Reclaiming paradise

Spring - An experience in immortality.

--Henry David Thoreau

Speak to the Earth, and it shall teach thee.
--Job 12:8

The shift of colonial power from European monarchy to global corporation is perhaps the dominant theme of modern history. All along, it has been the same story of the gathering of an exploitive economic power into the hands of a few people who are alien to the places and the people they exploit. Such an economy is bound to destroy locally adapted agrarian economies everywhere it goes, simply because it is too ignorant not to do so. And it has succeeded precisely to the extent that it has been able to inculcate the same ignorance in workers and consumers.

--Wendell Berry

France and the United States share a long and complex history. The Declaration des Droits des Hommes was inspired by our own American constitution. Our Statue of Liberty was of course a gift from the French in commemoration of the centennial of our independence. American soldiers landed in Normandy in 1944 on the way to liberating the majority of French territory occupied by Nazi Germany at the time. France has the world's 2nd largest agricultural export economy in the world behind the United States'.


There are other similarities one might wish for. Here in Europe the level of political discourse, while far from ideal, is far more diverse and informative than anything in America. Western European social democracies, an unutterable political concept for Americans, continue to insist on universal health care of equal quality to the American system at a far lesser price. Abolition of the death penalty is a requisite condition for membership in the European Union. This in countries which have long since distanced themselves spiritually and legally from their corrupt and marginalized religious institutions.


There are other things Europeans, particularly the French, do not excel at. In general, there is a level of cynicism or perhaps resignation amongst French intellectuals and society at large in regards to ideas outside their cultural history. This is certainly normal in all countries. But in my experience there exists in America the possibility for a more profound and diverse level of exploration personally be it in the sciences or the arts. This exploration of course by no means attracts the interest or support of the vast majority of Americans. It is however in my opinion true that the most progressive and relevant thinkers in this age tend to be produced within the framework of the English-speaking world.


Should you find this encouraging, do not forget that for every great system of insight or thinker of import, there is a mountain of idiocy standing between them and the earnest seeker. The amazing thing it seems is that Americans for the most part are quite happy to defend at all costs the essential right of these idiot fear-mongers and hucksters to do everything in their power to increase the torrent of unmitigated nonsense that fills up the lives and space of the already over-worked American citizen.


A few examples: America has the best health care system in the world. A fact readily reflected in the skyrocketing levels of obesity, cancer, heart disease and the quasi-impossibility to secure insurance at reasonable fees if at all. Another example: America is the greatest force for democracy and good in the world. Once again backed up by our two atomic bombs dropped on civilian populations (the only two in history), our well-documented support of death squads in Central America in the 1980's, and the continued assault on America's economy and moral decency in Iraq and Afghanistan.


On the one year anniversary of our arrival here in France, I'd like to send a word of encouragement to every sensible American crushed daily under the insane rhetoric and political stasis under which our nation labors painfully on. While there is much to prefer in the European political and social structure, America alone can lay claim to its unique species of genius and rugged intellectual rigor. This still-young democracy, inspired by the best elements of the Enlightenment, offers much to the earnest seeker. May you all still find the courage to go forth in its pursuit, in the hopes of a brighter, saner tomorrow.

Ode to the Lorraine

We recently had the good fortune to be invited to spend five days in the Lorraine region of eastern France. At times denigrated by partisans of snob French culture, this wooded, rural region was to become for Ruth and I one of the truly enchanting regions of France.

After a trip across the rolling plains of central France on the legendary TGV high-speed train, we were greeted by our hosts André and Catherine who welcomed us with a delicious lunch on their backyard terrace. Long-time residents of the regions their hospitality and unique insight into the region and its long history were much appreciated. Their warmth and kindness during our stay offered these two Americans a glimpse into the rich banquet of cuisine, culture and calm by which we'll forever remember this lovely region.



The turbulent history of the region lends itself to a present-day calm that had a bewitching effect on these two visitors. Metz proved to be a gorgeous, green, compact city. The ideal size to marry culture and quiet harmoniously.









The medieval arcade of Metz in December is site of one of the reputedly-epic Christmas markets of eastern France. It being summer and France, music was not in short supply. Just grab and chair at your café of preference, sit back and enjoy.

























Ruth admires one of the numerous canals constructed along the lovely but often times unnavigable Moselle River.


















St. Etienne, patron saint of Metz's cathedral, who rid the city of the terrible dragon, Graoully (pictured subdued at his feet).















Like Rouen, Paris and Reims, Metz possesses one of the true jewels of French Gothic architecture. The unlikely harmony of imposing size and delicate detail are the characteristic trademarks of the period. Metz's cathedral was constructed of Pierre de Jaumont, an earthen-hued limestone unique to the surrounding area. The unusual coloring, as in the case of the rose-colored sandstone of the Strasbourg Cathedral, lends a unique personality to each of these superb cathedrals.




















One of the numerous stained glass windows designed and executed by Marc Chagall. Metz 's cathedral boasts the largest square footage of stained glass of any cathedral in France. No small feat in this the birthplace of soaring gothic arches and the luminous quest for celestial interior lighting. The Chagall series adds a special quality to Metz's cathedral, a unique juxtaposition of 20th century master working in a medium and discourse that predates the modern period.















The other beating heart of Metz, the covered market with its own host of otherwordly colors and forms, provided a sampling of Italian, Polish and other cuisines representative of immigrant contribution to this blue-collar region.












L'église St. Pierre aux Nonnains alone can lay claim to being the oldest church in France. The building dates to the year 387 A.D. and stands as a rare survivor of the pillaging and destruction of the early medieval period. At its feet, the new center and place of assembly for secular French society: the ubiquitous cafe.



Matthew takes advantage of the calm and quiet of the countryside after a superb first day in lovely Lorraine.

Our second day started with an hour and a half drive to the eastern region of Alsace. After a picnic on the German side of the Rhine, we crossed back into France and spent the day in the charming Alsacian capital of Strasbourg. With its lace-stonework cathedral and Venetian-style canal system, the city forms a pleasant bridge between the finest points of French and German cultures. Along with Brussels, the city is also the principal seat of European politics and business.

The medieval maison à colombage style of architecture in the city surprisingly recalls the Normandy region and our own city of Rouen.



The Germanic influence is readily apparent in the architecture of eastern France.


















After a tour of the historic Petite France portion of the city, we headed south along the German border into the breathtaking Alsace wine region, home to sparkling whites, delicious Rieslings and aromatic Gewürztraminers. A short stop-over in the picturesque village of Kaysersburg, birthplace of Albert Schwietzer, left us plotting ways to return to this jewel of the Alsacian wine route.


Day three saw us up early to embark upon a tour of the Meuse department with its numerous battlefields, cemetaries and monuments to the horrific trench warfare of WWI. Verdun lies smack on the frontier between Germanic and Gallic cultures. From Charlemagne to Hitler, the city, as with the Lorraine region in general, has been for centuries at the frontlines of dispute and tension between these august and often bellicose rivals.

The story of Verdun is one of the shocking feats of barbarity and violence in our collective modern history. Fighting over a few square miles of symbolic terrain, the French and German war machines succeeded in killing over a half-million men in nine short months, the majority of them blown to pieces by the constant artillery fire that pinned them in their trenches. In the nearby Douaumont ossuary, the remains of some 130,000 unidentified French and German young men provide evidence of the human cost of this insane warfare, piles of femurs, skulls and ribs lining the windowed alcoves along the perimeter of the building.


In the process of battle the surrounding hillsides of wooded terrain were turned into a lunar landscape where villages were razed to the ground, residents never to return or rebuild. The eternal murmur of pines and the odd plaque indicating the one-time location of a bakery or post-office are all that remains of the era.

This new nature of violence and physical disembodiment gave birth to the modern idea of a tomb commemorating an unknown solider. The remains laid to rest under Paris' Arc de Triomphe were taken from the battlefields of Verdun and testify to a new era of human barbarity in which the mutilation of the human body and the final frontier of human decency were now transgressed.

After Verdun, we visited the American WWI monument at Monsec. This impressive neoclassical work commemorating the American capture of the Saint Mihiel salient in 1918 dominates the quiet plains of the Meuse department in the Lorraine region. It was at the time a crucial German vantage point offering views far behind French lines.


















The history of the region would not be complete without some word to explain the currently-established peace between the once bitter enemies of France and Germany. Part of the origins of that peace can be traced to the humble figure of one Robert Schuman. One of the fascinating figures in the construction of the modern-day European Union, Schuman used the leading industries of the time, the coal and steel trade, to create a stable framework for economic and political cooperation between longtime enemies France and Germany as well as the greater part of Europe. His house and garden in Scy-Chazelles are a testament to a life that melded secular and spiritual, Gallic and Prussian, thought and action in an admirable harmony.

Any summary of our journey would not be complete without one final word of thanks to our hosts Andre and Catherine. Your generosity and patient willingness to show us the very best of this complex and fascinating region will not soon be forgotten. The historical and cultural context you provided were truly priceless and enriched our experience immeasurably.

Merci beaucoup et à bientôt.

A Call to Arms

The people of “the cutting edge” in science, business, education, and politics have no patience with the local love, local loyalty, and local knowledge that make people truly native to their places and therefore good caretakers of their places. This is why one of the primary principles in industrialism has always been to get the worker away from home. From the beginning it has been destructive of home employment and home economies.

--Wendell Berry
"The Agrarian Dilemma"



"A free life cannot acquire many possessions...without servility to mobs or monarchs."

--Epicurus


"The revolution will not be televised."

--Gil Scott-Heron


Summer vacation has arrived here in Normandy. To what use have we put this time? The abridged version:

Increased daily consumption of delicious local produce from the numerous open-air markets throughout town.

Numerous outings with friends in the surrounding countryside invariably punctuated with lingering picnics, replete with smelly cheeses and glasses of robust Bordeaux, next to the odd 12th century monastery one's bound to come across in the region.

Bleary-eyed exercise outings each morning to prime the body and keep the spirit sharp for all the richness each day has to offer. Bravo, chérie!

Chatting with neighbors from the balcony window of our new second story apartment. Coucou Murielle!

Lazy days parked on the sidewalk curb watching the world go by.

Live daily feeds of the Tour de France, recounting the latest adventures of Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong across the evershifting French landscape.

Long hours spent together talking, thinking, sitting in the half-a-dozen cafés we frequent each week.

It's a demanding life (in all earnesty!) but someone's got to live it.

In more detailed news, about a month ago we were able to spend the weekend near Fontainebleau, a very pretty forest region just south of Paris. Our rowing club here in Rouen participated in a two day event that mixed equal parts sport, culture and entertainment. We started with 12 miles of rowing the first day on a very pretty branch of the Seine River that winds through the forest and countryside near the Chateau de Fontainebleau, former royal residence of François I and Napoleon amongst others. After a delicious French picnic (complete with wine, cheese and dessert) we set up camp with the other members of our club in a nearby gymnasium.

But there was little rest for the weary that day, for no sooner did we roll out our sleeping bags for a little nap than we were off to the Django Reinhardt Jazz festival. Amongst the superb lineup that evening was Avashi Cohen and his swinging quintet. Highly recommended.








We finally got back to our little gymnasium campsite shortly after midnight for some much needed sleep before finishing off the weekend with 15 miles of rowing the second day, complete with another picnic lunch on the banks of the river just outside the lovely medieval city of Morêt-sur-Loing. It was a wonderful weekend but probably one of the most tiring little vacation getaways we've ever been on.

















Thankfully we had the following few days to recover.














The second week of August we have the good fortune to be invited to the eastern part of France near Germany to spend 5 days with some very nice people we've recently met here in Rouen. We're excited to see another corner of this fascinating and diverse country. Each day is equal parts rich and humbling for us and we would be remiss to not mention the outstanding hospitality and generosity of the many wonderful, kind people who've taken time to welcome us into their homes and their lives. Merci encore!

We're hoping to do some grape harvesting at the end of summer in one of the numerous wine regions here in France but it may interfere with the start of classes at the university. In any case, we've got plenty to keep us busy as there's never a dull moment.

Stay tuned. Love--Matthew et Ruth