We know that international flights have had to change paths given the unrest in the Middle East. This trip, I saw many other planes in the sky.
I saw SIX on the flight from Yerevan to Paris.
Hard to photograph, but here are some.
We all know King John of England, who was forced to sign the Magna Carta, in June 1215. It is called a charter of rights, but they weren't rights for you and me - they were rights for noble folk, the barons - who had something to lose.
King John was an Angevin (Anjou) king, also known as the House of Plantagenet. Such were the links between France and England, that his parents (Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine), his brother (Richard the Lionheart), and his second wife (Isabella of Angouleme), are buried at Fontevraud. King John himself is buried at Worcester Cathedral - in England.
Some pics:
Entrance to the Abbey complex.
Richard the Lionheart
Isabella
More pics of the Complex.
The refectory
The town.
Another aspect of life in France:
We have seen episodes of the French police in action. Once at the airport, where two were smartly walking a young lady in handcuffs through the terminal. All done very quietly.
Then we went for dinner at a brasserie in Angers. (Pic courtesy of Google).
I saw this young (well, 30s perhaps) lady coming from the basement to the restaurant, I think pulled along by another man. Then when our orders were being taken, I saw two french police - very solid, wearing bullet proof vests - in the restaurant. We asked the waiter what was happening. He said there was a fight between two guests and they had called the police "for security". Later three male french police, plus a policewoman accompanying the same lady, quietly but briskly left the restaurant. The french are a very quiet folk - in public anyway.
And as you probably know, french words are either masculine or feminine - and this determines whether they get La or Le in front. The police is considered a feminine word. Good on them.
No pics - for obvious reasons.
And - the waiter asked us where we were from. We gave our usual reply - Australie et Singapour. He told us that just 18 months ago, he had been working in Australia. Not in a French restaurant, but in construction. He said that you get good pay working in Australia - glad to hear it - but he was born in Angers and had come back there.
We might not have seen many French icons this visit, but we have certainly experienced life in France!.
Today, 18th November there was a strike (la greve) of french transport workers. It was called a National Social Movement. So we opted to leave Angers a day earlier and hopefully have an extra day in Paris.
So we visited all the three terminals at CDG, and recee'd where we had to go tomorrow.
The hotel receptionist (who we later found was the owner) asked us why we had come to Angers. We explained that it was a convenient location for day-trips, and that we liked the city, She explained that over the last ??5 years, it had become number one for local tourists (at least, I think that was the story) and was also number one in France for a place to live - for lifestyle, And I can believe that. It is close to Paris, good transport - when there are no strikes - and it is quite a relaxed place. So there you go - hidden gem - with an amazing tapestry to boot.
Some random pics from this morning.
The Town Hall - only one tricolour/flag on this one - Bit skimpy!
The tapestry is housed in the Chateau d'Angers. It was founded in the ninth century by the Counts of Anjou, the local noble family.
Some random pics...
And lots of cute streets - this is just outside the chateau.
Angers is a hidden gem. We chose it for its transport convenience, but it has a thriving local tourist industry as well. It isn't one of the French icons, and is heaps less crowded than Paris. just lovely to wander around.
First port of call was the Chateau d'Angers. I had heard about the famous tapestry of the Apocalypse housed there, and it was truly lovely. It was commissioned by the Duke of Anjou, and woven in the fourteenth centurey. The blurb said that it was to give his people hope, and presumably to unify them as well, after all the disasters and plagues they had faced. Apparently it was based on the Book of Revelations, written by John.
The only thing I knew about Revelations was when my mother's cousin - Jean - that part of the family were Jehovah's Witnesses - had called me aside and read some of Revelations to me. I remember her telling me that the lamb shall lay down with the lion - or words to that effect. I remember thinking that it was a brave lamb who would do that!
I was too busy reading captions - all in french - to take pics. But here are some here, courtesy of Wikipedia..
The tapestry was woven, and finer than I have seen before. Imagine the fourteenth century artists being told to reproduce the Book of Revelations - you would have to plan your panels, draw the pictures, then plan the weaving, and organise the colours that you needed. The tapestries are quite a feat.
Follow up re French train system.
We called in to the ticket office to (1) upgrade our tickets and (2) ask about the strike (greve) on Thursday.
Yes, we can upgrade our tickets to the much more comfortable first-class for EU177 for three of us total. Sounds a bargain.
Yes, the strike will go ahead, but apparently it doesn't affect every service - just some - and they can tell us tomorrow whether our train will be affected or not, and put us on an earlier or later one if necessary. Very civil, are the French. Non, she did not recommend buying our first class tickets now, in case our train was affected, even though there would be a refund. She was sure there would be a seat for us if we had to change our train.
Don't follow the logic, but that is the story, straight from "la bouche du cheval" - the horses mouth.
Once we get ourselves to Paris, we have to find out the latest about the traffic controllers greve!
Next installment tomorrow....
We arrived in Angers yesterday (Saturday) evening.
Last (and best) view of Mt Ararat.
Then we waited for the train from Paris to Angers, the TGV -train a grande vitesse. It got us there quickly, quietly, and safely. But that is where the good news ends. Inside the carriage, it was awful!! There was no space for luggage - or rather, the space was full. People sat with their luggage (and I mean LUGGAGE - no-one travelled light) wherever they could find a space - on an empty seat or on the table. People were in our seat, and tried to move, but there was no-where for them to move to! Some folk got off, so Kin Mun and I sat in their seats for the rest of the trip. Talked to one French person and she said the train-folk are supposed to be getting new rolling-stock.
Conductor appeared just before Angers, found that most were getting off there, chatted to some travellers in french, and left. He looked as though he had been enjoying some french vino, or knew there wasn't anything he could do.
Co-incidentally, on Monday, we ran into a group of Aussie cyclists, who had the same experience on the TGV and thoroughly recommended first-class. So may see if we can change our tickets for the return trip.
They also told us there is a strike affecting air-traffic controllers the day before we are due to leave.
So watch this space - may have a few extra days in Paris!
And Angers is a hidden gem - more pics later.
Another Armenian icon. Set in a narrow gorge of the Amaghu River, with tall, sheer cliffs, is the two storey church - Surb Astvatsatsin. (No, it isn't an anti-cholesterol medication!)
Unfortunately, we couldn't go in. But the access to the second storey is that external staircase!! Makes St Mary's climb to the ringing room look like a doddle. There was a sign saying "no climbing".
There was also Surb Karapet.
Note the Archbishop of Canterbury look-alike, to the right.
