The Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres is a medieval Catholic cathedral located about 50 miles southwest of Paris. It is considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The current cathedral was mostly constructed between 1194 and 1250. We drove to Chartres from Carcassonne and couldn’t miss the big spires from a couple miles away. They […]
Carcassonne, a Medieval city, is the largest fortified town in Europe. The Romans fortified the hilltop around 100 BC. Carcassonne became strategically identified when Romans fortified the hilltop around 100 BC. The city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We arrived at sunset and left after sunrise the next morning. I had to see the city under both […]
Santa Maria de Montserrat is a Benedictine abbey located on the mountain of Montserrat, in Catalonia, Spain. It is notable for enshrining the image of the Virgin of Montserrat.
This has to be one of the coolest churches I have ever seen. It is impressive for those that are religious, or interested in architecture, or fascinated by modern engineering projects, or those that just like colors and shapes. I spent a few hours there in daylight and at night. I would love to spend even more […]
What a great way to celebrate 43! Randy and I met up with Kathy Hayes, who had the great idea of getting tickets to see U2 in Barcelona. We had to miss the concert in Boston a few months ago, so we gave away our tickets. It all worked out perfectly because I got to […]
La Rochelle is a seaport town in the Poitou-Charentes region of France. The city has a long history of fishing and shipbuilding. It is from La Rochelle that my Mom’s Cormier family left France in 1644. About 1634, Robert married Marie Peraude (Perreau) at La Rochelle. They had two sons, Thomas born in 1636 and […]
Martin Family, you must read this… …this is the city from which the Martins originated in France. The story is as follows…Robert Martin was born in 1600 in Nantes, Bretagne (Brittany), which is now part of France. He died in 1666 in Port Royal, Acadia (which is modern day Nova Scotia). In 1634, when he […]
Dinan is a Medieval city; one of Brittany’s best preserved old towns – more than 600 years old. Many buildings date from the 12th through the 18 centuries. Personally, I liked the church. In the 12th century, a crusader Rivallon le Roux pledged that if he survived, he would return to his city to pay […]
Le Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy is a small island with a population of 44 people! Sitting at the top of the fortifications is a monastery. While we were there on a rainy day, an orchestra was playing in the monestary. Until recently, the island was accessible only during low tide, making it a defensible position – […]