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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Nov 9, 2010 17:41:48 GMT
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Nov 9, 2010 17:43:20 GMT
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Nov 9, 2010 17:45:53 GMT
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Nov 9, 2010 17:48:14 GMT
And then back into the countryside where the pattern continues to repeat itself. The pattern of village then countryside may be repetitious but it never gets tiring. This is what France is when you leave the cities and it is often beautiful. Pedaling on, the road entered a patch of forest and went uphill before clearing the forest and entering a vast expanse of agricultural land. Soon I arrived at the top of the hill and panoramic views of the countryside stretched out in front of me. And to the left of me. And behind me, where I could see Laon in the distance. And to the right of me. And then down the road in front of me to continue.
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Nov 9, 2010 17:50:01 GMT
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Nov 9, 2010 17:52:23 GMT
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Nov 9, 2010 17:54:18 GMT
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Nov 9, 2010 17:57:27 GMT
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Nov 9, 2010 18:07:13 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2010 18:07:17 GMT
Once again a magnificent report (which you are probably continuing as I write this).
Firstly, I am always amazed when people manage to find hills in Picardie, but at the same time, I know that Abbeville is also on a hill, so it is not all flat beet fields, which is the impression that most people get from Picardie.
Secondly, I see that you are once again going to convince people that France is completely devoid of inhabitants.
Thirdly, the church of Martigny-Courpierre is indeed magnificent. I am even more surprised to see caryatids on the church, because I have noticed that they seem to be a total no-no on all of the other churches that I have seen (Grecian paganism).
Fourthly, it is wonderful to see some sunny photos again, because you know how foul the weather has been this week. Non stop rain.
Bravo, as usual, FMT. (Hey, I just remembered that it is impossible for me to believe that the cathedral in Laon was built in only 30 years. I must look this up.)
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Nov 9, 2010 18:11:35 GMT
One thing I find interesting about ruins is that the various parts have been removed from the whole and sort of lend themselves to being studied as isolated elements, revealing details that might otherwise be overlooked. Well, maybe an old pillar doesn't make the most exciting object of individual study but being that I am a stone mason it made me think about how much effort must have gone into sculpting just this one pillar. If we put a modern team to work today to try to reproduce the same pillar I imagine if they were pitted against a mason gang from the 12th century they would probably get the job done no faster and no better, even with all the modern equipment at their disposal. The time frame within which many ancient churches, cathedrals and abbeys were constructed often leaves me wondering at what knowledge and skill has been lost to time. After spending some time admiring and reflecting on what was left of the abbey I decided to sit down and eat my picnic lunch. I had grabbed an assortment of delicious looking things from a take-away food place in Laon (since there is no food in the countryside) and I was looking forward to sampling my treats. Apparently so was everyone else who passed by me since they kept looking at me with curiosity, as though I was doing something unusual by eating in public, or perhaps they were hoping I might offer them some. I looked around to see if there was a no picnicking sign somewhere but other people were eating food so I assumed it wasn't forbidden. Why weren't people staring at them? Several passerby encouraged me with a hearty ''Bon Apetit'' and I smiled back politely. I still don't know why I became such an attraction at the abbey. Delicious lunch finished, I hopped back on the bike and continued my journey. Next on the agenda was a trip to the Chemin des Dames and an exploration of WWI history. The Chemin des Dames is the name given to a road running along a high ridge that has served as a conduit for conquering armies dating back to when Caesar first took advantage of its strategic importance in conquering the Gauls. Napoleon and then French, Allied and German troops in the first World War followed in his footsteps. It's hard to believe that a place of such natural beauty and offering panoramic views of the countryside has been the stage for such horrendous acts of brutality. There are several WWI monuments and cemeteries scattered along the Chemin des Dames and found throughout the surrounding countryside. On a bike I could only see a few of them in one day. Here is a statue of Napoleon in commemoration of the Battle of Craonne in which the French fought the Russians and Prussians in 1814. Napoleon used a tower in a mill building as a look-out and the statue stands where the mill once stood. Here are some views from the statue. Here's a brief summary of the WWI history of the Chemin des Dames. Three important battles were fought here from 1914 to 1918 (The 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battles of the Aisne) with the Germans controlling the ridge until October of 1917 when it was captured after the second battle, only to be retaken after the third battle. During the start of the first battle the French had been creeping towards the ridge during the night in heavy fog. The bright morning sun burned off the fog leaving the French, who were in wide open fields with no cover, exposed to intense machine gunfire and mortars. A stalemate ensued with each side digging in and so began trench warfare. For the next 3+- years the Germans and French looked at each other from a distance of several meters. The best known battle is the second one. It was supposed to be a massive offensive by the French but delays and information leaks gave the Germans time to prepare and combined with poor decision making by the French the number of casualties was astounding. The French suffered 40,000 casualties on the first day of fighting and after the 12 day battle concluded they had amassed 120,000 casualities. The French did capture the ridge by the battles end but the German position only moved 7 kilometers. The third battle marked the German recapture of the ridge for a short time until the tides of war turned against them a short while later. No need to detail all the atrocities. I think you get it. Moving west along the ridge I came to the first WWI site, La Caverne du Dragon. The museum is housed in old stone quarries that were part of a farm at the start of the war. Beneath the ridge is a large system of old quarry tunnels some 20-40 meters underground, most of which were occupied by the Germans during the war. At times both the French and Germans were occupying portions of the quarry, using them as field hospitals and command centers. Adjacent to the museum is the Constellation de la Douleur, an artisitc work that commemorates the contribution of Senegalese soldiers to the French cause.
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Nov 9, 2010 18:14:08 GMT
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Nov 9, 2010 18:15:58 GMT
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Post by fumobici on Nov 9, 2010 18:44:33 GMT
Stunning report again FMT. Perfect balance of commentary and letting the images tell their story, some fascinating particulars and lots of quintessentially French country ambiance.
Those two churches you featured in this report, neither of which I am familiar with are both incredible in their own way. If it was just happy chance that you ran into them, you are either incredibly lucky or France has such gems hidden everywhere. Perhaps a little of each?
Merci x 1000
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Nov 9, 2010 19:30:58 GMT
Absolutely brilliant! I really enjoyed reading your narrative and the photographs are lovely, that Art Deco church is simply stunning. Thank you ;D
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Post by mich64 on Nov 9, 2010 21:24:39 GMT
Gosh, that was fun.
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Nov 9, 2010 22:40:00 GMT
kerouac - I double checked my sources on Laon cathedral and I couldn't find the website for where I got the dates 1150-1180. I remember in doing research that I found some conflicting dates on various websites but since I couldn't find my original source for those dates, I edited and played it safe and went with the wiki dates of 1155-1235. Wherever it was that I found the dates 1150-1180 it was also mentioned that much was finished in this time, which implied that more was left to be finished. As for the caryatids they were described as angels supporting the steeple, so I think the architect managed to cleverly side step that issue by describing them as such. Besides, it was the 1930's and at that point who really cared about religion in France anymore? Yes, the blue skies are a refreshing break from the recent horrid weather, which is predicted to continue for several more days. Of course this is timing perfectly with my parents in arrival in France today visit me. Fumobici - If I ever publish any of these reports I'll have you write the foreword as you always pay me much appreciated compliments. Finding those churches was part luck, part planning. I had seen the cathedral once just driving by and knew I wanted to come back. The art deco church I had heard about in doing some pre-research before my ride but I never saw any pictures so I was quite stunned to walk inside and see what I saw. Oh, and letting the pictures do the talking is much easier (for lazy people like me) than doing all that damned writing. And my bike reports are really more about what you see on a nice bike ride than what you learn. You can tell I don't learn anything because I am never mistaken for being intelligent. cheery and mich - Your appreciation is much appreciated!
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Post by hwinpp on Nov 10, 2010 5:10:40 GMT
How many km do you generally do on one of these outings on the bike, FMT? Do you picnic or do you have your meals at country restaurants?
Your trips are always quite amazing!
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 10, 2010 6:19:21 GMT
Bravo! This was restful and exhilarating at once, an amazing thing you always convey with your virtual bike rides.
Starting from the bottom ~~ beautiful ride home, with the flowers, the long shadows, and that very human-looking Ferdinand.
The shots of the WWI cemeteries were sobering, as was the photo of the churned-up countryside. My mental image of rural France is based on things such as WWI history or Madame Bovary, so it's always a pleasant surprise to see that modern France has kept so much countryside.
I notice that it wasn't until well along in the thread that a phone pole or electrical cables were visible.
The art deco church is a gem indeed! The first view of it made me think, "Yes, that's how they would have built it originally, if they'd had some nice ferrocement to use!" I can see how you could spend that much time there.
If you ever feel like telling more about the cathedral in Laon, I'd certainly be interested. It's very Pillars of the Earth, isn't it -- easy to ascribe all kinds of arcane meanings to its features.
A wonderful ride, FMT ~~ thanks so much!
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Post by frenchmystiquetour on Nov 10, 2010 9:38:14 GMT
hwinpp - I usually do anywhere from 40-70km on these trips. I don't have time for sit down lunches so wherever I arrive by train from Paris I always stop somewhere and pick up some food and put it in my backpack and then off I go.
bixa - The cows in the countryside always seem to enjoy having their pictures taken. I only mentioned the numbers of French casualties from the battles in this region but if all casualties from the battles in this area were added up I would imagine it would be something close to a million. I think in some of these places the electric cables might be buried. Usually I see more electric poles and cables but they were strangely absent in this region.
Ferrocement. I just had to look that word up. Obviously a very durable type of cement but not even close to the durability of stone. The church was starting to show the limited life span of this material and I for one am glad it was not used more frequently, although it does lend itself to being easily molded into whatever shape you want. This church was absolutely one of the best highlights of all the bike rides I've done. Just took my breath away and lifted my spirit.
Well, a few google searches and you could probably find out as much about the Laon cathedral as I could recount for you. I loved Pillars of the Earth and oddly enough was just talking about it yesterday with my mother (who with my father is visiting me right now). It's one of her favorite books and one of mine too.
Thanks to bixa and hwinpp for reading.
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Post by Deleted on May 1, 2015 20:28:18 GMT
It's always good to rediscover a FrenchMystique report from the past.
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Post by mossie on May 9, 2015 18:43:01 GMT
Thanks FMT for a fascinating insight into rural France, in particular the Art Deco church. And thanks also to Kerouac for resurructing this thread
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Post by SM on Aug 6, 2019 12:14:51 GMT
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