France Complete

Hey Folks!

So I leave for Spain tomorrow morning and I thought I would take advantage of the free internet.

I started my trip through France via Switzerland. I have to tell you Ive never been on a train ride with that was that beautiful. Riding through the Alps was really a great treat.

The first couple nights were spent in Strasbourg. Strasbourg is a great northeastern metropolis and the intellectual and cultural capital of Alsace. The main attraction called the Cathedrale Notre Dame, dominates the cityscape. Set in the old city, or Petite France, the cathedral is a myriad of reds. The stained-glass windows beam in the afternoon light. If you wait around for the bell tolling show, you will become instantly enchanted. Even luckier will you be if you can catch the impressive organ pipes blasting your ribs into submission. I wonder if the Catholics has some oppression in mind when these great architects created these churches. You sure do feel humbled by all the gargoyles, bells, buttresses, and menacing organs.

On my way to Paris I stopped into Nancy, a lovely little town in the Lorraine province. Nancy is delightfully refined with its pedestrian only place Stanislas. After a couple hours of strolling around the Neoclassical public space of Nancy I whisked away to Paris.

Ill be quick with my description of Paris. I spent the first three days museum hoping. The Louvre, Musee Rodin, and Musee d'Orsay all fit the bill.

Following these serious art lessons it was time to venture outside of central Paris hitting both Euro-Disney and Chateau De Versailles. Euro-Disney was a massive letdown that I blame on the attendees. The park wasn't all that busy and the atmosphere had almost no magic. Ironically it was the Spanish that were pushy, inconsiderate and ignorant; not the French. Oh well. Chateau De Versailles was especially wonderful in giving us an in depth view of mid-17th century reign of Louis XIV. Think 30,000 workers and nearly bankrupting a kingdom.

Rounding out the week I saved the most common for last, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, and Arc de Triomphe. Only thing of note was the sheer size of the Eiffel Tower, way bigger than I thought. Tokyo has an identical tower with two slight differences, its a bit taller and construction orange.

After Paris I headed North-East for a more recent history lesson, William the Conqueror and WWII's D-Day beaches. Settling into a charming 17th century hostel (the first liberated town of Bayeux) I was able to spend three days viewing both the American beaches, Omaha and Utah, and the one Canadian landing beach, Juno. Obviously I learned a lot here and was a great thing to see.

Next stop was Pontorson 7 km's from the Abbey of Mont St Michel, the only French locale that remained completely under French control during the hundred's year war.

Bordeaux is the last stop before Spain. Tasting wine that consistently places top ten in the world is pretty special. Two days in Bordeaux brought me a nice walk around the old quarter mixed with a 3 hour cheese, wine, and pork tasting.

Here is a quick summary on France.

Culture: Amazing! I was treated courteously, with bright smiles, and never encountered the stereotypical French attitude. The attitudes seem to be optimistic and steeped in tradition. Although I hate the shopping hours. It seems nothing is ever open and streets are always deserted.

Tourism: Impeccable infrastructure. Nothing bad to say here. Tourist offices everywhere. Other than Switzerland the most expensive country I've been too.

Religion: What religion? I trust in Rod.

Food: Didn't get into the French cuisine, too expensive. Cheese, both awful and amazing. Breads and wines are your staples.

Weather: Bloody ridiculous. Rained every single day.

France rocks. I intend to come back and visit the South-East , maybe even this year!