FRANCE 2000: PARIS - CHRISTMAS MORNING, ARC D'TRIOMPHE, STRAVINSKY FOUNTAIN, NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL

 December 25, 2000

I just couldn't let the usual Christmas traditions go, so when we woke up on Christmas morning in our hotel in Versailles, there were stockings with pieces of paper listing small gifts that were waiting for the kids at home. 

Our daughter had bought a beautiful tablecloth for me and other gifts from France for her dad and brothers, and I had also packed one or two gifts for each family member.

FRANCE 2000: CHARTRES AND VERSAILLES

 December 24, 2000

It was Christmas Eve AND Sunday and we were not sure what would be open, but we began our day by driving to Chartres to see its massive Gothic cathedral, built mostly between 1193 and 1250 and with additions as recent as the 17th century. Considered to be one of the most beautiful cathedrals in Europe, it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1979.

The story is told that during World War II, the city itself was heavily bombed in August 1944. An order was given to destroy the cathedral as it was thought to be in use by the Germans as an observation post. An American army officer named Colonel Welborn Barton Griffith, Jr., challenged the order, volunteering to go behind enemy lines to investigate. He entered the cathedral and after searching it from the crypt to the bell tower, declared it free of Germans by ringing the bell and waving an American flag from the tower. The cathedral was spared. Tragically, Colonel Griffith was killed in action later on that day a few miles north of the city. Posthumous medals and awards from both the US and France are not enough to recognize his bravery and foresight.  (Photo from Wikipedia)

Unlike many of the other cathedrals of Europe, the stained glass windows also survived the war. When the war started in 1939, master glass artisans dismantled hundreds of the precious stained glass windows, and with the help of local volunteers, packaged the windows in crates and stored them in the crypt. Just before German invaders reached the area, the French people hauled them across the country to be stored in an underground quarry. In August 1944, bombs blew out the cathedral's temporary windows.

The cathedral is massive--430 feet long and 151 feet wide with a nave height of 121 feet. It covers 117,060 square feet. The two towers are 344 and 371 feet.  

FRANCE 2000: MONT-SAINT-MICHEL AND SAINT-MALO

 December 23, 2000

We got a good start the next day so that we could be at Mont-Saint-Michel at the exact time the tide was out. Mont-Saint-Michel is what is called a "tidal island," or an island when the tide is in but accessible by land when the tide is out. Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

No doubt you have seen photos of the Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey, topped by Michael the Archangel.

. . . and here is my photo, which I think is an amazing replica of the postcard (sans sheep and a bit dowdier in color):

According to legend, in 708 AD the Archangel Michael appeared to the Bishop of Avranches and directed him to build a church on the rocky island.

FRANCE 2000: NORMANDY

 December 22, 2000

Our daughter had spent a semester in France as an exchange student with her university, and we were excited to finally get to share in the experience with her. Bob was particularly excited about French cuisine.

Here is our twelve-year-old's vision of the Eiffel Tower, the Champs Elysee, and the Louvre prior to the trip:

After crossing the border from Germany into France, we made our way to the beaches of Normandy on the western edge of France on the Atlantic Ocean.

GERMANY 2000: ULM, ROTHENBURG OB DE TAUBER, SPEYER

 December 20-21, 2000

We had taken the southern route near the Alps and the Austrian border on our way from Neuschwanstein to Salzburg, and on our way back into Germany we took the Autobahn from Salzburg to Ulm, bypassing Munich, which was a bit of a disappointment, but my mother said we were short on time and stopping in Munich would slow us down too much.  We also would have liked to stop in Dachau, which was just a few miles off our route, but again, my mother said no--there wasn't much to see.  

As far as I know, my mother never visited a Nazi concentration camp. If she did, it was one of the many things she didn't want to talk about.

Two of our most memorable experiences of the trip happened in Ulm, and I'll get to those later. Ulm is a city of about 126,000 situated on the Danube River. Founded in 850, it is noted primarily for two things: being the birthplace of Albert Einstein in 1879 and having a Gothic church with the tallest steeple in the world (530 feet).

Our hotel was right by the massive cathedral, which my mother said is the largest Protestant church building in the world, but it actually ranks 4th in the world and 2nd in Germany behind the Berlin Cathedral. Still, it is a massive 5,950 square meters (or over 64,000 square feet) inside, seats 2,000, and is, indeed, the tallest church (of any denomination) in the world.

AUSTRIA 2000: SALZBURG

  December 18-19, 2000

Mom was excited to take us to Salzburg, one of the cultural centers of Europe for centuries. The area has had inhabitants since the Neolithic Age (10,000 - 4,500 BCE), so even for Europe it is old. Salz means "salt," and the name "Salzburg" first showed up in the 8th century when the local economy focused on salt mining.

We arrived on a stormy, blustery evening, the only really bad weather of the trip. Outside our somewhat dingy hotel, Mom had us park the car on the sidewalk, which seemed strange to us then but more normal to us now that we've spent more time in Europe. 

I wish I had better photos of the beautiful Christmas decorations. This much-faded photo I took doesn't do them justice.

But this nice picture of the city that I clipped from a brochure shows the city's elegance. The historic city center of Salzburg has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

GERMANY 2000: NEUSCHWANSTEIN CASTLE, FUSSEN, AND THE WEISKIRCHE

 December 18, 2000

Neuschwanstein Castle is one of those places that everyone has seen, at least on postcards and calendars and in travel guides. With 1.5 million visitors a year, it is one of the most popular tourist sites in Europe. We were excited to visit and see it with our own eyes.  It did not disappoint, at least on the outside. It is very photogenic. These are brochure clippings from my scrapbook:

And this is information about King Ludwig II of Bavaria, who built it. It makes a great story!

Located on the northern edge of the Alps about 60 miles southwest of Munich and not too far from the Austrian border, the castle is perched half-way up a mountain and can be seen from a distance on approach.