Tuesday, September 01, 2009

On The Road In Burgundy

Burgundy, the famous wine region is but an hour north of us close to the Loire where it bends south to it's origin. A 2.5 hr journey was planned to take us to the medieval hill town of Vezelay, the home of a highly carved and ancient church. Audrey is a church nut, loves to photograph them and study and examine their "bones" as she calls them. I like them too, they are endlessly different and interesting in all the decoration, stained glass and uni9que features such as the fingers hands and other PARTS of long gone saints. This one held the finger (a finger) of Mary Magdalene, the only female disciple of Jesus. Sure you say...but hey! Whose to argue with Pope Innocent II who pronounced them actual and true. Oh take it on Faith as the religion demands of you anyway and yes deep down in the crypt below the alter is a golden box with glass sides and indeed...there's a finger there within in remarkable shape. Cool! Nice subject for a few pics, beats the splinters of the "True Cross" that seem to be everywhere here. This though her entire body...intact...is found somewhere in Provence. Oh well...Faith...remember?
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The 2.5 hr trip was made somewhat longer...4 hrs actually as the existing GPS map of the region present in our Tom-Tom had was rendered obsolete by a new freeway and seemingly endless detours. Jane, our trusty Tom-Tom's voice was totally confused by our route and thus took us in a large circle adding 1.5hrs driving time through the beautiful Burgandian countryside.
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Reaching Vezelay we parked at the bottom of the hill below the main street leading up to the steps of the church. There is better parking on up the hill nearer the church, it's all Pay-And_Display anyway as it is throughout France so bring some Euro coins with you to plug in the meter, put the ticket on the dash and walk on up.
The church is at the end of a long approach past numerous shops (all closed for lunch) and restaurants. We had brought a pique-nique with us and soft drinks just in case our planned lunch stop somehow didn't work out. The church was huge and one covered with carved capitols amid rows of two-toned wall and column construction. Very striking and very beautiful with the light pouring in from the high windows above the nave. Spectacular! Down we went into the crypt to see The Finger, then observing the pilgrims praying we left them as silently as we could.
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Out into the sunshine again we concluded our Vezelay visit with a return thru the gauntlet of shops still not open (lunch, remember) to our trusty Toyota and away across the countryside towards the distant stacks of a nuclear power station along the Loire near our Pizza place in Beaulieu-sur-Loire. Alas it was after 3pm, the restaurant was closed! Ohhhhh...off to eat our picnic somewhere soon. Driving back towards Bourge we stopped to gawk at the vineyards from the stunning view from the streets leading out of Sancere. We took up places on a park bench set opposite the landscape below us and ate our ham sandwiches and my potato salad and swilled down a large bottle of 7-Up shared between us. Then back in the car with Kelly at the wheel, I had timed out and was too drowsy to drive any longer. Thru Bourges and home at 5:30. What a fine day trip thru the vineyards of Burgundy we had. Lunched so late that dinner was unnecessary. Off to bed at 9 we were, 3 very tired and happy ducks.
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"Wearing The Inside Out" Pink Floyd

From morning to night I stayed out of sight
Didn't recognize I'd become
No more than alive I'd barely survive
In a word...overrun

Won't hear a sound
From my mouth
I've spent too long
On the inside out
My skin is cold
To the human touch
This bleeding heart's
Not beating much

I murmured a vow of silence and now
I don't even hear when I think aloud
Extinguished by light I turn on the night
Wear its darkness with an empty smile

I'm creeping back to life
My nervous system all awry
I'm wearing the inside out

Look at him now
He's paler somehow
But he's coming round
He's starting to choke
It's been so long since he spoke
Well he can have the words right from my mouth

And with these words I can see
Clear through the clouds that covered me
Just give it time then speak my name
Now we can hear ourselves again

I'm holding out
For the day
When all the clouds
Have blown away
I'm with you now
Can speak your name
Now we can hear
Ourselves again