Bienvenue a Normandie

The title reads "Welcome to Normandy!" in French. This past week has been a veritable whirlwind of activity. I am still reeling a bit from all of the bus travel and frantically trying to wash my laundry and study for my "controle" (test) tomorrow. So, here's the low-down on Normandy:

Our journey began last Wednesday morning. We started the trip off right with a degustation de champagne (champagne tasting). The vineyard where we stopped is located in Eparney and it is the Mercier family. Apparently the founder is relatively famous because of his participation in the 1900 World Fair in Paris. He commissioned the first film advertisement for his Mercier Champagne, which was played at the Fair. The tour amounted to the Disneyworld of wine...there was an elaborate video presentation, then jumbo-sized elevators (seriously novel in Europe) which took us down into the caves (cellars). But even the elevator ride was a show, with huge models of vineyards and Eugene Mercier flying in a hot air balloon, like he did on his way to Paris in 1900. So we get down to the caves and there is a miniature train waiting for us! The resemblance to Disneyworld was uncanny. Except at the end the gift shop sold champagne instead of plush toys and key chains. Not bad... The variety we tried was a "brut." I enjoyed the vanilla and cinnamon flavors. The more wine I try, the more I am discovering how many varieties and variations there are. I'm starting to see how it takes a lifetime to really become a connoisseur.

Next, Reims. After grabbing a quick lunch at a brasserie, we had a guided tour of the cathedral and the city. Notre-Dame de Reims (they're practically all Notre-Dame, I am realizing), is where Clovis was baptized in the 5th century (his baptism marked the start of Christianity's legitimacy in France). The cathedral is significant to our course because it is a good example of the gothic style, dating from the 13th century. I really liked the stained-glass windows in this particular cathedral because they are of many different styles, since they have been replaced many times since the cathedral was built. Reims is also where the Germans officially surrendered to the Allies on May 7, 1945 - the document was signed at the Allies' headquarters in Reims. We also saw a Roman porte (think Arc de Triomphe) which the guide told us was the biggest in the Roman Empire. We were skeptical, but it was still pretty cool. Another cool part of Reims is that there is a ton of variety in the architecture. Over 400 different architects were commissioned to rebuild the city after most of it was destroyed in WWI. Since it was the 1920s, there are a lot of art-deco buildings amongst more traditionally European styles.

That night we arrived at our hotel in Rouen. We had dinner at a place called "Bistrot de Boucher." Of course, we had "kir royale" as our aperitif (kir made with champagne instead of any old white or sparkling white wine). After dinner we walked to the cathedral, where every night there is a light show projected onto the facade. Each of the images is a different artist's rendition of the facade. Monet's renditions are particularly well known, but there were a lot of contemporary interpretations too. There was music accompanying it too. We saw this again in Chartres. It's free and plays every night from mid-May until mid-September. In Chartres there are projections on multiple monuments around the city.

The next morning, a guided tour of the city and cathedral of Rouen. If you're starting to sense a theme here, you're right on track. For the record, all of our tours/reading materials/books are entirely in French. Some tour guides are easier to understand than others. The man who gave the tour at Mont-St.-Michel was impossible. Almost all of the others have been fine. So some of the highlights of Notre-Dame de Rouen:

• The two towers, which demonstrate the differences between roman and gothic architecture. The left tower is mostly roman, it was built right at the debut of gothic. The right tower, also known as the "Tower of Butter" is very gothic. The guide told us the "tower of butter" moniker could be explained by it's slightly yellowish color, or by the legend that the sale of butter funded its construction.
  
• It has the tallest spire in France (made of iron) - it's pretty gaudy
• During WWII the cathedral would have been destroyed if not for the flying buttresses on the exterior of St. Catherine's chapel within the cathedral.

That's probably more than you ever wanted to know. I am multi-tasking by typing up my blog and studying for my exam tomorrow. So, Rouen. It's a port town located on the Seine River (yes, same one that flows through Paris). It's also the capital of the region of Upper Normandy. Peter and I are doing a tour of French rivers via our morning jogs. Thursday morning we went for a run along the levees. It's also the city where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. There's a giant cross right next to where she was burned and a big cathedral dedicated to her in the same square. Her cathedral is very modern and very odd looking. Unfortunately it was closed when our tour guide took us there, and later events prevented us from returning. The medical drama of the trip started that morning, when our group was walking to Notre-Dame to begin our tour. Kara, who isn't usually known to be clumsy, accidentally walked into a pole. Yes, she just walked into the pole of a street sign. It wasn't even that large in diameter, but she struck her nose directly at the bridge and bounced backwards. If she hadn't been hurt, it would have been hilarious. Well, actually, everyone (including her) laughed a lot. But then during our tour she started to complain of a headache and during lunch she felt dizzy. Dr. Barbour decided to take her to a hospital to make sure she didn't have a concussion, so the rest of us had a little longer to explore the town. It turns out she did not have a concussion and after some aspirin and a nap she felt much better. We're still giving her a hard time about it, though.

But our schedule rearranging meant we had lunch in Rouen instead of Honfleur. Honfleur is a cute little coastal town. We stopped there for the afternoon just to appreciate the atmosphere and to explore. There was no guided tour nor massive cathedral, just a cute little bay and a beautiful garden/park. I would have loved to try the fresh mussels from one of the little cafes right along the bay... While Mary-Kate, Miles, and I were wandering around the shops, I saw a sign on a gate labeled "Residence Erik Satie." Thinking it was the home of the famous classical composer (one of Trey's favorites), I asked Miles to take a picture of me next to the sign. Dr. Barbour later explained to me that "Residence" usually means "dormitory" rather than "house." If it actually was Erik Satie's house, it would probably have a more elaborate plaque with his dates and accomplishments, and read "Maison de Erik Satie." But when I googled him later, it turns out he was born in Honfleur. Trey would have been pleased to see how excited I got when I saw his name.

Next stop that day: Bayeux. Our hotel/dining experience in Bayeux begs to be described. First a note: all of our excursions are planned through a travel company called Keolis. Dr. Barbour approved all of the sites, but Keolis picks the hotels and the dinner venues. That's why we couldn't change restaurants when we were scheduled to eat at the same one twice in Arles. Same thing happened in Bayeux, but with much more dire consequences. Our hotel, Hotel de Brunville, is actually a Best Western, which already made us nervous. But when we found out our dinners for Thursday and Friday night were both at the hotel, we were even more skeptical. Turns out our mistrust of hotel restaurants/American hotel restaurants in France was well founded. Our meal the first night reminded me of the Pit on a bad night: the main course was canned ham and lima beans. The appetizer, mussels and calamari in a pastry shell, was not bad. And we started off with a very decent "kir normand" (creme de cassis + Normandy cider). But boy, that main dish was seriously disappointing. The following evening was only slightly better. We upgraded from the Pit to Olive Garden (salmon and penne pasta with a sprig of broccoli). But the kicker on Saturday night was that the dessert was the same as the night before, except with a few meager pistachio pieces sprinkled on top. And then the next morning for breakfast, we saw the same flan which was served to us as an appetizer the night before (sans the melted Camembert on top).

But two bad dinners aside....Friday, September 11th was a very busy day. We started out early with the Caen Memorial, which was completed in 1989. Its main exhibit has three sections: the downward spiral of German and Italy into fascism after WWI, a chronicle of the condition of France during WWII, and the Cold War. The museum appears to be extremely well done, but unfortunately I only made it part-way into the first exhibit. I was watching a film about the Battle of Britain and the evacuation of London when a voice came over the loudspeaker and asked everyone to leave the area immediately. Of course I had just been watching a film about bomb raids and evacuations and it was September 11th, so I can feel my blood pressure rising as I join the crowd of people leaving the exhibit and heading for the reception room. After rejoining my group and waiting outside for a few minutes, we were informed that they had a problem with the electricity (whew!) and needed to shut off all of the power for a few hours. I was disappointed to miss out on seeing the museum, but glad that there were no malicious forces behind the museum's closing. Onto the Normandy beaches!

We went to Arromaches Les Bains, where there is a Disembarkment Museum. Although I have previously visited Pointe du Hoc and Omaha Beach, I was totally shocked to learn of the artificial port that the Allies constructed just off of the coast of Normady. There are still remnants of the huge metal structure they created and towed across the English channel. This artificial port was hugely important to the Allies' success in France and therefore in winning WWII in Europe. I was astounded. The coolest part was how much the bridge - linking the artificial port and the mainland - resembled the bridge that the Romans built at Arles (which we saw on our tour of Provence). Both used boats as the foundation of the bridge, so that it would adjust to the changing water levels. So smart!

Next was Pointe de Hoc. Again, I visited here before when I went to France with Mimi M., Mom, Trey, and Holly, but I was surprised at how many of the bunkers I did not remember, or didn't explore the first time. We combed the entire beach and went down into all of the accessible bunkers. I had a similar experience at the American cemetery at Colleville. Although we went there, I didn't get a chance to walk the entire length and thus missed the beautiful chapel in the center. The ceiling of the chapel has an intricate mosaic of angels carrying fallen soldiers. I am so glad I got the chance to see it this time. The American cemetery was harder for me than I expected. Obviously the last time I was there was with Mimi M. and being in a cemetery reminded me, as always, of the fragility and transience of life. It's difficult to see all of those crosses and not to think of all of the people they left behind - mothers, fathers, siblings, best friends, neighbors.

Finally (yes, it was a LONG day), we went to the German cemetery. I didn't visit this last time and I don't think it's on the regular tour circuit. The cemetery is run by a private organization, not the German government, and the aesthetic couldn't be any more different from that of the American cemetery. First off the headstones are black marble instead of white and they are flat on the ground, rather than three-dimensional. The overall effect is much more somber, much more humble (which, I suppose, is natural). In the center of the German cemetery is a giant mound of earth, topped by a giant black stone cross. The cross is flanked by two statues of women, both crudely formed and slightly shapeless. The effect is completely opposite that of the bronze statue at the front of the American cemetery. Another difference is that the German headstones noted the birth and death dates of each of the soldiers. I was shocked at how many were younger than I was when they died: lots of 17, 18, 19 year old boys. Occasionally I saw a soldier who was in his 30s or 40s, but most of them were younger than 21.

Saturday was slightly less intense, thank goodness. We saw the famous Tapisserie de Bayeux, which is actually a work of embroidery, not a tapestry. It's 180 feet long and made of linen. On it are embroidered scenes depicting William the Conqueror's victory in the Battle of Hastings and his coronation as King of England. I was shocked at just how detailed and intricate the embroidery work is, particularly the variation in color which gives the impression of depth. The "tapisserie" is over almost 1,000 years old and the best preserved artifact we have from the Middle Ages. That afternoon we had lunch at a cute little place in Bayeux. That meal was better than either of the dinners we'd had there (not hard to do). The best part was the caramel rice pudding for dessert...it's now on my top 3 favorite sweet treats.

*For the record: I am keeping business cards from each of the restaurants we visit. So if any of you are planning a trip to France and want some restaurant recommendations, I am keeping the cards (along with a list of them, including price ranges) for your benefit...and potentially mine in the future.*

That afternoon we drove to Mont-St.-Michel. I am really glad we got to spend an entire day (including two nights) at Mont-St.-Michel. It was one of my favorite places we visited last time I was in France, and I felt like this time I really got to spend some time taking in the majesty of the architecture. Saturday evening the boys and I walked from our hotel to the Mont (only about a 25-minute walk). It was about 6:30pm and everyone was closing up shop and heading out for the day. Even though I've seen it hundreds of times on posters and once already in person, it's still surreal. The next morning Peter and I went for a run there and back (again, you should be sensing a trend - running tour of France by bodies of water). Then we joined the group for our tour of the abbey. This was a slightly frustrating morning for our entire group. Our tour guide was very energetic and theatrical, but this (plus his thick Normandy accent) made it difficult for us to understand what he was saying. Actually, it was impossible. This wasn't a huge problem for me, since I've already done the tour once before (and read up on it before the excursion). But it's still tiresome to stand around for an hour and a half and not know exactly what's going on. And yet I really enjoyed the day. After lunch at one of the restaurants along the only street (my Normandy lamb stew was excellent), Mary-Kate, Carleigh and I explored 3 of the 4 smallish museums. Some of them had cool artifacts, including a corsair chest with a 9-mechanism lock guarding its contents. Then we found a little garden and sat there reading and journaling. I had a few of the spire and St. Michel statue from where I was sitting in the grass. All in all, it was a great day.

That evening we had dinner at a place called "La Rotisserie." We ate there Saturday and Sunday night. It also, wasn't stellar, but it was certainly better than the hotel restaurant in Bayeux. The mussels that I had on Saturday were heavenly. Something else I didn't know I loved: mussels. I'm sure I've tried them before, but these were out of this world.

Okay, I'm going to have to wrap this up. Monday morning we left for Chartres. We were supposed to tour the cathedral that afternoon, but the itinerary got changed and so we ended up having the afternoon free. We did see something called the Maison Picassiette, which is a house entirely covered in mosaic tiles. The artist, Raymond Isidore worked on it for over 20 years and lived in it with his wife. It was interesting in a very "eclectic" kind of way. We explored the cathedral on our own in the afternoon, then had dinner at a place called "Le Boeuf Couronne." It was excellent. I was very, very impressed. My entree (appetizer) was poached eggs with mushrooms in a light cream sauce and my plat principal (entree) was an excellent steak. I ordered it saignant, which I have been told can mean either medium-rare or rare. I knew I wanted it cooked more than bleu (which is basically raw) but less than a point (which is medium). Luckily, it came out perfectly.

Today we toured the cathedral of Chartres, then hit the road for home. Our tour guide at Chartres was excellent. He obviously knew so much that he was hard-pressed to fit it into our allotted two-hour tour. And Chartres is very impressive. It is very dark on the inside, very dim. The stained glass windows are very intricate and gorgeous, but after seeing lots of cathedrals in the last week, I think my favorite is the one at Bayeux. The enormous clear-glass windows let in a lot of light and that, combined with the high ceilings courtesy of the flying buttresses, give an impression of grace quite astonishing for a building made of so much stone.

Whew. I certainly hope you took lots of breaks in reading this. Our next official tour - the Loire Valley and Paris - starts on Monday and last for two weeks. I will definitely be taking my laptop then, so don't worry about waiting for a week for an update and then having to read a novel.

And I promise my next entry will be more commentary and less play-by-play itinerary. I just figured you would want to know what I did and saw. Oh, and for those of you who have been noticing how much time I devote to talking about food, I had a revelation the other day. I realized that here in France, because most meals are more leisurely (read: long), dining, especially on excursions, really does represent a significant amount of my time. There you have it.