Serendipity

Our next two days in France were replete with fortunate events. Sure, the weather could have been better but the unforeseen bonuses we encountered on those days more than made up for the dull skies and chilly temperatures.

Rear view of Reims Cathedral

The Hotel de Ville in Reims

We had chosen Reims to spend our Saturday morning. Unlike Troyes, this city suffered greatly during the wars of the 20th Century. Even its famous cathedral endured some destruction, although it has been restored since.

Porte de Mars, a Roman triumphal arch in Reims

Reims market on a Saturday morning. Dan would have loved it.

Cities, like Reims, which have been bombed, still have many beautiful monuments and buildings but they are not necessarily in one area. This was the case here. As we strolled though the town, we saw a Roman triumphal arch very close to a rebuilt market. There was no consistency to the architecture.

The smiling angel is on the right. It looks like she is pumping her fist. Good for her.

Marc Chagall windows in Reims Cathedral

We spent most of our time in two magnificent churches, Reims Cathedral and the Basilica of Saint-Remi. The Cathedral is one of the most important in the country, since it is here that twenty-three French kings were crowned. The façade was under scaffolding but other parts of it were magnificent to behold. I loved the Chagall windows in the choir and was enchanted by the smiling angel in the central portal.

Mythological creatures are among the carvings on the exterior of the Cathedral

Outside Reims Cathedral

The exterior of the church is full of gothic features like flying buttresses and fascinating gargoyles. We spent a lot of time in this place.

The bride and groom are driven away in a classic Citroen.

Before we left Reims, we visited the Basilica Saint-Remi, an ancient monument (much damaged during WWI, but since restored) marooned in a modern neighbourhood about 1.5 kilometres south of the Cathedral. Here we encountered two weddings, one after the other. They added a great deal to the charm of the place.

The relics are here.

As I was about to exit the church, the second bride was escorted in.

The romanesque Basilica is adjacent to a former Abbey and since the 11th century has contained the relics of Saint-Remi. These are housed in a beautiful monument in the centre of the choir of the church.

I bought my champagne here - at Cazenove Champagne in Reims.

Beautiful little church in champagne country

We escaped before the second marriage rites began and headed on a brief road trip through nearby champagne country. Earlier in the day, I had purchased two small bottles of this local beverage. How could I travel through Champagne and not buy champagne?

  Gate into the Medieval Quarter of Laon

Laon Cathedral

Inside the cloister

In the late afternoon, we stopped in Laon, with its medieval quarter perched high atop a promontory. This city deserved much more attention than we were able to give it. We only had time to visit the Cathedral and its partial cloister. Had we done our research beforehand, we would have planned two hours in Laon. There is lots to see there.

Amiens Cathedral

Another view of the Amiens Cathedral

The next morning, we set out to explore Amiens, another city with a beautiful cathedral. Because there was a Mass taking place when we were there, we did not spend much time inside, and instead opted to take a walking tour through the oldest part of the city, the Saint Leu neighbourhood.

On my way to the old town

Crowds cheer the folks in the boats

This led to another instance of serendipity. Once a year in Amiens, market gardeners dressed in traditional costumes travel up the Somme in flat bottom boats called "barques a cornet": June 21 was that day and we were just in time for the festivities. There was cannon fire and a band playing to add to the atmosphere as citizens cheered those in the boats. Once they arrived at the dock, they unloaded their produce and set themselves up for business. What a fun way to celebrate the local harvest!

Bridges instead of sidewalks.

Our walk took us by the homes of the former working class in Amiens. One set of very old (and small) homes were only accessible by individual bridges. In fact, the area was a warren of canals, and as we explored, we were never far away from the water.

The submarine shaped Jules Verne Science Building

Also in this sector of the town is the local University. The science building, named after famous author, Jules Verne, who was a resident of the city, is shaped like the Nautilus. All in all, our walk was something a little different: we got away from magnificent buildings and saw how the ordinary folks lived.

An Irish school group visited Theipval while we were there

Because we were in the Somme region, close to many WWI memorials, we wanted to visit a place that I had not yet seen. We chose Theipval, a memorial to the dead and missing of the British Commonwealth and to the many French who died in their homeland. When we arrived at the site, I realized that our bus had stopped at the reception area of this site in November, but we had not seen the memorial.

Crosses for French soldiers

It is interesting that the graveyard is divided evenly between granite slabs and crucifixes, the former honouring the British, the latter, the French. There are nearly 73 000 unidentified and missing soldiers remembered here. Much of a generation was lost in these lands.

Poppies near Thiepval.

The Art Museum in Lille

Our next stop was in Lille, and again, we chanced upon a special event - lucky a third time. The city was pulsing with life on this Sunday afternoon, and everywhere we went, we heard music in the streets. At times, I thought we had entered an episode of "Battle of the Bands", although there were all sorts of music around, from live jazz and rock bands, to a choir, to a pianist, to a marching band, and, booming speakers playing recorded music. Eventually, I asked a local policeman if Lille was like this every Sunday, and he informed me that on June 21, they celebrate "la fête de la musique". That made sense. We were glad to be part of the party.

Salsa music to my left. The beautiful bourse building behind me in Place Géneral du Gaulle.

Rocking in the street

Lille is a young person's city, with several universities housed there. All these students were out and about that day. They were dancing in the street, lying in the grass, and just enjoying the music, and each other.

Grassy areas were an invitation to sit and take in the music.

No music this day at the opera house.

Lille is also a beautiful city with a definite Flemish flare. The Place du Géneral de Gaule is particularly lovely. We took photos from several angles of this gathering spot.

The Lille Chamber of Commerce.building. 

Another view of the Place du Géneral du Gaule

In a little over 24 hours, we had happened upon two weddings, a once-a-year market ritual and an exciting fête Is it any wonder that we love France so much?

Eventually, we left musical Lille behind us, and crossed the border into Belgium. That will be the subject of the next blog post.

On the road again

Vaux-le-Vicomte

The school year over, and meetings to plan for the next year completed, I still had twelve days to fill before my flight home. So, of course, Bob and I decided to travel. We rented a car and headed northwest into our current favourite country - la belle France.

A natural stone bridge adds interest to this scene in Lods.

Bob had done some research on a site called "Les Plus Belles Villages de France", so our first stop was one of these, Lods. This tiny place lies on the Loue river, near a waterfall.

The fire grew from this.

The difficulty of putting out this fire.

A little further along the road, we stopped at Ornans, with the intention of taking a walk around the town. Unfortunately, our arrival coincided with a local disaster: a fire had erupted in the upper story of a riverside home. It was alarming to watch it spread, and even though we stood some distance away, to feel the heat of the flames. Fire crews arrived from various directions but they struggled to contain the blaze since the building faced the water and it was difficult to get close. Needless to say, our plan in Ornans was changed by this sad event. Some consolation: the next morning I found a news article online which indicated that the fire had been contained, and that no lives had been lost.

Denis Diderot looks over the town of his birth.

Langres was our next stop, a walled town northwest of Besançon. It is noted as the birthplace of Denis Diderot, a philosopher famous in France for creating the first encyclopedia. We were pleased to see that it was also the birthplace of a famous Canadian, Jeanne Mance, the founder of the first hospital in New France.

We stopped for the night in Troyes. Although we had stayed there last summer, it was well worth a second look. I loved it even more this time around. Walking its streets after dark is delightful, since many of the important sites are lit up, showing off their beauty. We came upon a plaque to another famous Canadian pioneer, Marguerite Bourgeoys, founder of a congregation of nuns. This was a day to celebrate the women of New France.

The Prefecture building at dusk

This fountain changed colours.

Half-timbered turret near our hotel

In the daylight, Troyes is even more stunning, however. It has a long and interesting history, too, and has particular importance in Jewish culture. We walked along a street with an old synagogue on it, and saw signs of the current French reality – armed soldiers protecting the neighbourhood.

Typical Troyes buildings

The synagogue

Typical Troyes street

Troyes' heyday occurred during the Renaissance, when after a fire, much of it was rebuilt. Its importance can be seen in the many beautiful churches in the city, none of which was damaged in the recent wars. We loved exploring the old city, so much so that we decided to forego a trip to the outlet malls on its outskirts which are a strong draw to the modern tourist.

Flamboyant gothic jube in Sainte-Madeleine church.

This was a particularly beautiful day, perfect weather to visit a great château. We chose Vaux-le-Vicomte over nearby Fontainebleau on Dan's recommendation. We were very glad we did! It was absolutely stunning.

Arriving at Vaux-le-Vicomte

School groups dress in period costumes learn swordmanship here.

Nicolas Fouquet, once the supervisor of finances for Louis XIV, had this magnificent house built between 1658 and 1661. The very best architect, landscape designer and interior designer in France worked on the project. In the first year after its completion, Fouquet organized a fête to which he invited the young King Louis XIV, and where Molière debuted one of his plays. The event backfired horribly for the host. Jealous of the sumptuous château and influenced by the ambitious Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Louis had his financial advisor arrested and imprisoned for life.

This magnificent hall faces the gardens. It is adorned by busts of Roman emperors.

Detail of Le Brun's interior decor

The king confiscated many of the art pieces in the house and then hired the same three men to design Versailles for him. What a story!!

Vaux-le-Vicomte formal garden

The back side of the house

Fortunately, Vaux-le-Vicomte still stands today and has been restored to its original glory by the Sommier family.

It took us many hours to explore this site, but eventually we were back on the road, heading northeast this time. More on the trip in the next blog post.

I love this creative view of the château from a small cafe on its grounds - seeing the world through Bob's eyes.