LONDON, BORDEAUX, PARIS
(and a day trip to Hampton Ct, Stonehenge, & Bath)
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PHOTO ALBUMS
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London (plus day trip to Hampton Ct., Stonehenge, and Bath) – ALL
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Hampton Ct., Stonehenge, Bath – Highlights
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Bordeaux Wineries – Highlights
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VIDEOS
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A REFLECTION
London, Bordeaux, Paris – and more (June 14-23, 2019)
What a wonderful time!
Got away to visit London (with a day trip to Hampton Court, Stonehenge, and Bath), Bordeaux (the city and nearby wineries), and Paris. Never had been to London; were joined by RemDana, Berto, and Jeff in Bordeaux; and revisited Paris, having been there 38 years ago for our honeymoon.
Simply magnificent!
London. Could not help but feel odd visiting the home of the original colonizers. The British Museum for all its grandeur is the place of stolen treasures. The churches are Catholic lite – I totally missed my saints and story-telling stained glass… And the whole thing about the monarchy bothered me. Not for me. Yet I am so glad I visited. I very much respect the British references to the pain and loss of wars – everywhere, including their churches. They lived through it; I did not… The Eye, the Thames, and the squares were well worth it. And then there are the pubs and the ale. Good stuff! (But about those fish and chips and pies – not so good.)
Hampton Court’s ode to Henry VIII is totally not for me. Here’s a guy who broke away from the Church because he wanted to get a divorce. Six times over… There’s something that just does not seem right to me that the genesis of a church be this… And then there’s all the anti-Catholic persecution… But, I get it. The Church of England has evolved to a legitimate Christian faith that has added so much to our broader spirituality.
Stonehenge I liked. Not for everyone. Some would say Stonehenge is just a bunch of rocks. For me, this is quite a contemplative place. A place where early humans saw the need for rituals and symbols – parts of any functioning society. Mystically interesting. Glad to have visited.
Bath looks better in pictures. Walking around it seemed grungy and unkept. Not wowed by it. But, I get the Jane Austin references and what it might have been. Not impressed.
Then it was on to Bordeaux, the City and five nearby wineries. The City was an unexpected surprise. Much bigger than I expected. Beautiful spaces, places, and architecture. Walking around was easy and a joy. The new transit system juxtaposition on the historic buildings works. The plazas work. The diversity keeps it real. The Wine Museum’s hi-tech is interesting – but wonder if it will stand the test of time. The food was excellent.
The five wineries we visited were simply out of this world. It helped we had private tours (thanks to winning the opportunity at a silent auction for our local homeless services provider.) The chateau where we stayed was wonderful. Berto enjoyed it all – and behaved as well as any 3 year old can be expected to behave in such a setting. The lunches were spectacular, including artistic food presentation – with a taste to match… And the wine? Out. Of. This. World.
Lastly there was Paris. To some an overhyped place. To us, an enchanting place. A place where we could go back to over and over. The sights are never tiring. The vistas are so majestic. The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Arc the Triomphe, and the Seine – all awesome. The Moulin Rouge was plain fun… Visiting Notre Dame was very special. To see this historic church wounded by the recent fire, but yet standing tall was nothing short of existential. Notre Dame as a symbol of our broken church of the moment is not lost on me. It too will be repaired, embracing the best of the past and infusing modernity as warranted.
A wonderful vacation indeed…
Reemberto
p.s.: With all the crud and crap going on in this destabilizing world, while on vacation we could not help but think lots about how important it is for people to travel, experience other worlds, appreciate diversity, and simply enjoy being with others… And, how in this United States of ours there is a deep divide between the people that like to experience different cultures and connect with others and those that rather stay put, stay with the known, and simply not care about the world outside their own… Travel on.