Voyage
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Les Catacombes de Paris: An Homage to the Dead
As the days grow shorter and crisper, and the time to honour our dead fast approaches, I am reminded of my tour of les Catacombes de Paris last fall. This highly unusual Parisian site had been on my list of spots to visit for a while. However, I must admit that I viewed it with a high degree of hesitation. I wasn’t sure that I was up to descending into the bowels of the city that I love so much and walking among the bones of its long dead. You see, I’ve never been one for horror movies. My tolerance for frights is pretty low. Even when watching a streamed…
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Palau de Miravet: A House of Art and Music
Not far from the coast, in the Tarragona region of northwestern Spain, sits the idyllic town of Miravet. And here, overlooking the Ebro river, lies a most wonderful vacation home, the fantastical Palau de Miravet. I had the great joy of spending two nights here in the spring of 2019 while adventure rowing down the Ebro. And from the river is the best way to first approach this charming house. For its pale blue facade shines out amongst its sand-coloured neighbours like a beacon welcoming you home.After docking our sculls at the embarcadero, my fellow rowers and I made our way along the narrow, stone-paved street to Palau de Miravet.…
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Gandesa and The Pilgrimage to Fontcalda
In May last year, I was on an amazing rowing tour down Spain’s incredible Ebro river. My tour group had just spent our first night at the lovely Port Massaluca Campground. High winds prevented us from heading back out on the water that sunny morning so we made alternate plans for the day. We decided to do some local exploring by car instead. And that’s how we ended up on a visit to the town of Gandesa and the Pilgrimage to Fontcalda. Cathedrals of Wine We decided to begin with a visit to the Centre d’Estudis de la Batalla de l’Ebre – Battle of the Ebro Study Centre. This museum…
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Saving Notre Dame: An Epic Endeavour – Part 2
I continued my return visit to Notre Dame by crossing le Pont de l’Archevêché and making my way down to the riverbank. I wanted to recreate the scene I had discovered two years earlier while passing under le Pont de la Tournelle. And while the spot remained a place for youthful gatherings, the view from it had changed drastically. And I was to get a little closer look a few days later when I had the privilege of rowing ‘La Traversée de Paris‘. The Treasures of Notre Dame In the meantime though, my mind went to recalling my visit to the Treasury of Notre Dame three years earlier. And I…
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Saving Notre Dame: An Epic Endeavour – Part 1
We are currently living through a distressing period of history. And as April 15th approaches, I am reminded of another heart-wrenching episode that made the world stand still a year ago. I recall being glued to the TV that afternoon, unable to take my eyes off the flames engulfing the much loved cathedral of Paris. I remember too, the relief I felt when I awoke the next morning to see that the heroic efforts the firefighters had put into saving Notre Dame had paid off. Our Lady was still standing, although severely damaged. Revisiting Our Lady I was further relieved when I had the opportunity to revisit Notre Dame during…
