Monday, April 27, 2015
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Scotland
OK, so we are done with our travels for now, but I will go ahead and blog about our Scotland adventures. First of all, I will deal with the things pertaining to Braveheart that were debunked for us by the Scots.
This is a view from the highway of Stirling Castle, home of Robert the Bruce. The story we were told about the movie Braveheart and all its inaccuracies were eye opening in the least. One thing that actually made me feel better about the history was that Robert de(the) Bruce did not betray William Wallace as depicted in the movie. He also later became King of Scotland. Historians believe he died of leprosy whereas the movie portrays his father as the leper.
Some fallacies of the movie about William Wallace:
1. He was not of humble farmer lineage. His family were actually lesser nobles.
2. A lot of photo work was done to make Mel Gibson look larger than he is because the real William Wallace was a huge man of 6'7" or 6'8".
3. The main battle of Stirling where he defeated the English is depicted in a large open field. The Scots say Wallace never fought that way until the battle in which he was defeated. He was more of a gorilla fighter. The battle is actually the Battle of Stirling Bridge. The river and bridge are rather obviously missing in the movie. In actuality more Englishman drowned in the battle than were killed by the Scots.
This is the memorial to William Wallace.
This pic was taken from Stirling Castle. The Wallace memorial across the valley is about where Wallace and his men were for the Battle of Stirling Bridge. You can see the river below the memorial. They used the bridge and the wetlands around the river to their advantage to defeat the English.
4. William Wallace was never called Braveheart. (long story short) Robert the Bruce got into a scuffle with an old enemy and killed the man inside a church. For this he was excommunicated from the Catholic church. He later went to Rome and promised the Pope that he would raise some men and go on a Holy Crusade to make amends. A deal was struck and he eventually became king of Scotland. He never got the opportunity to fulfill his promise to the Pope, but he made and old friend promise that if he died that the friend would cut his heart from his body and take it on a crusade. He felt that this feat would help him spend less time in purgatory for his actions. In a crusade battle against the French when his friend's men were wiped out, the friend flung the heart of the Bruce toward the enemy and shouted, "go forward brave heart." The French were so moved by this that they returned the heart to Scotland and it was buried at Melrose Abbey. So, the "brave heart" was actually Robert the Bruce.
This is the ruins of Melrose Abbey where the heart of Robert the Bruce is buried.
More of Stirling Castle complex.
Stirling Castle.
Robert the Bruce memorial outside Stirling Castle.
The Scots that told us about al the inaccuracies of the movie also said Mel Gibson was very upfront about taking license with the real history. They said that most Scots were not really upset with the fallacies of the movie since he said all along he was not trying to tell the actual history as much as painting a portrait of the Scots and their past and their land. The year after the movie was released (1995), Scottish tourism jumped 200% and has remained high ever since so many feel a gratitude for the attention even if not an accurate picture.
This is a view from the highway of Stirling Castle, home of Robert the Bruce. The story we were told about the movie Braveheart and all its inaccuracies were eye opening in the least. One thing that actually made me feel better about the history was that Robert de(the) Bruce did not betray William Wallace as depicted in the movie. He also later became King of Scotland. Historians believe he died of leprosy whereas the movie portrays his father as the leper.
Some fallacies of the movie about William Wallace:
1. He was not of humble farmer lineage. His family were actually lesser nobles.
2. A lot of photo work was done to make Mel Gibson look larger than he is because the real William Wallace was a huge man of 6'7" or 6'8".
3. The main battle of Stirling where he defeated the English is depicted in a large open field. The Scots say Wallace never fought that way until the battle in which he was defeated. He was more of a gorilla fighter. The battle is actually the Battle of Stirling Bridge. The river and bridge are rather obviously missing in the movie. In actuality more Englishman drowned in the battle than were killed by the Scots.
This is the memorial to William Wallace.
This pic was taken from Stirling Castle. The Wallace memorial across the valley is about where Wallace and his men were for the Battle of Stirling Bridge. You can see the river below the memorial. They used the bridge and the wetlands around the river to their advantage to defeat the English.
4. William Wallace was never called Braveheart. (long story short) Robert the Bruce got into a scuffle with an old enemy and killed the man inside a church. For this he was excommunicated from the Catholic church. He later went to Rome and promised the Pope that he would raise some men and go on a Holy Crusade to make amends. A deal was struck and he eventually became king of Scotland. He never got the opportunity to fulfill his promise to the Pope, but he made and old friend promise that if he died that the friend would cut his heart from his body and take it on a crusade. He felt that this feat would help him spend less time in purgatory for his actions. In a crusade battle against the French when his friend's men were wiped out, the friend flung the heart of the Bruce toward the enemy and shouted, "go forward brave heart." The French were so moved by this that they returned the heart to Scotland and it was buried at Melrose Abbey. So, the "brave heart" was actually Robert the Bruce.
This is the ruins of Melrose Abbey where the heart of Robert the Bruce is buried.
More of Stirling Castle complex.
Stirling Castle.
Robert the Bruce memorial outside Stirling Castle.
The Scots that told us about al the inaccuracies of the movie also said Mel Gibson was very upfront about taking license with the real history. They said that most Scots were not really upset with the fallacies of the movie since he said all along he was not trying to tell the actual history as much as painting a portrait of the Scots and their past and their land. The year after the movie was released (1995), Scottish tourism jumped 200% and has remained high ever since so many feel a gratitude for the attention even if not an accurate picture.
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Paris 5
Denise and I ate at La Poule au Pot (la -pool-ah-po). Translation - chicken in a pot. It is supposed to be a favorite night spot of celebrities. They had little brass plates all along the seating area with the names of famous people who have eaten there.
Denise had lamb.
I had there signature dish - Poule au pot. It came in a large urn-shaped bowl with double what I could eat. The meals were good, but I'm not sure it was worth the price.
The Eiffel Tower in the evening is very impressive. It is quite the structure when you get close up and look at the design and engineering. The size of the base was surprising to me.
The ferris wheel in the Tuileries Gardens. This ferris wheel has been in several movies and books,
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Denise had lamb.
I had there signature dish - Poule au pot. It came in a large urn-shaped bowl with double what I could eat. The meals were good, but I'm not sure it was worth the price.
The Eiffel Tower in the evening is very impressive. It is quite the structure when you get close up and look at the design and engineering. The size of the base was surprising to me.
The ferris wheel in the Tuileries Gardens. This ferris wheel has been in several movies and books,
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Paris 4
One of the things on our "to do" list was to find St Germain Street. Actually there is a whole area by that name with several places and things bearing the name.
Here is Denise sitting at the St Germain cafe ordering hot chocolate.
When our order came there was a le saint-germain napkin and the cups were Cafe Richard cups. How appropriate. They must have been expecting us....
Here is Denise at the "lock of love" bridge. Both sides of the bridge are covered in locks, inside and out. When the space was covered, people started locking locks on the other locks already there. Now the locks are several locks deep on each side. A few weeks ago one side started to collapse and they closed the bridge for a day or two. I hate to think what the weight of all those locks is on the bridge. Some people in Paris have petitioned to have the locks removed because they think it is creating a safety hazard.
This pic is outside the Musee d'Orsay. The ladies in the sculptures are keeping a watchful eye on the of what's happening.
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Here is Denise sitting at the St Germain cafe ordering hot chocolate.
When our order came there was a le saint-germain napkin and the cups were Cafe Richard cups. How appropriate. They must have been expecting us....
Here is Denise at the "lock of love" bridge. Both sides of the bridge are covered in locks, inside and out. When the space was covered, people started locking locks on the other locks already there. Now the locks are several locks deep on each side. A few weeks ago one side started to collapse and they closed the bridge for a day or two. I hate to think what the weight of all those locks is on the bridge. Some people in Paris have petitioned to have the locks removed because they think it is creating a safety hazard.
This pic is outside the Musee d'Orsay. The ladies in the sculptures are keeping a watchful eye on the of what's happening.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Paris 3
Notre Dame - not the home of the Fighting Irish - the original. I thought Nena and Armida would appreciate these pics. I must admit it is pretty awe inspiring to actually be there. It does seem like a special place (Catholic or not). Like many of the standout buildings here, the architecture, and detail of craftsmanship is incredible. The massiveness of the structure is pretty daunting. Then you start thinking of all the important events that have taken place here and the people who have been here and participated in those events and the uniqueness of this cathedral stands out above most others.
The vaulted ceilings of the cathedrals are always an eye-catcher for me.The symmetry of the design is something that I really admire. The pic below is just the center of the cathedral. There is a large area similar looking to this one on each side of it.
We happen to be there for an early evening service. The proceedings are interesting to watch. The rising of the smoke as the service continued reminded me of the verse about the prayers of the saints rising in the smoke of the incense with a pleasing odor toward God.
This is one of side aisles below. Denise was walking and so is slightly blurred.
Religious or not, Catholic or not, Notre Dame is well worth your time and effort to visit.
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The vaulted ceilings of the cathedrals are always an eye-catcher for me.The symmetry of the design is something that I really admire. The pic below is just the center of the cathedral. There is a large area similar looking to this one on each side of it.
We happen to be there for an early evening service. The proceedings are interesting to watch. The rising of the smoke as the service continued reminded me of the verse about the prayers of the saints rising in the smoke of the incense with a pleasing odor toward God.
This is one of side aisles below. Denise was walking and so is slightly blurred.
Religious or not, Catholic or not, Notre Dame is well worth your time and effort to visit.
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Thursday, July 24, 2014
Paris 2
Here are a few pics inside The Louvre. Unless you have a few days to browse, you have to choose what parts you want to visit. I was surprised at the enormity of the place. We looked at some sculptures that were awesome.
The exhibits just go on and on. You can just wander and be amazed at each turn. And there are several levels.
Art imitating life, or vice versa? A young Asian couple saw Denise doing this and started laughing - then the young girl did the same pose as her husband took her pic.
I can prove I have seen the real Mona Lisa. A little glare because it sits behind bulletproof glass. There is always a crowd around the painting taking photos. You have to jockey for position. The rest of the Louvre is so large, the crowd is pretty well dispersed.
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The exhibits just go on and on. You can just wander and be amazed at each turn. And there are several levels.
Art imitating life, or vice versa? A young Asian couple saw Denise doing this and started laughing - then the young girl did the same pose as her husband took her pic.
I can prove I have seen the real Mona Lisa. A little glare because it sits behind bulletproof glass. There is always a crowd around the painting taking photos. You have to jockey for position. The rest of the Louvre is so large, the crowd is pretty well dispersed.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Paris
We had a fun trip to Paris. The pic below is at the train station in Saarbrucken, Germany. Nick and Ivy and Denise and I traveled to Paris together on the train. At 200 miles per hour the trip is only 1 hour and 50 minutes. The ride is really smooth at that speed. When we arrived at the Paris EST train station, we split up. Nick and Ivy took one metro to their hotel and Denise and I took another metro to our hotel. So we both had our own Paris vacation. Then we met at the train station the following evening to ride back to Germany together. It worked out great.
When Denise and I came of the metro we were underground so we found the right way to street level. When we got out on the street, Rue Rivoli, we realized our metro had arrived under the Louvre. Our hotel was only two blocks away basically across from the Tuileries Gardens. The hotel room was great and the hotel staff very friendly and accomodating.
One wing of The Louvre. Just to the right is the main entrance through the arches.
Central park area in the Tuileries Gardens, directly in front of The Louvre.
Main entrance to The Louvre, through the arches and under the glass pyramid.
The above ground part of the pyramid made more famous by the Da Vinci Code.
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When Denise and I came of the metro we were underground so we found the right way to street level. When we got out on the street, Rue Rivoli, we realized our metro had arrived under the Louvre. Our hotel was only two blocks away basically across from the Tuileries Gardens. The hotel room was great and the hotel staff very friendly and accomodating.
One wing of The Louvre. Just to the right is the main entrance through the arches.
Central park area in the Tuileries Gardens, directly in front of The Louvre.
Main entrance to The Louvre, through the arches and under the glass pyramid.
The above ground part of the pyramid made more famous by the Da Vinci Code.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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