| |
Saturday,
May 26 2001
(This report
was ready May 26th, but the University's servers were shut down
May 25 to 29, preventing the upload of these pages on schedule ...
so it goes)
We've had well over one thousand
"hits" on these web pages in the past
two weeks! Many thanks to those who have sent their comments.
On Thursday afternoon,
we boarded a chartered bus to go to the nearby castle of Menthon
St Bernard. Overlooking the lakeside town of Menthon from a high
promontory, the castle has been inhabited by the Menthon family
for over a thousand years without interruption. The moss-covered
outbuildings have a rustic charm of their own, but it is the imposing
castle that immediately seizes one's attention.
 
The view below shows
the northern face of the castle, a marvelous jumble of architecture
assembled over some eleven centuries. A squat fortress for its
first thousand years, it was "improved" in the XIXth
Century by the addition of numerous whimsical towers that give
the structure a lightness and fanciful look that belies its original
function as a military outpost.
A number of the students
couldn't resist the temptation of climbing the steep staircase
that leads to the balcony over the castle's entrance. One student
found that while the steps were relatively easy to climb, they
were far more impressive and fearsome when one tried to descend.
Fortunately, the other students coaxed her down so that we didn't
have to abandon her to her fate.
  
 While
the Menthon family still lives in the castle, a number of rooms
can be visited. We started in the inner courtyard (photo at left),
and saw the chapel, kitchen, library, the countess' bedroom, reception
hall, and several other rooms. The areas of the castle open to
visitors are presented by local young people dressed in medieval
costumes (as can be seen in the photo at left). They told us of
the castle's inhabitants, the most famous of whom was Bernard
de Menthon (born in 1008) who, on his wedding day, escaped from
the castle to become a monk. (The bride-to-be married Bernard's
younger brother, this assuring the continuity of the family).
Bernard in his life as a monk built sanctuaries on high mountain
passes so that travelers would find shelter from the unpredicable
Alpine weather. Large dogs bred in these monasteries are now known
as "St Bernards," and are an enduring legacy of the
medieval monk born almost a thousand years ago in this castle.
The old central tower
of the castle houses the library,
which contains an impressive collection of old books,
including medieval manuscripts and incunabula (the earliest
printed books, pre-1500). Not a single paperback in the entire
room!
The current earl's
father was another important historical character, having been
an active participant in the Resistance during World War II, the
French prosecutor at the Nuremberg War Trials, and a cabinet member
in De Gaulle's first postwar French government.
After the end of our
castle visit, we headed back toward Faverges, but stopped in the
resort town of Talloires, which is known in France as the town
with more Michelin stars than inhabitants. The home of a number
of reknowned restaurants and hotels, Talloires has a magnificent
view of the mountains as well as a quiet bay in which many small
boats are docked. The picture below right shows Bianca and Christina
testing the water, which they judged to be far too cold for comfort
at this early date.
 
On Saturday, most of
the students chose to go back to Annecy, where a large bric-a-brac
fair filled the streets of the old quarter. The throng was impressive,
and the objects on display were as puzzling as they were overpriced.
Clearly fake antique furniture waited for naïve customers,
and strange, relatively useless though sometimes attractive objects
covered the vendors' stalls.
 
But the city was lovely
in the sunshine, and we ambled to a lakeside park for a leisurely
picnic on the lawn. Bianca (below right) showed off the outfit
she had purchased at the Faverges marché
 
All in all, a very
nice day to relax after a hard week of classes and nascent culture
shock. The students are looking forward to our upcoming trip to
Paris; we will be taking the high-speed TGV train on Thursday
and returning to the Alps the following Monday.
 
Next
report to be posted Wednesday, May 30 2001
Your comments are welcome!
Please write by clicking the @ link below
|
