I've decided to finally record a sketch of our trip to France. I'm working from a trip itinerary and my journal so this shouldn't be too difficult. The group consisted of students (me, Kristine, Joelle, Diane, Kelly, Lamar, Dedan, and Heather), Glencairn staff (Lisa Adams, Stephen Morley, Leah Smith, Bret Bostock, and Michael Cothran), and Bryn Athyn community members (Gwen Asplundh, Barbara Acton, Alan and Teal Elder, Jessica Bostock, Clark and Peggy Pitcairn, Shirley Pitcairn, Jenny Maddock, Peggy and Bob Merrell, Soni Werner, Bri Kern, Sean and Holly Connelly, Lynn and Patrick Brannon, and Eyvind Boyesen. We all started out as acquaintances but by the end of the trip most of us were good friends.
I have photos of the churches and people on the trip on Facebook.
Sens, Fontenay, Beaune, and DijonBerzé-la-Ville, Cluny, Brancion, Tournous, and AutunVézelay, Troyes, Rheims, Laon, and SoissonsBeauvais, Chartres, Saint-Denis, Giverny, and ParisMonday, June 9
Our flight left Philadelphia in the evening. All flights out of Philadelphia were delayed, but Leah Smith's husband Garrett does air traffic control there, and when his friends found out she was on our plane they bumped us up on the take-off list. The airline staff were so grateful they moved Leah up to first class. I sat next to Jenny Maddock and (amazingly) slept most of the way.
Tuesday, June 10
Our flight landed in the morning, local time. With a time difference of 6 hours we pretty much went from evening to morning without any break. After being processed at the airport we hoped on a bus and drove to Sens to see the Cathedral of St. Etienne. We had an adventure finding lunch and a bathroom, I discovered I knew more French than I thought, and we hoped back on the bus to go to Fontenay Abbey. It rained at Fontenay but I actually liked that since by now I was tired.
Wednesday, June 11
Slept in a hotel in Beaune, I woke up at 6 am (backwards jet lag? I don't know) and couldn't sleep so I went for a walk. There were a few people about, but mostly just the birds and me. It was a beautiful morning and I felt grateful to "greet" France in such a peaceful way. The group met at 8 and walked to the cathedral in Beaune. I wandered off by myself so I missed some of the history, but I was still enjoying the sort of fresh, dazed feeling of France (perhaps I was still a bit jet-lagged). After the cathedral we went to the Hotel Dieu, a hospital where Kristine gave a presentation on a painting by van Eyke. In the afternoon some of us went to Dijon to see the town.
Thursday, June 12
We drove to Berze la Ville today, way south of Paris in Burgundy, where I gave my presentation. It went well and I think my excitement at seeing the frescoes in the chapel helped people be interested. When I went to buy a book about Berze at the gift counter the French caretaker who listened to my talk got all excited and spoke to me in French and English, "Ah, it's her! She knows this place! But you must already have this book!" I was glad she liked it because I didn't want to be seen as a stranger striding into her chapel presuming to know everything.
Then we went on to Cluny, which was the mother abbey of Berze, mostly destroyed in the French Revolution; Brancion, a small church on a tall hill with the most gorgeous view I've ever seen in my life; and the Cathedral of Tournous.
Friday, June 13
Checked out of the hotel and traveled north into Champagne. Our first stop was Autun where we visited the Cathedral St. Lazare and met with Walter Barry from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He showed us a dig site for medieval artifacts and let us hold pieces of pottery that were almost 2000 years old. It was awesome. After lunch we went to Vezelay where Diane talked about the tympanum.
Saturday, June 14 (New Church Day false alarm 1)
We stayed in a hotel in Troyes (pronounced Twaah) and I had a moment of excitement followed by distress when I thought it was New Church Day and then heard it wasn't. We walked around town to the Cathedral of St. Pierre-et-St. Paul, and the Basilique of St. Urbain where Joelle gave her talk. The afternoon we spent shopping, relaxing, and checking email. And even though I wasn't there to celebrate in person, I know Abby and Malcolm had a beautiful wedding.
Sunday, June 15 (New Church Day false alarm 2)
Again, I thought it was New Church Day and was terribly disappointed when I heard it wasn't. We drove to Rheims where they were celebrating the Feast Day of Joan of Arc, and some of us went to mass at the Cathedral of St. Remi. There were two Archbishops presiding over mass, Holy Eucharist, a grand procession, and, my favorite part, a children's choir. It was a great way to spend a morning. We celebrated with the people of Rheims by browsing a medieval market for lunch, saw the basilica of Rheims in the afternoon, and continued on to Laon.
Monday, June 16 (New Church Day false alarm 3)
"Kendra! Wait until Thursday!" Kristine almost yelled at me when I asked if it was New Church Day yet. Today we tried to drive the bus up a mountain but got stuck and instead rode a trolley thing to upper Laon and the cathedral. In the afternoon we visited Soissons to see, guess what? their cathedral.
Tuesday, June 17 (New Church Day false alarm 4)
I remembered THURSDAY before I spoke to anyone, so luckily Kristine didn't have to smack me about getting the days mixed up. We left early in the morning and drove to Saint Denis. There was a strike so half the cathedral, including the area where Kelly's window is located, was closed. After St. Denis we continued on to Paris where we had raw chicken for dinner.
Wednesday, June 18 (tomorrow is New Church Day!)
Our morning started with a bus tour of Paris, ending at the Louvre. They now allow photography with a flash anywhere in the museum, so I took dozens of pictures of paintings and statues. After lunch we went to Sainte-Chappelle, Louis IX's private chapel. I was really excited about this because I studied it in high school and wasn't allowed in when I came to Paris before. The windows are wonderful. I spent the evening at a laundry mat, but wasn't bored because I caught up on my reading (I purposely brought only one book, AC, so I would make some progress) and talked with some Parisians also doing laundry.
Thursday, June 19 (NEW CHURCH DAY!!!)
Today we had a free day so a group of us went to Sacre Coeur on Montmartre. I think it's my favorite place in Paris, so I was really excited. Leah, Dedan, and I climbed 300 steps to the top of the dome and took a lot of pictures. Afterwards I went wandering and shopping with Joelle, Shirley, Jenny, Holly, and Sean around Paris. I was exhausted and went to bed very early.
Friday, June 20
Back on the bus, we drove to Chartres where we heard about the building from Lamar, David, Michael, and Dedan. It is a beautiful church and there are 5 windows in the nave that Raymond Pitcairn copied for Glencairn's Great Hall. Kristine and I splurged on lunch at a cafe (usually we get fruit and yogurt from the grocery store or cheap baguette sandwiches for meals) and even had dessert. On the way back to Paris we stopped in Versailles just to see the gardens. I went wandering through Paris with a group in the evening. We ate the most delicious dark chocolate and hazelnut "glace" (ice cream).
Saturday, June 21 (Kristine's birthday!)
Today was Kristine's birthday and the Fete de la Musique (Festival of Music). There was music playing all day all over France, especially in Paris. We drove to Giverny to see Monet's garden, arriving jut 20 minutes before the hordes of other tourists. Then we went to Rouen to see the cathedral, Richard the Lionheart's tomb, and the place where Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake. A group of us had a delicious picnic by the Seine to celebrate Kristine's birthday, and joined in some celebrations of music walking home. The streets were PACKED with people and there were musicians in every cafe, bar, bridge, corner, etc. There were bands, DJ's, violin players, Native American musicians, African musicians, etc. You name them, they were playing in Paris.
Sunday, June 22
We didn't have a schedule the last day in France, so I was determined to relax and observe as much of Paris as possible. I walked by myself all day: from our hotel to the center of Paris and then visited the Jardin de Luxembourg (where I ate a picnic lunch), La Sorbonne, Notre Dame (where I planned to attend church but there was a huge crowd waiting to get in), and a bunch of smaller monuments and buildings. Our guide, David, estimated later that I walked about 10-12 miles. That evening we ate a delicious dinner at a fancy restaurant on the first level of the Eiffel Tower and then took an evening boat ride on the Seine. It was a beautiful evening and a lovely last night in Paris.
Monday, June 23
We got to the airport early, and it was a good thing because I got stopped and searched at every possible security check point. One airport employee who searched my bag at the beginning was also at a later check point and looked surprised to see me, "Madame! It's you again!" I asked if there was something wrong with my bag but he said they were all just random searches. The flight back was fine, and again I miraculously slept through most of it with help from ear plugs and a mask (even though it was the afternoon...).
So, all in all, it was an awesome trip.