Limestone cliffs along Seine River valley

Dear Friends and relatives: Vetheuil, May 6, 2008

This past weekend we attended a large, colorful flower and plant festival at a very unusual castle in the small picturesque town of La Roche Guyon about 20 miles from us down the Scene River. This castle is built at a large double bend of the river and partially into high chalk cliffs  which are so characteristic for this area. Geologically this thick strata of  chalk reappears in the white Cliffs of Dover, England. We have mentioned this  earlier, in connection with the many caves which had been dug into the chalk and had been inhabited since prehistoric times. We were told that Vetheuil villagers actually occupied many of them down to the 17th century. Even today, some of the lowest caves are still used as garages.

At one time this castle belonged to La Rochefoucault, a leading French statesman and  friend of Benjamin Franklin.

The oldest construction here is a huge, round tower built into and on top of the highest clif. Like a sentinal it dominates and controls the river valley for miles.It's main function seems to have been that of an impenetrable dungeon which is -to this day- accessible only through a long steep inner stairwell which was carved right through the chalk cliff (see pictures). We climbed part of the way up these stairs, but after getting to the first level gave up. There we rested in a very peculiar open cave with hundreds of niches for pidgeons to roost in and certainly to be harvested for the "Lord's Table". We first mistook this odd cave for a strange religious chapel with many small niches for candles to light, but then learned differently.

There were in deed a number of smaller religious chapels built into the cliffs behind the castle, and these served as actual (beautiful) chapels to the lords.  

The castle itself was built partially into the chalk cliff, with the larger part overlooking the Seine river and the wide valley below. We were surprised to learn that this castle had served as  Rommel's headquarters at the time of D-Day and the American invasion of Normandie.  

Many people attended this event to buy plants and potted seedlings and to enjoy the beautiful display of flowers, offered for sale. 

So much for today. Take care and let's continue with this beautiful Spring weather. Greetings from lovely Vetheuil from Ziggy and Richey

Chalk Cliff along the Seine valley side

View of the castle and dungeon tower (from river gardens)

Richey ascending (inside chalk cliff)

Richey's graffiti to prove to himself that this chalk IS really chalk!

Hundreds of  Pigeon nesting holes carved into a lime stone cave

Now why would any pregnant woman want to ascend these enclosed stairs???

Cliffs along narrow road side along the Seine River

Limestone cliffs along Seine River valley

Dear Friends and relatives: Vetheuil, May 6, 2008

This past weekend we attended a large, colorful flower and plant festival at a very unusual castle in the small picturesque town of La Roche Guyon about 20 miles from us down the Scene River. This castle is built at a large double bend of the river and partially into high chalk cliffs  which are so characteristic for this area. Geologically this thick strata of  chalk reappears in the white Cliffs of Dover, England. We have mentioned this  earlier, in connection with the many caves which had been dug into the chalk and had been inhabited since prehistoric times. We were told that Vetheuil villagers actually occupied many of them down to the 17th century. Even today, some of the lowest caves are still used as garages.

At one time this castle belonged to La Rochefoucault, a leading French statesman and  friend of Benjamin Franklin.

The oldest construction here is a huge, round tower built into and on top of the highest clif. Like a sentinal it dominates and controls the river valley for miles.It's main function seems to have been that of an impenetrable dungeon which is -to this day- accessible only through a long steep inner stairwell which was carved right through the chalk cliff (see pictures). We climbed part of the way up these stairs, but after getting to the first level gave up. There we rested in a very peculiar open cave with hundreds of niches for pidgeons to roost in and certainly to be harvested for the "Lord's Table". We first mistook this odd cave for a strange religious chapel with many small niches for candles to light, but then learned differently.

There were in deed a number of smaller religious chapels built into the cliffs behind the castle, and these served as actual (beautiful) chapels to the lords.  

The castle itself was built partially into the chalk cliff, with the larger part overlooking the Seine river and the wide valley below. We were surprised to learn that this castle had served as  Rommel's headquarters at the time of D-Day and the American invasion of Normandie.  

Many people attended this event to buy plants and potted seedlings and to enjoy the beautiful display of flowers, offered for sale. 

View of the castle and dungeon tower (from river gardens)

Richey ascending (inside chalk cliff)

Richey's graffiti to prove to himself that this chalk IS really chalk!

Hundreds of  Pigeon nesting holes carved into a lime stone cave

Now why would any pregnant woman want to ascend these enclosed stairs???

Cliffs along narrow road side along the Seine River

Limestone cliffs along Seine River valley

Copy of postcard

Limestone cliffs along Seine River valley

Monet's Lily Ponds in Giverny: today

Monet's Lily Pond in Giverny

Our crazy e-mail address

Greetings from enchanting Vetheuil, April 27, 2008

Dear Friends and Relatives:

Here are again some important facts about our email address and dates
of our where -abouts, when -abouts...

First our e-mail situation which seems to remain a problem:
We must send OUR email to you via <sigridno@mac.com>
BUT we ONLY receive your mail via <s.r.novak@cox.net>

WHY? We don't understand either, but that's they way it is!

The HOUSE telephone in Vetheuil: 33-134-78-1262;
Our International Mobil number: 0177-461-3677

We'll stay in Vetheuil till May 10. Thereafter we'll return to
Vaihingen to Werner and Maedi, and participate in the "important"
Pentecost celebration there. We hope to also see Walter and Renate,
if they are at home.

On May 20 we'll leave for Breslau, Poland, and stay there WITH the
Polish family for a month.

The rest of the summer has not yet been planned, except that we want
to spend it in North Germany with Sigrid's Family there. We'll be
moving about between Hamburg-Bremen-Holland and the North Sea ....

We are contemplating different options for our return to the US. Our
favorite scenario is to take sister Hildegard with us to Minnesota.
Should that NOT work out, we may have a stop-over in Iceland, where a
family still "owes" us a month of vacation (which they took a couple
of years ago in our Condo)

We might also fly to the East Coast, visit with Candice in Boston (or
Washington?) and buy a new car there. Then work our way back to
California either the Northern Route via Minnesota and Amarillo, or
else the Southern Route via Texas and Arizona.

So, you can see that we have a number of open options ......

By the way: We are doing very well and hope the same is true for you.

Warm greetings from the (finally) sunny France.

Ziggy and Richey

Eure Sigrid und Richey

Berlin-Center exploration with K.H. "Baum" und Almut Rose

Berlin, April 1, 2008

Please, ignore, in case you have already received this letter.

Greetings from Berlin where the weather is finally warming up and we are enjoying this exciting city outdoors and in bright sunshine together with Almut "Rose" and Karl-Heinz Baum, Almut's journalist friend.

Ziggy and Richey

At new train station: Picking up Almut and retired East-West correspondent Karl-Heinz Baum

 

 

Berlin Press Building

View from Press Building --- over to new Berlin Train Station

 

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Press Office

 

Outside press Building: Remains of the Berlin Wall

 

Memorial

 

Memorial for those who died trying to escape from the East across the wall

 

 

Museum for wall segments with numbers of people who died in attempt of fleeing

 

 

Chancellory with special "bridge walk way" connecting it to the Reichstag

 

Reichstag on the Spree river with crosses for those who died trying to swim across here 

 

 

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Inscription of the Deutsche Verfassung into the glass wall

 

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Tourist boat passing Chancellor Merkel's Office Building