Wine Tasting the Current Events

Today we were overwhelmed by the several thousands of people we saw flocking to the Paris streets with flags, t-shirts, and banners, obviously united in a demonstration of sorts.

We were innocently making our way to a wine tasting salon, and had to continually dodge the hoards of families and poking pennants coming from every direction. It wasn't until we were in the convention center that I was able to find out what was happening.

My French finally brought me into my first foreign political discussion with a total stranger.

The "manifestation" was a rally or march against homosexual marriage and their legal ability to adopt children. The main argument? That adopted children don't have the choice in who adopts them, and society needs to protect them by only allowing traditional parents (a husband and wife) to clear the adoption process.

The wine selling woman, who patiently explained her side to me while eating her lunch, said she supported the protest. She wasn't necessarily religious, and it didn't bother her if homosexual couples wanted to have tax breaks and similar governmental rights; it's politics to create a livable environment for everyone. But she was adamant that it was not fair to place children in a non-traditional home, no matter how "loving" or "accepting" it may be; the government would then be forcing political issues onto personal belief systems, and helpless children.

Essentially, a homosexual lifestyle is an adult choice, and should not be forced onto a child who has no control over their situation. Moreover, she stated that the homosexual community should not be granted the title of "marriage," no matter how many similar "rights." A marriage shared between a husband and wife is designed to have the emotional stability and the physical capability of producing and raising children, and therefore, orphans should have their own right to be taken into a family structure as such.

Marc and I were both amazed to see the crowds of children, parents, grandparents, and a massive (surprising) amount of young adults taking a stand. It showed us something more important than what these people believe in: it showed us that they still believe in something.

Europe and France get a "bad rap" for having no moral compass.

Today was a great day for sipping wines and shutting down stereotypes.

"A lie has speed, but the truth has endurance."

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Soldiers, Saints, and Swashbucklers

This week, we took the opportunity of the winter "vacances" to rent a car - automatic, no doubt - and zip off to Normandy and Brittany (Normandie et Bretagne) for a few days.

The combination of our activities made for a lot of culture and century jumping, but we had time to absorb the things we saw during our car rides, making it much more manageable.

There is even more to actually say about these main places, and the best advice I have for you is:

Come see for yourself.

D-DAY SIGHTS

Nothing is a more emotional backdrop than a cemetery, let alone one that represents the sacrifices made for our way of life with freedom. We paid our tributes to the Arromanches (Gold Beach), American Cemetery, Pointe du Hoc (Omaha/Utah Beaches), and Sainte-Mère Église (inland, where paratroopers landed). 

Pointe du Hoc (German bunker pictured above) is littered with mine craters and concrete bunkers, and was a key assault location on June 6, 1944. A division of Army Rangers landed on the beaches and bravely scaled the steep cliffs to attack the German stronghold. The church at Sainte-Mère Église (pictured on left) still commemorates the efforts of the Airborne paratroopers with a local museum, and the torn parachute to the right of the clock on the tower (see the white?).

The American Cemetery (pictured on right, and panoramic by title) holds over 9,000 veterans from several wars. Three overwhelming feelings surrounded me as I carefully stepped my way around our heroes: gratitude, peace, and freedom. We cannot take these men and women for granted, and the memorials dotting the seaside of Normandy keep us in touch with reality.

As we continued to take in the gravity of war history winding our way around the back roads of Normandy, we came across an absolute treasure of a cider house. The Calvados department (similar to a county) is well-known in France for their apples, and all related products.

We entered through the arched bridge of the home (pictured above), and found ourselves in a 17th century courtyard of cider-makers. Their entire "store" (really just a room next to the farming equipment) was reasonably priced and the authenticity was unbeatable because of its distance from tourist areas. I don't think we could find this place ever again, and that secures its magic in our memory.

When we finally arrived in Saint-Malo that evening, we struck out to the center to find La Creperie Tournesol...and discovered the fortified medieval island! The creperie was insanely amazing, as it should be in the Brittany region where crepes are king! Marc enjoyed a mystery meat galette (sometimes translations just don't work) and I adored the salmon galette.

MONT SAINT-MICHEL

This epic concept is best described as a tourist's medieval dream come true. Stunning views, quaint shop signs, hundreds of stairs, steep and mysterious passageways, hidden restaurants, and real-life monks and nuns floating by: yes, this is real. 

But the coolest part of Mont Saint-Michel is the approach to the island: something juts upward in the misty distance, completely independent of the mainland, and proudly wearing its steeple into the sky. As you get closer and closer, the details begin to appear: the interesting symmetry of the abbey, the lower level homes, the enclosing city walls. 

We were able to see most of the inside of the abbey, and the souvenir shops, while a bit redundant, do have some really unique items like dishes, paintings, and local products. I definitely believe Mont Saint-Michel is a must-see, but be prepared for the onslaught of large tour groups and children on field trips who both tend to interrupt your personal space and silent reverie. If you can ignore them, you can easily be swept away by the charms of the towers, cobblestone streets, and abbey cats.

We went back to Saint-Malo again for dinner to try another creperie: Le Corps de Garde. I really wanted to go to this restaurant because it used to be one of the guard houses for the pirates! Saint-Malo was a great location for pirate business back in the day, and one of the highlights for us was walking the ramparts around most of the town - and then realizing our pirate creperie was built into the upper levels of the wall! 

HELLO, PERFECTION

The galettes were normal and delicious, but my dessert crepe was made extra special by the fact that I can now speak enough French to comfortably add a topping to my order. The final result? Chocolate sauce under a layer of crepe, sprinkled with coconut, drizzled with local caramel, with sides of whipped cream and coconut ice cream. Best dessert crepe thus far, mostly because it had my all-star flavors.

I have wanted to make this journey since arriving in Belgium back in 2011, got close last year in Caen, and now that we have done it - it did not disappoint! Every person has to experience this trip for themselves. It takes you back and forth from modern history to the Dark Ages, from battlegrounds to cathedrals, from monks to pirates, and from farms to fortified islands. The variety of cultural sights, coupled with the unique cuisine (Calvados apples, camembert cheese, ciders, Bretagne galettes/crepes and caramels, abundant seafood, and salt meadow lamb at Mont Saint-Michel), makes Normandy and Brittany a true and necessary vacation from the ordinary.

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I Actually Louvred It

This day was a long time coming.

Spiral stairs inside the pyramid 

I started visiting Paris in February 2011, then moved to the lovely suburbs later that year in August. I have walked by and around the museum monolith countless times - but never inside - until yesterday.

The Louvre was understandably intimidating, and I did not want to be negatively overwhelmed with walking, crowds, and more than enough art I may not appreciate. But in regularly putting off my date with one of the largest museums in the world, anticipation replaced the initial dread I had experienced. It slowly changed from a tourist chore to an absorption of culture (it helped that I changed from tourist to expat, also). I'm so glad I waited until I was ready.

Stairs inside the Sully (oldest) wing

First misconception: the Louvre is a museum.
Truth: the Louvre is a collection of CASTLES. I fell in love within seconds of grasping this new reality.

Second misconception: it's impossible to find anything.
Truth: the maps and room markings are made for dummies; I never got lost, and I found everything I wanted to easily.

Third misconception: the Richelieu wing has nothing interesting.
Truth: Only if you despise the history of humanity.

Fourth misconception: it takes a full day at insane speeds to see what you want to see.
Truth: Two hours, leisurely pace.

Some Art:
Venus de Milo (Greece, ca. 100 B.C.)
In a word: peaceful.

Mona Lisa (Leonardo Da Vinci, 1500s)
Everyone always complains about how "small" the painting is - it really isn't as tiny as I thought it was going to be. It's just a normal painting, about life-size. It maybe appears smaller because it has its own entire wall space?

The Coronation of Napoleon (Jacques-Louis David, 1800s)
This is the zoomed in version so you can see what's at the center of the action. The glowing woman on the left background is actually Napoleon's mom, and he had David paint her there even though she wasn't at the ceremony. In the middle is Napoleon crowning his wife, Josephine, the empress. And behind him in the red cap is the angry pope because Napoleon had just previously taken the crown from him and placed it on himself. I don't think Napoleon told David to paint the pope mad, so maybe it was his way of retaining some reality in the piece.

Madame Juliet Récamier (Jacques-Louis David, 1800s)
In a word: elegant.

Winged Victory of Samothrace (Greece, ca. 190 B.C.)
This statue is so beautifully intense! It apparently used to stand on a mountaintop, celebrating a war victory at sea. It is huge, dramatic, and owns a great top-of-the-staircase location in the museum.

(Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix was unfortunately out on loan to another museum.)

Some Awesome History:
Apollo Gallery

"The Louvre Museum, founded September 16, 1792, by decree of the Legislative Assembly, was opened August 10, 1793, in execution of a decree rendered by the National Convention."

The Apollo Gallery is lined with ornate portraits of sculptures, architects, writers, and other French art contributors.

Also in the gallery were some of the crown jewels from the French royal family, "dishes" (more like the crown jewels than something from Ikea), and abalone shell goblets.

The well-traveled wings of the museum are Sully (east, perpendicular to the river) and Denon (south, next to the river). But the Richelieu wing had two things I really wanted to explore, the first being Napoleon's apartments.


An excellent decision.

The rooms were loaded with every royal fancy, and the only thing missing was an elaborate library. Every inch of the place was decorated; ceilings, walls, doors, windows, corners, floors, furniture, handles, lights, you name it! It still stands to wonder why on earth Louis XIV "needed" to remodel Versailles.

Hammurabi's Code (Babylon, ca. 1760 B.C.)
This was the other grand and fabulous item in the Richelieu wing. I always remember something about this set of laws from the few rounds of world history I took throughout school because every book started with the "Cradle of Civilization," Mesopotamia...and Hammurabi's Code.

The best part is that I had no idea this was in the Louvre, let alone existing, and I nearly dropped my museum map when I read it had been here all along. Seeing this ancient form of government and humanity precisely drawn into rock from thousands of years ago? This is not an exhibit that can be skipped over! I spent more than a few moments here, and this was far and away my favorite "piece of art."

The font-size 6 cuneiform inscribed stone

Some Unexpected Highlights:
The Line I Didn't Stand In
Thanks again to Rick Steves, I entered instead through the underground mall, waltzing right through security and into the rooms. The entrance these people are waiting for is on the opposite side of the pyramid, and another hour or two away.

How tourists spend Free Museum Days

The Ceilings

Someday I want to return to the Louvre and just look up the entire time. These ceilings are just the ones that came out best with my iPod camera - there were too many to count. The shapes, textures, materials, colors, and designs all combined for some epic 3-D room toppers.

The Louvre was filled with surprises, and almost all of them (the only exception was the missing Delacroix masterpiece) were perfect!

As if I didn't have enough to smile about already, this guy TOTALLY made my day. This is definitely the most entertaining thing I've ever seen in any museum anywhere.

The Great Museum Detective

In a word: MAGNIFIQUE!

Final misconception: I would hate the Louvre.
Truth: I can't wait to go back!


Linking up with Phoebe at #AllAboutFrance! Congrats on 1 full year of awesome link-ups!

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