Candles

During my month-long stay at Laury's house in the Lot, I was frequently greeted in the morning by candlelight. Laury is a very early riser (not by choice!) so even tho I was always walking down the stairs by 6:30am, she had already been up for a long time. She loved to light candles all over the living room, sit and journal by candlelight. By the end of the month those candles made the dark mornings feel warm and cozy. We'd sit at her dining room table, drinking our coffee by candlelight and watching the dawn arrive over the River Lot flowing outside her window. These candles are from the Notre-Dame-des-Anges (Our Lady of the Angels) church in Collioure. Every church I entered in France was illuminated by flickering candles, lit as intercessory prayer offerings to the Virgin or saint venerated in each tiny chapel.

I took these photos with candles in the Abbey Church in Conques. The Virgin had her own chapel among the many around the nave; the votive nestled in one of the many niches carved into the stone columns that hold up the great vaulted domes of the church. If you'd like to see my very favorite candle photo, you'll have to click over to Dona Nobis Pacem. I'm considering that photo for a Christmas card this year. Let me know what you think of that idea.

I love the soft light that candles bring to the space. I've decided that my house could use some of that same soft light this fall. This morning I ate breakfast by this candlelight.....

Design in Unexpected Places

One of the things I like best about Paris is it never fails to surprise me. Yes, I can find art and history in the predictable places, but Paris is such a living, changing, vibrant city that I can always find art and design in unexpected places as well. Like in one of my favorite churches, St. Merri...art telling the familiar Bible stories painted by its parishioners filling the vestibule. And paintings still in progress below.

How about these great graphic designs? They are the barricades at the construction site of the Palais Royale. If you've been there, you know that the courtyard is full of various sized cylinders that are painted with black and white stripes. They are being renovated and Paris has invited you to watch the progress through the plexiglass squares.

The beauty of old France is artfully arranged in the shop window of Paris' newest 'best baker,' Christophe Vasseur. I found his shop near the Canal St. Martin, hoping to taste a bit of baguette. Alas, it was Saturday and the boulanger is only open Monday through Friday.
Look up! Look down! You are always in the presence of design in Paris...even in the most unexpected places.

Colors of Collioure

It's lightly snowing this morning in Iowa. Oh no, it can't be winter already! How's this for denial...I'll just re-visit the Mediterranean coast instead of looking out the window. Collioure...sea village of stunning color and beautiful flowers! Collioure...sea village full of history and Catalonian culture.

The tiny ruelles that snake up the hill from the busy beach are quiet and full of flowers. Some of the colors are creamy and subtle; others burst with brilliance and the energy of the sea. It's hard to not find something to love as you stroll past beautiful doors, shutters and balconies.


Reality check...it's still snowing, but it feels like summer in my heart!

Re-entry

I couldn't have picked a better day to re-enter the work world after my vacation. Our new aircraft arrived today! So inspite of the 587 emails in my inbox, it was a totally fun day. We had the official unveiling of the helicopter and the Blank Children's Hospital new pediatric ambulance in the morning complete with speeches by our CEO and Medical Directors. There was an official ribbon-cutting ceremony with pediatric transport patients and our own Life Flight pilot, Tim Harmer who was transported by Life Flight when he was a young construction worker, doing the honors. There were refreshments and tours for the public and hospital employees. In the afternoon we flew members of the media around town. It was an emotional day for me. In thirty years of service, this is Life Flight's first upgrade in aircraft. It's the culmination of two years of hard work by a dedicated team who began by requesting proposals from various HEMS vendors, selecting an aircraft and then presenting a proposal to Senior Administration that convinced that our patients could be better cared for and flown more safely in this helicopter. Once approved it took many more hours of work to plan the interior and exterior. When this beautiful helicopter touched down skids today on our helipad, it was like a dream come true. As I told my crew..."I can die happy now....it's finally here!"

Elegant Beauty

I walked across the cobbled-stone parvis to the huge wooden doors under the tympanum. Pulling them open, I stepped into the dim entry to the nave of this Abbey Church of Sainte Foy. Light streamed into the high windows around the aspe bathing the stone walls and elegant, almost austere columns in a soft glow. The sight took my breath away! No Gothic decoration or multi-colored stained glass windows in this house of God, only simple, almost geometric windows and the clean, straight lines that identify this style as 'romanesque.' I explored the church walking up and down the ambulatory, wandering around the transept, sitting on the hard wooden pews. I imagined how it must have felt to sit here in the Middle Ages, worshipping in this mighty space, venerating Sainte Foy, and feeling God's presence in every stone, every column, every window...

The bells began to toll, and one by one, the white-robed Brothers hurried to take their places in the choir. As the last tolling bell faded away, the liturgy began in a sweet, pure tenor voice. When the brief office ended, one of the Brothers strode to the grand piano tucked away in the transept and began to play. I knew this church was special; I knew I needed to return here again.

Abbaye Sainte Foy

This beautiful Abbey Church dedicated to Sainte Foy anchors the village of Conques. The church was built in the 11th century on the site of a 10th century basilica and is a fine example of Romanesque architecture. The main body of the church and its cloister were completed by 1107. Almost destroyed by fire 1568 during conflict between Protestants and Catholics, the church fell into disrepair over the next two centuries. It was restored under the direction of Prosper Merimee in the late 1800's. If you click here, you can see an awesome photo of the backside of the Abbey and its round chevet.

This is a photo of the great doors opening into the church capped by its famous tympanum. It depicts the Final Judgement and was inspired by the Gospel of Saint Matthew. You can see that the stone still carries some of the color that once covered all the figures.

This is Sainte Foy being blessed by the hand of God. Her relics are venerated in this Abbey church and her treasure is on display in the cloister shown below. As beautiful as the outside of Sainte Foy's church is, the inside is even more stunning. I'll blog about it tomorrow, so check back.

Conques

Conques stole my heart. I've been reluctant to blog about this village until I could figure out whether posts belonged in this blog or in Dona Nobis Pacem. I've decided they belong both places, and that Conques deserves more than one post. Today let me introduce you to this lovely village. Nestled in the mountains of the Aveyron, Conques has been a holy site since at least the 7th century when a religious hermit withdrew from the world and settled there. The village grew up around the 12th century Romanesque abbey built to venerate the remains of the village's patron saint, Sainte Foy. Its stone and half-timbered houses line the parvis in front of the Abbey and wind up the steep streets of the protective hillsides. While Conques' population at its height is unknown, in 1341 it was estimated that 3000 people lived in what had become a major pilgrimage site. Most inhabitants were involved in agriculture or the 'pilgrim trade,' providing food, housing, and souvenirs for pilgrims. Not a lot different than how the village supports itself today! Over the centuries, Conques suffered from religious wars, the plague, and the French Revolution.

Designated as a French historic site in 1838, Conques is also an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, it owes its exsistence to tourism in the form of visitors as well as pilgrims walking the road of St. Jacques de Compostela.

Conques is a lovely village, its quiet beauty whispered to my heart and drew me back for another visit. I'll share more of this later....