Chartres, France

Arrived in Chartres to visit the famous cathedral only to discover that a funeral was taking place and all tours were cancelled. (It is a working church, after all!) In the end, we did get in and although a lot of work is being done inside - the whole altar area was blocked - there was still much to see and admire. This cathedral was completed in one generation - dedicated in 1260 A.D. - and is famous for its 13th century stained glass. In fact, the church is original in just about every respect.

 

The rose windows are fabulous!

 

 

This glass depicting Noah's ark was especially beautiful:

 

 

Then we took a day trip to Versailles. C'est tres merveilleux!

 

Here is Valynn thinking she owns the place:

 

And, of course, the Hall of Mirrors is amazing:

 

 

Okay, so for dinner we went to a McDonald's in Versailles (it was fast, convenient and cheap). We asked for hamburgers. They were not available. Go figure!!

 

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Dinan (Brittany), France

Dinan is a beautiful town in Brittany with extremely well preserved medieval buildings. It was untouched by the war. We spent the night here and had fun wandering around:

 

On the way, we stopped at Mont. St. Michel, the famous abbey church. We endured the tourist gauntlet and walked all the way up to the top. We decided the setting when approaching the abbey was far more spectacular than actually being within the walls itself.

With all this walking, I am actually losing weight!!

 

Normandy, France

Before visiting the D-Day sights, we watched the classic war flick, "The Longest Day." So, of course, we had to make a pilgrimage to the locations of three critical events on June 6 that were highlighted in the film: Pegasus Bridge, where British gliders landed with amazing accuracy, enabling soldiers to secure the bridge for Allied advance; St. Mere Eglise, where the American paratrooper got his parachute stuck on the steeple, leaving him exposed to enemy gunfire; and Point de Hoc, where Army Rangers scaled the cliffs to take out dangerous German batteries.

 

Pegasus Bridge:

 

St. Mere Eglise:

 

Point du Hoc:


 

 

Point du Hoc is full of craters left by heavy Naval bombing:

 

 

Bayeux (Normandy), France

Bayeux is a beautiful town, untouched by the war. The Bayeux Cathedral at night:

 

 

These creepy Norman carvings greet you as you walk through the nave of the church:

 

 

Around town:

 

An artist would want to paint this door:

 

 

Bayeux (Normandy), France

We have been visiting D-Day sights. A visit to the American cemetery was a moving experience - over 9,000 are buried here - row upon row of simple white crosses and stars of David.

 

 

Spent a lot of time contemplating the events of June 6th, 1944. Omaha beach:

 

 

This German battery is one of four in close proximity that did a lot of damage. Still has its original cannon:

 

 

Just want you to know we are still together!

 

 

 

Amiens, France

We left Brussels and made our way to Amiens, France, stopping in Reims along the way. The cathedral in Reims is another very impressive cathedral - sort of the French version of Westminster Abbey in that 25 French kings have been crowned here:

 

 

Valynn used her French to ask for directions to the cathedral. I am very proud of her!


The stained glass windows were beautiful here, especially more contemporary ones by Marc Chagall (I'm a fan).

The Amiens Cathedral is known for its classic gothic style, built in 1222-34 or so. It became the model for other cathedrals. It is the largest cathedral in all of France.

 

 

At night, they illuminated the church with special projectors, showing how the facade would have been orignally painted. The colors really brought out the detail:

Above the central portal:

 

 

Brussels, Belgium

Because Brussels is so wonderfully central to many European cities, we have been able to visit the cities of Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp, and Cologne Germany.

The Cologne Cathedral was high on the "WOW!" meter as far as cathedrals go. Begun in 1248 A.D., it was not finished until 1880 A.D!

 

 

This beautiful gold shrine houses the relics of the Three Kings. (The box was opened in the 19th century and they found a few bones and some pieces of cloth.) The relics attracted thousands of pilgrims from all over Europe in medieval times. It was made in 1190 A.D.:

 

 

To me, the greatest sight beyond the cathedral itself was this famous crucifix. Made of wood around 960 A.D., this is probably the first example of realism in depicting the suffering of Jesus on the cross for the salvaton of humanity. The figure is about 6 ft. tall:

 

 

 

Brussels, Belgium

Crossed the Channel via British Airways and made it safely to Belgium, where we were met by our friends, Eric and Vicky Westland, former MPC'ers and living in Brussels. We are enjoying their warm hospitality. Visited the beautiful city of Bruges:

 

 

 

Belgian frites are a local treat:

 

 

 

 

Canterbury, England

Canterbury Cathedral is another impressive cathedral, the headquarters of the world-wide Anglican Church:

 

 

Archbishop Thomas Becket was murdered here in 1170 and it is purported that many miracles were experienced in its wake. As a result, his shrine became the focus of medieval pilgrimmage. The place where he was murdered is marked:

 

 

The ceiling of the great tower is especially beautiful:

 

 

The town of Canterbury itself is quite charming. This house, with its crooked door, has character. It leans towards the street:

 

 

 

Nottingham, England

Today was mostly a travel day and we have stopped in Nottingham. No sign of Robin Hood or of the Sherwood Forest for that matter.

We did enjoy our last morning in Edinburgh, admiring the architecture around our hotel:

The circle stone marks the site of the city's gallows, where many people were executed for their Presbyterian, Reformed faith.

And then we stopped at Hadrian's Wall, the far northern border of the Roman Empire in the first century. This defensive wall, built by the Emperor Hadrian, cut across northern England for some 72 miles! That's a lot of rock!

 

 

 

Edinburgh, Scotland

We spent most of our day at the Edinburgh Castle, perched high above the city. An impressive fortress!

The Scots were celebrating Prince Phillip's birthday. They really know how to throw a party:

They gave him a 21- gun salute:

 

Edinburgh, Scotland

 

 

This morning we worshipped in the mother church of world Presbyterianism - St. Giles Cathedral. Here John Knox preached the ideas of the Reformation. The worship service was quite formal by our standards, but beautiful. I find that humor is not much employed in the services I have attended over here, so they lack a little warmth - at least, in my humble opinion.

 

 

 

I kept imagining John Knox preaching from the pulpit and railing against the Pope. Here he is depicted in stained glass:

 

 

Here I am with John, now. He is a bit stone-faced:

 

On our way to Edinburgh, we stopped in Durham, where there is a massive Norman cathedral that predates the Gothic cathedrals we have visited. The style of this church is Romanesque; it has more rounded arches, thicker walls, and smaller window areas. It has a much heavier feel than the other cathedrals we have been to. A very spiritual place - St. Cuthbert is buried here and therefore a place of pilgrimmage for centuries.

 

 

Ever since we have left London, the weather has been cool and damp. We feel right at home!

 

York, England

For history-buffs like me, York is like being in a candy store. So much history here - Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Normans and beyond - all have left there imprint here. The top sight, of course, is Yorkminster, the largest Gothic Cathedral in Northern Europe.

 

 

We were disapointed, however, to find the nave of the cathedral full of tables for a fund-raising dinner the next night.

 

 

Still beautiful, though - and the special party lighting gave it a modern vibe. Hoped to attend evensong services here, but none are scheduled while we are here.

On the way to York, we visited Coventry Cathedral which was destroyed during WWII. The ruins were left as a memorial to the ravages of war.

 

 

A new cathedral was build alongside the old - a symbol of resurrection hope: