France April - May 2016

Flights

We departed late on Sunday evening on Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong and the first sector was completed 45 minutes ahead of schedule. Our trip to HKG was only a couple of hours longer than the domestic flight from Sydney to Perth taken by Kerry and Matias earlier in the day. Perhaps our speed was also due to Sharon’s check in luggage weighing only 11.5kg (only a handbag for cabin baggage) for a five week journey – while my check in was 24.5 kg and I also had a wheeled cabin bag!

We arrived in Paris on schedule and then took a train to the TGV station at Paris East for the three hour TGV journey to Strasbourg. There was a speed indicator in the carriage and we were generally travelling at over 300 kph for most of the trip.

Strasbourg

Kleber Place Strasbourg - View from Apartment

We stayed in a wonderful apartment in the centre of the old town on the third floor overlooking Kleber Place. The town centre is surrounded by a canal system feeding to and from the nearby Rhine River which forms the border with Germany. Strasbourg is the capital of the Alsace Lorraine region and also the seat of the EU parliament. 

Canal surrounding old town Strasbourg

Historically the region has been part of France then it was annexed by the Germans in the 1800’s; returned to the French after WWI; then captured by the Germans in WWII and then subsequently returned to the French after the War. Apart from the misery of all of this conflict a lot of longer term practical issues arise about such things as pensions – which system should apply?

Cathedral dominating skyline of Strasbourg

In WWII the Germans were very determined to eradicate the French culture and influence even to the point of banning spoken French and even the use of French words for hot and cold on taps!

Canal scene Strasbourg

My early morning works gave me a great insight to the layout. It is a university town and the preponderance of young people was evident usually in the afternoons and evenings. The cityscape is dominated by a massive cathedral and being flat terrain there were bicycles everywhere.

Fromagerie - a shop selling only cheese

The city has over 1200 restaurants and we took recommendations from our delightful landlady who took an interest in us and showed us about.

France

Patisseries and boulangeries seem to be on every corner in every town and village. But they are being rivaled now by spectacle frame sellers and temporary employment agencies. I suspect the former is due to the question of fashion and style which is so much at the heart of French culture. I don’t know why there appear to be so many employment agencies – but it could be due to the fairly onerous employment laws here which might make it easier to engage a temp than to employ direct. 

Let them eat cake  . . . or, in this case, strawberries from Spain

We noticed during our stay some demonstrations and protests which were aimed at preventing some changes in labour laws which we already take for granted in the area of part time work. There was a very noisy rally and march from the Square on one afternoon and the police were present in force.

Gutenberg worked on his printing press idea in Strasbourg before going back to Germany and succeeding 

Germany

Being near the German border we decided to take some day trips into Germany and visited the spa town of Baden Baden which for centuries has been a region of thermal springs and beautiful rural and forest countryside. The Romans established bath houses and in the last two hundred years some gorgeous buildings incorporating these pools and springs have been built.

In Friedrichsbad Spa - not so bad

They have high ceilings, magnificent tiling and domed ceilings over various pools, spa pools steam rooms and shower areas. More at: http://www.carasana.de/en/friedrichsbad/home/

We took our swimmers to wear but upon entry discovered they were not necessary - the whole place was "clothes free" and mixed. We shared change rooms and headed off to the communal showers and then followed the numbered sequence of pools, steam rooms, spas etc. The last stage was a domed sleeping room where you are wrapped tightly in a warm sheet and rugs and you rest for half an hour or so.

We were there for about three hours – and enjoyed the experience. Apparently Germans are very relaxed about going au naturelle.

We found a fascinating tapas restaurant that night where the host was a very effusive Cuban woman who made us feel very welcome.

North Alsace & Lorraine

Moselle River at Metz

We travelled north in our rental car (despite booking a small Peugeot we were allocated a Mercedes A Class) to Metz which is the capital of Lorraine. The Moselle River flows through the town and not surprisingly the major industry is wine growing. Our hotel was in the medieval town centre within easy walk of city walls and the river. 

Interior of the Cathedral at Metz

En route we stopped at Saverne which is an orderly and attractive town. We arrived in Saverne around noon and it was bitterly cold and windy with rain or sleet beginning to fall. We ducked into a café and were promptly told that the café would be closing for lunch at 12:30 and there was some reluctance to serve us our coffee. We explained that we would not be ordering lunch – simply a coffee. After some further resistance we explained we did not intend to linger and would be gone by 12:30 on that basis coffee was served! I guess it is all about priorities – for the staff!

One evening in Metz we dined at a local French restaurant recommended by the hotel. Excellent food and service with the maître de omnipresent. A group of business types settled in near us and they were speaking in both French and English and clearly came from several different countries.

Sensing a business opportunity for PHR I inquired as to their industry sector. Turns out it was agricultural equipment – and they all worked for a Norwegian firm that had been established in 1870 – and which had recently been acquired by the Japanese. Go to: www.kvernelandgroup.com. They already had an agent for Australia based in Melbourne but I was able to promote PHR as the obvious vehicle for any further expansion into Asia. 

They were suitably impressed and offered to sell me a plough!

Metz is the site of one of France’s largest cathedrals – and in France that’s saying something. It is also the site of a very impressive very new Pompidou Centre - a magnificent art gallery given over to some avant garde productions at the moment!

Installation comprising doors - Pompidou Centre Metz

During our stay in late April we were a bit surprised how cold it still was. There had been snow in the week ahead of our arrival and while we had mostly fine weather it was very cold – particularly on my early morning constitutionals. But at that time of the day the visitor gains a special insight as the town comes to life. Most of the towns we called though had significant pedestrian only areas and there was something ironic seeing clothing boutiques with bikinis and other summer wear for sale while it was 3 C outside!

On a day trip from Metz we called at Thionville on a somewhat random basis and enjoyed this bustling trading port town. We saw large modern barges that would probably carry more than 50 semi trailers worth of goods moving swiftly along the Moselle through a series of locks. As we drove through this region we encountered in addition to the almost ubiquitous Rues General de Gaulle several Rues de General Patton – referencing the impact of WWII on this region. Because Germany at the time regarded Alsace Lorraine as German soil, Hitler was determined to hang on to it and the German armies were under orders not to surrender or withdraw. This led to very fierce fighting and considerable losses by both sides in this area.

Colmar

 Little Venice in Colmar

Colmar is about 60 km south of Strasbourg so we opted to drive down from Metz along what was called the Wine Route through endless wineries and hamlets where the merchants offered samplings and sensational cheeses. By now the weather was clear and sunny. The landscape rolled away with multi coloured fields often with bright yellow safflower or waving emerald green wheat crops delineated by stone fences or dark green hedges. In the background was the Voges mountain range.

Colmar was our base for the next four days and it is an administrative centre with many pedestrian only streets in the old town. Our hotel was constructed in the 1600’s and has been operating continuously ever since – with several makeovers including the most recent about two years ago.

Our Hotel Colmar

The influence of Germany remained very strong and we heard as much German as we did French being spoken.

We were very impressed with the Art Museum that had been reopened in February this year by President Hollande. It has a unique design where much of the building is underground with an unusual palette of white floors along with white walls and ceilings.

The collection includes samples of Roman frescoes and floor tiling from 200 AD and then wonderful medieval art works and more modern pieces including a Monet and a huge tapestry carpet by a collaborator with Picasso. The building itself was very striking.

Cathedral at Strasbourg

On a visit to what promised to be a very interesting glass museum 20 km out of town we arrived to be told that the gallery opened at 1:30pm and as we were an hour early admission was not possible. There was nothing about opening hours in any of the promotional material - it was not closed for lunch – it was simply closed all morning! How French!

Colmar is very close to the Rhine River and we visited Freiburg in Germany which is a thriving town in the foothills of alpine country. It has three universities and a very easy to navigate town centre with an imposing cathedral. 

En route we called into a little village called Neuf Brisach which, despite being a medieval town, had a very sophisticated pattern of wall defences in the shape of an octagon. This was accompanied by an angular moat system outside the walls which would have made attack problematic. It was situated on an expansive plain which probably did not afford the natural defence that a hillside location might have offered. The whole village has rightly been included on the UNESCO World Heritage list – which means that everyone in Europe has to pay for its upkeep!

Aerial view of Neuf Brisach

Probably one of the prettiest towns we visited was Keysersberg which is in a valley about 30 minutes’ drive west away from Colmar and the border. It was dominated by the ruins of a chateau from the 1200’s and it had the misfortune to be the scene of very heavy bombardment as the US forces pushed the Germans back in WWII. 

Keysersberg

Restoration in keeping with the original style has occurred and there are many original residences with dates from the 1500’s chiseled into their lintels.

Town Square Keysersberg

Cuisine

The influence of local produce was obvious in Eastern France. Many cheeses were made from goats’ milk and typical dishes included Tarte Flambe (a thin pizza like crust using molten cheese rather than tomato paste as a base); Choucroute (a form of shredded cabbage like sauerkraut), and a cake shaped like a jelly known as kugelhopf (similar to an Italian pannecotta).

The regional cuisine in the west of France is noticeably different with galettes (thin savoury or sweet pancakes) and cider being the predominant fare. Chefs are becoming quite imaginative with the ingredients and moving away from traditional ham and cheese options to even chicken korma! Every second café seems to be a creperie.

We were fortunate to be in Alsace when the asparagus crop was being harvested. Asparagus was plentiful, very tasty and huge by our standards. Eating is one of the highlights of any visit to France and we were always able to experience relatively inexpensive dining out options. Food is fresh, plentiful and traditional berry tarts, eclairs and crusty bread and hams abound. Wine was plentiful and it was difficult in the supermarket to find a wine costing more than €4.

Rennes and Brittany

We travelled by TGV from Strasbourg to Paris and then on to Rennes on Sunday 1 May. Gar met us at Rennes and we stayed with him at Orgeres for three nights. He showed us around Rennes which is the capital of Brittany. We also looked around nearby villages adjacent to Orgeres. 

Rennes

Any urban sprawl is avoided locally with councils releasing land and acting as developer as demand requires. Unlike in AU, someone selling farming land to a developer cannot get a windfall. It is sold on the basis of its (lower) agricultural value. The result is that Rennes is quite compact but has satellite villages which are self-contained with populations of between 5K and 10K. This is sufficient critical mass for good childcare, pre-schools and high school options. The villages are sited on what were ancient villages and they are interconnected by excellent road systems and bus routes.

Near Orgeres

This strong local commune system leads to much consultation and community focused decision making. On our last Friday in Orgeres we walked up to the local sporting precinct where Greg was competing in a one off Friday afternoon soccer tournament - much like a gala day. Basically, anyone could field a team but there had to be at least two veterans, two under tens and two females. 

Greg in action

Games were played simultaneously in a five a side formation with plywood boundaries so the ball was always in play on the eight playing fields which were approximately a third of the size of a normal field. This community event was well supported by a crowd of local onlookers into the late afternoon twilight of ten pm. The sausage sizzle included sausages served in a galette!

Cathedrals

Outside St Malo we came across a new museum specifically about Cathedrals. During the century between 1250 and 1350 approximately 80 cathedrals and hundreds of minor churches were built in France. Think of the skills, architecture, labour and dedication involved. They usually took 60 years to finish so two or three generations of workers would work on each. 

Mont St Michel Brittany

The Church was keen to be seen as more powerful than the barons and nobles who by then had elegant castles and chateaux. The display showed the skills involved and how the local bishop would raise funds and drive each project. A popular fund raiser was to sell indulgences which reduced or eliminated time in purgatory in the after life! One interesting statistic was that the stained glass windows typically cost up to 50% of the entire project.

We made a trip to an old Benedictine monastery/abbey at the Mount of St Michael (Mont St Michel) which has been built on tidal flats about 80 km from St Malo.

Dinan

Outside the walls at Dinan

Dinan is a beautiful walled town built into a hill overlooking the Rance River.

Education

Paul is now at Lycee which is a school for the last three years of high school. There are competitive examinations and interviews to gain enrolment in these schools and Paul is happy in his lycee where there are no ‘passengers’ and all students need to be highly motivated and capable in their chosen specialisation. Greg is undergoing the selection process now and hopefully will secure a spot in his preferred option by the end of May. He will then commence at Lycee in the new term starting in September.

Beach scene outside the walls of St Malo

It seems to be a good system and students from well outside the catchment area will often seek enrolment in well regarded lycees. There is always a default local option but even at the more prestigious lycees there are nil or negligible fees.

We drove to St Malo, a walled coastal town, for two nights and enjoyed looking around the town and local area. 

Inside the walls of St Malo

Gar was an exceptional host and tour guide and we look forward to reciprocating in July when they are in Australia. We left France on Saturday 7 May – Sharon for Perth via HKG and me for London.