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Besides being an effort to get me back to Calais where I
could catch the ferry back to England, our trip was planned to take us
through some of the historic battlefields of Europe, most of which are
in France and Belgium. Ed is a great military historian, and was a
wonderful guide on our visits. Occasionally, though, I had to insist
that we visit other places, like the city of Nancy. |
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Nancy is dominated by its huge central plaza, a Baroque-era creation named after its patron, Duke Stanislas
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Fountain and gates lead into central park
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Lovely architecture throughout the city
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The city is renowned as a centre of the Art Nouveau movment. This is the front of a bank.
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And, of course, all French are renowned for their sense of style and beauty.
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As we cruised through the bucolic French countryside, it was
easy to see why the open, rolling farmland was attractive to generals.
We happened upon a place called Valmy, which was the scene of a decisive
battle in defense of the French Revolution. |
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Cannon at Valmy memorial look out over battlefield
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Statue to Rochambeau, hero of the battle
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Tiny memorial chapel to defenders of the Revolution
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Next on the route
was Reims, a city I wanted to visit for the sole purpose of seeing the
Cathedral, made famous by the dozens of paintings of its ornate front
done by Monet around the turn of the 20th Century. Forward to
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Good views of the entrance are available because of the huge square out front -- probably what attracted Monet.
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The interior is vast, with huge vaulted aisles
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Some of the oldest stained glass in the world is found in the windows of Reims, even though some of it was destroyed during the wars.
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Details of exterior are endlessly fascinating
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Reims is also the capital of the Champagne region of France, and you can sit right in front of the Cathedral and enjoy a glass. Salut!
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