I Turned My Collar to the Cold and Damp

It's not normal for us to have truly unpleasant days when traveling. Thursday was one of those days. It was cold and windy, there was a driving rain that hardly let up all day, and French labor unions called a general strike nationwide. That added up to a bad day. But even the worst of days can have bright spots.

Venus didn't seem to mind the weather and she was not on strike

The labor strike took us by surprise. We have no English language news sources here, other than U.S. newspaper websites (a long way from France) and the BBC (also a long way from France). So we've been a little out of touch on local news.

We did our usual breakfast routine (involving French bakeries). We noted that one of our favorite neighborhood bakeries was not open this morning, but this sometimes happens. We walked to another. Not quite as good, but OK (Bright spot!).

I had forgotten that "Winged Victory" stood in a boat

I believe we even remarked to one another that the Metro train was not nearly as crowded this morning (Bright spot!). We chalked it up to traveling at a slightly different time of day.

It was a long block's walk in the rain from the Metro station to the L'Orangerie. As the name implies, this was formerly a greenhouse on the grounds of the Louvre palace. It now houses Impressionist art (more on that later). It was locked up tight, with a paper sign taped to the front door saying, "Closed until further notice due to the labour strike." Strike?

We decided to try the Louvre. It would normally have been a short walk, but because of the wind and the cold and the rain, we elected to return to the Metro and ride the one stop back.

The Louvre, itself, is a treasure

Unfortunately, this Metro station is under renovation, so we couldn't re-enter where we exited. After some confusion, we found the entrance nearly three blocks away. By then we were really cold and really wet. The umbrellas weren't keeping up.

There is an underground entrance to the Louvre, under the famous pyramid, attached directly to the Metro station and to a high-end shopping center. At least it was warm and dry down there! (Bright spot!)

Tourists just go nuts around the Mona Lisa

But we, and several hundred other tourists seeking shelter there, learned that the Louvre (which should have already been open for some time now) might, or might not open an hour and a half late today, due to the strike.

As it turned out, it did! (Bright spot!) But they would not allow us in with our museum pass at this down-under entrance. The only entrance for passes is from the pyramid, in the main square, upstairs, outside. Several hundred other tourists also have the same pass, and we all had to get through security. That meant standing in line, outside in the wind, rain, and cold, for quite awhile. We were soaked by the time we got inside.

Fortunately, we got to see most of the things we came to see (Bright spot!). But parts of the museum were closed -- presumably because of being short-staffed by the strike -- so we were blocked from a few exhibits on our list.

We thus finished sooner than might have been expected, so we tried going back to L'Orangerie. It was open, but there was a long line outside in the rain. And by now there were other issues: Not only were we wet and cold and tired of being on our feet, but we were also hungry and in need of a toilet!

Restaurants in the area were all tourist places and all really expensive. So we tried one, small, non-descript little place that we weren't really even sure was a restaurant. What a surprise! (Bright spot!)

Inside, this place looked like it was a movie set for France in the 1920s. It was full of men in business suits having "plat du jour," the plate of the day business lunch. We were just about the only tourists in the place. In fact, Mary was just about the only woman there.

French was spoken here. The menu did not have English subtitles, as typical in the tourist joints. The waiter spoke very little English. Everything about the place was old-school traditional! The meal was very reasonably priced, and the food was really GOOD! (Bright spot!)

Fortified by a good meal and use of the restaurant restrooms, we went back out into the downpour to take on the L'Orangerie line once more. It was a long one, and as we got closer, we discovered why. The security people all over Paris have been courteous and efficient in doing their job. Security here was ridiculous and the staff had a real attitude. Was it the rain? The strike?

Monet would be disappointed that I did not find peace amid the Water Lilies

By the time we finally got in, I wasn't much in the mood for art. Claude Monet's masterpiece, the Water Lilies, takes up most of this entire museum. His eight giant canvasses were intended to help harried city dwellers to feel the peace of the countryside. But it didn't work for me, and I had trouble appreciating the beauty. Maybe it was because my shoes were waterlogged. Also, about a third of the museum was closed, probably due to the strike.

We returned to the hotel and dried ourselves out as much as possible. Dry socks helped, but when I put on the shoes to go out for dinner again, the socks just absorbed the water from the shoes.

We did find a new restaurant in the neighborhood. The food was good, and it was "happy hour" with half-price beer. So into every life some rain must fall, but even the worst of days can have its bright spots.

Location:Paris, France

Art & Crepes

Another rainy day in Paris, another several museums visited.

This morning was the Cluny Museum of Medieval Art. The building in which this collection is hoursed is almost a museum piece in itself. It's a really neat old masion, with turrets and towers, probably early 18th century if I had to guess, built over the ruins of a Roman bath. It had lots of interesting stuff from the Middle Ages, including some statuary from the facade of Notre Dame Cathedral that had been defaced during the French Revolution, and later replaced.

The final panel of "The Lady and the Unicorn"

They also had some original stained glass panels from Saint Chapelle that had been replaced during refurbishing. The highlight was the original "Lady and the Unicorn" series of tapestries. All six of them are together in one room, with a detailed written explanation one can sit and read through. We've never seen tapestries this old that are still as vividly colored and so intricately detailed. No one knows who made them, where, or how long it took. But it must have taken years or painstaking labor to get so much fine detail woven in.

The Pantheon in Paris is not the same as the one in Rome. It is a temple of civil religion and the burial place of many of the heroes of France -- everyone from Madame Currie to Voltaire.

We then shifted gears by 600 years or so, taking a circuitous Metro ride (three different trains) to get to the Pompidou Centre (named for the former French president), completed in 1977, and housing nothing but Modern and Contemporary art. It's huge! Some interesting stuff, some wierd stuff, some stuff we liked a lot.

We got the very last available table for two at the little place that is supposed to be the best crepe shop in Paris (at least according to some guidebooks). It was very crowed, and the line to get in was down the block by the time we left. We could tell that the waiter was quite disappointed with our small order. Other tables got candy in the little basket with their bill, but ours just had the bill!

We finished at the Picaso Museum of Paris, which is actually just a few blocks from our hotel. Picasso got around. We visited two of his museums in his native Spain, saw a whole room full of his stuff at the Pompidou this morning, and now he has a whole, large house full of scuptures and paintings. I'd be lying if I told you I understood it all, but a lot of it is kind of neat.

We had dinner on "l'ile" or "The Island." Two islands in the River Seine, Isle de la Cite and Isle St. Louis, are the heart of the tourist area. Based on a guidebook recommendation, we looked for one that was only half tourist trade, the rest pedestrian.

Location:Paris, France

Baked Goods

We had a great first day in Paris!

Tuileries gardens, Paris

First stop was a French bakery for a chocolate croissant for breakfast.

Orsay Museum was formerly a railway station.

We took the Metro to a stop near the Louvre, then walked across a bridge over the River Seine to Musee' Orsay, where we got the full dose of French Impressionists. I'm still not sure if I know my Monet from my Manet, but I've got a good handle of Van Gogh and Renoir.

One of the clocks at the Orsay, looking out over Paris

After a quick sandwich at another French bakery (a theme may be developing here), we went to the Rodin Museum, where we saw "The Thinker" and other neat stuff. He was prolific -- there must have been hundreds of sculptures there -- but most of them look half finished. A.D.D.?

"The Age of Maturity" by

Camille Claudel

Rodin's student and lover, Camille Claudel

We only spent a few minutes at the French Army Museum, seeing Napoleon's tomb. Try to imagine if Donald Trump were to design his own memorial, then you've got the idea. It's pretty over the top.

Napoleon's tomb -- it's "Huuuge"

We got our obligatory photos with the Eiffel Tower in the background. Then we visited the Conciergerie, the prison where Marie Antoinette and a couple thousand others waited for the Guillotine. Cheery place.

Napoleon presiding over his own grave.

And then we were off to one of our fondest memories of our first trip to Paris nearly 40 years ago: Saint Chapelle, the beautiful 13th century stained glass chapel. Unfortunately, the sun went under and it rained while we were there. In sunshine, the place is absolutely dazzling. In clouds, still beautiful, but not the full experience.

The obligatory Eiffel Tower shot

We ate dinner at a a touristy little diner not far from our hotel. The food, wine, and beer were fine, but the distance between tables would never fly in America. With mere inches between our table for two, and the table for two next to ours, it doesn't afford the sort of privacy to which we are accustomed.

Sainte Chapelle -- not dazzling without full sunshine, but still gorgeous

Nevertheless, it was a great first day in Paris.

Location:Paris, France

Chartres a Course

Monday after Easter is a holiday in France. Not much traffic. All the better for driving!

Clock tower in Amboise

It was a rainy morning, but we walked around Amboise a bit to see in daylight a few things we hadn't gotten to in the evening. The clock tower, St. Denis Church, and the walkway along the Loire River were worth the stroll. As we walked the rain stopped, and a few patches of blue appeared in the sky.

View of the castle/chateau from St. Denis church, Amboise.

After checking out of the hotel we drove back north, toward Paris, but took a bit of a detour to the town of Chartres (Shart) to visit its famous cathedral. Unlike Medieval pilgrims who came to venerate the Sancta Camisa -- the tunic dubiously claimed to have been worn by the Virgin Mary as she was giving birth to Jesus -- we just came for the art and architecture.

Home of Leonardo di Vinci, Amboise

There has been a cathedral in this town since Rome embraced Christianity in the 4th century. The present one, built on the ruins of those that were earlier, was begun in 1194 after a major fire in the previous church. It was formally dedicated in 1260. It considered one of the finest examples of Gothic style in France, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

"Cave" homes dug into the cliff at Amboise (reminding us of Nottingham)

We parked down by the river, where the roads are wider and the parking spaces more abundant, then hiked up hill. The cathedral so dominates this small city of about 40,000 inhabitants, that it can be seen for miles around. No fear of getting lost on the way up hill! And some of the old, old buildings in town made the walk worthwhile.

It's not hard to find the cathedral at Chartres!

The cathedral lives up to its reputation. Unfortunately, renovation work covered much of the rear of the nave, including portions of the famous meditation labyrinth on the floor. The stained glass is amazing -- especially some that was preserved from the previous cathedral. We saw the clouds part and the sun suddenly stream through glass more than 1,000 years old, and it was spectacular.

Cathedral interior

After a lite lunch in a neat little cafe in the lower level of an old, half-timbered building, we decided to return for another round. This time we spent some time walking the exterior, and also spent time looking more closely at the sculptures on the exterior of the choir.

West rose window at Chartres cathedral

The town is so pretty that we elected for the long walk back down to the car, noting a number of old buildings, and visiting a couple other churches. The church of St. Aignan makes the tour books because so much of the Gothic color is intact on the stones.

The photo does not do this justice: Stunning sun shining through 1000 year old stained glass, reused from the previous cathedral at Chartres

Centuries ago, all of the churches looked like this inside, but later generations decided it was too gaudy and scraped off the paint. By contrast, the church of Saint Pierre, just a few blocks down, was stripped of its pain and many of its windows during the French Revolution. Despite its size and 13th century construction, its just not an inspiring place drawing tourists.

Carvings around the exterior of the choir were are great, but I loved the Ascension!

We drove the last 55 miles or so back to Paris. Thank God for GPS! It was slow going in the traffic. This was still the holiday, so I'd hate to see it at rush hour. Once inside the parking garage at Gare du Nord we were without navigation aids, and promptly got lost! It was sort of a comedy of errors, but we finally got the car returned OK.

West facade of Chartres cathedral. After a fire, one spire was rebuilt in grander fashion.

Before leaving the giant rail station we purchased passes for both museum admissions and for use of the mass transit system, so we would be all set for touring Paris.

St. Aignan church in Chartres with Medieval painting preserved

It wasn't our best day for navigating. We took the Metro to the Bastille station, only to be baffled yet again by the huge roundabout with at least 7 or 8 roads radiating out from the center. After much asking of directions, we finally found the correct spoke of the wheel, and from there it was only a short walk to our new hotel, where we will be spending six nights.

St. Aignan church in Chartres with Medieval painting preserved

Following a guidebook recommendation, we walked a few blocks into the Jewish Quarter and ate at a fascinating falafel place, where we must have gotten almost the last table. Then it was back to the hotel to rest up.

Location:Chartres, France

Drive Time

Easter morning at 7:30 a.m. is a very quiet time in Paris, especially when daylight savings time began overnight and everyone just missed an hour of sleep. This was just as I wanted it for my first time driving in France, and especially driving in Paris.

We walked back to Gare du Nord, and after asking around a bit, we finally found the car rental agency tucked into a basement area beneath a stairway shrouded with construction barriers. They had a car ready for us, a "DS" -- a car I'd never heard of (turns out to be a sub-brand of Citroen, a long-establish French car brand). The car was a nearly new, bright red, and well-equipped diesel 5-speed.

Unfortunately, the equipment on the car was just about the least intuitive setup I'd ever seen. It took at least 20 minutes just to figure out the navigation system and the radio. I had driven for some miles before I got the hang windshield wipers. Cruise control took even longer (who knew they hid buttons on the back of the stem hanging off the steering column?). It was a smooth ride, though.

It's been a long time since I drove a straight stick, but it came back to me very quickly. Once out of Paris and onto the tollway, all was well. It was easier than driving in England, because at least the French drive on the right side of the road.

We drove through a flat, very agricultural area that reminded us of southern Illinois, to the Loire Valley, where the nobility of the 16th & 17th centuries built little summer cottages to get out of Paris in hot weather. By cottages, I mean mansions -- huge chateaus that served to demonstrate their wealth and allow them to entertain their friends with hunting and other pleasures of the countryside. There are dozens and dozens. We had time to visit only two.

A shot straight up the center of the "double helix" stairway from the bottom to the top.

Chambord was begun by King Francois I in 1518. There are some indications that Leonardo DaVinci had a hand in the design. If the idea was to overwhelm the guests with the stunning architecture, this filled the bill. The central feature is a double spiral stairway, with the two stairs intertwined as a sort of double helix from ground floor to top of tower. A central shaft brings natural light to the stairs all the way to the bottom. The symmetry of the palace makes for a somewhat confusing deja vu!

Chenonceaux straddles the River Cher (which flows into the Loire at Tours). An old tower standing guard over the river here was turned into a palace by a nobleman named Thomas Bohler. But Tom was off doing the king's business so much that it really became the home of his wife, Katherine Briconnet. She liked spending his money on lavish decor.

Later, King Henry II gave the place to his mistress, Diane de Poitiers, who also liked decorating. Henry had the misfortune of dying in a jousting match, and his wife, Catherine de Medici, quickly evicted the mistress in order to spend her long period of mourning here. Later women also factored into the history of this place, right up to World War II, when Resistance fighters used the covered bridge to get across the river without being nabbed by Nazis.

After a tiring day of driving and touring chateaus, we drove to the little town of Amboise (Ahm-BWAHZ) to find our hotel. Finding a place to park was the more difficult trick. Amboise has its own chateau, made from the old castle, right in the town center. We managed to find a place to eat dinner where we could look right at it.

Location:Amboise, France

Out of Africa

The riad in Marrakesh was kind enough to arrange an early breakfast for us, as well as to get us van for the airport. Usually, when we show up at the airport two hours ahead of flight time, we sit around waiting. At this airport, it was barely enough time.

First, there was pre-security just to get into the airport lobby (a reaction to the Brussels attack, I assume). We stood in line with a whole lot of other folks for a very long time to get our boarding passes -- no online pre-check-in here. Security was also lengthy, even though it appeared to be done efficiently. There were a lot of people flying out all at once today. Then there was the line for the toilets! But we got everyone aboard and the flight was on time.

In Amsterdam we also had a bit of a wait getting off the plane. Busses were slow in getting out to us and taking us to arrival. We of course, had to go through passport control, which is never quick.

Our assignment was to not depart Schiphol until we made sure all students made their connections. This was something of a joke, because as soon as we wished them "safe travels," the lot of them were off like a shot, not to be seen by us again until back in Malta when spring break is over! Most of them were staying in Amsterdam for the first couple days anyway.

We killed time in the vast shopping mall at Schiphol before catching our fast train to Paris. The train was smooth and quiet, with much more leg room than on an airliner. There were only a few stops. One was in Brussels, only for a few minutes to allow some people off/onto the train.

The excitement came just minutes after we had left the station in Brussels. Armed police came through the car to check all passports and IDs. This was not a big deal, and no real tension, but obviously an added measure since the recent attacks.

We arrived at Paris Gare du Nord a little past 9 p.m. and found our hotel only a couple blocks away, just as it was supposed to be. It had been a long day of travel, so we slept well, despite the rather noisy nightlife of the neighborhood.

Marrakesh Tour

The theme for today was R&R, as we wanted our students to rest up before returning to Europe. We let them sleep in until beginning the city tour at 10 a.m.

View from the rooftop terrace of our riad.

The familiar van, with our friend Mohammad at the wheel, picked us up. One of the girls got on board and said something like, "Good to be home again!" We have spent way too many hours on this van in the last few days.

First stop was the Koutoubia Mosque, the largest and second-oldest in Marrakesh. This Mosque was completed in 1157 C.E. by the Berber king, al-Mansur. When al-Mansur conquered the region, there was already a mosque in place here. Not wanting anything left of the previous dynasty, which he had vanquished, al-Mansur had his mathematicians declare that the old mosque was not properly aligned toward Mecca. It was demolished, and the stones were used to build the present mosque. The new mosque is aligned in exactly the same direction as the old one, as can be seen by the remaining bases of the pillars.

Non-Muslims are not allowed inside, but the "new" (that is, 900 year old) mosque features a minaret 253 feet high. Inside is a spiral ramp, rather than a stairway, so that the muezzin can ride up on a donkey rather than walk up to make the call to prayer. A 12th century elevator! Our guide related some of the legends about the spire atop the minaret and the four gold balls on it.

Riad of the wives

Next stop was Bahia Palace, built in the late 19th century as the personal residence of the Grand Vizier of the Sultan, it included two harems, one for his four wives, and another much larger for his 20+ concubines. The Vizier got around!

Riad of the concubines

Technically, the Vizier was a slave owned by the Sultan. But apparently, in this system, a slave could be the owner or other slaves of lesser status than himself. It's all very complicated.

We also spent some time walking through the Mellah, or old Jewish quarter of Marrakesh. Several of our guides in this country have taken great pains to explain positive relations between Muslims and Jews in the country. Most joke that everyone gets along just fine until land or oil become issues -- and Morocco has lots of land and no oil, so there's no problem.

Final destination was a spice shop that put on quite a show about all of the same spices we had already experienced in Fez. I'm sure the guide was getting a kickback, but the kids had fun. Some bought, though prices were very high.

Back in the square (which is a very different place in daytime than at night) we bid farewell to Noureddine and formally ended our tour in Morocco. We and the students had the rest of the day free (we spent some of it shopping in the souks and chilling out on the rooftop terrace of the riad). The group had a farewell dinner at the riad in the evening, and we would head for the airport in the morning to drop everyone in Amsterdam to begin a week of independent travel.

Our "farewell" meal.

Do You Know the Way to Marrakesh?

Our hosts for the night arranged an early tour for us of the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Ait ben Haddou, the Ksar. We learned that a Ksar is a cluster of kasbahs, or small castles.

The Ksar of Ait ben Haddou is famous because it has been used as a set in a number of motion pictures, including Lawrence of Arabia and Gladiator.

Did I mention we had to ford the river to get there? Adventure travel.

They even built an entire Roman arena here for Gladiator, but it had to be removed because of UNESCO regulations about Heritage Sites. It took over a month to build, Russell Crowe and the crew shot here for nearly two weeks, and it took another month to completely remove what had been built. For all of that, the scene was only eight minutes in the final film.

However, we also learned that Russell Crowe is a local hero, and that many residents of the ksar (many of whom appeared as "extras" in the film) have autographed photos of him in their homes. They say he was a really nice guy who talked to everybody. Other actors were more aloof.

Living room of the mud-brick Berber house looks surprisingly cozy.

Speaking of homes, we were invited into the guide's home, and we were met by his mother. We actually got to see how these Berber people have lived in this place for more than a thousand years. 

View from the front porch.

We learned of the history of the ksar as one of the key stops on the caravan routes from Marrakesh, all the way to China. It was an hour very well spent.

Looking toward the High Atlas Mountains from the top of the ksar.

Our tour director, Noureddine, kept pushing us to hurry up, because of possible delays on our route over the mountains. Oddly, it was our group who often waited for him on several occasions. This included a lunch stop in a place that offered very little, except the realization that everything had two prices: A low price for the Moroccans, and an exorbitant price for tourists.

Note the line of bumper-to-bumper vehicles way down below!

The brief snowball fight during a toilet stop in the mountain passes was a welcome diversion from the endless van ride.

Late in the afternoon, we finally arrived in Marrakesh, a modern and prosperous-looking, rather European city. The medina here is not nearly as old, nor nearly as difficult to navigate, as that in Fez. Once in our riad, we were supplied with maps that made it easy for us to get to the center of night life on our own.

We walked among throngs of local folks, plus hordes of tourists, to Djemaa el-Fnaa Square. The Arabic name means "the assembly of death" (because the French colonials used to execute rebels in public here) but at night this vast open space is full of life.

Snake charmers, musicians and dancers, people selling goods, juice stands, restauranteurs, street preachers, pick-pockets, families with infants and children, beggars, elderly couples, jugglers, and more, are all milling about in the open square. We had a good, inexpensive meal, and enjoyed the people-watching.

Most of us are near exhaustion, so it was an early night. But it looks as though we are going to enjoy our time in Marrakesh.

Location:Marrakech, Morocco