Around the World in 90 days Issue# 19

‘From the humble grape to the sparkling bottle of bubbly, Champagne overflows with joie de vivre. Indulge yourself ..it creates events by its very presence…murmur of anticipation and infatuation .....

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Before we continue our journey - there was a glitch in the system and some of my Newsletters were released out of their time slot. Thus you received “Travelling guided by the light on 3rd and 8th August and Travelling - to your favourite…(sing along) 10th August. I have been told this technical issue is now fixed. So for those who wondered if I didn’t know when Friday is…I do…but somehow the system didn’t. I am sure enjoyed the extras.

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Continuing our Paris tour. So, then we have a scenic cruise down the Seine River to put all of the sites into prospective. Next stop Versailles – The Palace and Gardens. Created by ‘Sun King’ Louis XIV. It was the envy of every other European ruler at that time. The décor took my breath away – famous Gallery of Battles, Hall of Mirrors and then there was the precisely manicured gardens! So much to see and experience, I forgot to take photos again.

Now an early performance of the Moulin Rouge Cabaret. Dinner in the theatre under the iconic Windmill. I feel like royalty sitting in my seat, with my dinner and champagne bought for me to eat prior to the show of a lifetime. It’s just amazing the fitness, flexibility, and costumes of the performers. The snake underwater dance scared me. I tensed up and held my breath until it was over. But it was awesome. (remember my comment in the Safari about snakes) Even though the movie had come out in Australia I had not seen it. But even now I still believe the real thing is the best. I have now booked to see the local musical version in May 2023, nearly 20 years later…just goes to show – what impact music and storytelling have on our lives.

Itinerary for Monday 19th July – Paris – Champagne – Luxembourg – Mannheim.

We left Paris and our 1st stop was Champagne – we toured and tasted wines in the cool, immaculately clean cellar, deep down underground. The wine region within the historical province of Champagne in the northeast of France is best known for producing champagne, the sparkling white wine that bears the region’s name. My emotions were fizzing like champagne, after being uncorked and waiting in your glass for the first delicious sip and your nose to tingle! I buy a small book, so tiny, it’s not much bigger than a postage stamp but packed with information on Champagne. (the history, making and appreciating of the whole bubbly liquid), I especially liked this bit ‘From the humble grape to the sparkling bottle of bubbly, the story of Champagne overflows with joie de vivre. Indulge yourself in this fascinating tale….it creates events by its very presence…murmur of anticipation and infatuation seems to precede it into the room.’ A chilled glass of good champagne is one of my preferred options for any alcoholic drink. I wanted to buy a few bottles or cases, but no room and as the saying goes, I had champagne tastes but only a beer budget!

We then see the WW1 bunkers on the way to Luxemburg. The German occupation of Luxembourg in World War I was the first of two military occupations of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg by Germany in the 20th century. From August 1914 until the end of World War I on 11 November 1918, Luxembourg was under full occupation by the German Empire. The bunkers were used extensively in World War I, World War II, and the Cold War for weapons facilities, command and control centres, and storage facilities. Bunkers can also be used as protection from tornadoes. Trench bunkers are small concrete structures, partly dug into the ground. You feel this history and also the fear and sadness within the walls. Having worked in the Department of Veteran Affairs and experienced firsthand the impact on people wars caused, I have always tried to distance myself from anything war-related. Mainly due to the long-term effect it has on families, humanity, and the world as a whole. My emotions are zigzagging like a roller coaster ride – excitement, sadness, frustration, and a deep understanding!

Next was a tour of the cathedral of our Lady, Our Lady of Luxembourg is a devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary in Luxembourg, called under the Marian title of Comforter of the Afflicted. The story goes that in 1624, the governor of Luxembourg, Jean de Beck, made a vow to build a sanctuary to the Virgin Mary if his garrison was spared during the Thirty Years War. The soldiers were indeed spared, and Beck kept his promise.

Next - Grand Ducal Palace by foot. The Grand Ducal Palace is a historic landmark located in Luxembourg City, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The palace was originally built in 1572 as the city hall of Luxembourg City and was later converted into a palace for the Grand Duke in the mid-19th century. It serves today as the official residence of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. We then visit the American War Cemetery. General Paton’s grave and then into Germany and finally we book into Hotel Mannheim. Luxembourg required us to have your passport stamped.

Of more interest to me was Luxembourg’s education system. It is trilingual: the first years of primary school are in Luxembourgish, before changing to German; while in secondary school, the language of instruction changes to French. Proficiency in all three languages is required for graduation from secondary school, but half the students leave school without a certified qualification, with the children of immigrants being particularly disadvantaged. Luxembourg is described as a democracy with a parliamentary democracy headed by a constitutional monarch. Executive power is exercised by the grand duke and the cabinet, which consists of several other ministers. The Constitution of Luxembourg, the supreme law of Luxembourg, was adopted on 17 October 1868. The grand duke has the power to dissolve the legislature, in which case new elections must be held within three months. But since 1919, sovereignty has resided with the nation, exercised by the grand duke under the Constitution and the law. Onward again this time across the border to Germany to stay in the Rhine valley, Manneheim.

20th July 2004

Our first stop today is Heidelberg and its castle. It was a very scenic ride and I got an education on the countries and the distances that the Rhine River traverses. The Rhine River with a total length of 820 mi (1,320 km) flows through  SWITZERLAND , GERMANY, and the NETHERLANDS, the Rhine is the longest river in Germany and probably the most important waterway in Western Europe.

Heidelberg Castle is strategically located and very imposing and you would think impregnatable. There appears to have been no plan and several different architectural styles have been used – gothic, renaissance, baroque. The city or Old Town is under shadowed by the castle.

For the wine connoisseurs, you can salivate at the entrance to the castle the Great Tun. Biggest wine barrel. It holds 221725 litres, 8.5m high and 7m wide. But I love the quaint old buildings the narrowness of the lanes and the perceived pride in the gardens and surroundings. You could easily walk everywhere and see so much in a short space of time, but many years of history. The Philosopher’s Walk is worth the steep climb and does evoke philosophical emotions in the garden, history and memorial plaques.