Journal Entry 19--Colmar to Reims--Sunday, Nov. 2, 2014
Notre-Dame de Reims--November 2, 2014
Current building was finished in the 14th century.
Today. we would leave for Reims after breakfast for a one-night stay. The following day, we would go to Epernay and Château-Thierry on the way to Paris. In Paris, we would spend three nights and tour the city during the days there. That would end SURVEY OF FRANCE, and most of us would fly home the next morning. I, however, would be staying over.My thoughts about Reims began when my mother and grandmother took me with them to see Ingrid Bergman in Joan of Arc at the Hi-Ho drive-in east of Gainesville on Hwy. 82. This had to have been around 1949/50. Later in the 50's after lunch at Curtwoods, Mother bought me a copy of a Classics Illustrated Comic book on Joan of Arc and the Hundred Years War, which I read avidly. Later at UT-Austin, I read Shaw's Saint Joan and saw the play live at Hogg Auditorium. A year of teaching history at Callisburg High School didn't hurt, either. Now being Catholic, I had a religious interest in the story of this highly significant saint.
Joan had fought the English and the Burgundians to clear the way for Dauphin Charles to be crowned king in Reims. She had first met Charles at Château Chinon. Reims Cathedral is considered the holiest place in France because here King Clovis converted to Christianity and was baptized in 496. This soon led to the adoption of the Nicene Creed and the widespread conversion of the Franks. It marked the end of the Dark Ages and the beginning of the Middle Ages (Medieval Period) in Europe.
Regardless of what happened later, Joan defeated the British at Orleans and brought the Dauphin safely to Reims where his coronation did take place. It was one of her greatest accomplishments.
After the English captured her and she was executed in Rouen, the French were so inspired by her patriotism, they drove the English completely off the continent. This ended a British presence in northern and western France that had begun with the Norman Conquest.
The city of Reims is the capital of the old province of Champagne. Nearby Epernay was where the monk Dom Perignon had "invented champagne" as a monastic wine "cellarer." In an area so far north that it had a short grape-growing season and thus lower-quality wine, he had developed a bubbly, carbonated product through "secondary fermentation."
After breakfast in Colmar, we brought our luggage to the lobby and walked it several blocks to our bus, since this part of town was all-pedestrian. After Nicolas and Louis helped us load bags, we took our seats and were soon on our way.
Au revoir, Colmar.
Now, we were rolling out of Colmar and north across the hilly Alsatian countryside. Louis's map, shown in #1, had straight lines between the tour stops, but none of our transits followed anything like straight lines, and today would be an extreme example. I suppose Nicolas was avoiding the Vosges Mountains, the other side of which still provided a scenic background, over to the left, of our route.Today, we headed north and kept going that way until we were in sight of the German border. At one point, because of our elevation, we had a clear view of the German city of Saarbruken--just across the frontier. At that point, our bus took a left and headed east--out of Lorraine and into Champagne.
Something I had noticed earlier in driving across France is that farms were centered by walled sets of buildings, and not just a house and barn. This was evident again as we now crossed northeastern France. There were often several houses within the stone walls, along with one or two barns and granaries and poultry sheds. Everything looked neat and orderly.
In Reims, the plan was to go to lunch first near the Cathedral. Then we would tour that building in the afternoon. It was Sunday, but the absence of midday masses left the place to tourists in the après-midi. Travelers are basically exempt from the obligation to attend mass, and the Catholics among us had been well churched the day before.
After leaving Notre Dame de Reims, we would go to The Capitulation Museum where General Eisenhower had accepted the German surrender in 1945. The Supreme Allied Commander's headquarters had been here, and the building was now dubbed Lycée Roosevelt (Roosevelt High School) and housed a museum at one end.
Approaching the outskirts of Reims, I became excited. I walked up the bus aisle, came back to my seat, turned to those around me and exclaimed, "I can't believe I'm finally going to Rahahinzz!" That cracked them up. There is no way to represent that nasal sound in writing, but I stressed it as only a Texan could. As I said, this was scratching an itch that went all the way back to early childhood and seeing that 1948 movie at the Hi Ho, to the Classics Illustrated, studying French in high school and college, and Shaw's play. Joan of Arc's canonization in 1920 had prompted George B. to write the drama in the first place. I would never forget its last lines. Moments before flames consume her, Joan says, "Oh, God, that madest earth, when will it be ready to accept thy saints? How long, Oh Lord, how long?"
Cathedral minus scaffolding.
Our trip to Reims had been pleasant and relaxing. Frankly, I never saw a part of France I didn't like. The bus brought us to an area some distance in front of the cathedral. The first restaurant across from this square was Au Bureau. Louis led us through the main part, past a red motorcycle on display, to a side room with a good view of the cathedral. The restaurant was crowded, so it was nice to be away from the main room. Here we could enjoy the setting without the noise and hubbub of the Sunday lunch crowd.
Au Bureau--our lunchtime destination in Reims
The main, two-story dining room
We enjoyed having lunch with a view of the cathedral.
We could not help but notice a family with a baby boy at a corner table to my right. Proud parents and grandparents had brought a one-year-old to lunch with them (probably after mass at the cathedral), and doted on him throughout the meal. They took their time eating their food and playing with the baby, and they fairly exuded interest in and love for the child on this their Sunday out. The little boy behaved perfectly and never made a fuss. I marvel at French children! Eventually, they left before we did. I never took their picture; I rarely took any at restaurants, but their image was worth preserving Here was just one more example of a happy French family and harmony among generations. Maybe they were descendants of those who built the cathedral.We had a very nice lunch, made even nicer by the gift of a boxed AU BUREAU mug, which fortunately made it home intact. Our local guide led us from the restaurant out onto the square and fully explained the history of the place we were about to see. She gave us a good orientation as I strained to understand her through some nearby noise. I knew the cathedral had been damaged during WWI, but she made it clear that it had been almost destroyed and had to be extensively restored--a process which was still going on.
Since the invading army thought it could be used as an observation post, they shelled it, and the roof burned. Tons of molten lead came pouring off, down the walls, and onto the portals and timeless statuary below. This was in September 1914--just over a century ago. Today, we could hardly miss the damage the lead had done.
Here we gathered in front of Au Bureau to hear from our onsite guide.
Scaffolding covered the central section under restoration.
Left portal with statuary damaged by molten lead from burning roof.
(With panhandler waiting for tourists)
Arch of left portal with concentric lines of statuary illustrating stories from the Bible
Right portal exhibits other statuary depicting more parts of the Bible.
The primary purpose of this statuary was EDUCATIONAL. It illustrated Bible stories for people who were illiterate. Clergy would explain to the crowds by pointing to the images of the of the biblical figures they were talking about. Stained glass windows served much the same purpose. Louis XI called each cathedral "a book in stone," and that was apt.
Many entered through the right portal.
Leaden head of bull forms end of stone downspout. Careful attention went into draining water away from any roof area--to prevent leaking and damage from freezing.
The WWI artillery barrage that damaged the cathedral destroyed 70% of Reims.
Howard shoots pic of Florence under statues damaged by molten lead.
Now we enter Reims Cathedral.
Though millions had been spent on rebuilding and restoring, the aftermath of the damage was evident throughout the cathedral. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. had been a major contributor. The roof had been rebuilt, but many stained glass windows were covered with simple replacement glass, and the statues of the west portal were mere shadows of their former selves. The back windows, however, had been created by no less than Marc Chagall, and I took pains to photograph them.Passing a panhandler stationed at the left portal, we entered this time-honored place and listened to our docent as she detailed the interior. She led us up the central aisle and showed us the very spot, marked in the floor, where King Clovis was baptized.
Looking from nave back toward front
Rose windows of front wall
Seating in the nave
Looking at back of cathedral beyond the altar
Even from this distance, the Chagall stained glass shined the length of the nave.
Some windows were plain where stained-glass had not been replaced.
Lectern
This is the holiest spot in France and one of the holiest in Christendom. It reads, "Here Saint Remi baptized Clovis, King of the Franks."
Saint Remi baptising Clovis in 496
Standing before the altar, I spotted a Chagall stained glass window at the back of the building and shot this at a distance. I would get back there in a moment to see it up close.
Modern stained glass from another artist.
Awesome stonework of the roof--were these people builders or what?
Altar
Rose windows in transept
Lower windows in transept
Close-up of Chagall windows in back of cathedral
Ce sont des vitraux incroyables!
The sun shone a little brighter, and I took the same picture again. I was transfixed by the beauty of this and could hardly tear myself away. Later, when I saw the ceiling Chagall painted at the Palais Garnier, I could hardly believe my eyes then, either! I do not know of any other artist who has impressed me this much. His work in stained glass in unequalled!
Model showing original look of the front
What sets this cathedral apart to me is the vertical, light, airy, almost lace-like stone work of the bell towers and the extreme depth of the portals.
I found Saint Joan's statue and stayed and prayed.
Then, when the docent had finished, she and Louis gave us plenty of time to explore the inside and photograph whatever we wished. For some reason, several of my pictures were out of focus. Many French tourists were here. As I finally went to the very back to see the Chagall windows up close, I found the statue of St. Joan I had been looking for. Somehow, it seemed less impressive than those in Chinon.To put it mildly, I enjoyed finally seeing such a historic and beautiful cathedral. French cities once competed with one another to see which one could produce the most beautiful houses of God. They were all built cruciform (in the shape of a cross), but each is unique. This one had bell towers with an open, airy design, and I still marvel that small-town, rural people could produce such amazing, home-grown masterpieces. Doesn't this make competing in sports seem pretty transitory? We still have these "district champs" to enjoy hundreds of years later!
When the time came, we met near the entrance, and exited the way we came in; then Louis led us around the side to the back of the cathedral to get on the bus. So, we had a close look at the side and the rear of Reims Cathedral before boarding. Then we rode a few blocks to the Lycée Roosevelt. Our guides saw to our admittance to the Capitulation Museum, and we proceeded to the end of the building which housed it.
Lycée Roosevelt
Musée de la Reddition
This had been General Eisenhower's headquarters in 1945 as he had directed the western part of the war against Germany. It was here that the representatives of the Third Reich signed the surrender documents which officially ended World War II in Europe.I found the displays very interesting, and when we entered Eisenhower's map room where the actual surrender documents were signed, the maps and table were still there, just as they had been. I was moved by this and by the French gratitude of creating this museum and the high school. Boulevards, metro stations, and high schools had been named for American war heroes, and those names still remain for people to see every day.
Charles de Gaulle presents Dwight D. Eisenhower the Croix de Guerre.
At the Capitulation Museum, we entered a theater and watched a film of the surrender. During part of it, an American general with a strong southern accent, read one of the documents in French. He did his best, but reading the French language was clearly a struggle for him. A few days later, Johanna would turn to me, smile, and say, "Gordon, sometimes your French sounds a little like that southern general's." What a shot! I'm glad she was smiling.
Photograph of the surrender
Painting of the Surrender
Eisenhower's map room/headquarters and table where documents of surrender were signed
We were in the very room where World War II in Europe ended on May 7, 1945!
Then we said good-bye to our guide and hopped back on the bus for a trip to our hotel, which was the Best Western Hotel de la Paix (Hotel of Peace) on the main drag. The outside looked nice, and the lobby was very large, modern, and nicely appointed. After Louis gave me my room key, I headed down a long hall to the elevators and up to my chambre d'hôtel, which I found down the corridor and around a turn in a corner of the top floor.
Comfy digs at Hotel de la Paix in Reims, and Horned-Frog purple at that!
When I entered the room, I immediately appreciated its large size and modernity. What a total reversal of the Hotel St. Martin this was! When I opened the curtains, I had a clear view across to the Cathedral. This I would photograph later when I returned from dinner, but it would be dark by then, and the lighting at night never did allow for a clear picture.After a short stay in our rooms, we gathered in the lobby for our walk to the restaurant and as much of a mini-tour as that allowed. I really liked the flavor of the place and admired a large, impressive statue of The Winged Angel of Victory in La Place d'Erlon which marked the spot where we turned left to go to Les Trois Brasseurs. A few more blocks west, and we were there.
La place d'Erlon in Reims
We much enjoyed our dinner here in the capital of Champagne province, and when we were walking back to the hotel afterwards, I appreciated the nighttime view of Reims and a feeling of slight frustration at spending only one night here. I told the others about my hotel-room window, but no one else had anything like it. Johanna opined that the Roadscholar must be making up for my attic in Colmar.
Brewing equipment
Dinner at Les Trois Brasseurs (The Three Brewers)
Before going to bed that night, I shot several pictures from my room, but the night shots were never as clear as I wanted. This would be our last evening en province. Tomorrow we would make a slow progress to Paris. First, we would go to the town that was the home of champagne, Epernay, and after lunch, we'd stop at Château-Thierry on our way to the City of Light.
I took this from the window of the hotel room before turning in. Nighttime lighting and my camera did not mix.
Fin
HORS D'OEUVRES:
(1) Hors d'oeuvres means "outside of the main work or course." Even though these tidbits are usually served before a meal, my epilogue still occurs outside the main work.
(2) Making positive comments about my own church should not rub my majority of Protestant friends the wrong way, but I realize the very French origin of the word protestant which literally means PROTESTING. Thanks to all for tolerating my positive remarks without protesting.
(3) Referring to the baptism and conversion of King Clovis brings me the realization that we might still be worshiping Odin or any number of pagan Celtic or Anglo-Saxon deities. Christianity almost did not survive the fall of Rome, and it was completely removed from much of Europe. It survived in monasteries to the south and had to be reintroduced farther north by such heroic missionaries as St. Remi and St. Denis.
If the Franks had not become Christian, St. Augustine almost certainly would never have crossed the Channel and gone to Canterbury to convert the English in the seventh century. This all makes the baptism of Clovis in Reims a major turning point in world history.
(4) The Christian religion was miraculously one of the few institutions that was not wiped out by the fall of Rome, and it survived due the protective isolation that monasteries provided. As it was, Christianity was preserved and passed down to succeeding generations by the Catholic Church. This gave Martin Luther and Henry VIII the luxury of something to rebel against in the 1500's.
(5) The experience of seeing the Victor Fleming film, "Joan of Arc" at the drive-in theater near Gainesville is something I still remember surprisingly well. The fact that I may have been only three or four at the time is not odd to me, because I have numerous memories that predate even that.
(5') Again, reading the Classics Illustrated about Joan of Arc later in childhood was important. Also at that stage of my life (around 1955 I guess), I developed a fondness for the song "The Poor People of Paris," which I used to play on jukeboxes at restaurants.(6) Burning at the stake is a startling thing for a child to be exposed to. It's difficult for anyone to contemplate. I can make no excuses for such an act or even comprehend its use as a punishment. Nevertheless, in St. Joan's case, it was a wartime scheme by the British and their allies, who intended to eliminate her as a threat and discredit her in the process. Did it ever backfire!
(7) I take Joan's canonization in 1920 as the twentieth-century Church's way of trying to set the record straight.
(8) I never dreamed that blogging Reims would bring back such autobiographical writings and memories. This experience, these pictures, these memories might have never have been written about.
(9) "God works in mysterious ways; his wonders to perform;
He plans His footsteps in the sea, and rides upon the storm." Wm. Cowper
(10) During an invasion planning session before D Day, Winston Churchill and Dwight Eisenhower met with Charles de Gaulle in England. De Gaulle refused to go along with part of their plan, and at one point Churchill became so angry with him he is reported to have glared at De Gaulle and said, "NOW I know why we burned Joan of Arc at the stake!"
(11) St. Remi is pictured wearing the twin-mitered hat of a bishop. This goes back to St. Paul's last words about "finishing [his] course" and a "mitered crown" awaiting him. St.Thomas à Becket described the "twin miters" of a bishop's hat as symbolizing the Old and New Testaments. There are reasons for such regalia, and their evolution over the centuries is something that can be understood if we take the time to do so.
(12) Finally, visiting Reims Cathedral was a deeply moving, Christian experience for me. I think it all boils down to our accepting and practicing Christ's teachings--that LOVE, LIFE, AND FAMILY are all-important and that PEACE and FORGIVENESS are things we should strive for. If anyone doubts that the hand of God was on these sincere, resourceful, country people, just look at what they created!
Fin
