Posts to be more Sporadic

Greetings to all our faithful readers. We are currently in London, and about to head out for another day of sightseeing. Up till now I have been using the travel time on the bus to write up my blog entries, but that daily routine is gone now that our Group Tour with Globus is over. Thus I'm not sure how often we will be able to find time to write further about our journey, and because we are staying in Bed & Breakfast places most of the time from here on, how often we will have internet access in order to be able to post.

We have been making notes, and intend to flesh them out into full postings when the opportunity arises, but if you don't see any new postings for a few days, this would be the reason. In general let me say that the group tour was great, and we saw lots of things, but we are ready to set off on our own, with our own agenda and schedule.

Notre Dame, Quiche and Crepes

We are currently zipping along the France countryside, and I meaning zipping! This Eurostar train from Paris to London is faster than the Rome to Milan train (which I thought was pretty fast), but it’s not as smooth as the Italian train. Let me return to yesterday and our final evening in Paris.

Rather than join the group in the optional evening excursion to the Moulin Rouge, Beth and I chose to do some more sightseeing of Paris on our own. We took the Metro (the Paris subway) from right outside our hotel to a stop just by Notre Dame Cathedral. After heading in the wrong direction (because I thought I spotted the cathedral, but actually it was another church - this time Beth was right about which direction to go!) we made it to that most famous Paris churches, courtesy of Quasimodo. Earlier in the day I learned that it was Victor Hugo’s novel “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” that saved the Cathedral from falling into disrepair. Apparently the Parisians in the 18th and early 19th centuries didn’t like the building because it was built in the Gothic style, and thus looked too old, or unfashionable. I guess the Parisians have been concerned about fashion and looking good for a long time. After Victor Hugo’s novel came out, people flocked to Notre Dame to see the hunchback, or find Esmeralda. Then the Parisians decided it would be a worthwhile venture to restore the cathedral and keep it in good repair.

There was no line, and no fee, so Beth and I were able to walk right in. Right away I heard singing throughout the Cathedral. I thought perhaps they were rehearsing for the music concert that was being held there later that evening, but after a few moments I realized that a worship service was taking place. The middle section of the cathedral was roped off, and people could not enter there unless they were intending to go to Mass. Meanwhile all around the perimeter of the cathedral people were walking, talking, taking pictures and so forth (in spite of the signs in multiple languages requesting silence).

Beth and I walked slowly around the perimeter as well, and even stopped to light a candle and put it in one of the many prayer stations around the cathedral. Up near the altar we could smell the incense and watch the priest presiding. I never saw where the cantor was, but it was a woman with a pretty voice.

The whole scenario was surreal, people posing for pictures by some element inside the cathedral while a few metres away Mass was taking place… each seemingly oblivious to the other. Beth thought that those who worshipped there regularly were probably used to it, but I couldn’t imagine trying to preside at a worship service in such conditions. It was a bonus being able to hear the organ play (as well as the woman canting) as we walked about the inside of the cathedral. I ended up purchasing a CD there (one of Bach played on the organ of Notre Dame)… my first CD purchase over here (I’m a little surprised it has taken so long for that to happen).

Once outside we walked down a street near by to find something to eat. I thought quiche in Paris sounded good, Beth was looking for crepes. We found a little sidewalk café/bar that had both items on the menu. Beth started with salad that (to my eyes) was huge. It had lettuce, green beans, corn, goat cheese, tomatoes, and probably other stuff as well. My quiche came with salad and fries (or frites as they are called over here). Both dishes were great, but very filling, so we had no room for crepes when we were finished!

We did a little more walking around, souvenir hunting, and eventually found a place that made crepes right beside Notre Dame. Beth had a Nutella and Banana crepe, I had a Lemon and Sugar one. Were they ever great! I managed to get a recording of the bells of Notre Dame as we enjoyed our crepes, then it was back to the Metro and the hotel. On our way, walking over a bridge spanning the River Seine, we spotted a film crew setting up cameras and lights for some kind of shot. We didn’t stick around long enough to see if we recognized anyone, but maybe one day I will be watching a film and say “Hey, we were there, we saw that film crew.”

The Metro in Paris was easy to use, once we figured it out, and quite reasonably priced - less than $2 Canadian for each of us. We made our way back to our hotel with no trouble, and quite quickly. Apparently the London Tube (subway) workers just went on strike today, so getting around in London might be a bit more challenging. We’ll find out soon enough, for our train has already been through the Chunnel and we are now approaching London. This really is a cool train ride to be on.

Versailles? C’est Incroyable!

We saw the word “incroyable” used a fair amount in Paris - usually used to describe the price of t-shirts in discount souvenir shops. I think it’s a great descriptor for the opulence of Versailles. From the moment the bus drove up to the courtyard, I was astonished by the amount of gold. It’s probably a good thing that it was a cloudy day, otherwise the gates alone would have been almost too dazzling. Versailles truly is an incredible work of art, containing many works of art (loved the Ming vase). It’s hard to imagine the egotism involved in building such a monument - needing to leave your mark on the world, to the point of having the Sun King image in gold on all the connecting doors, etc. However, we’ve certainly seen that in some of the churches as well, with more almost homage being paid to saints and popes than to God.

We also had an excellent guide who filled us in on lots of details of palace life. What a fish bowl existence they lived! There was very little privacy in their situation, hence all the secret doors built in to their bedrooms and the hall of mirrors and many other places, I’m sure. I was also awed by the artwork on the ceilings, again all the gilding and the paintings. We saw some fine examples of trompe l’oeil. I find it fascinating that you can paint something and make it appear to be three dimensional.

The disappointing thing for me was the weather that day. As we were heading out to look at the extensive gardens, it started to rain - not just rain but really pour. We huddled in the corner of the building under our umbrella until it seemed to let up somewhat and then we ventured out. Dennis gave me the umbrella and went off to get soaked taking his pictures. The gardens and fountains were magnificent and I could have spent a lot more time there (if we had more time and if it wasn’t raining).

Overall, it was a fascinating experience but I came away being more sympathetic to the people of France and the circumstances surrounding the Revolution. It must have been like a ‘poke in the eye’ to be starving, unable to feed your family, and to see the Royal family living in such opulence.

Up the Eiffel Tower and All Around the Town

Here we are sitting on the Eurostar High Speed Train in the Paris station, waiting to head to London via the Chunnel. I am taking this opportunity to catch up in my writing for yesterday’s adventures.

Another early start to the day, which was primarily due to the reservation our group had to go up the Eiffel Tower (which was a good thing when we saw the line up at the base of the Tower - I bet it took some those people a couple hours to get up the tower). We had a little Parisian woman as a local guide, and ironically she said many of the same things Elzo said the evening before, and we saw many of the same buildings and monuments, but things looked different in the morning light and there was so much to take in it wasn’t a bad thing at all to have some repetition.

The most somber part of the tour was driving through the tunnel where Princess Diana was killed in the car accident 13 years ago. Both Elzo and the Parisian guide pointed this place out. It was the Parisian guide who noted that the car crashed into the 13th pillar in the tunnel, and Elzo noted that the tunnel was simple and straight and hard to imagine what could have caused the crash - especially the way people drive in Paris. The driving here is as crazy as Rome, and around the Arc de Triomphe, where 12 Avenues converge, its amazing that people get in and out of that huge traffic circle in one piece. Yet with all the crazy driving, the Europeans seem to manage just fine - and I never saw any evidence of vehicle accidents anywhere. We were glad for our bus driver Massimo who navigated his way around these cities without getting flustered, or losing his cool - he always seemed in complete control. We were sad to say “au revoir” to him today as he is not coming with us to London (there we will have a local driver for the remainder of the tour).

Paris is a beautiful city, with lots of incredible monuments, buildings and bridges. This one bridge, recently restored, was stunning with its angels at each corner gilded with gold leaf. There was also a new museum that had living walls, plants were literally growing out of the walls - very interesting. Paris has 109 museums, including the largest in the world, the Louvre. We saw the Louvre from the outside, but it would take days to go through the museum which has 6 kilometres of hallways, and that’s just on one level! You could tell that it is near the end of the school year because each of these places had groups of school children on field trips… imagine going to the Louvre, Versailles, or the Eiffel Tower as a school outing!

I thought we were going to be in trouble for going up the Eiffel Tower because the forecast was for rain. However the morning started sunny, and even though the clouds built up during the morning there was no actual rain while we were up the tower. Our group only went to the second level (due to time constraints) but actually that was just fine, we got a great view of Paris from that level - taking many pictures of course. It was a little windy and cold up there, but otherwise a positive outing. Can you believe that the Parisians did not like the Eiffel Tower at first, and wanted it dismantled. World War I saved the structure as it became useful as a radio tower. Now it is hard to imagine Paris without this iron masterpiece.

Following the Eiffel Tower we were brought to the Opera House and directed to Galleries LaFayette, a large department store, which had a cafeteria on the top floor which we could get lunch at. Beth and I went up to the top floor, grabbed some croissants and quiche and looked out at the Eiffel Tower in the distance which was now surrounded by a rain storm (we got down just in time). In some ways the Galleries LaFayette reminded me of the Bay department store in Calgary when I was young - which also had a cafeteria on the top floor, only this Paris store was much larger, much more upscale, and had very different items in its cafeteria.

After lunch we looked at the outside of the Opera House (or the Académie Nationale de Musique) - another majestic building with incredible ornamentation. Then we boarded the bus for Versailles, but that’s another post.

A French Meal and a Sparkling Tower

Monday was mostly a long driving day as we made our way from Lucerne, Switzerland to Paris, France. For the most part of this trip the scenery changed very little, and thus (truth be told) Beth and I both nodded off a number of times (it had been an early morning!) A couple of stops at the European equivalent of the Husky Truck stop and finally we arrived at Paris. We were entering the city around 5 PM, and we got a good taste of the gridlock that Paris experiences often. It took a long time to make our way into the heart of the city where our hotel was located, but eventually we made it safe and sound. Once we checked into our rooms and had a few moments to get settled, the tour group headed out for supper, we had been promised a true French meal.

The restaurant was a quaint little place called the Le Montebello, it was just across the river from Notre Dame Cathedral in the very heart of Paris. It was a true multi-course meal (though not nearly as fancy as the one in Babette’s Feast). There were some in our group who had the snails for the appetiser, but I wasn’t that brave and stuck with the French Onion soup, which was pretty safe, and pretty tasty. The best part of the meal for me was the mashed carrots that came with the main entrée, that was the biggest surprise and I really loved how it tasted.

You could tell that our tour group was getting more familiar with each other because the conversation got very loud during the meal. One of the biggest topics of amusement was going to the bathroom, which required going up a very tight spiral staircase - some people almost got stuck. The meal and the setting was a great introduction to what the city of Paris had to offer - lots of flavour and character.

After the meal our tour guide Elzo took us on a quick drive through the city centre, pointing out all the various monuments and buildings as we made our way through the City of Lights. At one point the bus stopped and Elzo told us to hurry off the bus because we were going to see something that only happens for 5 minutes a night, the Eiffel Tower sparkles. No sooner had he spoken when lights began flashing on and off all over the Eiffel Tower - it really did look like it was sparkling against the darkening evening sky! Then just as suddenly as it began, it was over. We loaded back on the bus and made our way back to the hotel…our appetites for Paris had been whetted and tomorrow would be a full day.

More Wandering the Streets of Lucerne

After another simple lunch (more of the bread, cheese and salami from yesterday) Beth and I headed out for more wandering about Lucerne. This was a pretty low-key afternoon, but a welcomed change of pace. Beth got a coffee at a Starbucks, and was glad to discover it didn’t really cost much more than in Canada. She also commented that after drinking espresso for a week the Starbucks coffee didn’t seem strong at all. We also enjoyed another round of gelato cones (mined was a most flavourful raspberry, combined with chocolate of course… after all we were in Switzerland).

I was hoping to record the bells of the Cathedral ring at 6 PM, so we made our way over to the church on our way back to the hotel. We took a peek inside the cathedral because folks from our tour group said it was beautiful inside - and that it was, but we couldn’t do much looking around as there appeared to be a service going on. We moved outside and waited for the service to conclude (so the bells would ring) 10 minutes went by and still no bells, so I sent Beth back into the church to see if the service looked like it was near the end. Next thing I knew Beth was waving at me to come in. When I got to the door she whispered that she didn’t think the service was close to being finished but that the choir was singing and they were pretty good.

It only took a few moments of listening to realize how right Beth was, so I whipped out the recorder and stood at the back of the church, just inside the narthex, and listened to (and recorded) the choir. There was a small brass ensemble with the choir, and the music was deeply moving as it reverberated in that scared space. Towards the end of the piece I closed my eyes and just soaked in the sound. This was the first spiritual moment I had personally experienced in one of these European cathedrals, and it was deeply satisfying. I was grateful. After the choral selection the Priest said some things in German, which led to the whole congregation standing and singing with the choir “Now Thank We All Our God” (in German of course). After an inspiring morning on Mount Pilatus, and listening to a moving choral work, I thought it an apt Benediction.

It turns out it wasn’t a normal service, it was some kind of concert with a special recognition for the choir (this much we were able to figure out without knowing the language). We couldn’t stay to the very end of the service/concert because we had to get back to have supper with the tour group. It was a short, but meaningful, moment in our time in Lucerne.

Supper was fish, lightly breaded and very enjoyable. More interesting conversation with members of the tour group. It was here that I found out that Mr. Stump, who was on this trip with his wife and two of their grandchildren, came from a long line of Lutheran pastors. He told us that his grandfather wrote the old blue catechism book (which I took to mean either translated or edited). This was the same Small Catechism that I used as a confirmand many years ago! Also sitting at our table was Mr. Singh and his wife. He was a retired University Professor from North Carolina, but who attended the University of Alberta, my old Alma Matter (it really is a small world). Today I discovered that Ricardo from our group is a corrections officer at Folsom Prison, the same facility made famous by Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues." So not only are we seeing interesting places, we’re meeting interesting people.

Mount Pilatus - Yes Dr. Friesen, It Was Great

Finally we got to sleep in a bit, and we didn’t have to have our luggage ready to go for the porters, so it was a more relaxed start to the day. First on the agenda was breakfast in the hotel restaurant on the top floor of the hotel (with a bird’s eye view of the roof tops of Lucerne and the surrounding mountains). Then we boarded a new bus (European bus drivers by law can only work 6 days in a row, which meant Massimo had a day off, and so did his bus). Off we went the short distance to Mount Pilatus. This was something both Beth and I had been anticipating because our Dentist, Dr. Blaine Friesen told both of us about it with great enthusiasm when we had had dental work done shortly before leaving on our trip. I was worried about this excursion being a bust because the evening before I had checked the weather forecast which said cloudy and rainy - but the morning had blue sky and sunshine so things were looking hopeful.
Our group went up the mountain on a cogwheel train, the steepest incline tackled by any cogwheel train in the world - 49 degrees in places! A cogwheel train has a third track in the middle of the two normal rails. This middle track is what the gears or cogs of the engine pull the train up with. It was a 40 minute ride to the top, with great views of the mountain scenery and some vertigo inducing moments as the track passed next to a cliff. The cogwheel train was an experience in and of itself that was worthwhile, but then we got to the top and could view the panorama of mountain ranges and alpine meadows from the peak of Mount Pilatus - magnificent! Thank you Dr. Friesen for your encouragement to do this excursion, absolutely worth every cent.

By this point some clouds had moved in, but they moved around enough that during the course of our time up on the summit we had plenty of chances to see the whole panorama. Occasionally the clouds would envelop us completely, but this never lasted more than a few minutes. For the most part it was a beautiful, if a bit chilly, morning.

Beth and I climbed to the two different peaks, enjoying the different scenery available from each vantage point (after catching our breath!) There was also a path that partially circled the summit, which often was right on the edge of the mountain, though also had some tunnels to go through. It was here that I discovered the only thing I was disappointed with the whole morning. While standing on this path, looking down at a church built on the mountain a few hundred metres below us I heard cowbells, lots of cowbells. The disappointment is that I didn’t have my mini-recorder with. This was one of the few occasions on this trip that I didn’t have the Pocketrak with me. I remember thinking “There will be nothing to record up there, I might as well leave it in the safe in our room.” Well not only did I miss recording the sound of cowbells floating up from the valley below, but then shortly afterwards we heard the sound of an alpenhorn being played!

Up near the top of Mount Pilatus is a hotel, and out from the hotel came a fellow dressed in a traditional Swiss outfit and playing an alpenhorn (beautifully I might add). The sound of the alpenhorn echoing off the mountain sides was so amazing that I had to kick myself a second time for not having the recorder with me! The summit of Mount Pilatus is shaped a bit like a partial bowl, so the sound resonated wonderfully in that space. We will just have to remember those unique sounds, make them part of our memories of that day. (Ever since then I have made sure to have the recorder with me at all times - and it paid off later in the day).

Mount Pilatus was named for Pontius Pilate, the man who condemned Jesus to death. According to ancient legend the body of Pilate was buried beneath the mountain. Pilate ended up under the mountain because he was killed in Rome, his body thrown in the river, and this caused major flooding and diasters where the body was carried by the river's current. So Pilate’s body was taken to a sparsely populated area and buried under a mountain so it could do little damage any more. Because of this legend up until few hundred years ago people were forbidden to climb on the mountain for fear of disturbing Pilate’s spirit (which would result in tragic consequences). It was finally a group of monks who defied this ban and climbed the mountain, consequently showing that this legend had no basis in reality. Ever since then the mountain has been enjoyed by many, many people - including us.

When our time on the summit was up we took a gondola back down the mountain (on the opposite side of the mountain that we came up with the cogwheel train). Actually it was two gondolas, first of all a large one that could hold 40 people - most of this first leg of the journey back down the mountain was shrouded by cloud (which might have been a good thing for those uncomfortable with heights, the few times we got a glimpse of the ground it was a long way down). The second part of the trip down the mountain was in smaller cable cars, 4 to a gondola - the only thing that would have made this better was if we could have opened some windows to take pictures, but overall was a lovely and smooth ride down the slopes.

We ended up back in a village right next to the city of Lucerne (the final part of the cable run went over people’s homes, which must feel a bit uncomfortable for the folks living there). We boarded the bus, drove back into Lucerne and thus was the end of an inspiring morning.

An Evening in Lucerne

Lucerne is a pretty city, located in a valley surrounded by mountains and on the shore of Lake Lucerne (Vierwaldstättersee). During the industrial revolution, when England was developing a Middle Class, and people began to have money for more than the essentials, Lucerne became a favourite vacation destination for the British. Evidence of this can still be seen in some of the names of the hotels and restaurants in the city which use names from Charles Dickens books or other typically English phrases and names. We could see why people would be attracted to this place, a very beautiful setting somewhat secluded from the hustle and bustle of the world. Even though there were lots of tourists in Lucerne (as there were in Venice) it had a much different feel about it. A more calm atmosphere with people strolling about leisurely, feeding the swans, browsing in the stores (where you could find an incredible assortment of Swiss Army knives and Rolex, Tissot, Omega and other watches).

Beth and I opted not to go with the tour group, which had an evening of supper and Swiss culture, partly because this optional event was quite pricey, but more because we just needed some quiet time away from the group. So we wandered about the city centre, taking pictures, admiring the buildings and the mountains, and browsing in the shops. For supper we decided to eat some cheese and salami we had picked up at our last stop in Italy. We needed some bread and something to drink so we found a supermarket, it was named COOP and I don’t know if that is like our Co-op stores back home or not. We picked up some buns, nectarines and wine (which was cheaper than soft drinks!) and headed back to our hotel room. There we had a simple little meal, just the two of us, it was a nice change. Following supper we enjoyed a little more wandering around Lucerne then we called it a night after a long day.

The Saint Gotthard Pass and Saint Bernhards

Shortly after our drive through the regions of many waterfalls we arrived at a high mountain pass known in English as the Saint Gotthard Pass (in Italian it’s the Passo del San Gottardo). This pass connects the Italian speaking part of Switzerland with the German speaking part (including Lucerne). There is an 17 kilometre tunnel that goes under this pass, and is the way most of traffic gets through the pass these days. As we got closer to the tunnel entrance we could see a huge traffic jam (they only let a certain amount of vehicles go through the tunnel at a time). There is also a road that goes over the pass, but it is only open 4 months of the year. We happened to be here within that time frame and our guide elected to go over the pass, hoping the rain would not turn to snow.

Up we went with the big bus, I was watching the temperature drop outside (the bus had an outside temperature display). It got as low as 8 degrees, but fortunately no lower. We stopped at the summit for a brief break, and we were able to get some pictures. By that point the rain had stopped, and other than being a little cold, it was awesome being up there. The Swiss Alps are spectacular mountains, every bit as breath-taking as the Canadian Rockies. For me the most interesting thing about these mountains is how much they are covered with green, and not coniferous trees either, rather grasses and shrubbery that goes way up the sides of these mountains.

The road over the pass was fairly narrow, filled with curves, and at one point the road literally was hanging in space as the Swiss engineers had built a curve jutting out from the actual mountain. The roads through the Rockies can be pretty nerve-wracking to drive, this mountain pass road was worse than any road I can remember in the Rockies. But Massimo is a great driver, and no one felt too uncomfortable or worried as we made our way around this crazy road.
Going through the pass we drove by a monastery and a connected hospice, and at that point Elzo our guide told us that for many centuries the various mountains passes in this region had hospices for travellers run by local monks. The monks running a hospice in one of these passes, the Saint Bernard Pass, bred a dog (originally from Mongolia) to assist them in caring for the travellers - this of course in the Saint Bernhard. These dogs were bred large enough to move about in deep snow, and with a keen sense of smell to find lost travellers.

We didn’t get lost, and we made it up the mountain and down again without incident. It was a thrilling drive, and I kept marvelling at the people who used this pass in centuries gone by, without the advantage to modern road construction to make things a bit more passable. Once safely at the bottom of the pass we met up with the main highway again, and continued on our way to Lucerne (Luzern in German).

Drive of a Thousand Waterfalls

Yesterday morning we got up early (again) and were on the road at 7:45 AM. This was important because it was a long driving day. First we made our way through northern Italy ending up at Como, a picturesque city in the foothills of the Italian Alps. It also happened to be the home of our bus driver Massimo. Situated on the shores of Lake Como it is a favourite resort spot for many people, and celebrities like George Clooney have a house there. For history buffs (this is for you Thomas) it is the place where Mussolini was assassinated (while trying to escape to Switzerland which the city borders) at the end of World War II.

For us it was an adventure taking back roads as Massimo found a way around a traffic jam (at the border crossing). It is amazing how he can manoeuvre that big bus around such narrow streets. Then through the border without being checked, something that is not required since the formation of the E.U. Now we were in Switzerland.

The Swiss have four official languages and the first stop we had was in the resort town of Lugano. The prominent language spoken here was Italian, and the favourite food was Italian, so in many ways it felt like we were still in Italy. It had begun to rain, so our stop here was primarily for a lunch and washroom break, with little time for sightseeing (even though it was a beautiful setting). We found a restaurant busy with people and as we were deciding about whether or not we wanted to eat there or elsewhere a friendly and efficient waiter cleared a table for us and offered us a seat. So we sat, and ordered pizza, a four cheese pizza which was very different from pizzas back home, both in shape, type of crust and flavour. We even poured a little spiced olive oil on the pizza (something the Italians do regularly) and it was all good.

At one point the storm moving in created some strong gusty winds and suddenly the awning on the restaurant (which was covering 20 to 30 people) started lifting, blowing around and dumping water on the folks beneath it. Lots of yelling ensued and all the waiters ran over to grab the awning to weigh it down. Within 5 minutes the wind subsided and all went back to normal - a little excitement and entertainment during lunch!

Back on the highway and the rain really started coming down - but there was a side benefit for this… the rain, combined with the melting snow on the mountain tops created many, many waterfalls. One waterfall was shooting out water vertically, and our tour guide Elzo said he had never seen that waterfall look like that before. There were little waterfalls, and large waterfalls everywhere you looked for at least an hour along this stretch of the highway leading to Lucerne. The waterfalls were simply breathtaking. We tried taking pictures through the bus window, but they were blurry and disappointing. I wanted the bus to stop so we could walk right up to one of these intricate or powerful displays of living water, but of course that was impossible. So we simply had to enjoy this display of nature’s grandeur from the confines of the bus. It made the trip, on a grey unpleasant day, a wonder-full time.

I’m not sure why, exactly, but I felt more inspired with these thousand waterfalls than all the splendid buildings we’ve seen so far. Perhaps it was partly the result of being up in the mountains, which always touches my spirit. It is easy for me to understand why centres of reflective spirituality, particularly monasteries, were often established in the mountains. We have driven by some already on this leg of the journey, but more about that in another post.