Monthly Archives: April 2013

Photos of Beauty In Stone & Iron Atop Montmartre

You know that the skies are colourless when practically every exterior photo that you take looks as if it’s in black and white — but it isn’t. These three pictures from the exterior of the Basilica of Sacre Couer atop Montmartre in Paris are a perfect example.

It is an extraordinarily ornate building and visually quite interesting.

 

Gargoyle on the exterior facade of Sacre Couer in Paris, France


 

Ornate ironwork on the exterior of Sacre Couer in Paris, France


 

The ornate domes of Sacre Couer in Paris, France


 

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Up To Montmartre & Sacre Couer

It has been over two decades since I last visited Montmartre and the Basilica of Sacre Couer — and somehow Mark had never gone there at all. So we made a trip to that elevated part of Paris and I’ll be dividing the coverage into Sacre Couer alone and Montmartre in general.

One historical note — the Basilica was completed in 1914 — a mere 99 years ago. So it is not one of the ancient monuments of Paris.

Mark had found a link online to an alternative way to get there that would be a lot less stressful regarding the amount of stairs to climb. And it also would be keeping us away from the scam artists and pickpockets that cluster outside the Abbesses stop on the Metro. That report online is at this link.

As suggested, we got off at the Lamarck station, followed the signs, and took the much more gentle route up Rue Lamarck.
 

Lamarck Metro entry


 

Montmartre sign leading to the top


 

A gentle ramble up Rue Lamarck in Montmartre


 

After climbing a few dozen stairs, we arrived on the much quieter (and equally pretty!) back facade of Sacre Couer. The skies were so gray that my pictures looked practically black and white.
 

Arriving at Sacre Couer from the back of the hilltop overlooking Montmartre and Paris


 

Main interior of Sacre Couer in Paris, France


 

Lit candles glow softly in front of a statue of Mary inside Sacre Couer atop Montmartre in Paris, France


 

It was a less than relaxed visit given the number of teenage schoolchildren swarming all over the entry to the massive church and clustered outside on the plaza in front of the main entry. Truly — I enjoyed the architecture (including the gargoyles and crisp domes) more than the ‘vibe’ of the place.

Come back in a day or two to read (and see!) the parts of Montmartre that I did REALLY enjoy!

 

Gargoyles along the top of Sacre Couer in the Montmartre district of Paris, France


 

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Paris Citybreak

Seriously, there is never too much time in Paris (in my personal opinion!). It might be cold and rather soggy right now, but we plan to make the best of our brief visit to this gorgeous place. And we’d like to go to museums and sites that we have not seen on earlier trips.

We arrived this afternoon after holding our breath a bit and wondering if our rail tickets would actually get used after SCNF (the French rail service) went out on strike for a day and a half. They went back to work this morning at 8:00 AM and we left Normandy on the Caen to Paris St. Lazare IC (intercity train) at 11:45. Whew!!!
 

On board the 2 hour Caen to Paris IC train


 

The train arrived late and stayed a mere couple of minutes as everyone was frantically scrambling on board, staking out seats, and trying to get their luggage on the train before we began moving again. It was quite chaotic since all of the people who didn’t get to travel during the 36 hour strike had the right to use their tickets today alongside those of us who WERE scheduled to travel today. What a mess these strikes make for the schedules of any traveller!

Right now we’re giving our legs a tiny break after climbing 5 flights of stairs to our top floor apartment in the Marais district. As our charming host Bruno told us whilst helping haul luggage up all of those stairs, it’s a 17th Century building with restrictions on what can and cannot be changed. So there will NEVER be an elevator inside!
 

Our budget friendly apartment on the FIFTH floor of a 17th Century building with NO elevator in the Marais district of Paris.


 

In more strike news, we had France 24 news on the television as we sipped a cup of tea and breaking news scrolled across the bottom of the screen. The employees of the Louvre Museum have walked out on strike in protest of the amount of PICKPOCKETS walking around inside!!! Life in France is certainly never boring.

Stay tuned for more posts from our 5 days in Normandy, perhaps a bit of our time in England, and maybe even a few glimpses of Paris before we head off to Brussels on the weekend.

We certainly ARE having a multiple-weeks-long adventure on our way back to Australia!

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World War II History In The Fields of Norfolk

It’s always a bit stunning to realise how much history has unfolded over the centuries in the UK within eyesight of what now appears to be a ‘normal’ village or town.

We have driven by this particular object for year after year and I always meant to go back and take a picture of it — but I only got around to doing it within this past week. It was a direct follow-on from a visit to an old World War II airfield that is now the museum dedicated to the 100th Bomber Group. And both the museum and this structure are less than a 5 minute drive down the road from my husband’s parents’ home in Norfolk.

As you can see, this machine gun emplacement on the edge of Dickleburgh is standing in a field that has just been plowed for Spring planting.

Nothing like a bit of of history sitting in a field that you pass every day to nudge your memory into recalling what went on there a mere 75 years ago.

 

Machine gun emplacement from World War II sitting in a rural Norfolk field


 

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Hadrian’s Wall in Winter — Part 2

Returning to our visit to Hadrian’s Wall and the museums at Vindolanda and the Roman Army Museum — here is Part Two.

Walking on an increasingly downhill slope, we continued through the ruins which included what would have been a massive bathhouse for the hundreds of Roman soldiers stationed in this distant land.

 

Sign at Vindolanda explaining the Roman baths that once existed here


 

Archaeological excavation at the Roman baths in Vindolanda along Hadrian’s Wall in the North of England


 

Then we followed the winding path that led sharply downhill through the trees toward the Chesterholm Museum, the former family home of the archaeologist Eric Birley — a house that now contains many of the discoveries from decades of excavations. This entire site is an ongoing excavation and volunteers can sign on during the warm weather months to work alongside the professional archaeologists on a dig. What fun it would be to bring up some ancient coin or fragment of pottery and know that you contributed to the efforts to reclaim history.

 

Chesterholm Museum on the grounds of Vindolanda, a large Roman fortress and village along Hadrian’s Wall in the North of England


 

A Roman temple replica in the gardens of the Chesterholm Museum at Vindolanda, a large fortress and village along Hadrian’s Wall in the North of England


 

We were not allowed to take any photos inside the museum so, after viewing the exhibits and the gift shop, we began the slow uphill hike along the winding path and back into the main section of ruins — all the time walking on the ancient Roman roads.

 

Walking on the old Roman road inside Vindolanda at Hadrian’s Wall in the North of England


 

Standing in the past on an ancient Roman road at Vindolanda near Hadrian’s Wall in Northern England.


 

Feeling seriously hungry by this time, we drove out of the parking lot toward the second museum on this section of Hadrian’s Wall, the Roman Army Museum. I asked at the front desk of Vindolanda for a recommendation for lunch and the charming woman on duty drew me a tiny map to lead me to a local pub with good food and accommodations where the archaeologists stayed during the summer months. The name of the town was (seriously!) Once Brewed and the name of the pub was Twice Brewed!

 

Looking for the Twice Brewed pub in the village of Once Brewed in the North of England


 

The Roman theme continues at the Twice Brewed pub in the village of Once Brewed in the North of England


 

The Twice Brewed pub in the village of Once Brewed in the North of England


 

After a nice lunch, we drove the few miles further to the Roman Army Museum. Again, we were not allowed to take any photos within the museum — a pity since the exhibits are quite good — but we enjoyed what we saw and the 3-D film called Edge Of Empire gives you a good idea of the size and scale of the fortifications and just-outside-the-wall village at Vindolanda.

 

Roman Army Museum entry at Hadrian’s Wall in the North of England


 

These are truly informative museums (especially the Vindolanda site), but I would recommend seeing them both in a single day to get a complete overview to life as a Roman soldier in this remote and harsh landscape. The two museums are a mere 7 miles apart and are easily visited in one afternoon. I highly recommend these sites to anyone who is travelling to this part of the North of England.

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Hadrian’s Wall in Winter — Part 1

According to what we heard from several people during the month that we visited Newcastle, the North of England is a cold and damp place for a minimum of 6 months (and sometimes longer!) of each year. It was therefore not a great stretch of the imagination to visualise what a shock to the brain and body it must have been for soldiers from the warmer climate of Italy when they travelled north to be stationed at the remote and icy fortifications along Hadrian’s Wall.

We chose a day that was forecast to contain at least a small measure of blue sky and off we went to Vindolanda and the Roman Army Museum which were both along that historic fortified wall.

The entry building at Vindolanda gave no clues to what was lying in the hills and fields beyond. So it was a pleasant (but icy cold!) surprise to walk through the building, pass a cluster of bundled-up school children on a class outing, and emerge into a biting wind and onto a pathway that led to a huge archaeological excavation.
 

Entry to Vindolanda at Hadrian’s Wall in the North of England


 

School children eating their lunch outside on an icy day at Vindolanda (yes, that IS ice in the fountain!) at Hadrian’s Wall in the North of England


 

Entry sign for Vindolanda at Hadrian’s Wall in the North of England


 

A cold day for a visit to Vindolanda at Hadrian’s Wall in the North of England


 

The ruins were stretched out in both directions beneath the snow-covered hills. But I must admit that we were walking rather briskly through them as I took pictures and gasped with each blast of sub-zero wind.

 

Ongoing excavations at Vindolanda at Hadrian’s Wall in the North of England


 

Ongoing excavations inside Vindolanda at Hadrian’s Wall in the North of England


 

Underfloor heating system in a ruin that has been excavated at Vindolanda at Hadrian’s Wall in the North of England


 

Come back soon for Part 2 of our wintery visit to the two museums at Hadrian’s Wall and lots more photos including exterior pictures of the larger museum buildings, the gardens in winter, and the spot for our mid-afternoon meal break.

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The Massive Angel Of The North Sculpture in the UK

We had passed it several times over the last few years as we travelled either north or south along the eastern coastline of the UK — the massive Angel Of The North sculpture looming over the highway outside of Newcastle. But this time, in spite of the snow flurries and icy temperatures, we stopped to view this huge piece by British artist Antony Gormley.

I’ve made sure that I included two images that contain an adult in them so you can get an idea of the scale of this very, very large piece of artwork.

Enjoy!

 

Angel Of The North Sculpture by Antony Gormley on a hillside overlooking the motorway into Newcastle Upon Tyne.


 

Angel Of The North Sculpture by Antony Gormley on a hillside overlooking the motorway into Newcastle Upon Tyne.


 

Mark (6 ft. tall) standing at the bottom of The Angel Of The North sculpture


 

Close-up of the beautiful metal structure of the Angel Of The North Sculpture by Antony Gormley on a hillside overlooking the motorway into Newcastle Upon Tyne.


 

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