion at the Strasbourg airport about our plane tickets, but we’d arrived in plenty of time to resolve all of the issues and relax before boarding our plane.
This time our arrival at Charles de Gaulle went smoothly. Joanna Carten, our Untours rep., was right there to greet us with a driver. She’d arranged for a vehicle to take us from the airport to our Paris apartment. It was wonderful to relax and let someone else drive, especially in Paris, which is a traffic nightmare.
For Sue and me this is our second visit to Paris. About twenty-seven years ago we helped to chaperone a group of high school students through Europe. It was the only way we could afford to go. A couple of months before we left, Sue became pregnant with our first child, a blessed but unexpected event. Not so blessed was Sue’s morning sickness that lasted almost all day and into the night. Much of that European trip was miserable for her, and one of the places she was sickest was Paris. All of these years I have hoped we could return so that Sue might enjoy this marvelous city.
After unpacking, we walked some of the streets around our apartment. The nearby pedestrian street of Montgueril had human activity that I found almost over-whelming after the relative calm of the Alsatian towns. Just steps away from our apartment on Rue Marie Stuart are cafes, produce stands, patisseries, a butcher, a fishmonger, a wine store, a newspaper/magazine store, and two U-Marches. We finally ate at a brasserie that we found on a busy corner, a place that had non-gluten items on an English menu. We had a great time eating, drinking some wine, watching passersby and especially enjoying the daredevils on bicycles, motorcycles, and scooters. We loved to see the folks (men and women) on the motorcycles and scooters line up at a red light and then drag race across the intersection when the light turned green.
Yesterday, Thursday, full of hope we set out for the nearest Metro station, which happened to be one of the old-style ones with art-nouveau designs. We were pleased to find that despite the strike the Metro seemed to be running smoothly. So we easily got to our stop near Notre Dame, where we toured the cathedral and then followed a walking tour that we found in the Rick Steve book.
It was cold and windy, but that didn’t decrease our enjoyment – much better the brisk weather for touring than the summer heat and the summer crowds. We had a nice long lunch in a warm café and then headed for the Left Bank. Again, the street life pulses with energy there – lots of small ethnic restaurants. We then crossed the Seine to tour the Concierge, which used to hold prisoners, including Marie Antoinette, until taken to the guillotine. We met other Untourists and Joanna Carten at the Navigator restaurant for a fine meal and good conversation.
10/27/07 Saturday
It’s 8:30 a.m. and still barely light. Partly this is because our apartment is in the city, surrounded by taller buildings. I don’t now how much direct sunlight little Rue Marie Stuart ever receives.
We did a lot of touring/walking yesterday. Most of it went well, but sometimes I got angry, frustrated. I think this is due to several things, such as the large amount of people, the difficulty we have sometimes finding our way, fatigue from being on my feet so much, and probably most significant, my lack of knowledge/ability with the French language. It makes me feel stupid.
Last night our neighbor above us was loud, clattering around constantly in what sounded like high heels, until past midnight and then again around five this morning.
Yesterday we toured the underground Archeological Museum near Notre Dame, the Cluny Museum with its amazing collection of Medieval items, and St. Chapelle with its gorgeous stained glass and interior ornamentation. Probably the highlight for me was the Cluny’s display of a series of tapestries that told the allegorical story of a “mysterious lady.” I never knew that tapestries could be so beautiful, complex, with such wit and meaning.
In between the Cluny and St. Chappelle we walked back to Notre Dame to sit and just try to soak in as much of the inspiration as we could.
On our way back to our apartment we shopped at some of the stores along Montgrueil, right next to our apartment. I think I lost a glove in that foray. (Actually, I found it later.)
Yesterday evening, after eating some and resting, we went for a walk past Les Halles, a modern and somewhat disappointing development. (Some of it seems already worn, and there is a tackiness that I found surprising for Paris.) Lots of people out, especially younger ones. Sue got a crepe with Grand Marnier and enjoyed it. It made me happy that after all of these years we could return to Paris and she got to enjoy this treat, unlike the first time when she was stricken with “morning sickness” all day long. Of course, how could I have known that upon our return I could not eat crepes, myself, because of my celiac disease? Ah, life’s ironies!
Today we’d like to visit the Orsay Museum and walk along the Champs d’ Elysee.
It’s about 5:00 p.m. We have been at our apartment for an hour and a half, resting after a four-hour saunter through the Orsay. We needed the rest, but it was inspiring to see some of the wonderful work from the 18th Century artists, such as Monet, Manet, Pisarro, Van Gogh, Gaugin, Rodin, Seurat, Cezanne, etc., etc. There were even rooms of Art Nouveau furniture, so ethereally beautiful that it seemed to have come from another world, which, in a sense, it did.
We ate lunch at the Orsay’s café – a mistake. The food was fresh and okay, but expensive. Plus, it was so jammed that I had to stand while eating – hard to do when trying to spear salad bits with a fork. Also, by that time my tired legs and feet could have used a rest.
By the time we had “done” the Orsay, we were both “done in.”
In about an hour we plan to head out to the Champs d’ Elysee.
It’s 10:35, and we’ve been back at the apartment for half an hour. The Champs d’ Elysee was fun. The Arc d’ Triomph was pretty gaudy but very interesting. The monuments to the soldiers and generals and battles and wars gave quite a breadth of history and a sense of the sadness of losing all those men and women. Walking down the great boulevard made for excellent people-watching. When we came back, we walked from the Les Halles Station, looking for a sidewalk café, but none of them appealed to me. I guess I just felt out of place. Fatigue probably had something to do with my mood, as well.
10/28/ 2007 Sunday
Our neighbor upstairs was noisy again last night, past midnight. Then I heard some movement at about five.
I stayed in bed until about 9:00, although I was awake for an hour before that. Sue got up a bit later. We‘d decided to have a lazy morning before heading out – to where we didn’t yet know. This evening we want to take a boat ride and see the Eiffel Tower.
It’s 4:00 p.m., and we returned to our apartment about half an hour ago. This morning we ended up heading to St. Sulpice, another magnificent church, to hear a free organ concert. Because we did not take into account today’s time change, we got there earlier than anticipated and ended up witnessing the whole communion mass, which was interesting, as it turned out. Of course, it was in French. (What do I mean “Of course?” Pope Benedict has reinstated the Latin mass for churches that prefer it.) There was some lovely singing, both solo and choral, much of it accompanied by the massive organ.
The organ recital began right after mass. Obviously the organist is a virtuoso and the instrument magnificent. As the recital ended, we strolled around the church to see some powerful works of art, including two large canvases by Delacroix and an obelisk which has a top that is illuminated by a mote of sunlight on 12/25.
Afterwards, we had a nice lunch at a cozy creperie, then walked along the Right Bank for some impressive city views.
10/29/07 Monday
It’s a rainy morning. Air France flight crews are still on strike. We had an awful night for sleep. We were awakened by an electronic noise that pulsed about every second. We couldn’t tell where it was coming from, but it finally stopped about 1:30. And there were the other noises that one hears at night in a major city. In addition, eating late last night was not good for my stomach.
Anyway, we hope to get into contact this morning with Jane, the local Untour rep., about our flight home, however that will happen. We’ll then need to contact the taxi company to confirm our reservations with them. Afterwards, we’ll see how the weather looks and perhaps head for the Opera House and the Pompidou Center.
Yesterday afternoon, about 5:00, we left for the Eiffel Tower. We managed the Metro system well. After we arrived at the Tower, we looked around for a bit and then walked across the street to the Jardins de l’ Trocadero to get some good photos of the famous structure. The Trocadero was a busy place! Just the crowds were entertaining enough – so many languages and races and ethnic groups and modes of dress. For additional entertainment there were the young in-line skaters who sliced through the crowds and down the long staircase, the folks sitting and praying for an end to maltreatment (Tibetans?), and the break dancers.
Then we headed back over to the Tower, got in line, and within an hour we were on the second level. We got there at the best time: twilight. The great city’s lights were coming on. We could see the bateaux lit up on the Seine, the great rivers of traffic (white/red), and the large public buildings and monuments. Then the Eiffel Tower put on its sparkling lights, which were dazzling up close.
After a while we took the elevator car down, walked across the street to the Seine, bought tickets, and then got on a bateau for an hour’s cruise up and down the river. The bridges in some cases were amazing, and we enjoyed discovering not only some of the grand sights that we still had not seen after five days of clomping around Paris but also the sights we had already seen, but from the new perspective of the river.
All told, a wonderful afternoon and evening.
By an amazing coincidence, while transferring in a major Metro station we encountered Mari Shapiro, Sue’s good friend (along with her brother and sister-in-law). What were the odds!? It turned out that Mari got a last minute invitation from her brother to travel to Paris.
10/30/07 Tuesday
I have some free time to catch us up with what happened yesterday.
After staying cozy and dry yesterday morning in our apartment, we left to see the Paris Opera and, perhaps, the Pompidou. Walking to and from the Metro stations we joined the army of umbrella wielders on the sidewalks, which took some agility and finesse. But then we rounded a corner, and there it stood, the immense white and gold Opera. After we finally had the “privilege” of standing in a long line (only one of the ticket windows was open) to pay for an over-priced ticket, we roamed to see what we were allowed to see of the house, which competes with Versailles in gilt and painted ceilings. It obviously was built to enable the rich to have a suitable venue in which to show off their best clothes and jewelry. Most delightful (and surprising), though, was the auditorium ceiling painted by Marc Chagall. It didn’t fit the décor of the rest of the building, but its colors and whimsy were refreshing in a place which exemplifies “over-the-top.”
We then headed in the rain to the Pompidou, but we decided to eat before entering the museum, since it was already about 2:00. We found a place where we sat in a plastic enclosed area covered by an awning warmed by heaters, had some lunch, and watched wet Parisians and tourists splash by. When we were finally done eating and went to enter the Pompidou, we found a very long line of people snaking around the square, standing in a soaking, slanting rain. We decided it was not for us, so we “Metroed” back to our apartment and later shopped along Montgrueil for supper and breakfasts.
We were able to get hold of Jane, an Untour rep., and found out that we have a good chance of making our Air France fight tomorrow. Also, she checked and we will not have to be out of our apartment until 1:00, when the taxi will arrive. (We’d been told previously that we’d have to be out by 8:00 a.m.)
Okay, now it’s time to describe what has happened today, Tuesday. It is 6:30 p.m. as I write this, and we are tired, so we are resting until time for dinner.
This morning we “opened” The Carnavale Museum at 10:00. It’s one of the great old “hotels” (mansions) and features French (especially Parisian) history, mostly in the 16th-18th centuries. I enjoyed the paintings which showed Paris “back in the day”: a hotel on fire, demolition of buildings to make way for an addition to the Louvre, a celebration of a dauphin’s birth, a street riot, the despoiling of churches during the Revolution, and so on. These paintings certainly show that France has had a colorful and violent history (as with most countries, I believe).
Then we headed for the Bon Marche` looking for … well … something to buy. What a great store! What a great big store! After wandering around a while, we finally found three crystal candle-holders and then discovered we’d left the credit cards in our apartment. Ouch! Not a good moment! Leaving the store, we found a sidewalk table where we had a nice lunch and then headed “home.”
After a very brief rest and a moment to grab a credit card, we headed off to St. Denis. I have to admit that by this time I wasn’t too thrilled to be heading out to yet another church, but I also have to admit that Sue was right in urging me to go. Other than being the earliest example of “High Gothic,” it is distinguished as the “Necropolis” for French royalty from the 5th Century through the Revolution.
The tombs are fascinating, and the history they represent is amazing. Numerous kings and queens are buried there, including Catherine d’ Medici, Louis XIV, Louis XV, as well as many princes and princesses. Especially fascinating to me were the backgrounds of the queens (who for political reasons, of course, came from other countries), from Navarre, from Aragon, Sicily, and so on. Just the names “Aragon,” and “Navarre” evoke for me images of castles and armored knights.
We headed back from there to the Bon Marche`, a long ride on the Metro that got increasingly crowded, where we finally were able to buy our candlesticks. From there we rode another packed Metro car to Marcel Etienne, our “home” stop. We have discovered that Metro stations and cars can provide entertainment. We have heard and seen a classical guitarist, a man who played good jazz on an alto sax, several accordion players, drummers, and even a magician. This morning from a car heading the other way, we heard the lively sounds of a jazz trio spilling out into the station as the car opened its doors. It was a lovely treat.
10/31/07 Wednesday, our last day in France
More random observations:
I think we have felt more “cut off” in France than we did in Austria, five years ago. It’s true that we had no more facility with German than we do now with French. But at least in our Austrian apartments we could get CNN in English, connecting us better to what was going on in the world, including the States, of course. Also, in Austria we had easy access to the Internet, but we’ve not had that here. In Alsace we drove to Selestat about three times to the library where we could go on-line. I’m surprised that in all of our walks around Paris we have seen only one Internet café, and that was over on the Left Bank.
Lots of people smoke in France. Some of the eateries have a non-smoking section, which helps only if the restaurant is big enough to provide good separation. All of the restaurants we visited were small. Eating at a sidewalk café is best (and often delightful) if the weather permits, although one can smell the fumes from vehicles in the streets. Evidently a new law will go into effect soon that will ban all smoking in restaurants. Thankfully, smoking has already been banned in Metro stations and trains.
Alsace had very clean highways, streets, and towns. Even in Paris, the streets are quite clean for a big city. The avenue on which we had an apartment was cleaned by a street sweeper three times a week.
Paris is theatre. The people like to gather in public places, sidewalk cafes, for example, to watch each other. They dress for the occasion, too, usually with sophistication and elegance. The design of many of the streets and squares also lends to the theatricality. It all can be wonderfully exciting.
We loved the combination of staying two weeks in Alsace and a week in Paris. Alsace offers a wonderful scenery, history, food and wine. And we found the people very friendly. But other than in Strasbourg, a marvelous city, one gets a rural ambiance, which provides a nice counterpoint to the big city atmosphere of Paris.
At 1:00 p.m. we’re sitting in Charles De Gaulle Airport, outside of Paris. Our connecting flight to Strasbourg has been delayed by fog. Hopefully we will be able to board in half an hour or so.
We’ve found that trying to traverse this airport is like trying to get through a giant maze. We took a tram, at which we arrived after a hurried, ten-minute walk, but after disembarking from the tram as directed, we still had to walk a couple of miles. The signs were either non-existent or confusing, and help was seldom available. And it wasn’t just us who were confused and frustrated – we kept running into fellow passengers trying to make connections who were as lost as we were. The glass, steel and concrete terminal buildings look impressive, but they also give a sense of the lack of welcome one finds inside.
The flight from L.A. went okay. Luckily, we were able to get seats just behind the bulkhead, so my long legs were not painfully jammed into a seat in front of me. Unluckily, in our row of three seats, sat an elderly man who was obese. Flying to Istanbul to visit old friends and family, he was friendly enough, but he literally took up a quarter of our seat next to him. Sue, sweetheart that she is, put up with him for the first two hours. I took the last eight-and-a-half. While I was trying to sleep, he put his heavy arm right on top of mine, leaning into me with his shoulder and leg. Soon my neck and torso were aching because of his weight pressing against me.
10/10/07 Wednesday
We ended up much delayed in our Paris-Strasbourg flight yesterday. However, the Strasbourg airport is lovely, modern, and on a human scale. Vivian and Alicia, the Alsace Untour reps, thankfully met us and the rest of the Untourists there with a nice bus for which Untours had arranged. So instead of having to pick up our rental car, then driving (groggy after twenty-four hours of driving, flying, and waiting in airports) in a foreign country to find an apartment in a small town to which we had never been, we got to relax and enjoy the scenery. In Bergheim our rental cars awaited. Vivian had done all of the paperwork beforehand, and we just had to follow Anne, our landlord, to our apartment in Beblenheim.
We were so exhausted that Sue turned in at 7:30 p.m., while I took a shower. When I got into bed, I read for about five minutes when I found myself falling asleep. Although I did not sleep all night through, I found myself waking up at nine this morning.
We easily found our restaurant meeting place in Ribeauville`, where we got information from Vivian and then had a very good and very large lunch. Afterwards, Sue and I walked around the little town, which is very quaint and charming, but for me, a bit too touristy (determined by the number of souvenir shops per block). The view of the castles (chateaux) and tower above the town is beautiful, though. Pickers were still harvesting grapes in the vineyards on the steep slopes just above the town’s streets.
After some grocery shopping (everything so different but the differences manageable) we drove home, rested a bit, and then walked around the village of Beblenheim. It is not as “cute” as Ribeauville` (not one souvenir store) and therefore seems more authentic to me. Plus, many of the old houses and other buildings are absolutely charming.
10/11/07 Thursday
Today I did not wake up until 10:30 and Sue not until 11:00. Neither of us had slept well, though. Plus, we are still recovering from the long travel day and trying to adjust to a nine-hour time difference.
So our intentions of driving to see Haut Konigsberg were finished before we began. Instead, we drove to Selestat in time to find many attractions closed, since we arrived just at the two-hour lunch break. But we wandered into their cathedral, St. George’s, built in the 11th-13th centuries, and as with any Gothic cathedral I have seen, it is a wonder. However, I also found St. George’s a little sad. The parish was obviously trying to raise money for restoration, but the bulletin board looked pretty sparse and the building in obvious need of repair. If people can bomb the hell out of so much of the world, we could at least afford to restore these masterpieces of the spirit.
We also visited the Biblioteque Humaniste, a small library but with a very important collection: manuscripts from the 11th century up to the early era of printing. The quality of printing was excellent, and the works included translations of classical writers such as Aristophanes, Plato, and Livy, as well as works by an author who was a friend of Martin Luther’s and expelled from the Church for his ideas.
The ancient library was quite a contrast to the Mediateque that we walked to for Internet access. This modern building sits just above a river and with its glass walls takes good advantage of the view. The architecture shows that modern buildings can be welcome and warm, as well as sleek. This modern library shows that the good people of Selestat still appreciate learning, and it also shows much civic pride.
When we got back to the apartment, we met up with Untourist ladies, Lynne and Donna, who have the apartment above us. We ended up walking with them to the “White Lamb” (Agneau Blanc), where we had a wonderful meal.
"Our" Street in Beblenheim
10/12/07 Friday
Today we drove up through the fog and mist to see the Convent of St. Odile. We toured it in the company of a lot of German tourists who had just been bussed in.
The church is lovely, but the several small chapels are exquisite. Unfortunately, because of the poor visibility, the views today from the top of this mountain are nil.
So we drove down to parking lot #3 and took a hike. As we walked, the skies lightened up a bit, which helped to illuminate the Celtic (“Pagan”) wall, which the trail followed for a while. Pretty stout people, those Celts must have been, based on the size of the stones fitted into the wall. Obviously, they also had the craft to create a structure that has lasted since the 5th Century B.C. One can only wonder at the fate of the poor souls who got to move and shape those big rocks. We followed the wall for a while, and I imagined how it was used to seal off the top of the mountain, providing good security for the people living up there. At one point we found a sunny spot and climbed on top of the wall, where the flat rocks, shaped a bit like long bread loaves, provided comfortable (well, at least flat) seats. Returning to the trail, we hiked our way back to the convent, passing through a large open expanse of grass just below the buildings. By the time we got back to the top, the fog had cleared up, but the haze hadn’t, so we got views of nearby mountains and valleys but not to the Rhine and Germany, as is possible on clear days.
As we looked over the lush landscape, the soft autumn light on the yellow-orange leaves made us feel content, complete. The harvests are about done, the crops picked and brought in – now is a time of rest.
However, “a time of rest” can be relative. In this area have been fought many bloody battles. Today we walked along a Celtic wall. How many did the Celtic invaders have to kill to capture that mountain-top? Archaeologists have discovered Roman ruins at St. Odile. How many Celts did the Roman invaders have to kill in order to wrest control? We know that in a few centuries the Romans were overwhelmed by fierce “pagan” tribes swarming out of Northern Europe. Becoming converted to Christianity did not seem to make them less violent. During the Middle Ages kings from east and west fought for control over this land. From the 19th through the 20th centuries Alsace changed hands several times, which is why so many of these towns with Germanic names are inhabited by French-speaking people, or by people who speak the old Alsatian language that has elements of both. Tens of thousands were killed in the two “world wars.”
So that these mountains and valleys today turn yellow-gold under a gentle sun in a time of peace is lucky for us. Chaos and death have never been far away.
10/14/07 Sunday
We are sleeping in this morning. At least Sue is sleeping in. I was lying in bed for a while, listening to the sounds of the village that were coming through the window – the buzzing of the occasional small-engine cars racing along the street, roosters crowing, and at 10:00 the church bells pealing for a good spell, calling people in for worship.
I have seen dogs in town, but I don’t believe that I have heard a barking dog.
Bird sounds, of course – a variety of songs. The trees, rose bushes, vegetable gardens and vineyards provide their habitat.
I remember that we saw a black cat through a store-front window in Selestat, staring at us with yellow eyes, but that is the only cat I have seen.
I’ve walked to the small market on the corner to buy wine, a baguette for Sue, and bottled water. I use my very limited and poorly pronounced French on the shop lady who is kind and smiles at me.
It seems that every country we have visited has its own palette of colors for the exteriors of houses. I’m poor at identifying colors, but I’ll make an attempt. These apartments have two entrances from the street. One is painted a blue and one a purple.
A house across the street has the gray, concrete walls set off by lively “baby blue” shutters. Coming from California, where so many houses are painted in “earth tones,” the French houses, at least here in Alsace, often seem boldly colorful. Yet the colors seem just right, not garish. Many of the homes in this area have, of course, the half-timbered exteriors and window-boxes full of vibrantly-red geraniums, contrasted by smaller blue flowers.
I am just hearing my first barking dog. Also, the landlord’s children are walking nearby. Youngsters here ride bicycles down the narrow streets, competing for space with the cars and ubiquitous little white delivery vans. I suppose that they develop a fearlessness that they employ later when driving their cars along the streets and country roads.
Drivers here are justly notorious for tail-gating. However, I haven’t seen them drive recklessly, really. When I’m being tail-gated, I try to pull over to allow the tail-gater to race on his (mostly his) or her way.
The country roads and highways are excellent – very well maintained and smooth. One soon gets used to the traffic circles, or roundabouts. The signage is excellent, much better than in California, for example. However, in the towns, while there are ample signs pointing to important destinations, street signs often seem impossible to find. Yesterday, for instance, we got lost in Obernai, trying to find the VieBio, a health food store. We almost had given up after crossing back and forth across the small town several times, when Sue figured out how to get us there.
It is now 5:25 p.m. as I write this. This morning Sue and I had a late breakfast, then sat and read for a while. I sat at the small round metal table on our front “porch.” Although the air was cool, the sun kept me warm. A great flock of starlings (I think) rolled and bowled around the sky. Some of them lit in the tree next to me. Collectively they make a lot of noise.
This afternoon Sue and I decided to walk the section of the Grand Cru Trail from Beblenheim to Zellenberg, which took us through vineyards to higher up in the valley. Even though some of the vines still have not been picked, their leaves are turning yellow/gold. As we walked higher, we could see more of the valley and the towns, each invariably punctuated by a church spire. In Zellenberg we walked through some of the streets, discovering how old the town is: dating from the 16th Century, if I remember correctly. One of the houses evidently was an Allied headquarters on December 14, 1944 – about two weeks before I was born.
We did some wine tasting in Zellenberg, bought a bottle of Gewurtztraminer, then tried a restaurant, too late for lunch and too early for dinner at 3:30 as it turned out. So we hiked back down to Beblenheim, where we ate again at L’Agneau Blanc. I had a traditional meal of sauerkraut, slices of ham, and sausages, with boiled potatoes. Sue had a combination of pork and veal with several salad items. We both enjoyed the Dijon mustard which had obviously been mixed with horseradish.
We have made plans to visit Colmar tomorrow.
10/15/07 Monday
I must be getting, finally, back to a normal sleep rhythm, awaking about 7:30 a.m. It is now 8:10. Sue stayed in bed, a bit longer, but I know that she was having a tough time getting to sleep last night.
We did get to Colmar by mid-morning. (As we found out again, getting into these French towns seems much easier than getting out.) I think Colmar is the biggest town in this area, after Strasbourg. Its outskirts are a mixture of industry, commerce, and modern housing, but the citizens have done a fine job of preserving the old city. (However, since much of the town must have been destroyed by the intense fighting in World War II, it is hard to tell what was rebuilt and what was preserved.)
A Scene in Colmar
We began our visit with the Unterlinden Museum, which was wonderful. It has items from pre-history to modern art. But the major focus is medieval to Renaissance painting and sculpture. So many crucifixes! So many last suppers! The amazing pieces by Matthias Grunewald were the highlight. The scale and daring of his art, not to mention its virtuosity, would make it the master work of almost any collection. However, another highlight was the etchings and paintings by Holmstadt, which rivaled those of Albrecht Durer, I think. Holmstadt was a local artist here.
In fact, it amazes to see how much art was being produced in these Alsatian towns about 600 years ago. The Unterlinden even has what it calls the oldest European still-life painting (12th Century?) which featured almost photographic detail of a barber/surgeon’s cabinet, making it seem modern in style.
After the Unterlinden our feet and backs were pretty tired, so we sat for a few minutes on a bench outside and planned our next foray, which was into the old town. On the way Sue bought a crepe filled with Nutella and orange jam, eating it for a while as we walked. There were a lot of clothing stores along one street. This is a long way from Paris, but the stylish fashions showed that Colmar is definitely in France. We finally stopped at a street-side table of a busy restaurant. We should have found a table in the shade because the sun soon felt too strong. But we had a good lunch there while enjoying the flowers and the passersby. After lunch we walked some more, seeing the old city wall next to a canal (I wonder if it might have previously served as a moat). Their cathedral looked quite interesting – it was impressive but looked different than others we have seen in the area. However, we could not find our way to look at the interior.
Then we decided to head off to Iguisheim, a town west of Colmar, higher up in the valley. But it was very hard going because of a lack of road signs and a surfeit of traffic. Somehow, we found our way, though. When we got to Iguisheim we decided to travel through it and up to the Cinq Chateaux, where we parked and walked a short path up to see three of the old castles, actually very old fortifications, which overlook the Rhine Valley. While picturesque, the old keeps are not in good shape.
So we spent a little time there, clambering over walls and up rock stairways, then drove back down to the town, where we parked and strolled for a while. We had heard this is one of the most beautiful towns in this area, and it is true. Some of the buildings are amazingly old. The “streets” are very narrow. They form three concentric rings inside the old fortified wall. Many of the houses have lovely displays of flowers. There are a couple of very old and picturesque fountains to see.
An Iguisheim Fountain
Then it was time to head back to our apartment. The drive was stressful again, and I swear we encountered a roundabout each mile, where we had to make instant decisions about which exit to take (I guess I forgot that I could just keep going around until we figured it out, but the roundabouts seemed more hostile than friendly). In any case, we arrived back at out apartment very tired.10/16/07 Tuesday
It is a little after 3:00 p.m., and we have just returned from a lovely hike. We drove out to Munster and then towards Mittleback to pick up the trail. At first it was mostly level, and almost immediately we found ourselves walking along a river bordered by meadows, some used for grazing cattle. After about fifteen minutes we passed some farm buildings that looked very old, ones that had evidently housed both animals and people. Shortly thereafter the trail began to climb. The fall colors were beautiful against the deep greens of grass and conifers, and we heard swift water all the way.
It obviously took a lot of work to build the trail because it crossed several big rock-slides. We crossed wooden bridges built just for hikers over the fast-moving water. Further on there were some beautiful cascades roaring down. In a bit less than two hours we made it Lac d’ Fischboedle, nothing more than a dammed up pond, really, but lovely in how it reflected the green and golden trees surrounding it. We took a mountain road down, so we got to the car in quick time.
Lac d' Fischboedle
I noticed today that Sue and I have gotten comfortable driving in France. We are no longer intimidated by the round-abouts. In fact, I now enjoy them and can see how they are a very efficient method of moving traffic through intersections.10/17/07 Wednesday
Neither of us slept well last night. For the first time it was a bit noisy around the apartment.
Anyway, we got ourselves off to Selestat, finding our way quite easily this time to the Mediateque. We checked our email, sent a couple of messages, and then headed off to Haut Konigsberg. The drive up the mountain and then exploring the castle, itself, was really fun. The castle, restored early in the 20th Century, has lots of interesting history. One example is a long time ago a group of knights used the castle as a base from which to rob and pillage.
Although it was still somewhat hazy, the views from the castle were splendid. I think Sue got some good photos.
From Haut Konigsberg Down Into the Rhine Valley
We are supposed to get rain tonight and early tomorrow. The sky was interesting today: periods of light and dark, sunlight shooting through gaps in the clouds.
This evening we are to meet the Untour group in Ribeauville` at L’Auberge Noir for dinner.
10/18/07 Thursday
The rain came in yesterday evening, which meant that driving to the restaurant on wet roads with someone’s headlights fastened to our rear bumper was not especially fun. The dinner and company, however, were very good.
The Three Chateaux d' Ribeauville` from a Vineyard
We slept in this morning. After finally getting ready, we drove the short trip north to Hunawihr, a village slightly off the beaten path, which meant we weren’t in a crowd of tourists. Actually, there were very few, even though it is a lovely village, probably best known for its fortified church, an interesting concept, if one thinks about it. We walked about the town, enjoying the many flowers and then up to the church. Going inside, we saw a beautiful pipe organ and lovely stained-glass windows. Nobody else was inside. When we made our way outside, we spent some time walking around the cemetery. From there we could hear school children, especially boys, playing outside at the school below. The sky had darkened, and the wind picked up, so it felt pretty chilly.
We had a good lunch at a restaurant there and then drove to Requiwihr. In contrast to Hunawihr, this town was very touristy. Naturally, then, it was besieged by busloads of tourists, mostly Germans, it seemed. Thus, this town was not nearly as much fun as the other villages.
Later in the afternoon we went to Iglosheim to see the military cemetery on a hill above the town. The sky was dramatic with sun and clouds, and the site had a beautiful view. We decoded the French monuments to figure out that these buried troops, about 1500 of them, were from an allied force that included French Resistance, North African, and American troops. However, the cemetery was a bit puzzling. A French flag was the only one flying over the grounds. The headstones in the two middle sections were crosses with an occasional rounded one for a Jewish casualty. It was not clear which were American and which were French. The two sections flanking these were headstones for Muslim troops from North Africa.
These troops were all killed in the battle of the Colmar Pocket. We could easily see Colmar a few miles below. The few photos at the memorial showed troops in the snow. It was bad enough that the fighting was so vicious, but then to have to deal with the cold must have made the suffering much worse.
I left this place haunted. I also wondered if two of my uncles, Max and Rusty, both of whom were infantrymen in France, fought any where near Colmar.
10/19/07 Friday
This ended up being a long day. Our plan was to hike to Nideck, one of the castles on the Rue de Chateaux and then head on to St. Alvord, where 10,000 American servicemen are buried.
It took us about two hours to get to the trailhead for Nideck, and the drive was generally pleasant. The woods along the trail were quite beautiful, although it was overcast on the way up. About 7/8 of the trail offers a gentle ascent, but the last part, in front of and alongside the cascades, was very steep. However, we took our time and soon found ourselves at the lower keep. After looking around for a bit, we hiked up some more to the upper chateau, and then by narrow steps (augmented with a handrail) up to its top, which afforded a wonderful view over the forest.
We walked back down to the lower keep, found a bench, and then started having some lunch. Well, the sky grew darker, the wind picked up, and mist began to come down, so we thought rain was imminent. We quickly put our food back into our daypacks and then started down the trail. When we came, in a short while, to a junction, we thought we had found the other part of the “loop” indicated on the signpost at the trailhead. So we walked up and up, but when the trail ended at a road, we realized we’d taken a wrong turn, not a problem, really, since we’d hiked on this section for only about twenty minutes. Anyway, we hiked back down to the junction and then made our way back to the trailhead, fortunate that rain never began to fall. Overall, it was an interesting and lovely hike.
Looking for lunch, we drove for just a few minutes and came across a busy winstub. Sue had a nice quiche lorraine with a green salad, and I had a pommes au gratin, also with a green salad. The place had several smokers, which wasn’t pleasant, but the food tasted good and the winstub was very clean.
After that interlude, however, we began the drive to St. Alvord. We hadn’t realized that the long drive was on a highway that took us through one small town after another, which made for difficult and slow going. After a while, my right leg and back began to stiffen and cause pain. We finally pulled over, looked at the map, and decided it would take us at least two more hours to get to St. Alvord. I realized that I wasn’t up to that kind of a drive, plus the extra hours it would take us to return from there to Beblenheim. Thereafter, we got ourselves lost and thoroughly confused but finally made it back to our apartment. Both of us were stiff and sore when we got out of the Renault for the last time.
10/20/07 Saturday
Sue and I decided to sleep in and have an easy morning (as if all of them haven’t been easy). So it is mid-morning as I sit and write this while Sue solves her suduko puzzles.
The French transportation workers’ strike is affecting us here in Alsace. We’d hoped to take the train to Strasbourg from Colmar, but that option is out. Even if we drive, we’re unsure if the trams from the parking lots at the edge of the city will be operating. We worry that the strike will still be in effect next week, when we will be in Paris, which would make getting around there very difficult.
Some random observations:
The forests in this area are lush with vegetation. Rivers, streams, creeks, cascades, waterfalls, and springs are common, especially when compared to so many of the forests in the Western United States. Green moss grows on rocks and trees. Birds seem rare, though, so when one hears a bird call it is a minor event. We have seen no deer or other wild quadrupeds. But for the sounds of water and wind, the forests are usually quiet.
In this area of France there are many small towns and villages. Except for the major highways (some of which are toll roads), travel can be quite slow, since the local highways usually take one right through the middle of the towns.
A couple of afternoons ago, when we were visiting the cemetery for allied forces at Iglosheim, the sun kept breaking through the clouds, especially beautiful when it lit up patches of yellow-gold vineyards. Wine grapes have been cultivated in this area since the Romans ruled. No wonder the wines are so wonderful today. Folks here have had centuries of practice in making wine. And even aside from the wealth of the major industrial areas to the north, it is no wonder the Germans and French have coveted this land. These vines are golden in more than one way.
While looking at the three photos posted in the Iglosheim memorial of the “Battle for the Colmar Pocket,” one sees the snow that blanketed the ground in December 1944. That the fighting was fierce is cruel enough, but how bitter for the soldiers to be in the snow and freezing cold. And a personal connection for me: I was born December 29, 1944.
Iglosheim From the Cemetery and Memorial for the
Battle of the Colmar Pocket
As we wander through the towns and old churchyards around here, we often notice memorials to local fallen soldiers (and even to fallen civilians). It is sad to read the names and see how young some of them were. And then one realizes that many of the men would have been on the “wrong side,” since many French Alsatians were conscripted by the Nazis. Some of the names on the memorials, though, were people who served with the French Resistance. In any event, the memorials and military cemeteries provide a somber counterpoint to the local beauty and enjoyment of life in Alsace.
10/21/07 Sunday
Sue and I got out the door at 9:00 this morning, heading for Strasbourg. We’d heard the day before that while the train from Colmar might be questionable because of the strike, the city trams were running. And we had a wonderful day in Strasbourg, even though it was cold all day and ultimately wet.
We found the Park and Ride easily enough, and with the kind help of some Pakistani men, we were able to figure out the tram ticket machine. Within about fifteen minutes we were in downtown Strasbourg.
We found the Tourism Office, bought our tickets, and headed, first, for the Musee des Beaux Artes, where we saw paintings and sculptures by artists such as El Greco, Titian, Giotto, Brueghel, and many others.
From there we went to the amazing Strasbourg Cathedral, saw the astronomical clock go through its routine, and then it was off to a restaurant, where I managed to fall down the steep stairs (well, several anyway).
After checking my limbs and my dignity (the former were a bit sore, but the latter was bruised), we took a bateau for a city tour by water. The audio guide had eight languages, by the way, showing what an international city this is. By the time we got on board it was raining, so we were glad to be in an enclosed vessel with a glass ceiling.
A Strasbourg View
Later, Sue stopped to have a crepe, and then we rented an audio walking tour which took us through the cathedral and part of the city, ducking in and out of the rain. And what a beautiful city with so much history and a pleasant ambiance.
We got home just before dark, glad to return home to our warm, dry apartment.
10/22/07 Monday
When we arose this morning, we saw that the sky was clear to the east and so prepared ourselves for a hike to Lake Noir, starting at the French cemetery and museum called Le Lignes (The Lines).
We got off in good time and headed west into the Vosges Mountains via Kaysersberg. However, we did notice tdark clouds over the mountains. And I thought I saw some white near the mountain-tops whenever the clouds parted a bit.
Sue expertly guided us from one small road to another, each gaining altitude and often taking us by bright green pastures dotted by cows. Many of the trees had turned yellow and some were red. Then we saw a car coming down from above that had snow on its top. Pretty soon, we saw snow in the trees, on the houses (wood smoke curling out of the chimneys), and on the grass beside the road. The car’s outside temperature gauge went from –1 to –2, centigrade.
Early Snow in the Vosges Mountains
The cold and snow did not keep us from finding the museum, however, which had some adults and a busload of students visiting. The inside of the museum was interesting. Even though almost none of the exhibitions were in English, we felt we were learning a lot about the great World War I battle that was fought there.However, the best part of the museum is the section of the original battlefield that one can walk through. At least some of the battle had been fought in the snow, which softened the ugliness of the trenches and pill-boxes, but also meant the soldiers lived and sometimes dyed in such bitter cold. At one point the tour takes the walker into some of the old trenches. They seemed like a maze to me. Along the way crosses marked where relatively recent excavations had found previously “lost” soldiers from both sides, indications of how close-quarters the combat must have been. It was a moving experience. We were very glad to get back into our warm car.
Because it was so cold, we decided that it would be foolish (and very uncomfortable) to attempt a hike over an unfamiliar trail that was covered with snow. So we drove down the mountains into Kaysersberg.
This town has an ancient castle and fortifications sitting just above the main section. On the castle’s main tower flew the French tricolor. We parked and walked a bit until we found a likely winstub for lunch.
Eating out is so different here. The pace is much slower. Everything seems freshly prepared with products of good quality. The cafes and restaurants are spotless. Coffee is served only after the meal. One almost has to beg the server to bring the check. When we get back to the States, I’m afraid we are going to miss these Alsatian restaurants.
When we finally emerged from the winstub, we began to tour the charming town, but the wind had come up and dark clouds were forming. We’d left our coats in the car, so we decided to head back to it, drive home, and save Kaysersberg for tomorrow. Hopefully, it will be warmer.
Upon our return to Beblenheim, we decided to do some local wine tasting. So we put on our warm clothes and walked down the block and to the right for about fifty yards to a wine-tasting room. It had the Grand Cru Sonneglanz wines, grown and vinted right here in Beblenheim but famous throughout France. We tried an excellent Gewurtztraminer, but we ended up buying two bottles of Tokay Pinot Gris. We also bought some glasses imprinted with “Beblenheim” and the name of the vintner.
So we are back at the apartment now, enjoying its warmth and watching the sky get darker.
10/23/07 Tuesday
We slept through my watch alarm this morning – not a good omen for tomorrow, when we need to get up early and depart Alsace for Paris.
Anyway, we still got away at a reasonable time and headed for Kaysersberg, where one can still see the old city wall below the chateau, surrounded by a moat, which is dry now.
Kaysersberg
Although it was cold, we enjoyed walking through the town. We ended up not only walking to the chateau, but then up the circular stairs to the top of the keep – lovely views from there of the town, the mountains, and the vineyards.
On our way back to the car, we spotted a couple of storks socializing on the roof of a house with the chateau flying the French tricolor for a picturesque backdrop.
We returned to our apartment for lunch, enjoying some of the Sonnengranz Tokay Pinot Gris.
10/26/07 Friday
We have been so busy that I haven’t kept up with this journal. A brief re-cap:
Wednesday everything went smoothly for our transfer from Beblenheim to Paris. We had some confusion at the Strasbourg airport about our plane tickets, but we’d arrived in plenty of time to resolve all of the issues and relax before boarding our plane.
This time our arrival at Charles de Gaulle went smoothly. Joanna Carten, our Untours rep., was right there to greet us with a driver. She’d arranged for a vehicle to take us from the airport to our Paris apartment. It was wonderful to relax and let someone else drive, especially in Paris, which is a traffic nightmare.
For Sue and me this is our second visit to Paris. About twenty-seven years ago we helped to chaperone a group of high school students through Europe. It was the only way we could afford to go. A couple of months before we left, Sue became pregnant with our first child, a blessed but unexpected event. Not so blessed was Sue’s morning sickness that lasted almost all day and into the night. Much of that European trip was miserable for her, and one of the places she was sickest was Paris. All of these years I have hoped we could return so that Sue might enjoy this marvelous city.
After unpacking, we walked some of the streets around our apartment. The nearby pedestrian street of Montgueril had human activity that I found almost over-whelming after the relative calm of the Alsatian towns. Just steps away from our apartment on Rue Marie Stuart are cafes, produce stands, patisseries, a butcher, a fishmonger, a wine store, a newspaper/magazine store, and two U-Marches. We finally ate at a brasserie that we found on a busy corner, a place that had non-gluten items on an English menu. We had a great time eating, drinking some wine, watching passersby and especially enjoying the daredevils on bicycles, motorcycles, and scooters. We loved to see the folks (men and women) on the motorcycles and scooters line up at a red light and then drag race across the intersection when the light turned green.
Yesterday, Thursday, full of hope we set out for the nearest Metro station, which happened to be one of the old-style ones with art-nouveau designs. We were pleased to find that despite the strike the Metro seemed to be running smoothly. So we easily got to our stop near Notre Dame, where we toured the cathedral and then followed a walking tour that we found in the Rick Steve book.
Notre Dame's Famous Flying Buttresses
It was cold and windy, but that didn’t decrease our enjoyment – much better the brisk weather for touring than the summer heat and the summer crowds. We had a nice long lunch in a warm café and then headed for the Left Bank. Again, the street life pulses with energy there – lots of small ethnic restaurants. We then crossed the Seine to tour the Concierge, which used to hold prisoners, including Marie Antoinette, until taken to the guillotine. We met other Untourists and Joanna Carten at the Navigator restaurant for a fine meal and good conversation.
10/27/07 Saturday
It’s 8:30 a.m. and still barely light. Partly this is because our apartment is in the city, surrounded by taller buildings. I don’t now how much direct sunlight little Rue Marie Stuart ever receives.
We did a lot of touring/walking yesterday. Most of it went well, but sometimes I got angry, frustrated. I think this is due to several things, such as the large amount of people, the difficulty we have sometimes finding our way, fatigue from being on my feet so much, and probably most significant, my lack of knowledge/ability with the French language. It makes me feel stupid.
Last night our neighbor above us was loud, clattering around constantly in what sounded like high heels, until past midnight and then again around five this morning.
Yesterday we toured the underground Archeological Museum near Notre Dame, the Cluny Museum with its amazing collection of Medieval items, and St. Chapelle with its gorgeous stained glass and interior ornamentation. Probably the highlight for me was the Cluny’s display of a series of tapestries that told the allegorical story of a “mysterious lady.” I never knew that tapestries could be so beautiful, complex, with such wit and meaning.
In between the Cluny and St. Chappelle we walked back to Notre Dame to sit and just try to soak in as much of the inspiration as we could.
On our way back to our apartment we shopped at some of the stores along Montgrueil, right next to our apartment. I think I lost a glove in that foray. (Actually, I found it later.)
Yesterday evening, after eating some and resting, we went for a walk past Les Halles, a modern and somewhat disappointing development. (Some of it seems already worn, and there is a tackiness that I found surprising for Paris.) Lots of people out, especially younger ones. Sue got a crepe with Grand Marnier and enjoyed it. It made me happy that after all of these years we could return to Paris and she got to enjoy this treat, unlike the first time when she was stricken with “morning sickness” all day long. Of course, how could I have known that upon our return I could not eat crepes, myself, because of my celiac disease? Ah, life’s ironies!
Today we’d like to visit the Orsay Museum and walk along the Champs d’ Elysee.
It’s about 5:00 p.m. We have been at our apartment for an hour and a half, resting after a four-hour saunter through the Orsay. We needed the rest, but it was inspiring to see some of the wonderful work from the 18th Century artists, such as Monet, Manet, Pisarro, Van Gogh, Gaugin, Rodin, Seurat, Cezanne, etc., etc. There were even rooms of Art Nouveau furniture, so ethereally beautiful that it seemed to have come from another world, which, in a sense, it did.
A View of the Orsay
We ate lunch at the Orsay’s café – a mistake. The food was fresh and okay, but expensive. Plus, it was so jammed that I had to stand while eating – hard to do when trying to spear salad bits with a fork. Also, by that time my tired legs and feet could have used a rest.
By the time we had “done” the Orsay, we were both “done in.”
In about an hour we plan to head out to the Champs d’ Elysee.
It’s 10:35, and we’ve been back at the apartment for half an hour. The Champs d’ Elysee was fun. The Arc d’ Triomph was pretty gaudy but very interesting. The monuments to the soldiers and generals and battles and wars gave quite a breadth of history and a sense of the sadness of losing all those men and women. Walking down the great boulevard made for excellent people-watching. When we came back, we walked from the Les Halles Station, looking for a sidewalk café, but none of them appealed to me. I guess I just felt out of place. Fatigue probably had something to do with my mood, as well.
10/28/ 2007 Sunday
Our neighbor upstairs was noisy again last night, past midnight. Then I heard some movement at about five.
I stayed in bed until about 9:00, although I was awake for an hour before that. Sue got up a bit later. We‘d decided to have a lazy morning before heading out – to where we didn’t yet know. This evening we want to take a boat ride and see the Eiffel Tower.
It’s 4:00 p.m., and we returned to our apartment about half an hour ago. This morning we ended up heading to St. Sulpice, another magnificent church, to hear a free organ concert. Because we did not take into account today’s time change, we got there earlier than anticipated and ended up witnessing the whole communion mass, which was interesting, as it turned out. Of course, it was in French. (What do I mean “Of course?” Pope Benedict has reinstated the Latin mass for churches that prefer it.) There was some lovely singing, both solo and choral, much of it accompanied by the massive organ.
The organ recital began right after mass. Obviously the organist is a virtuoso and the instrument magnificent. As the recital ended, we strolled around the church to see some powerful works of art, including two large canvases by Delacroix and an obelisk which has a top that is illuminated by a mote of sunlight on 12/25.
Afterwards, we had a nice lunch at a cozy creperie, then walked along the Right Bank for some impressive city views.
A Fall View of the Right Bank
10/29/07 Monday
It’s a rainy morning. Air France flight crews are still on strike. We had an awful night for sleep. We were awakened by an electronic noise that pulsed about every second. We couldn’t tell where it was coming from, but it finally stopped about 1:30. And there were the other noises that one hears at night in a major city. In addition, eating late last night was not good for my stomach.
Anyway, we hope to get into contact this morning with Jane, the local Untour rep., about our flight home, however that will happen. We’ll then need to contact the taxi company to confirm our reservations with them. Afterwards, we’ll see how the weather looks and perhaps head for the Opera House and the Pompidou Center.
Yesterday afternoon, about 5:00, we left for the Eiffel Tower. We managed the Metro system well. After we arrived at the Tower, we looked around for a bit and then walked across the street to the Jardins de l’ Trocadero to get some good photos of the famous structure. The Trocadero was a busy place! Just the crowds were entertaining enough – so many languages and races and ethnic groups and modes of dress. For additional entertainment there were the young in-line skaters who sliced through the crowds and down the long staircase, the folks sitting and praying for an end to maltreatment (Tibetans?), and the break dancers.
Then we headed back over to the Tower, got in line, and within an hour we were on the second level. We got there at the best time: twilight. The great city’s lights were coming on. We could see the bateaux lit up on the Seine, the great rivers of traffic (white/red), and the large public buildings and monuments. Then the Eiffel Tower put on its sparkling lights, which were dazzling up close.
After a while we took the elevator car down, walked across the street to the Seine, bought tickets, and then got on a bateau for an hour’s cruise up and down the river. The bridges in some cases were amazing, and we enjoyed discovering not only some of the grand sights that we still had not seen after five days of clomping around Paris but also the sights we had already seen, but from the new perspective of the river.
All told, a wonderful afternoon and evening.
By an amazing coincidence, while transferring in a major Metro station we encountered Mari Shapiro, Sue’s good friend (along with her brother and sister-in-law). What were the odds!? It turned out that Mari got a last minute invitation from her brother to travel to Paris.
10/30/07 Tuesday
I have some free time to catch us up with what happened yesterday.
After staying cozy and dry yesterday morning in our apartment, we left to see the Paris Opera and, perhaps, the Pompidou. Walking to and from the Metro stations we joined the army of umbrella wielders on the sidewalks, which took some agility and finesse. But then we rounded a corner, and there it stood, the immense white and gold Opera. After we finally had the “privilege” of standing in a long line (only one of the ticket windows was open) to pay for an over-priced ticket, we roamed to see what we were allowed to see of the house, which competes with Versailles in gilt and painted ceilings. It obviously was built to enable the rich to have a suitable venue in which to show off their best clothes and jewelry. Most delightful (and surprising), though, was the auditorium ceiling painted by Marc Chagall. It didn’t fit the décor of the rest of the building, but its colors and whimsy were refreshing in a place which exemplifies “over-the-top.”
The Chagall Ceiling
We then headed in the rain to the Pompidou, but we decided to eat before entering the museum, since it was already about 2:00. We found a place where we sat in a plastic enclosed area covered by an awning warmed by heaters, had some lunch, and watched wet Parisians and tourists splash by. When we were finally done eating and went to enter the Pompidou, we found a very long line of people snaking around the square, standing in a soaking, slanting rain. We decided it was not for us, so we “Metroed” back to our apartment and later shopped along Montgrueil for supper and breakfasts.
We were able to get hold of Jane, an Untour rep., and found out that we have a good chance of making our Air France fight tomorrow. Also, she checked and we will not have to be out of our apartment until 1:00, when the taxi will arrive. (We’d been told previously that we’d have to be out by 8:00 a.m.)
Okay, now it’s time to describe what has happened today, Tuesday. It is 6:30 p.m. as I write this, and we are tired, so we are resting until time for dinner.
This morning we “opened” The Carnavale Museum at 10:00. It’s one of the great old “hotels” (mansions) and features French (especially Parisian) history, mostly in the 16th-18th centuries. I enjoyed the paintings which showed Paris “back in the day”: a hotel on fire, demolition of buildings to make way for an addition to the Louvre, a celebration of a dauphin’s birth, a street riot, the despoiling of churches during the Revolution, and so on. These paintings certainly show that France has had a colorful and violent history (as with most countries, I believe).
Then we headed for the Bon Marche` looking for … well … something to buy. What a great store! What a great big store! After wandering around a while, we finally found three crystal candle-holders and then discovered we’d left the credit cards in our apartment. Ouch! Not a good moment! Leaving the store, we found a sidewalk table where we had a nice lunch and then headed “home.”
After a very brief rest and a moment to grab a credit card, we headed off to St. Denis. I have to admit that by this time I wasn’t too thrilled to be heading out to yet another church, but I also have to admit that Sue was right in urging me to go. Other than being the earliest example of “High Gothic,” it is distinguished as the “Necropolis” for French royalty from the 5th Century through the Revolution.
The tombs are fascinating, and the history they represent is amazing. Numerous kings and queens are buried there, including Catherine d’ Medici, Louis XIV, Louis XV, as well as many princes and princesses. Especially fascinating to me were the backgrounds of the queens (who for political reasons, of course, came from other countries), from Navarre, from Aragon, Sicily, and so on. Just the names “Aragon,” and “Navarre” evoke for me images of castles and armored knights.
An Example of the Tombs in St. Denis
We headed back from there to the Bon Marche`, a long ride on the Metro that got increasingly crowded, where we finally were able to buy our candlesticks. From there we rode another packed Metro car to Marcel Etienne, our “home” stop. We have discovered that Metro stations and cars can provide entertainment. We have heard and seen a classical guitarist, a man who played good jazz on an alto sax, several accordion players, drummers, and even a magician. This morning from a car heading the other way, we heard the lively sounds of a jazz trio spilling out into the station as the car opened its doors. It was a lovely treat.
10/31/07 Wednesday, our last day in France
More random observations:
I think we have felt more “cut off” in France than we did in Austria, five years ago. It’s true that we had no more facility with German than we do now with French. But at least in our Austrian apartments we could get CNN in English, connecting us better to what was going on in the world, including the States, of course. Also, in Austria we had easy access to the Internet, but we’ve not had that here. In Alsace we drove to Selestat about three times to the library where we could go on-line. I’m surprised that in all of our walks around Paris we have seen only one Internet café, and that was over on the Left Bank.
Lots of people smoke in France. Some of the eateries have a non-smoking section, which helps only if the restaurant is big enough to provide good separation. All of the restaurants we visited were small. Eating at a sidewalk café is best (and often delightful) if the weather permits, although one can smell the fumes from vehicles in the streets. Evidently a new law will go into effect soon that will ban all smoking in restaurants. Thankfully, smoking has already been banned in Metro stations and trains.
Alsace had very clean highways, streets, and towns. Even in Paris, the streets are quite clean for a big city. The avenue on which we had an apartment was cleaned by a street sweeper three times a week.
Paris is theatre. The people like to gather in public places, sidewalk cafes, for example, to watch each other. They dress for the occasion, too, usually with sophistication and elegance. The design of many of the streets and squares also lends to the theatricality. It all can be wonderfully exciting.
We loved the combination of staying two weeks in Alsace and a week in Paris. Alsace offers a wonderful scenery, history, food and wine. And we found the people very friendly. But other than in Strasbourg, a marvelous city, one gets a rural ambiance, which provides a nice counterpoint to the big city atmosphere of Paris.
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Comment by Doris M on January 24, 2008 at 10:05pm
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Just finished reading your excellent blog and can't believe how much you covered in it. It is a phenomenal resource for anyone planning a trip to this beautiful area of France. We did the Alsace Untour in '06 and stayed in Beblenheim, also, at the Chalet which is right in the midst of the vineyards and the path you walked through them. It was like living in a fairytale with those incredible views everywhere. I did a blog on our trip too - nowhere near as comprehensive and informative as yours - but it does have lots of photos if you want to check it out! Thanks for reviving the memories of this special place...
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Comment by Michael J. O'Brien on January 25, 2008 at 12:44am -
Doris,
Thanks for your kind words. We will check out your blog soon. Yes, it was sort of like being in a fairytale, now that you mention it.
Best,
Mike O'Brien
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Comment by Kerry O'Brien on January 25, 2008 at 5:55pm -
What a great account of your trip! I'm sure it will be very useful for others wondering what they might see if they visit.
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