Category France
The Isenheim Altarpiece: a tormented, mystical and ecstatic crucifixion in a nauseatingly cute town
It’s Good Friday and I’m thinking about the pilgrimage we made to see the Isenheim Altarpiece, the bizarre crucifixion by Matthias Grunewald in Colmar, France. This is a perfect example of an artwork I couldn’t comprehend until I saw it in person. The altarpiece was created in 1512-1515 for a hospital that treated patients suffering from skin diseases, […]
Cave paintings in Font-de-Gaume
The guide took us through a narrow passage into a dark cave. She lit her flashlight and there it was–a 16,000 year old frieze of bison. So elegant! So confidently painted! We reached the Font-de-Gaume cave in Les Eyzies-de-Tayac, Southwestern France, by train from Périgueux, followed by a 3km hike. While waiting for our reserved […]
French people are rude and other silly stereotypes
“French people are rude”. “French people are snobby”. “They hate Americans over there.” I hear this frequently, mostly from Americans that haven’t traveled much. Where does this idea come from, that roughly 65 million French people, living out their lives in their hexagon of a country, in between munching on baguettes, are beside themselves in a […]
Funniest travel moments from 2013
2013 was a great year for travel giggles: A flasher climbing the House of Adam in Angers, France Go ahead, play soccer, drive and have a house. Don’t even think about playing soccer, driving or having a house. (Signs in Halberstadt, Germany). We probably felt it even more (from our hotel room in Stralsund, Germany). […]
The Apocalypse Tapestry in Angers and why I’m glad I’ve studied Revelations
After several hours of gaping in awe at the Apocalypse Tapestry in Angers, France, I kept thinking “Why isn’t this masterpiece world famous?” Well, perhaps it is famous in France, but in the states you’d need to be a big medieval art nerd to have heard about it. The most likely reason is it’s a difficult […]
Bayeux tapestry: the best art always wins the battle
I suck at history unless there’s a great work of art involved. So, despite a general ignorance of French and British history, I can tell you all about the Battle of Hastings in the year 1066. Well, I can tell you the perspective as represented in the Bayeux tapestry: one of the best works of […]
A lively day in Tours
Nothing engages a train car full of French people than when an old lady tells two Americans that their country’s cheese sucks. On our way to Tours, France, an elderly woman took up conversation with HOB, and in finding that we are American, loudly and in great detail denounced our country’s cheese, much to the […]
Curious capital carvings in Chauvigny
By now you know I have a total ladybone for Romanesque art, most especially Romanesque sculpture. The column capitals in the Église Saint-Pierre in Chauvigny, France, have been on my must see list for a long time, and they certainly did not disappoint. The good stuff is in the 12 century choir, which was “restored” […]
In which your budget traveler reveals her expenses: the price of a 10 day trip to France
I’ve heard the muttering : “It must be nice to afford Europe travel” and the insinuations about my entitlement, or even snide asides to my assumed elitism. Let’s get this straight –I am incredibly grateful to be able to travel, and I know it’s out of reach for a lot of people for financial, family […]
Abbey of Saint-Savin, romance, and Fresco Neck™
After hours of looking up at the frescoes in the Abbey of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe, in Saint-Savin, France, we were developing a serious case of Fresco Neck™. (Fresco Neck™ is my trademarked diagnosis of the neck cramping and fatigue resulting from chronic fresco, mosaic, and stained glass viewing). Let me assure you, it was worth it. These […]
Picnic at the Cathedral 