Geneva April 30th

After being "tourists" for the past couple of days, we took a more "global" approach to Geneva today.  The hotels provide free bus passes so we caught the bus just around the corner from the hotel and it took us right out to the United Nations.  On the square across from the UN was an enormous chair with three legs - quite impressive but even more so when we read the plaque beside it. It is called Broken Chair and was commissioned to urge all countries to sign the Mine Ban Treaty and to honour their commitments to help land mine victims and clear land mine areas.

Seeing the flags of the 191 member countries of the UN was a thrill!  The League of Nations was formed here and became the United Nations in 1945. 

We were let through the gates at 10 for the 10:30 tour.  The pre-tour screening involved putting our bags through security screening then presenting passports for approval.  Mine seemed to be under quite a bit of scrutiny - the guard would frown at the computer screen then type some more, click a few buttons, frown again then take a deep breath!!  Finally, he tilted a webcam towards me and took my photo!  I got a visitor's tag with my photo on it and was told it included Mom and Dad - they had to stay with me at all times!!!

The tour was very interesting - especially when mixed with the myriad of languages swirling around us as we passed diplomats and delegates dealing with world issues!  We were into a couple of the conference rooms and could easily imagine human rights or some other major issue being discussed.

 

The buildings are all on a grand scale and can make one feel quite insignificant!

Tourists were not allowed into the grounds or gardens but the views from the huge windows were spectacular!  Two statues dominated the back garden.  This statue was a gift from Russia to commemorate the conquest of space.

The bronze globe by the flag was donated to the League of Nations by Woodrow Wilson.

Across the street from the UN is the headquarters for the International Red Cross and a museum chronicling the works of the Red Cross from its inception.  At the entrance is a compelling group of stone statues, blindfolded and with their hands bound, symbolizing the violation of human rights. 

The museum begins with the story of Henri Dunant's experiences at the Battle of Solferino in 1859 that compelled him to set up an organization to help wounded soldiers.  We moved through the museum to slide shows, recordings and images from various events where the Red Cross was instrumental.  Glass shelves holding boxes with registry cards for 7000 prisoners of war during World War I was quite an impressive sight. A small cell had been recreated elsewhere to represent a cell where the Red Cross had found 17 political prisoners.  37 footprints in the concrete made a clear statement of the living conditions. Another small room was covered on three of the four walls with photographs of children displaced by the genocide in Rwanda.  Thinking of the children in my world and seeing these faces looking out at me was quite moving.

A separate temporary exhibit was being displayed in another part of the building.  It was called In-Security and documents, through photographs, the dilemma of nuclear energy.

Heartwrenching photographs from the aftermath of Hiroshima - a child's jacket, a lunch box, part of a pair of glasses...and the story of the person who owned them.  None of them survived and these were the only items recovered - not even a body in many cases.

Chernobyl photographs showed sweet faced children with birth defects and towns becoming deserted as a result of the disaster.  Several pastoral scenes became eerie when one read the plaque describing the radioactive farmland or nuclear waste buried in the riverbeds.  Very moving and thought provoking...

When we arrived at the UN in the morning, there were two men on the corner with a display marking the 22nd anniversary of Chernobyl and a map of all the nuclear sites world wide. Protesters have been outside the World Health Organization every day for the past year protesting WHO's agreement with the International Atomic Energy Association to not publish any of their findings from the research they have done on nuclear "incidents" like Chernobyl.  Our resident activist (aka Mom) was quite moved by the whole day.

Au Revoir France!! April 29th

Right to the end, the French have sought to impress and excite us!  We caught the morning train from Carcassonne to Montpellier.  The sun was shining after last night's high winds and rain and there were mountains, vineyards and my fields of poppies!  My camera was not accessible but I have seen my poppies and will hopefully continue to do so.  Such a lovely sight!

We arrived in Montpellier just after 10 a.m. to see the street in front of the station roped off and a group of gendarmes gathered outside the station door.  At the other end of the street were firemen and a firetruck.  At strategic spots along the street were men in army fatigues carrying machine guns!! Traffic was stopped and people were gathering around the barricades.  I couldn't see what was going on or understand what people were saying but it sure looked exciting!!

A few minutes later, some very official looking train personnel came through the station saying "Evacuez! Evacuez!"  Mom had gone to the bathroom and I asked one of the men, "Does anyone speak English?!"  I'm not doing an "evacuee" without knowing why!!! The first man just motioned me forward and didn't reply but the second man said, "Bombe...terroriste"!!!   I UNDERSTOOD THAT!!!!!!  They kept moving us along and Dad kept telling them "ma marie est dans les toilettes!"  They then motioned towards the platform and the direction of the toilets.  Dad and I grabbed all the backbacks, sweaters and suitcases and headed off.  Dad stayed with the bags while I went looking for Mom.  "Je cherche ma mere!!!"  The woman in the bathroom let me check the stalls but "ma mere" wasn't there.  By this point MY stress level was rising just a titch!!  A bomb threat I could handle but not without my whole family together!!

Mom had gone to a bathroom upstairs and was rushed down when the station was evacuated.  Yes, Hilary, there were a few tears when I saw Mom had returned!!

So...we stood on the platform and hoped that it was safe!!  A few minutes later, the barricades were pulled down and life carried on once again!!!  Mom asked a passing woman if she spoke English and got the story.  A piece of luggage had been left on the street and they suspected a bomb.  This woman had seen the bag AND spoke English so she was reliable!!

Off and on for the remainder of our time there, the army, gendarmes and station security did periodic patrols of the station and platforms - looking behind tarps, surveying the tracks, even checking the toilets....! 

Meanwhile Mom's drink had somehow got wedged in the drink machine and Dad and I were on our knees in front of it trying to get it out!!  We must not have looked too suspicious because we weren't questioned or even acknowledged!  It became quite a physics lesson and science experiment as we put in more money to get heavier items to knock the drink box into the proper position!  We got it to move and then I stuck a heavy envelope (with Mom's medical information from her doctor in it!!) and got it out the rest of the way!  Quite satisfying and entertaining for the Mormon (cute young engineer from California) who joined in on our little escapade!

So...here we thought our 4 hour layover in Montpellier would be boring!!  We all desperately needed some food and coffee after that and hope this is our last bit of excitement for a bit.

More Carcassonne April 28th

The city of Carcassonne sits in a valley along the River Aude. The fortified "Cite" dominates the hill above Carcassonne and is quite an imposing sight day or night. We walked back up to La Cite from Carcassonne just after sunset last night and this is what we climbed towards! Magical!

Spending more than one day in a city makes for a more relaxing visit. There is time to see all the sights, do some shopping and not feel rushed. We spent a quiet morning and browsed through the little shops in La Cite. We found some side streets we had missed yesterday! Met up with Liz and David and the kids for a leisurely French lunch then went to visit the Basilica Church of St. Nazarius and St. Celsus. It was first mentioned in 925 AD but the church has Romanesque and Gothic features from the 11th to the 14th century. The first photo is a view from the Chateau Comtal.

Intricate carvings adorn the exterior of the building - complete with gargoyles!

Inside, it would have been an incredibly oppressive building if not for the stained glass windows and carvings. Incredibly detailed and colourful!

The windows date from the 13th to 19th centuries and were truly the showpieces of the building!

It started to drizzle but we had crossed everything off our lists so could return to our room feeling we had accomplished all we'd set out to do. Time to pack for an early departure in the morning, write in journals, organize photos etc.

Tomorrow is Geneva. With the train transfers and time spent waiting for trains, it will be a long day but I am just relieved we have reservations of any kind! Dad spoke to his friend in Geneva today and found out that it is Pentecost which is a holiday here and in Switzerland. Hopefully once May 1st has passed, we will have smooth sailing when it comes to train travel! We will be going to and from larger centres so there will be more trains running. I will spend some of our layover time tomorrow buying tickets for future trips. I can be flexible but I'd hate for it to become a habit!

Carcassonne April 27th

How wonderful to wake up inside the ramparts of Carcassonne! Liz and David and the kids met us for the walk down into the "new" city (La Bastide - 17th/18th century). A relaxing breakfast with our friends and then we had decided to go to the train station and get our tickets for Geneva BEFORE Tuesday morning!!

After waiting in a line for the single ticket agent, we were once again confronted with an agent in the tourist industry who insisted on speaking quick French rather than a) slowing down for my obviously English ear or b) speaking English which, I have been told, is considered the universal language!! I can only imagine the frustration that Americans, Koreans, Dutch etc. must experience when having to deal with an unfamiliar language and personnel who almost take pleasure in confounding the tourists! I at least have enough French to be able to speak and understand some of the language. The shopkeepers have been so kind and patient and yet I have had difficulty with the attitude and lack of compassion from the people in the tourist industry. I may need to write a letter!!

The first word we heard when we made our request was.."complet!"....then she looked at me...and just waited!! Fortunately, "complet" was a word I knew - but didn't want to hear!! What else was available if not this train?!! She started punching away keys on her computer, frowning, sighing...and the line behind us grew longer and longer...and more impatient! We tried to say we could wait while the people behind us were served but she wasn't listening! Finally, she gave me a paper with a possible connections and we got out of the way. We quickly moved to the back of the line and waited to start again!! When we got to the front of the line and I handed her the paper, she started tapping away again..."complet"!! In just a few minutes?!!! So we started all over again! I must say she did eventually warm up and even smiled as we continued to try to stay upbeat and positive! We finally got a connection to Geneva - and we will even see Montpellier, Lyon and Amberieu on the way!

With that sorted out, we headed up to La Cite - uphill all the way!! What an incredible sight! 52 towers and 2 rings of walls around the town!

And there at the gate was the "Old Woman of Carcassonne" herself! The legend is that when the city was under seige by Charlemagne, an old woman in the city suggested feeding their lone pig the remaining grain and throwing it over the city walls to convince the attackers that the city had enough food to withstand the seige. There was some grumbling but the locals agreed and, sure enough, the attackers withdrew thinking if the city had enough grain that they could still feed their animals, a surrender would not come about any time soon!

Friends had loaned me a copy of Labyrinth by Kate Mosse so not only did I have a medieval unit to draw on but the fabulous story of the Cathars and the inquisitions of the 13th century and the Chateau Comtal.

Great medieval features!

And, would one of my blogs be complete without a view?!

And then there are the poppies!

It had been overcast in the morning when we woke up but turned out to be another gorgeous, sunny, warm day! Perfect for walking and exploring and working up a good appetite! A fabulous salmon dinner with the Van Den Kerkhof Goldstein family - great to have some home cooking again!

Tomorrow we will explore the "new city". There are some fabulous buildings, a basillica and an old cemetery. A city steeped in history and certainly another highlight of this already amazing adventure!

Goodbye Arles! April 26th

The beauty of an afternoon train is being able to have a leisurely morning in the city you are leaving. It was market day in Arles so we got a good start and headed there. The sights and sounds and scents never cease to amaze me! Stall after stall of the most vividly coloured fruits and vegetables

and unending selections of cheeses and meats and breads.

We were able to pick up enough food to keep us going on our upcoming train trip! And we finally had a baguette sticking out of a backpack! Now we were truly French!

We stopped into a sidewalk cafe across the street for breakfast and coffee. I'm not sure how I'm going to readjust to a life that doesn't start every day with a fresh croissant and an enormous bowl of cafe au lait...and unlimited time to sit and savour it all!

I took Mom and Dad on an abbreviated tour of Arles and revisited the Van Gogh sights and browsed the little shops for some souvenirs. The sun was shining and it was already a warm day.

We went to the train station a couple hours ahead of departure to get our tickets to Carcassonne to discover that the train was "complet" - full!! Seems it is the end of some vacation in Carcassonne and everyone was travelling back today!! That was not how I had it planned but, flexibility, Kim!! There was a train later in the afternoon with a change and layover so we quickly grabbed tickets for that and settled in to wait. We called our friends in Carcassonne to tell them the change in plans. (Liz and David are from Kingston and have been living in Carcassonne for the final months of their year long sabbatical. We spent some time with them in Aberdeen in the fall.) An hour later we got a call from Liz saying she and David were on their way and would be picking us up at the train station in Arles and driving us back to Carcassonne (a two hour drive each direction)!!

The Van Den Kerkhof Goldstein family is one of those families everyone would like to have in their lives. Their kindness and generosity is incredible and it comes as second nature to them. We were escorted to our room to find a huge basket of food from the market and little gifts that Rachel had lovingly prepared for us. Martin provides the comic relief needed in those times when things don't go as planned and Liz and David have been the role models to inspire these two young people. We are truly blessed to have them in our lives.

So we saw more French countryside and had a lovely drive with conversation (in English!) and laughter. The landscape changed dramatically again with craggy hills and mountains off to the west and the south. Sloping hills of vineyards dotted the land and it was a wonderful mix of colours and textures. The sun was beginning to set so the mountains and sky had a soft pastel glow...and my camera was in the trunk!

We entered La Cite through the front gate and I had another one of those "moments"! After teaching the legend of the old lady of Carcassonne and seeing photographs of the dramatic setting, to actually be there was quite overwhelming! We walked across the drawbridge and through the main gates (portcullises up!) and were immediately transported back into the 12th and 13th century. Narrow, narrow cobblestone streets lined with shuttered shops of every kind. An amazing candy store that would be the delight of any sweet tooth!! Can't wait to explore tomorrow!

Pont du Gard and Avignon April 25th

We covered a lot of ground today - by bus and on foot!  Four buses and 13.44 km later we have had an amazing day!  We took a bus to Nimes and saw some of the surrounding countryside along the way.  The poppies were glorious - in the ditches, along the roadside and in flowerbeds.  We had an hour's wait before the bus to Pont du Gard so had some time to walk up to the amphitheatre.  It really is a magnificent structure and has stood the test of time!

From Nimes it was a 40 minute bus ride and then a bit of a hike to Pont du Gard.  Again, one isn't prepared for the overwhelming sight that awaits as you round the corner! It is incredible the things that have been accomplished without the benefit of power tools and technology!!

Pont du Gard is a Roman aqueduct built on three levels of arcades.  It is the highest in the Roman world (48 m.) and spans the Gardon River (275 m).  It is, understandably, on the Unesco World Heritage site.

And, of course, there is always the reward of a view! This is the Gardon River valley.

From Pont du Gard, we caught another bus to take us to Avignon.  The ramparts and crenellated walls are amazing and it has a wonderful medieval flavour before you even step through the gates! 

We began our tour by walking the perimeter of the wall and marvelling at the detail and intricacies of the towers and gateways. 

Avignon became the Vatican of the north in the 14th century when tensions in Rome sent Pope Clement V to Avignon.  From there, the walls were constructed to keep out marauders lured by stories of papal wealth.

 

One look at the view of the Palais des Papes from outside the walls and it's no wonder they needed protection!

Le Pont d'Avignon is another World Heritage site and dates back to the 12th century and the legend of a shepherd who was inspired to build a bridge.  The locals said it would never be done and St. Benezet was granted miraculous strength to lay the first stones.  The original bridge was a 22 arch, 3000 foot long span from the Papal territory to what was then the beginning of France.  Floods and war have taken their toll on the bridge and much rebuilding has removed all remnants of the original bridge.  Today, there are only 4 arches remaining and, with so many tourists clamouring to be "sur le pont", there is not much space to dance!!  Much more room sous le pont! 

The Palais des Papes was just that - a palace!  The extravagance is incredible!  One could stand for hours just to take in the exterior details!  The wealth and decadence of the 12th and 13th century Vatican was quite evident!

We wandered along the streets heading back to the bus station.  People and trees and shops and amazing architecture - far more ornate and decorative than many of the cities I've seen.

So a full day with so many "to dos" stroked off my wish list.  I can't believe all I have seen and done in such a short time.