When I travel I check the STEP (Smart Traveler Enrollment Program) for any alerts pertaining to the countries I am visiting. I also register my trip with STEP.
The following is an email I received lately about travel in
Italy.
STEP Notifications
Wed, Jan 15, 1:05 PM (18 hours ago)
to ACS_ITALY
Exercise increased caution in Italy due to terrorism.
Terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks in Italy. Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, local government facilities, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, parks, major sporting and cultural events, educational institutions, airports, and other public areas.
Troyes is a renaissance city in the south part of the Champagne region. Several things grabbed our attention as we first read about the city and then as we wandered along the streets.
The half-timbered houses are not the typical white with
brown timbers. These are multi-colored houses. There was a fire in 1524, which
destroyed almost the entire city. When the houses were rebuilt, colors were
used on the houses and buildings. It makes for a pretty historic center.
Then there are the cathedrals. Eleven of them. That’s right…11 cathedrals in one city. We had time to visit five. Each one is special. Each one has its own special windows and features. I have never seen so much stained glass. I have never seen such a variety of stained-glass windows.
The Troyes Cathedral was started in the 13th
century and completed over 400 years later. You might think this would make for
a jumbled mess of design. It doesn’t. It is entirely Gothic throughout. This is
considered one of the most beautiful churches in all of Europe.
Walking into the spacious nave, we could only stand and
stare. Light engulfed us as it streamed in through more than 1,500 square
meters of stained glass. That is over 16,000 square feet. That’s a lot of
stained glass.
Some of these windows date back to the 1200s.
There are three huge rose windows, each over 30 feet across.
We often see one impressive one. But, three? They were all designed by Martin
Chambiges, a renaissance architect. So many colors and light. As I kept looking
at one of the windows, I felt like I could be in a kaleidoscope. The colors
changed, the shapes jumped out at me, and the light continued to radiate.
Eglise Sainte-Madeleine is probably the oldest church in
Troyes. Some say it is the most beautiful.
Construction dates from 1120, being rebuilt around 1200 in a
Gothic style. The apse and choir were renovated around 1500 in a more
flamboyant Gothic style. The square Renaissance looking tower was added in
1525.
One of the most impressive parts is its famous rood screen. A rood screen is an elevated stone gallery between the nave and the choir. It has room for a choral group or officiating priests. This was originally wooden. Replaced with a stone one, it has the look of lace. And, it did look like lace. It was hard to believe it was stone. Only about a dozen religious buildings in France still have a rood screen.
In addition, the apse’s stained-glass windows are colorful story-telling examples. The Tree of Jesse, The Genesis, and The Pearls of Saint Eloi are some of the best we have seen. Unlike others, the stories presented are easy to follow.
Don’t let the outside fool you into thinking the inside will
be plain. Not the case.
The Basilica of Saint Urbain was commissioned by the 13th
century Pope Urbain IV, who was born in Troyes. He had it built on the site
where his shoemaker father had his workshop.
This one includes stained glass windows from the 13th
century and a large amount of historic art.
There are more…you will just have to see them for yourself.
The oldest surviving complete stained glass window is found in the Augsburg Cathedral in Germany. It was constructed in the 11th century and was part of a project to make the windows larger and more beautiful.
It was during the medieval period that stained glass windows became a primary way to teach the illiterate laity the many stories of the Bible.
As technology improved over time, stained glass windows grew larger and larger, becoming extremely complicated and full of all kinds of symbolism.
Gothic windows were generally tall and spear-, wheel-, or rose-shaped. A good example of Gothic stained glass windows are those of the Notre Dame chapel, which holds one of the largest rose shaped windows in the world.
Between the Renaissance and the mid-19th century stained glass windows fell from favor.
John La Farge and Louis Comfort Tiffany were makers of stained glass during the Art Nouveau period, and created opalescent, confetti, drapery, and ridged glass. The windows of Louis Comfort Tiffany, Marc Chagall, and Frank Lloyd Wright are fine examples of modern stained glass windows. This revival was cut short by the depression of the 1930’s and 1940’s, which was then followed by WWII.
The Battle of Verdun started on February 21, 1916. It ended
on December 16, 1916.
That’s 300 days and 300 nights of combat without a break.
This was the “War to End All Wars.”
However…There were over 300,000 dead and missing and 400,000
French and German soldiers wounded. The Battle of Verdun was a frontal assault,
the most murderous in history. Over 65 million artillery shells were fired by
both sides. Nine villages were completely destroyed.
In a few words, that summarizes the entire World War I.
What happened? The planned German attack on Verdun was
supposed to crush and bleed France to death. France had 20 major forts and 40
smaller ones around Verdun. These protected the eastern border of France and
Germany was going to overtake the entire border. It was supposed to be quick
and go as planned by the Germans.
About 140,000 German troops started the attack, supported by
artillery guns that fired 2,500,000 shells. On February 21, 1916, 1,000 German
artillery guns fired on a six-mile stretch of the French front.
Flame throwers were used for the first time to help the
Germans advance the eight miles. By February 25, they had captured over 10,000
French prisoners.
It didn’t end there…
The French fought back. French officers organized a
motorized supply chain on a scale never seen or used before. They transported 90,000
soldiers, 6,000 vehicles, and 25,000 tons of supplies to the front via a
37-mile dirt road.
Perhaps, like me, you learned all this in school. Again,
perhaps like me, those were just facts and figures to be memorized and then
either forgotten or never thought of in real life.
We visited this part of France and some of the battlefields
of Verdun. It brought reality to us.
Approaching from the east, we drove through peaceful
countryside. Before reaching any of the monuments, acres of green fields, dense
forests, hills, and valleys everything seemed so calm and serene. Farmland,
animals grazing, and tree trunks all hiding remnants of an ugly war so many
years ago.
Then, we noticed things differently. The small hills and craters were not what they seemed at first. These are leftover remnants of the tens of millions of artillery shells fired here. As we came closer to the battlefield areas, we could see what had happened here. The green, moss covered mounds are really shell craters left when artillery shells exploded. The valleys are where battles took place. These valleys, actually trenches used for fighting, are small and terrifyingly close to each other.
We visited Fort de Douaumont, a hilltop fort constructed in
1885 to house France’s strategic command center. German troops even used it at
various times. Soldiers were protected here. A thick layer of sand muffled
explosions and the concrete walls were seven feet thick.
During the climb to the bombed-out area above the Fort, a light rain started. Somehow, this seemed appropriate. Once at the top, strong winds buffeted us around as we walked through the craters and past the round, iron structures which held the machine gun turrets. Guns could rise up out of these structures and turn slowly, firing on the enemy. The enemy never had a chance.
Looking out over the craters, past the gun turrets, and into
the trenches, it was impossible to imagine fighting here. It’s something we
will never forget.
Leaving the fort area, we visited the National Cemetery with
more than 16,000 graves. It’s beautiful and sobering, like national cemeteries
are.
Overlooking the cemetery is the Douaumont Ossuary, a memorial holding the unidentified remains of more than 100,000 soldiers. Both French and German are recognized.
A central chapel offers a place to reflect. Massive hallways, 150 feet long, on either side of the center area are bathed in orange light. Twenty-two alcoves house the tombs that represent the 46 sectors of the Battle of Verdun. Around 4,000 names of fallen soldiers are inscribed on the walls and ceiling.
The ossuary’s 150-foot tower rises above the countryside,
the cemetery, and the battlefields. All of it brought history back to us, over
100 years later.
Again…almost impossible to grasp the severity of being here
300 days and nights, fighting for your life as your buddy next to you dies.
This was a sobering visit, yet an important piece of history
to see in person. I would recommend visiting here, even if you are not a
history buff.
If You Go: Verdun is about 2 ½ hours east of Paris’ Charles
De Gaulle airport.
With the new year just beginning, have you thought about your travel plans? Are you staying local or going somewhere you have never been before?
Are you returning to a favorite place? Or, are you
undecided?
We are returning to Provence and Nice, France this year. Why? Because we like the food, wine, history, and culture. Will we travel somewhere new as well? Yep. There are many cities and areas of Provence we haven’t explored.
Whatever you do and wherever you go in 2020, have a great
time and a safe trip.
Stay tuned for tips and ideas on how to make your travel
experience the best.
Small villages in France are meant to be explored on foot. Hautvillers, in the north east part of France in the Champagne region, is one of those villages.
What makes this one special?
Dom Perignon.
Have you heard of him? Maybe you equate his name with
amazing bubbly. Who was he?
Born in about 1638 in the Champagne region of France, he was
one of eight children. His family was like many others. They owned a few
vineyards where he spent some time.
At a young age, he studied at an abbey, a Jesuit college,
and became a monk. In fact, he ended up leading a monastery as a French
Benedictine monk.
While at the Abbey of Hautvillers, he served as cellarer for its vineyard. That’s where he is credited with making improvements to the Champagne process or methode Champenoise. Before him, Champagne bottles would explode as the yeasts came back to life in the warm spring temperatures. He figured out to avoid these explosions.
Some of his other discoveries and advancements include
combining different terroirs, pressing immediately after picking, holding corks
down with string, digging cellars in the limestone to keep the Champagne at
constant temperatures, and creating bubbles through a secondary fermentation. We
can thank him for the prestigious Champagne we drink today.
In 1715, Dom Perignon was buried in the nave of the Abbey of Hautvillers. Typically, this section was reserved only for Abbots. That’s how well thought of he is in the village. His marble stone says he led his life “Cum Summa laude”, a mark of the highest praise.
Considered the cradle of Champagne, Hautvillers is a
wine-producing village with its own unique look.
Houses used to display forged iron signs hanging from their entryways. These let everyone know what each shop was famous for. Today, many signs showcase activities related to Champagne. Others are for atmosphere.
We noticed the Hautvillers town prayer above one doorway.
This is the morning prayer in the Champagne fashion.
Donnez-moi la sante pour longtemps, du boulot pas trop
souvent, de l’amour de temps en temps, mais du champagne tout le temps.
Give me health for a long time, work not too often, love from time to time, but Champagne all the time.
Have you read the news about LAX, Los Angeles International Airport, and the changes with taxis, Uber, and Lyft?
If not, this is what is happening. You will no longer be
able to catch a ride with any of those on the arrivals level roadway. This is
true for all terminals. Instead, you need to take a shuttle ride to a dedicated
pick-up area for app-based rides.
Taxi, Uber, and Lyft can still drop you off at each
terminal.
What about other airports? Some are doing similar things.
Austin, Texas moved their pickup area for all app-based
rides and taxis to the ground level of their rental car facility.
San Francisco now has a certain area in the central parking
garage for these rides. You will need to take a shuttle there.
Seattle also moved theirs to the airport parking garage.
Boston moved both drop-off and pickup to a special area in
the central parking garage.
There are probably more airports making similar changes.
So…what do you do?
Check the websites of Uber and Lyft before you go. They will
give you the most up-to-date information on where to go to catch a ride. They
will also let you know if your ride can drop you at the terminal or if you will
need to plan extra time to catch a shuttle.
