France: Searching for Mary Magdalene in Vezelay

Vezelay is a city on a rock that rises from the valley below. It is one of the four cities from which the route to Santiago de Compostela begins in France. It was from Vezelay that St Bernard called for the Second Crusade and it was in Vezelay that Richard the Lionhearted and King Philippe Auguste met to go on the Third Crusade. But the main claim to fame of Vezelay is the Basilica of St Madeleine.

#vezelay

We being the stellar citizens that we are parked at the bottom of the hill as requested by the signs. We then proceeded to follow the pilgrim's route up the steep streets leading to the Basilica. In January most of the stores lining the streets were closed but I can imagine what it must be like in the summer. Then as we finally arrived at the Basilica we were greeted by the parking lot in front of it. They got us again. We could have driven right up. 

The original religious foundation at this location began in the 9th century. It has undergone many changes and much destruction over the centuries. The Huguenots in the 16th century and then the Revolution had brought the building almost to the point of collapse. Violet le Luc finally took responsibility for its rebuilding in the mid 19th century. Today, it is a lovely church that will take your breath away with its beauty and its location.

 

Must-sees here include the relics that claim to be St Mary Magdalene. They are what made this Basilica famous in the Middle Ages and still do so today. The relics are in a golden box behind a grill.

You also must check out the capitals. They are fantastic and we spent a good amount of time trying to locate the different ones we found in our guidebook. There is a beautiful one of Adam and Eve with the tree and serpent and another one of Noah building the ark. Almost 100 bible stories are represented and the guidebook documents each one. Finding them is the fun.

Adoration was going on in a small chapel and we joined the nun who was there for prayer. A new monastic community has taken charge of the spiritual life of the Basilica.

An honor box is offered to pay for the guidebooks but no gift shop is located in the Basilica. A small gift store is offered right across the street and we made a short stop there. Take your time to enjoy the view from here, it is wonderful.

France: Casino Cafeteria Aquarelle- Dijon

When we stayed at the Holiday Inn at the Toison D'Or Shopping Center we ate our first nights dinner at the hotel. While it was okay, it was nothing special and like most hotel restaurants was a little pricey. Since we had arrived a little late and totally exhausted from having been lost and trying to find our way here, we were glad not to have to worry about food. 

#casinocafeteriaaquarelle

The second night, we ventured into the mall to see what they had to offer and we discover the cafeteria. One thing I have to say, cafeterias in France are quite common, well priced and have amazingly good food. 

Like most cafeterias, you grab your tray and head for the salad and appetizers. It is sold by weight so be careful about what you put on your plate. Be warned, when we were here, no one spoke English so you need to at least know how to read French to order your meal. The meat will be cooked to order if it is a steak or fish etc.

I ordered the choucroute which is an Alsatian dish of ham, sauerkraut, sausage and potatoes. it was good enough that I ordered it again the second night.

They have lots of dessert choices and an ice cream bar. You will be surprised just how economical it is to eat here.

France: Picturesque Fontenay Abbey

On October 29, 1118, 13 monks from Clairvaux led by St. Bernard himself, founded Fontenay Abbey. It was not until 12 years later that they settled on the site where the Abbey now stands. Their order was Cistercian and their goal was to found a monastery that would be totally self-sufficient and autonomous from other Cistercian monasteries. 

Much of Fontenay owes its existence to English money ironically, brought first by Ebrand of Arundel and later by a grant from King Edward III of England. Religious life continued here for 672 years. In 1792, the Directoire of Semur,  took possession and a paper mill was created on the property.

#fontenayabbey

Luckily for Fontenay,  it came into the possession of Marc Seguin a 19th-century engineer. He kept Fontenay from being destroyed by being a sympathetic landlord. He used the property without destroying its original beauty. He leased it to his son-in-law, one of the Montgolfier brothers. It finally ended up in the possession of Raymond Montgolfier's son in law Edward Aynard. It was he who began the restoration of Fontenay to its former splendor. Its restoration has now involved 5 generations of the Aynard family.

You enter through the gift shop which isn't such a bad idea.  We picked up our guidebooks first to help us as well walked through the site.

The first building we visited was the church. As you enter you are greeted by Gregorian chant, very effective I thought. The building is simplicity itself, no stone steeple, no soaring roof, the interior in the shape of the Latin cross but it is imposing nevertheless. At the far end stands the beautiful statue of Our Lady Of Fontenay which dates from the 13th century. Tombs of two of the abbey's benefactors Seigneur de Mello and his wife are from the same period.

We walked around the courtyard in the cloister much as the monks must have once walked and visited the warming room, the Chapter House, the Scriptorium and the Calefactory. All of it beautifully restored.

 
You must also take the time to visit the Forge which has been restored. From there you can visit the pool which has some very large fish and also the beautiful fountain and the flue.

 

In warmer weather, there are also gardens that may be visited.

We finished up back in the gift shop where I got myself a silver medal with Our Lady Of Fontenay on it and we visited their small cafeteria which is really just a few machines. It was a rainy, cold day and the hot chocolate was very welcome.

North Carolina: North Carolina Transportation Museum Photo Tour

We had a great visit at the North Carolina Transportation Museum. A visit here includes an excursion train ride but there is also a great car museum with some excellent vehicles to enjoy. 

Inside the excursion train

#Northcarolinatransportationmuseum

The exterior of one of the museum buildings

The excursion train

The Magnificent Citadel of Besancon

Vauban, Louis XIV's architect, is responsible for most of the building of the Citadel in Besancon. It rises 100 meters above the old city and reminds me very much of the citadel in Quebec City. Once in Quebec, we walked up the wooden stairs from the rue de Champlain below and I vowed never to do it again, little did I know that I would do something even harder.

#citadelbesancon

As you enter Besancon, you are warned not to park in the city so we grabbed the first parking lot we found, right below the citadel. We started the walk up; it wasn't too bad if you're a mountain goat, and it got progressively worse. The stairs are very steep, in poor repair, and have no handrails. We all made it up alive, but I was shot for about an hour.

Be warned, the restaurants are closed in the cold weather so you won't be getting any restorative tea or coffee.  There is an information booth as you enter the compound and by the way, a very large parking lot, so don't make the same mistake we did, drive up.

You can spend the better part of a day visiting all the museums here. There is a permanent exhibit on Vauban and his work on the Citadel. There is the Franche Comte Museum which is a history and cultural museum. But what you really don't want to miss is The Museum of the Resistance and the Deportation. This is not a display for young children, however. It is graphic and extremely violent, as the times warranted. It details the French Resistance fighters and the violent end that many of them met. It also covers the Deportation of both Jews and Christians to the Concentration Camps of Eastern Europe. Very graphic and very touching.

For the children, though, there is a zoo, an aquarium, a Noctarium and an Insectarium. Certainly, plenty to keep them occupied.

   

France: Carrefour La Toison D'Or Dijon

Carrefour- La Toison D'Or Mall-  This is one of the cornerstone stores of this Mall. It is a sort of combination Sears-Sports Authority-Super Walmart. They have everything from ski equipment to appliances (stoves, washers, etc.), fresh fruits, vegetables and a huge fish department. 

Need wine? They have it. Want to buy a leather jacket?  This is your store. Talk about one-stop shopping. I even bought mustard flavored potato chips here. You can get a freshly roasted chicken or a cold sandwich. Toothpaste or shampoo, I had a ball here and got some great mustard, vanilla bath scrub, hippo shaped cookie cutters and if we could have figured out how to carry them in the car,  we would have picked up some really inexpensive downhill skis. 

One peculiar thing though, I got in one line and tried to pay cash, nope not that line, card only, you also bag your own purchases, hey for these prices who cares. This was definitely the place to go to get the best deals on any gifts you want to purchase to take home.

I was so busy shopping, that I never took any pictures but you get the idea.

France: Les Grandes Ducs Cafe Dijon

We stopped for lunch at Le Grands Ducs after our morning at the Beaux Arts Museum. It is usual in France for museums to close for lunch, and this cafe was just across the street from the entrance to the museum courtyard. It was packed with local office people also out on their lunch breaks. A word of warning -- this whole restaurant was smokey, I would assume today the rules on smoking are different. We stayed because we were cold, tired, and hungry.

#lesgransdducs

The decor was unexceptional, wooden tables, paper placemats, and napkins. Our table was tucked into a back corner, but there were no others available, so we were happy to get it.

I started with vegetable soup; everyone else ordered the onion. The onion soup was excellent, redolent with onion and a hint of wine, topped with thick bread and cheese. The vegetable, on the other hand, was Knorr, or I'll eat my beret, not even good Knorr. It certainly had me wondering why I hadn't ordered the onion.

Al was the brave one in the group; he ordered the Jambon Bourgeonneis, which was ham in a green aspic with cornichons (little pickles). It looked really gross to me, but Al said it tasted good. It's supposed to be a local specialty. It was served with bread and frites.

I opted for a Croque Monsieur, which is a grilled cheese sandwich with the cheese on the outside. It was served with a salad with a creamy Dijon dressing. It was very good.

The service here was spotty. We got our drinks pretty quickly, but after that, nothing ever seemed to go quite right. Now, in all fairness, it was busy so I will give them the benefit of the doubt.

The food was not worth coming here for; it was very ordinary, but the location is excellent. Sometimes we sacrifice the exceptional dining experience in favor of a short walk, especially on long days. The reviews of the restaurant pretty much share the experience that we had so don't expect much except convenience.

France: St Michel Church Dijon

#stmicheldijon

In Dijon, we visited St Michel Church which has a remarkable Renaissance front, it looks totally out of place in Dijon except it has the usual Burgundian triple entrances. It is obviously a favorite meeting spot because there were lots of young people hanging around the front and sitting on every available space. 

Inside, we spent quite a bit of time praying, actually. They have a local saint in the making Blessed Elisabeth Catez, and they have a whole area set aside to tell her story and for people to learn about her devotion to the Blessed Trinity. She died young (26), and her casket can be seen through a grill in the wall of the church.

Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art Photo Tour

If you don't think of the Cleveland Museum of Art when you think of some of the best art museums in the United States then you are missing out. I am going to just give you a little taste of what you are missing. 

Magnificent Tiffany Window

Welcome to the Cleveland Art Museum

Painting of George Washington by Charles Wilson Peale

#clevelandmuseumofart

Jacques Louis David portrait of a young woman

Meet Vercingetorix in Alise St. Reine, France

In 52 BC, the Gauls under Vercingetorix, a chief of the Arverni tribe, revolted against the Romans. Vercingetorix was an able leader and held off the Romans for quite some time by strategically retreating and burning the villages behind him to keep the Romans from living off the land. He made his final stand at Alesia. His strategy, however,  was no match for the wiles of Julius Caesar and he was carried off to Rome as a trophy of war and was put to death there in 46 B.C.

#vercingetorix

The exact location of Alesia was a matter of debate for many years and Emperor Napoleon III decided to end it once and for all by putting up a statue of Vercingetorix on the hillside in Alise Saint Reine. He commissioned Aimee Millet to produce the statue and it now looks out over what turned out to indeed be the site of the Battle of Alesia. This statue is very impressive and there is a look on the face of Vercingetorix that makes you hope that he will win the battle, he has that defiant Braveheart kind of look.

The Battle of Alesia was not quick. It involved a long siege and there were fortified earthworks erected by the Romans. Evidence of these as well as a museum full of artifacts have been recovered. These can be visited at the Museum of Alesia in Alise Saint Reine.

Of course, since it was January when we visited, the museum was closed but we walked up the hill to appreciate the view and the amazing statue.  You can see how large it is compared to the live person next to it.