When Tom brings the Nazis to town....

So, I had a loverly time in France, but it was also good to see my Funkturm again....but if you'll notice...in the bottom part of the photo?...what's that red?

Well, I guess I'll introduce this to you how it was introduced to me...

I got in my friend's car and we were going to meet up with others to go to breakfast on a Saturday morning. He drove past my Berlin Exhibition Center like always, WHEN SUDDENLY!!!....







I SEE ALL OF THESE RED FLAGS WITH SWASTIKAS out of the corner of my eye!

I just about had a mental attack of sorts - I just kept on going 'OH! OH! OHHH!' over and over....

As we passed by I saw German soldiers rushing out of my Messe Berlin (Exhibition Center) and then logic took over and remembered - 'oh, they're just shooting a movie about Stauffenberg (he was one of the main guys behind the bomb plot to kill Hitler in 1944).'

We went to breakfast and I settled down little by little....

My friend dropped me off at my dorm and suggested I go watch them making the film (since he was a soldier in it, in other previous scenes)....

I thought, good idea...




This is what I saw - Nazi soldiers forcing these guys into these trucks, OVER and OVER and OVER again.









Then they called Lunch Break around 2pm and here are the actors waiting in line.

I remember Spielberg saying he just couldn't even look at the actors who played the German soldiers when he made 'Schindler's List'...even though YOU KNOW they're just actors....symbols and uniforms have great power/can bring uneasiness and fear....





So I came back after an hour or so and then they started doing the same thing again, except from the other side. Pushing these guys into the trucks.

I must honestly say I grew to appreciate what actors do, a little bit more. OVER and OVER, ALL DAY LONG, the same thing, OVER and OVER....UGH! (And that was more or less the concensus amongst the people who watched it - 'over and over and over and over....')




Movie in the making....can I be sued? Do they have a copyright to what I take pictures of? Hmm....












So there was a lot of paparazzi, but they seemed to be interested in this team some like to call...












TomKat! Although, I prefer to call them, Family Cruise ;)


They came over and Tom waved to the group of us standing there. They were playing with their daughter, Suri.








There is a better picture of them playing together (surrounded by Nazis). It was REALLY cute to see them all together! Even if this was done for our benefit or promotional/revamping Tom's image, all I can say is that you can't fake the way Suri seemed to like to have him hold her and truly enjoyed holding his hand, etc.

I hope they stay together - they seem like they've got a good, decent family going.







'And then there were none.' TomKatUri drove into the sunset (actually in the opposite direction ;) and then the crew took all the Nazi paraphernalia down.


Gone were the Nazis and gone were TomKatUri...

Sacre Couer and Montmatre

So this is Sacred Heart basilica on the tallest point in Paris. It was dedicated in 1919 and so it's a relatively new basilica, but Lisa and I REALLY liked it a lot! You can't take photos inside - you have to dress appropriately - you can't talk loudly....in other words, I felt more a reverence and 'good spirit' there than I did at other churches, etc.

Then to top it off, the sisters/nuns came out and started singing these beautiful 'diddies' (sorry, I don't know what they are) with a lyre-type instrument in French. It was truly beautiful and was an spiritually-uplifting experience. I felt 'peaceful' there, and probably for this reason, and the fact that the surrounding area called Montmatre is just plain cool, I think this was my favorite area of Paris....


I decided that I have a problem with pride, because I LOVE to views and to look down on things ;)

Enjoy the view everybody...

And so we come to an end on our French/Paris journey together. It was TRES BIEN and I loved it! Thanks to everyone who made it possible and once again, I definitely recommend everyone going! Au revoir!

The Louvre

So can you guess where you are now? That's right, in the Louvre!

Once a royal and imperial palace, now the Louvre is a museum, home to such beauties as Venus de Milo and....

YES! Mona Lisa! And YES, I did sing 'Mona Lisa' to her as Ellen and Lisa ran away from the embarrassment ;)

Here is one of the galleries of the Louvre where other da Vinci's works hang...

I can't remember what this was called! She was 'Le Belle something...' but this was my favorite of Leonardo's works! I found her to be more enchanting than Mona Lisa....sorry, that's the truth :)

So I asked Ellen: 'Have you ever been in a museum where the rooms were more beautiful than the paintings/historical items there?'

Seriously, the majority of time I was MORE impressed with the beauty/details of the Louvre's rooms than I was with the collections!!

Of course I don't remember who did this painting, but I like it a lot! It reminds me of that Escher drawing where all the hands are drawing each other....just shows ya - more than likely somebody did it before!

So Napoleon III had part of the Louvre as his own personal apartments (nice!). This was one of the salons....TRULY BEAUTIFUL! After the Chapel at Versailles, I would say these apartments were my most favorite rooms!

Dining room....

And at the end, Napoleon I's throne....

Au revoir Louvre! Merci!

Mont St. Michel - the Archangel's mountain...

So literally we're driving along the northern coast of France/Normandy, when suddenly I see something off in the distance!

It just seems 'otherworldly'....what is it?!









Isn't it just incredible?! That is Mont St. Michel. The Archbishop of a neighboring town (Avranches) had a vision where St. Michael asked him to build a monastery there, so they did. Over the years it just grew and grew. It became an unconquered part of France during the wars against the English and became a symbol of French identity.

I'm just amazed at the sight of it!

A little medieval town grew up around the monastery...

Here is the outside of the chapel at the very top....

This is a little almost Zen garden in the middle of the upper buildings...I'm sure that is not how the original builders would have described it, but it seemed more Japanese rock gardenish to me, than functioning garden...

Until the French built this road a few decades ago, you always had to be aware when the tide would come in, and when the tide came in you were stuck on the island! Very weird feeling, eh?

A view of the 'bays' looking towards eastern France...

Just impressive!

That Aaron guy! What a ham! ;)

Au revoir, Mont St. Michel! I can't believe I've never heard of something as wonder-FULL as you!

Merci!

Chenonceau - Chateau des Dames

What a loverly entrance...very idyllic I must say...



















And there it is, Chenonceau (Shen-ohn-so), 'the Women's Chateau'. The original chateau was seized by François I for unpaid debts to the Crown, and after François' death in 1547, Henry II offered the château as a gift to his mistress, Diane de Poitiers who became fervently attached to the château and its view along the river. She would have the arched bridge constructed, joining the château to its opposite bank. She then oversaw the planting of extensive flower and vegetable gardens along with a variety of fruit trees. Set along the banks of the river, but buttressed from flooding by stone terraces, the exquisite gardens were laid out in four triangles.



I just found this funny....this is the Cher river! You got that right, the Cher! I wonder if Cher knows that....










Diane de Poitiers was the unquestioned mistress of the castle, but ownership remained with the crown until 1555, when years of delicate legal maneuvers finally yielded possession to her. However, after King Henry II died in 1559, his strong-willed widow and regent Catherine de' Medici had Diane expelled. Because the estate no longer belonged to the crown, she could not seize it outright, but forced Diane to exchange it for the Château Chaumont. Queen Catherine then made Chenonceau her own favorite residence, adding a new series of gardens.

A view from the other side....

This is the gallery that Catherine de Medici built. It served as a hospital during WWI.

There is another view of the Cher. This entrance was towards the kitchens - apparently that is how they'd bring fruits/produced/etc. to the kitchens.

The view reminded me of 'The Bridge of Sorrows' in Venice...

This is kind of another reason why it's called the 'Chateau of Women' the extensive gardens...

A view of the other garden....

Au revoir, Chenonceau! Merci beaucoups!

Chambord (Sham-board) - the MOST BEAUTIFUL castle I have ever seen!!

Welcome to Chateau de Chambord! This has got to be the most beautiful castle I have ever seen!

The royal Château de Chambord at Chambord is in the Loire river valley and the whole area pretty much is a UNESCO World Heritage site (there are tons of chateau and palaces in the area!). It is the largest castle in the Loire Valley, but was built to serve only as a hunting lodge for King François I (who is the French king that brougth Leonardo da Vinci to France).





There's Ellen and Lisa walking up to where I was - grand view, no?











This double-helix staircase is one of the things that Chambord is famous for - there are two staircases that twist around. Some think da Vinci designed it (still not proven to this day!)
















This is Francois I's crazy/dangerous fire-breathing salamander! That's right, a salamander...kind of 'squooshee' if you ask me, as opposed to something 'strong and powerful', but oh well. The castle is full of salamanders and F's for 'Francois'...















This is the central spire that gives light to the double-helix staircase....
















And just a view of the neighboring church from the roof...

This was the royal bed chamber area - the spiral staircase was so that people could come see Francois without walking through his private gallery.

This other side is exactly the same thing, except instead of the royal apartments, its the chapel.

Just a view of the roof - the blue stone is slate and I just think it looks great with the white (I think they said sandstone or maybe limestone)...a very 'sharp' look.

And the moat....

This coach was made for Henri V's coronation. His father and brother were forced to abdicate and Henri lived most of his life in in exile in Austria. In 1870 he was offered the French crown but refused to become king without the white fleur-de-lis royal house of Bourbon flag (they wanted him to accept the French tri-colour). And so he remained in exile in Austria until he died in 1883.

Au revoir Chambord! You beaute of a beauty, you!