Chartres, France

"Not another church!" They saying is true, wherever to travel in Europe you're bound to visit more than a handful of churches. They're everywhere! In every city, town or hamlet there is a church to be visited. And you do get a little tired of them too. It becomes increasingly difficult to remember and distinguish which one was which - in the end they all turn into one mental collage of stained glass windows, vaults, buttresses, spires and altars.

Although, being an art history student studying in Paris (who loves architecture - from Ming China to Romanesque to Baroque to Le Corbusier), I could not miss the opportunity of being so close to Notre Dame de Chartres and not visit one of the most amazing high Gothic cathedrals in the world. So one Saturday morning I jumped onto the train and headed towards the small town of Chartres.

The town of Chartres is located south-west of Paris - the easiest way to get there is to take a SNCF train from Le Gare de Montparnasse to Chartres station - it takes about 1 hour to get there. Being a small town, it's difficult to get lost between the train station and the cathedral, especially once you spot those tall Gothic spires framed against the sky.

The cathedral is breathtaking - the grand proportions of the stone columns and archways, the intricately colourful stained glass windows, the impressive and tactile sculptural work... Just walking down the nave, one is awestruck by the shear size and magnitude of the structure - the space is enormous. I once wrote an essay on Gothic and Romanesque religious architecture at university, arguing that one of the original purposes of these buildings was to subdue the populous by highlighting the power and might of the church. Being within the building, you surely get a feeling of the power and influence that the church once had over society. 
To think that work on the present cathedral began in 1020 and after a number of additions and setbacks, it was finally consecrated in 1260. How amazing it is that such buildings were designed and constructed over 800 years ago! We think of the middle ages as being a period of simplicity, but we can see from buildings such as Chartres Cathedral, that they were quite technically advanced in some aspects. The building even impresses present day visitors.

The town of Chartres is also a lovely place to visit. Being set on the banks of the Eure River, parts of the town are connected by little bridges. It's a typical French rural town - with interesting little side streets, cobbled stone footpaths, beautifully designed and quaint houses and has a serene atmosphere. Chartres also has a great shopping precinct with an array of shops, cafes and fresh produce markets (if you want fresh produce however, be sure to be there before midday)!

Mont Saint Michel

Yes, another grey and drizzly day in the north of France. People always complain about the weather in London - but I don't think the weather in the north of France is much better! I was only ever once in London, and that was only for a day, and it happened to be a beautiful and sunny summer's day - that same year I was in Paris for four days and we only had one sunny day out of four. And then I spent two and a half months in Paris during January, February and March. A good three quarters of the days I spent there were overcast for at least part of the day, often accompanied with light drizzle, and on the rare occasion heavy rain or snow. No wonder Parisians constantly talk about summer holiday plans to l'Espagne or La Cote d'Azur - or even La Croatie. Whilst I was in Paris, there was even a huge marketing campaign run by the Croatian National Tourist Bord - metro stations were covered in images of Dubrovnik, Split, Hvar, Brac...urging people to visit the beautiful Dalmatian coast.

I had gone to Paris this year to study French at the Alliance Francaise on Le Boulevard Raspail, right near Le Jardin du Luxemburg (a beautiful garden to spend lunch with classmates). My French language skills amazingly improved during this stay, however much has been forgotten as chances to speak in Australia are unfortunately, extremely rare. Adjacent to the school was the Alliance Francaise travel agency. They offered great weekend and day trips to Alliance students at greatly discounted rates. So on a dark and freezing Saturday morning, I made my way to the Alliance for a 7am set off to Mont Saint Michel (unfortunately not Spain, the French Riviera or Croatia this time). With a coach load of people - I was surprised at the number of people the showed up for the trip - we started our 4 hour journey to the coast of Normandy.

The scenery through Normandy (a section of two departments (administrative districts in the north of France) known as Basse-Normandie and Haute-Normandie - Lower and Upper Normandy) was a sight in itself (once you got off the Motorway, that is) - all the green pastures, quaint little houses, farmers tending to their sheep and crops - it was like a scene out of a coffee table book. Perfect! A great time-out from Paris - as much as I love Paris, living in the heart of it does become tiring and claustrophobic after time.

Mont Saint Michel (the Mount of St. Michael the Archangel) is situated on an 'island', one kilometre from the coast of France, accessible only by a single narrow road in and out. The road connecting the island to the mainland has now been modernised, thus access is no longer affected by the tides. In the past however, Mont Saint Michel was inaccessible by land during high tide, which served to increase its isolation from the outside world.

The land mass on which Mont Saint Michel is build was originally a military stronghold in the 6th and 7th centuries. In the 8th century construction of the abbey began after St. Aubert's vision of St. Michael the Archangel. The site was fortified in latter centuries and when the site lost popularity as a pilgrimage site in after the Reformation and the French Revolution, the abbey was abandoned and it became a prison. Moves were made to preserve the site, so in 1874 it was declared a historic monument and in 1979 became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 

Above are models of the evolution of the site from the 10th century, 11th-12th century, 17th-18th century and then finally in its present 20th century state. I find it fascinating to see how Mont Saint Michel was transformed over the centuries to accommodate different purposes - from a reclusive monastery, to a military fortification, finally to a world heritage site, welcoming visitors from around the globe. [Images and historical information thanks to Wikipedia]

According to the 2006 census, Mont Saint Michel has 41 permanent residence. It's amazing to think that these people actually live on this tiny island, which cannot be more than one square kilometre in size (half a day walking around is more than long enough to see every nook and cranny of it), where time, it seems, has stood still. There are no supermarkets, no fashion stores, no cinemas, no cars, no hint of modern day civilization (even on the mainland, the nearest town is still a fair distance away) - just cobbled stone paths, a small graveyard, a church, quaint little stone houses and of course a handful of tourist-focused shops and eateries. How do the inhabitants of this little oasis live in their day-to-day lives? Mont-Saint-Michel is so isolated, highlighted by the great expanse of coastal flats which around it, no wonder it was once a monastery and a prison, as it seems to be the perfect site for either. But there is something magical, unusual and interesting about Mont Saint Michel.

Photos from my personal collection

Fontainbleu

Although it may not be as grand and well-known as Le Chateau de Versailles (which I visited in 2005 and wasn't too keen to see on this trip, especially after writing a 10,000 word university essay on the chateau and its gardens - how Louis XIV, the sun king, commissioned sculptures and paintings for the chateau complex which presented him in the guise of Apollo - the Greek and Roman god of the Sun, etc, etc, - the essay 'did my head in', I over-analysed every piece of sculpture in the gardens, looking at them again, wasn't high on my agenda), Le Chateau de Fontainbleu has its own charm. And I think I like it more for its somewhat humble simplicity and elegance, as well as its lack of tourist hoards - which allows you to see the chateau without dodging people's cameras. It's proportions, its rooms and its ground are not as awe-inspiring and impressive as that of much more regal Versailles, but it is an impressive piece of architecture and example of interior and landscape design of the middle-ages, Renaissance and up until the 19th century all the same.

The town of Fontainbleu is located about 60km south-east of Paris. The easiest way to get there is by train - it's a directed 40 minute trip. Take the SNCF train from the Gare de Lyon to the Gare de Fontainbleu Avon. From the station at Fontainbleu, there are many signs directing you to the tourist office and the chateau, or simply take the bus.
Fontainbleu is a quaint little town of about 16,000 inhabitant surrounded by the forest of Fontainbleu. In contrast to the incessant noise of Paris - masses cars, buses, the metro, people, demonstrations, etc - the town of Fontainbleu is almost serene - I only saw a handful of people and a few cars & buses as I made my way from the station to the chateau - although, I think this was greatly due to the weather. It was a drizzly and overcast February day. But there was a charm to seeing the old stone buildings and cobbled paths under these weather conditions - it gave the place a somewhat interesting and perhaps even an eerie and foreboding atmosphere.

When you walk through the chateau and it's grounds, it's difficult to comprehend how much money was lavishly spent on the place, when the vast majority of the French population were either starving or dying from common illnesses and lack of sanitary living conditions. The chateau and it's decorative elements are excessive, to say the least - gold leaf detailing, fine embroidered tapestry, crystal chandeliers, velvet upholstery, parquetry, masses of french glass windows, paintings, sculptures - not to mention the shear size of the chateau - the myriad rooms and hallways never seem to end - and the entire chateau complex itself with all its courtyards and landscaped gardens.
The first reference of the chateau was made in 1137 and from that date it was the principle residence of a number of French monarchs and was visited by many foreign dignitaries. Like many other royal residences, the chateau was not originally built to completion of its present state - it is the result of a number of different building works, under a number of different patronages, with a number of different architects and artist being employed, working within a number of different aesthetic tastes.
Only a small section of the chateau complex is open to the public - including some of the royal apartments, the chapel of the Holy Trinity, the library, and the very impressive ballroom, who's proportions are overwhelming and walls are decorated with an impressive collection of paintings.

I visited Fontainbleu in the winter, so the gardens were bleak and lifeless - I can imaging that in the spring and summer they would be green, inviting and full of birds and flowers. However, there is also a beauty in seeing the bear trees, the still ponds and lush green lawns. There were a few people, who seemed to be Fontainbleu locals, all rugged-up in their jackets, beanies and boots, braving the cold and taking their dogs for a walk through the grounds, or leisurely pushing a pram along the lakes to get some fresh air from their stifling, centrally-heated homes.

Photographs from my personal collection

The French version of Wikipedia has a fantastic run-down of the history and design of the chateau, with accompanying images: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Château_de_Fontainebleau
Also, the official website of the chateau, in both French & English : http://www.musee-chateau-fontainebleau.fr/

Le Musee de Rodin, Paris

The Rodin Museum

Before I left for Paris in 2007 my aunt told me, "If you can only see one museum/gallery while you're in Paris, make sure you visit the Rodin Museum." I was in Paris for over 2 months, so I had plenty of time to visit galleries and museums (and I did visit many, and a few more than once!), but the Rodin Museum was one of my favourites, and as my aunt said, it's a place not to be missed on a visit to Paris.

Located in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, not far from La Tour Eiffle and right next to La Place des Invalides, the peace and serenity of the museum and its garden sit in stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of the surroundings. It sits on the corner of Le Boulevard des Invalides, a wide, busy, congested Parisian boulevard, and rue de Varenne, a cute little side street, around which people queue to enter the museum. I went on a busy day, the first Sunday of the month, when all the galleries and museums in Paris wave their entry fees. This is such a fantastic idea, one of many of the French government regarding the cultural life of the city, as it allows the museums and galleries of Paris to be accessible to everyone, even tempting those who would not usually visit them to explore their wonders.
One the opposite corner is the Cafe du Musee, a typical Parisian brasserie serving drinks, snacks and light meals. Even on a cold winter's day people sat outside, drank their cafe, smoked their cigarettes and read le journal. Being in Paris in the winter, meant that I escaped the hoards of tourists and was able to experience all those wondrous things that make Paris, Paris, not matter how great or insignificant, as if I was just another Parisian.

The Hotel Biron (above) which now houses a collection of Auguste Rodin's amazing sculptures, was built between 1728 and 1730 by the architect Jean Aubert, under the commission of Abraham Peyrenc de Moras. The 'chateau' went through a number of different ownerships until the early twentieth century. There were plans to have the building demolished, and in the interim, a number of artists, including Rodin, took up residency in the then almost dilapidated site. In 1911, the state bought the building. Rodin, wanting to convert the building into a museum of his works, with the support of his peers, made a deal with the Parisian government to dedicate the Hotel Brion as a museum devoted to his sculpture in return for his entire collection. The deal was sealed on 24th December, 1916, and the museum opened in 1919, allowing the public to appreciate the work of such a fantastic artist in a breath-takingly beautiful space.

Auguste Rodin, is one of France's and the world's most celebrated sculptors. Although he was traditionally trained, he turned his back on mythical and allegorical subject matter, which were the traditionally accepted forms at the turn of the 20th century, favouring a realistic depiction of the human body in his clay and bronze sculptures. He was not afraid to explore human emotions such as passion, distress and weakness, allowing his works to accurately represent the psyche of his subjects.
Many of his well known sculptures, including Le Penseur (The Thinker) and Le Baiser (The Kiss), can be found in the museum and its gardens. He also created a number of amazing sculptures of his contemporaries, including Blazac and Victor Hugo, which are not to be missed. Seeing photographs of these sculptures do them no justice what so ever - the expressions on their faces, the formation of their poses, the expression and feeling Rodin was able to render from a piece of clay or bronze is phenomenal. You have to see these sculptures close up in order to get any idea of the true genius of the artist.

Photos from my personal collection

http://www.musee-rodin.fr/