ROMA RO-MA-MA~ Rome Pt I

Let the honeymoon saga begin!  As many of you know, Kyle and I took a very budget friendly trip after our wedding to save up for a phenomenal vacation once we were living in Europe.  It only took twelve and a half months, but we (or should I say, Kyle) mapped out an awesome Mediterranean tour starting in Rome.  Well, the journey actually began in Metz at our trusty downtown shuttle which whisked us off to a glorious parking lot in Luxembourg.  There we abandoned the shuttle for a huge bus to drive through windy, hill country into Germany.  It dropped us off late on a Sunday night at Hahn airport (near Frankfurt).  We were ready to flash our passports and squeeze our backpacks into Ryanair's limited overhead compartments, but alas, (earwax) our flight was not scheduled until the following morning at 6:30.  I'm so very grateful that times have changed.  Once upon a time in this situation, it would have meant sleeping in an airport (with great company~Meredith P., Will H., and Tiny!)  I'm in my upper-20s, no longer a college student (even though my husband was until very recently); we don't sleep in public plastic chairs or on the floor.  We had a lovely frau pick us up and take us to her auberge where we enjoyed a comfortable (albeit, short) night near the airport.  Our stay wasn't completely uneventful; Kyle found this treasure...

Let's see, you got your Fanta, your Sprite, generic cola... oh, and Bitburger Bier.  No ID required~just pocket change.    Ein Bit bitte!

 We were swept away to Italy sans probleme!  Kyle and I checked into our beautiful hotel early and took a restorative nap.  Like all classy European hotels, we were offered a free pizza and the restaurant around the block just by showing our room keys.  My very first Italian meal ever was a small tomato, cheese pie.  It would only have been more cliche if Kyle and I split a bowl of pasta and shared that Lady & The Tramp moment.  Spaghetti and smooches!  Once we were well rested and had full bellies, we were ready to spend our afternoon touring ancient Rome.  Where to start?  The Colosseum, naturally! 

A friendly tourist snapped this shot of us right after we arrived.

My handsome plaidiator poses in front of the Arch of Constantine.

Amphitheatrum Flavium

Nasty looters poked all those holes into the structure.

A view of the Colosseum from the Forum.

So I read tourist books (thank you GTL summer students) and signs around the Colosseum.  I even found a Roman book at my parents' home in Florida that my grandmother purchased in Italy decades ago.  However, I never learn as much about history as when I turn to wikipedia.  Since it's a well-known questionable source, I wouldn't be bothered if all the information was untrue.  Here's the amusing and amazing true (maybe..) story of the Colosseum~ 

The Colosseum has been many things to many people.  Initially it was used for gladiatorial contests, animal hunts, executions, and a variety of performances like mock sea battles, re-enactments of famous battles, and classic dramas.  After the fall of the empire a small church had been built into the structure.  The arena was converted into a cemetery.  The vaulted spaces under the seating were converted into housing and workshops.  Around 1200 the Frangipani family took over the Colosseum and fortified it using it as their own personal castle.  In the late 1500s, Pope Sixtus V planned to turn the building into a wool factory to employ Rome's prostitutes; unfortunately his proposal fell through with his untimely death. By the 1600s Cardinal Altieri authorized its use for bullfights, but a public's horror forced the idea to be hastily abandoned.

There you have it.  Let's continue our stroll through history by taking a closer look at the Forum.  This place was packed with ancient architectural artifacts.  We saw the remnants of aqueducts, temples, arches, the Circus Maximus~ you couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting something absolutely historic.  We didn't have dead cats, but alive ones weren't in short supply.

See, there's one cat.

Just lovely

Sometimes Kyle pronounces "ancient" like "anxious".  Phonetically it's like ank-chent.  He's really cute.

Some lovely American girls captured this timeless moment.

Farewell Forum, for now.

Our final destination for the day was the Altare della Patria (or the Monument of Victor Emmanuel II). 

Practically brand new in its antique neighborhood

Day 2 and 3 in Italy are on the way.  Buona Sera!

Natzweiler

This is the concentration camp post.  As much fun as I have writing, sometimes it’s hard for me to find the appropriate words.  In this post I will share a number of photos with you rather than writing too much.  I will start with just a bit we learned about the Natzweiler camp.  It is located in the Vosges mountains right outside Strasbourg in the Alsace region.  Before WWII, there was a lovely ski resort at its location.  This work camp was used primarily to hold political prisoners meaning opponents of the Nazis and Vichy France (not specifically Jews like the camps in Germany).  Since it was a work camp and not a death camp, the gas chamber is located a bit farther away from the work site and living quarters.  Even though these prisoners weren’t put to death en masse, they were worked relentlessly building what the Germans called a potato cellar (It is an underground structure which I believe is the length of 3 football fields and now houses a museum.  It was not constructed to store potatoes, and its intended purpose was never stated by the Nazis).  Prisoners were so tired that many couldn’t climb the hill where they were housed without lifting their knees with their hands.  If the prisoners were not submissive, they were imprisoned in small chambers for days where they were not permitted to sit or sleep.  In some occasions, they were hung for all to see. 

The Université de Strasbourg conducted many medical experiments in Natzweiler.  In a disturbing and sad twist of fate, a great number of Jews were brought from Auschwitz to this French camp where they were slowly tortured and killed by physicians to advance research.  Learning about these horrors and being in a place where so much evil had occurred made me feel physically ill.  The rest of this entry will be photographs.  For the faint of heart, there are but a few images of Nazi tools used for body disposal.   The remains of those who died here are either scattered or buried higher on the hill above the camp.

Beautiful Alsacian country living

Plans for the camp wouldn't be complete without "Arbeit macht frei".

The layout of the camp~ if you look on the top right, that super long building is the potato cellar.

Natzweiler entrance with a monument to the prisoners in the background

Konzentrationslager: German for "worst place on earth"

Most of the lodging buildings have been removed, but the very frightening fence remains.

That last building on the left was where misbehaving prisoners were placed in isolation.  This is also the hill that the inmates had such difficulty traversing.

As if the fences weren't enough, the guards kept watch in their short towers.

Home away from home

Prisoner garb

Sad shoes

So many bunks for the prisoners to rest a little

Communal living in the extreme~behold the bathroom.

Kyle in the potato cellar

The prisoners carved this small box with materials they found around the camp and offered it to the guards in good will.

A vision of work and death~ wheel barrows and the gallows

The crematorium

Tools for handling burnt remains

Tools for handling burnt remains

Those who opposed the totalitarian rule of the Nazis

Honor & Love of Country :: Humble Bones

For the glory of the French Resistance fighters who were executed or disappeared in Nazi prisons

Something so horrible in a breathtakingly beautiful place

Verdun~A WWI Cemetery

It’s time for Europedate (get it?  your update!)  Sorry for the delay.  I’ve been writing entries in my reliable Microsoft Word while moving and waiting for the internet hook-up.  It’s starting to feel like our time in France was like a separate life.  Anywho, I have yet to finish my account of the road trip.  As one of my young friends used to say, “Where was we?”  Verdun~this is where we was.
We visited the WWI memorial and museum, but it was a bit steep in cost.  Thankfully they had a few large military items outdoors for us to examine.  It reminded me of fancier versions of Civil War sites near Kennesaw Mountain. 

A veritable death machine in a charming baby blue

Kyle looks like he's about to sneeze.  Perhaps he's allergic to European weaponry.

Kyle and I obviously lack reverence for military machines; this condition goes way back.  This civil war cannon is on Kennesaw Mountain in Georgia.

Now I recently told you about visiting the American cemetery in Normandy and how moving it was.  It was something quite different to see a French cemetery.  Of course I should probably assume that there is a big difference between a WWI & WWII cemetery, but the contrast between the two graveyards was quite stark.  Verdun’s crosses were perfectly laid across a large area of land in a very quiet and remote location surrounded by dense forests.  It’s mausoleum seemed very lugubrious; the tower is large and imposing.  The overcast sky isn’t really helping its image…

Many a Frenchman

This place doesn't sell too many postcards...

I must warn that if you are easily upset or even have a sensitive stomach, you should probably not continue viewing the pictures below.  The tower was a gift from America where visitors can watch a movie about the war, view dozens of pictures in old-fashioned slide views, and scale many steps to view small galleries of WWI memorabilia.  Visitors are forbidden from entering the lower level of the building where an enormous ossuary holds the remains of an untold number of young soldiers.  One can view just a fraction of all the men who rest below through outside windows.  To me this was terribly troubling; there are so many nameless soldiers whose bodies are no longer intact mixed with the bones of their nameless enemies.  All individuals who died near Verdun, were buried, were found many years later, and were brought to be piled in a mass.  It seems so heartless when the identified soldiers all received proper burials just a few meters away.  Sorry~I know this is a bit heavy, but it just struck me as so sad.  I believe that France owes them something a little more since they gave their lives in service of their country.  Here’s the part where you look away if you would be horrified at the sight of this grave.

This tower was given in memory of those who died by their friends of the Unites States of America.

Dry bones

 The land all around the area resembled Normandy in all its curvy and cratered ways.   Small signs in the middle of the woods informed us of where small towns had been but were abandoned and destroyed during the war.  Tiny bits of civilization were just flattened and forgotten.  It’s unreal to see. 

It's looks like the shire, but nothing as pleasant as hobbits dwelt here.

Wavy ground and crazy trees

Sadly, friends, my next entry isn’t any cheerier than this one.  I missed out on a fun day with the Ham fam where they ate at a very popular and fun soup stand in Metz and then spent the afternoon and evening in Trier (or Treve), Germany.  I was down and out with a migraine.  The following day my health was restored to me, and we hit the road to head to Natzweiler.  It’s a town outside of Strasbourg and the location of the only French concentration camp.  I’m glad to share these experiences; they were so meaningful that I wish more people could visit these places.  Let me know if you do.

lather, REIMS, repeat

The correct French pronunciation of this city is something like rans, but you could visit a good number of online forums where English speakers struggle to convey how it ought to be.  Kyle and I always thought it sounded like the word "rinse" with a crazy French accent.  Either way once you get past its name there is plenty to enjoy in this city located in the Champagne region.  That's right, bottles full of bub.

We arrived there in the middle of the week, but it felt like the weekend because the town folks were out in full force.  We took an exploratory walk making our way first to the cathedral (Notre Dame de Reims).  This church has an incredible history and personal significance to the Ham fam.  Susan's father had been in Reims during WWII and taken a picture of it in disrepair.  It has since been restored (as you may have seen in my post A Blip on Your Radar).   Before Notre Dame was built in the 12th century, a basilica had been there at the time Clovis was crowned king of the Franks in 496 AD.  Overall twenty-four kings of France have had coronation masses in this Reims cathedral~consider this place the Westminster Abbey of France.  Alas, most churches don't withstand the test of time and hardship; Notre Dame endured a fire in the 1210 and 1481, was besieged by the English in the Hundred Years' War, and was damaged by German shellfire in 1914.  You may be surprised to learn that the Rockefellers funded the reconstruction of the church after WWI.  Yet again, America rescues a French treasure.  According to Kyle's handy Rick Steves guide, much of the stained glass was removed from the church during WWII to store it safely until the European conflict had been resolved (we'll get more into that later in this post...).  Recently vineyard owners funded a stained glass project for the church, and it's lovely.  It depicts the process of growing vines, harvesting the fruit, and fermenting the sparkling wine.  Who knew we'd get a lesson in oenology at a cathedral?

A restored cathedral beginning the long process of being pressure washed.

Kyle's dropping some serious Rick Steves knowledge on us as we take in the view.

For restoring their cathedral, the French bestowed one road sign to the Rockefellers.  How thoughtful.

Well, the afternoon got much more interesting as we walked what seemed like miles to champagne caves where we hoped to enjoy a tour and some tastings.  We were quite dismayed when we arrived at 5:30pm and found the place completely closed up even though they closed at 7pm.  We discovered that we missed the last tour time (at 5:30) and were out of luck until the following business day.  *sigh*  We walked back to the hotel where I was ever so grateful that someone bought sausages, cheese, and bread while we were still in Normandy.  With some cold beers and a mix of peanuts and dried fruit, we had a veritable picnic in the hotel lobby.

Bradly gives this picnic two enthusiastic thumbs up.

We lost one plastic knife to the sausages before Kyle borrowed one from the hotel restaurant.  Crisis averted.

The next morning we set out with a mission~we were going to make it to a champagne cave.  We chose a different place since we were locked out of the first place.  Perhaps other establishments stuck to their posted business hours.  We also planned to visit Porte Mars and the Musee de la Reddition (Museum of the Surrender).  We passed Porte Mars as we came into town, and it looks like one of the most ancient things I had ever laid eyes on.  It sticks out in the midst of road construction and crazy intersections that only European civil engineers would dream up.  Porte Mars was built as 1 of 4 city gates to Reims in the 3rd century, and it's said to be the widest triumphal arch of its kind from the Roman era.  It was quite impressive.

I wasn't kidding about it being in the midst of a traffic nightmare.  It's as if the Europeans know that by putting traffic circles around Roman monuments they give motorists ample opportunities to run over a tourist...

Since the day was still young, we agreed that 11am was still a bit too early to do a champagne tasting (I think it's only appropriate at showers or brunches...).  We went to the Surrender Museum; this was a well hidden treasure.  On May 7th, 1945 in a small school, the Nazis surrendered to General Dwight Eisenhower in his temporary headquarters.  The school (named after FDR) is still open and full of angsty French high schoolers, and the museum takes only a small space out of the building.  They had a lovely movie on the surrender, plenty of newspapers framed from that day in several languages, and other war collectibles.  The most impressive and amazing part of the museum was entering Eisenhower's war room just as it was when the Act of Military Surrender was signed.  I found this great personal account of the surrender on BBC's website.

So much to read about the surrender.

The jig is up

The surrender happened directly behind me.  War rooms are very mappy.

The keys to the kingdom~or just the war room, but still very special.

Finally after a long morning of walking and touring, the Ham fam was ready sip some bubbly.  Alas, luck was not on our side, and the cave had been abandoned during the 2 hour lunch period (12pm-2pm) even though the hours distinctly said they were open from 10am to 7pm.  It just was not meant to be.    We are, sadly, people who tasted no champagne in the Champagne region.  Oh well... up next on our road trip will be highlights from Alsace-Lorraine~our stomping grounds.  Get excited!