Munich

We have been here for two full days now after a lengthy train trip across France that took us to Strasburg and then into Germany via Stuttgart, Baden Baden and Auschburg before arriving at Munict at 6.30 - exactly on scheduled time of arrival. No time for our usual orientation as we didn't arrive at our hotel, Deutsche Theater until 7.00pm. Only time to find a place to eat and then bed.

The hotel in Munich is part of the original Deutsches Theater

Our first full day we spent on a hugely informative 3+ hour free guide of the city. This just had to be one of the best tours we have managed to find. While it was free, all we had to do was [if we wanted!] to pay a tip to the guide, who gave us a detailed historical account of the early years of the Nazi regime and took us to places that were part of the Hitler call to the Workers Nationalist Socialist Party.

The National Theatre in Munich

Feldherrnhalle - Field Marshal's Hall, Munich

Munich   - the New Town Hall [Rathaus]

Dachau Concentration Camp outside of Munich

The Defiant Jew - Dachau

Historic Salzburg on the Salzach River

Wolfgangsee - setting for The Sound of Music

Lyon

We finally made it into Lyon - what should have been about a four hour trip (airport wait included) took us most of the day. First of all our plane was delayed prior to take-off because of 'technical difficulties'. Then in the air as we were approaching Lyon we were diverted to Geneva because of 'technical difficulties' again - this time the runway had to be cleared for emergency vehicles to await the arrival of a flight prior to ours. Technical difficulties with the other plane. And so on to Geneva for refueling and where we had to wait on board while the Lyon situation was remedied. On arrival at Lyon we took the number 46 bus to Vaulx-en-Velin, then Metro A to Hotel de Ville and then the wrong subway exit and a long walk the wrong way only to have to retrace steps and set out again from the Metro exit. A frappucino at Starbucks helped ease the sweat and frustration of the afternoon heat. But we made it.

The Saone at dusk

And what another lovely part of France. It seems like Paris has emptied out as the Parisiens take their vacances outside of Paris. Every street corner in the older part of the city is brimming with customers every night - the bars and restaurants doing great business.

Our first day we explored the older cobbled streets of Ville Vieux on the Saone, across the river from where our hotel was in Terreaux, Presque-Isle. An early morning visit to Cathedrale St Jean, the site of the first Bishopry, and then a steep climb folllowing the path of the city's councillors who go to the Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourviere every December 8, following a promise made in 1643 to make an annual pilgrimage thanking Mary for sparing Lyon the Plague. This basilica and the [side] Virgin Mary's Chapel was where the idea of the Marist Order [Society of Mary] was proposed by Fr Jean-Claude Colin, Fr Marcellin Champagnat - and others who wanted to form the new order of religious with the aim of taking Christianity to those who had not yet encountered it.

St Mary's Chapel at Notre Dame de Fourviere, Lyon

Lunch in the Roman ruins was followed by a long afternoon in the Gadagne Museum and its history of Lyon. A fascinating afternoon, which was followed by Mass at St Paul's then dinner and bed. At last.

The next day we walked for over 15kms - along the banks of the Rhone, scouting out the Part-Dieu station and from there to the Parc de la Tete d'Or, where we spent an interesting part of the day at the free zoo.The open green spaces are one of the key tenets of Lyon Council policy and there were hundreds of people spread through out the park - in the zoo, the Botanical Gardens, the Lake or just passing through as a place to exercise. Seemed a bit of a stretch watching two guys trying to impress with their physical ability - one doing crunches the other trying to hold the 'bridge'.

The Rhone - the working river that helps form Presque d'Isle

The last part of the afternoon was spent walking back down the Rhone and crossing back to Presque Isle and Place de la Republique, Place Bellecour and then crossing the Saone back into the old town to visit St George Church. A last walk along the cobbled streets of the old town brought us out again at St Jean and the Roman ruins alongside which contained the remains of two early Christian churches dating back to 150AD. Wandering further we happened upon [as we so often seem to do] the Palais de Justice which replaced the old Palais destroyed by fire in 1972.

Cathedral of St Jean [foreground], Notre Dame de Fourgieres [top] and Eiffel Tower [right]

And basically, that is Lyon for us. Tomorrow we will head to the Part-Dieu via Metro Lines A and B [that's the plan anyway!] to catch the train to Mannheim and then on to Munich. All going well.

Bordeaux

Quelle surprise! Quelle tres belle cite. We have thoroughly enjoyed our four days in Bordeaux - and not a wine trail to be taken. There is so much history here and because of its Catholic heritage, Bordeaux 'ville vieux' is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It  was on the direct route to the Way of St James [St Jacques de Compostelle] for pilgrims from Paris and as a stop off point its churches became very busy - and now protected. And there is almost one on every street corner [a bit of an exaggeration!] that provides a haven of solitude away from the busyness in the streets outside.
Bordeaux, apart from being the wine 'capital' of France, is a vibrant yet not seemingly rushed city - at least in the old town where we stayed and ventured around, Notre Dame [another!], St Andre's, St Michel St Paul and Francis Xavier, St Seurin's, St Pierre's - we saw them all, each with its own distinctive art and dedications through sculpture and side chapels. And Mass in the Chapel of Mary Magdalene inside St Andre's attracted us for the quick 6.00pm special.

St Andre's Cathedral from the Bell Tower [Tour Pey Berland]

And while history exudes on every street corner, there is still that essentially France feel about the tree lined 'rues' and squares and small gardens that are dotted around the block buildings of the old town. Like most older cities of Europe you can also see very clearly the juxtaposition of old and new - with the new created to blend in with the charm of the past.

A tram passes through the trees of Quinconces

A walk along the Quai Louis XVIII and Quai Richelieu attracts tourists and local alike: there is plenty for people to do here - outdoor concerts, skating ramps, playing in the mist of the waterfront sculpture.... good in summer, but likely to be cold in winter!

Waterfront activity on the Quai Richelieu

The Garonne River, on which the original town of Bordeaux was established as a trading post looks to be a dirty muddy brown - which it is yet, apparently, fish survive in this swirling mass of eddying current, to help fuel the local food industry. But whether its food, wine, history, religion or whatever it is, Bordeaux has very much been one of our most favoured destinations.

Pont de Pierre crosses the Garonne River at Bordeaux

St Francis Xavier in St Paul's Church

And finally a look at the area around our hotel Continental on Rue deMontesquieu with its older established facade looking doen the street from the Place Gambetta end towards the Carrefour Supermarket in the new dome of Marches des Grandes Hommes.

From hotel entrance to Marches des Grandes Hommes

Rennes to Mont St Michel

Rennes is the capital of Brittany. It was established at the confluence of three small rivers and became a centre of trade in the Middle Ages. Today it has a population of in excess of 400,000 - and it appeared almost 'closed' - particularly on Sunday - after the frenzy of Paris. We have continued to walk our 10km per day - it's almost a target now - and we have wandered round and round Centre Ville admiring the old housing and cathedrals that feature prominently in this part of the city. While there is the very old (such as the third century entrance through the walled city) there is also the very new  - the Science Planetarium piqued our fancy; however, despite the brilliant audiovisuals there was a soporific feel that sent Clive to sleep. Several times!

Third Century entrance - with some modern touches

Eating out has become a bit of a game as we try to try different foods - not for us frogs and snails [and nor for many French it seems from an online blog] - and beers. We had a nice 'blonde' beer in Paris and thought we'd try one here. Only it turned out to be white beer - Eidleweiss - which tasted a bit like an alcoholic soft drink, Not to be repeated. We have enjoyed stopping off during the walking for a beer at the many little bars that dine Al Fresco - sitting amongst locals [or French at least!] - in the cobbled streets of the old town, 

The square outside the Hotel de Ville and L'Opera was a great place to sit and watch the French World go by. It was almost like camping - laying back in loungers in the summer sun.

Summer in Centre Ville, Rennes

The walking took us to an old church, St Melaine, on the fringes of Parc du Thabor; a huge park loasis in the old city and which provides green relief from the grey cobbled city, the coloured walls of centuries old housing and the stone facades of old municipal buildings and churches, [we attended High Mass at the Cathedrale de St Pierre]. 

In the gardens of Parc du Thabor

Perhaps the highlight of our stay in Rennes was the trip we made to Mont St Michel. Only 1hr and 10 mins from Rennes, the bus went from our door to the Mont and back. This is a really amazing sight - and would have been moreso had the tide been in. Old, old Basilica built into the rock of the Mont and easily defended, Nowadays [in fact from 1975] it is run by the Jerusalem order of priests and nuns from Paris - and again we attended a Mass - lunch time this time. We watched from the ramparts as people waded through tidal mud flats on nature trips to outlying islands, only accessible at low tide and preferably, to be safe, with a guide. Wouyld like to have seen more - but the heatwave has finished - and it rained - showers over the past three days to end the endless heat and blue skies. Perhaps the'll make another appearance.

Mont St Michel from the causeway - rain clouds gathering

And from Mont St Michel and Rennes in Bretagne, we are heading to wine country - Bordeaux! PS It's also a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Paris

Our second experience of Paris - and just as wonderful as on the first occasion; this time in summer and in what is being described as a heat wave, with daily temperatures up around the high 30's.
The accommodation this time was in Montmartre - a cute little hotel with 5 star class and within about 20 minutes of the Sacre Coeur. As we did the last time we were in Paris we attended Mass here the day we arrived and spent the evening re-orienting. This trip to the magical city included attractions and events we were not able to fit in in 2008. And so, we saw Moulin Rouge (Feerie) - and despite the instructive guide, smart casual is best - no need for suits and ties. An amazing spectacular with not only what looked like scores of semi-clothed, feathered dancers but also amazing acrobats and talent that looked like it had come straight out of Cirque de Soleil. The train from Montparnasse took us to Chartres Cathedral in the medieval city about an hour to the south west of Paris. Arguably, this Cathedral is larger than Notre Dame in Paris - but it certainly is an awesome sight and well worth making the effort to see. Would recommend to anyone with a day to spare in Paris!

Chartres Cathedral

The superstructure is just too large to be accommodated by a single photograph.

The following day we ventured to the Palace of Versailles - and even with the wait in the zig-zag queue, the Palace dominated the crowds in attendance. The gold gilt of the upper floors sparkled in the midday sun and while there were crowds moving through, there always seemed to be time to stop and listen to the audioguides which helped to bring to life the grandeur of Louis XIV, his family, Marie Antoinette and subsequent Louis'. The grounds too showed their splendour. It was difficult to imagine the popular movement of the people in the French Revolution forcing the royals to move to the Louvre [abandoning Versailles] in Paris for their own safety.

Inside the Palace of Versailles

A cruise on the Seine to view the skirts of The Eiffel Tower at one end to the old lady Cathedral, Notre Dame on the Isle de la Cite at the other end gave us a different view of Paris and served as a marker for places we then visited on foot.

La Tour Eiffel from the Seine Cruise

Notre Dame from the Seine Cruise

Paris was fair buzzing while we visited. Preparations for Bastille Day Celebrations were going on all over [scores of temporary seats in and around the Place de la Concorde] and never have we seen so many police and armed military moving freely amongst the populace going about its own thing. And while we waited outside of Versailles it was interesting to watch the illegal hawkers [many of whom would likely be illegal residents - although we don't know that!] scatter as the police made themselves present. As the police moved out - the hawkers moved in again. A sorry state for all really. And on the night of the 14th we waited amongst the crowd on the hill outside the Sacre Coeur to see the celebratory fireworks - but given our long day [in excess of 10km walked] and the fact that it wasn't getting dark until nearer 11.00pm, we trundled home to bed. The end of yet another long and eventful day.

Waiting among the crowd at Sacre Coeur for the July 14 Fireworks display

Frankfurt and around

We have been asked on at least two occasions: why would you want to go to Frankfurt? Well now we know the answer - at least as it relates to summer conditions.
Like other parts of Europe we experienced in an earlier life, many of the older churches are hidden behind fabric shrouds or the prison bars of reconstruction and restoration. However, we did manage to climb the 328 steps of the Cathedral Tower to extensive panoramic views of the old city, the new city and its hinterland. We have walked about 15km around the old city, soaking up the replica of an ancient past destroyed in WW 2 - it was not hard to sit in the 25* C sunshine and observe the comings and goings in Romerberg, the way it would have been as a market place in its medieval past.

And on to the following day - about three hours spent wandering through the art gallery in the Stadel Museum amongst the alte masters to the modern art. Then back to Romerberg  - and contemplated a stein [but contemplation was as far as it got]. We waited until we were enticed by the charms of an Italian Restaurateur into the Italian restaurant her served - where we finally had our German stein.
This is a lovely city... easy to walk around in and pleasant on the eye. Open air markets and food stalls and under canvas eateries all helped to provide a nostalgic charm which is a sign of summer relax.

The modern city of Frankfurt am Main