4. Diary Cont. Ap. 21st.
Hotel de l’Univers, Tours

A curious feature of many churches in this part of the country is the belfry which is fashioned by carrying up the front wall well above the church. This has a shaped top & is pierced by openings in which the bells are hung. The public gardens are quite pretty & contain a Botanical garden with the usual rows of labeled plants. Here I stole a bit of Sedum [pulchellum?] an American species from Virginia which I have been looking for. We left at one for Albi & after a two hour run through rolling country with vineyards we reached the Hotel de la Poste. The Cathedral of Ste Cécile is most remarkable – all in brick – the circular buttresses rise straight to the roof which is flat – giving the building an unusually severe & fortress like appearance. Inside this severity is relieved by 15th century frescoes. The elaborate rood screen though in itself at least technically fine rather spoils the fine proportion of the nave which is without aisles. The Church of St. Salvi is well worth visiting for the sake of the Romanesque capitals. The town is prettily situated & we would have enjoyed wandering in the picturesque streets had it not been for a cold wind which drove us from pillar to post. Alack & alas our troubles were not ended for by six the next morning innumerable bites proclaim the presence of the enemy & after a bloody slaughter we arose – for good. The interval of two hours & a half to breakfast was beguiled in overcoats sitting in the middle of the room & listening to our chattering teeth
Welcome was the motor & gladly we departed from the Hotel de la Poste.

Ap. 22nd. Country becomes more hilly, as we approach Rodez which, perhaps, because of its somewhat perched position above the River Aveyron, was particularly buffeted by cold winds. This made sightseeing unpleasant but after lunch we ventured out to examine the old houses which are numerous in Rodez. The Cathedral is of dull red sandstone & has a fine tower but is otherwise rather uninteresting. A good late 15th century entombment is in one of the chapels & there are some fine Renaissance screens. Some of the old houses here & at Albi show wood construction with beams exposed & brick between – overhanging stories & galleries on the top floor were a special feature of Albi.

Leaving Rodez we started for Conques & soon found ourselves in the most charming valley, now wide, now narrowing, to a gorge, the hills bright with broom and gorse. The houses now took on a new character, being built of stone with roofs of slate. The latter were rounded at the tip & very thick increasing in size as they neared the eaves which bend outward in a graceful curve. Some of the villages were as picturesque as could e imagined a huddle of grey roofs with round towers of some ruined house to lend variety. For colour the purple of wisteria – the yellow and green of laburnum – the slim poplars newly breaking into leaf & below, the sound of a stream, breaking over little dams at every farmhouse in a swirl of white foam. And so it continues till we reached Conques high up in a little valley of the road. The Church itself is of the greatest interest being unspoiled Romanesque of the 11th Cent. The most striking feature as you approach is the bas relief in the tympanum over the front door, an early representation of the usual & favorite subject in so many later churches: the sorting of the blessed from the damned. The interior is impressively massive & simple with a splendid wrought iron grill, similar to those at Beziers. The chief glory however is the treasure which is now housed in a special vault or museum. The following items are a few of the finest which I noted:

Statue of St. Foy – 18” high dated 1035
Leather chest of St. Foy with enamel plaques XIth
The Cross of St. Foy
Reliquary of Charlemagne XI cent
Reliquary of Pepin IX c
Reliquary given by Pascal II, XII cent
Relieure with enamel plaques XII c
Autel of porphyry with enamel & gold XII c.

It was doubly interesting to see these things in this out of the way spot in their own setting where they had lain safe for so many centuries. Shortly after leaving Conques the valley widens out & we came upon an open hilly country with a good deal of waste and – now yellow & brown with broom & last fall’s bracken. Ahead the mountains of the Plomb by Cantal filled the horizon with a white magnificence largely borrowed from Spring snows. Indeed we were somewhat dubious of crossing their Alpine summits so unduly impressive they seemed. Aurillac that night did not offer anything particularly attractive & we were glad to be on the road again at 9 o’clock next morning.

Ap 23rd. Our route ran through a winding valley, always climbing, always lovely, with big vistas up & down as each turn was rounded. A bigger, wider scenery than yesterday, the hills often heavily clothed with pine until the tree limit is reached, then snow in patches over the open ground & thinly scattered in sheltered corners down to the road level but not to be taken seriously as appeared in yesterday’s account. We saw plenty of cattle over the lower hills of a red brown colour but not large. The highest point of this group reaches 6000 ft & the road nearly 4000 where it suddenly tunnels the hills for half a mile or more emerging in much less attractive country without any particular point of interest. The lunch party taken in a bright magenta bedroom off a pea green hallway should not be forgotten. We being treated to a private room because of the fairs in town of Moissac. Down stairs throngs was so great & the smoke so thick that nothing but the rows of copper pots could stand it. So it was that we began to long for the fleshpots of Vichy & the hot bath that waited for us in the Hotel du Parc. The season had not yet begun & most of the shops were still closed & shuttered but everything was being painted & made ready for the rush that was to follow.

Ap. 24th. A long loaf in the morning, a stroll around the empty town, tea cakes from a patisserie & a very pretty ride in the afternoon completed the day.

Ap. 25th. Off at ten, the weather fine & warmer. We took lunch with us & picnicked [sic] en route. The roads were good & as the country was flat we made good time particularly as here the stretches of perfectly straight road were extraordinarily lined with plane trees which alas ha often been cut for fuel purposes. The farmhouses begin to show [?] & beams or when brick is used they show a diaper design – the cattle are large & white, At Sancoins a funeral procession blocked the road. First a band followed by the beadle in scarlet & gold with his staff of office; next the priest with the choir boys in white surplices. Four creamy white oxen drew the coffin on a farm cart which was surrounded & followed by the entire population. Moulins is charming. The Cathedral is partially restored but with some good 15th cent & early 16th cent windows. The side aisles are unusually broad & low giving room for very ample clerestory windows in the nave.

We reached Bourges at 3:45 & left our luggage at the Hotel Central: very clean and comfortable. We went at once to the Cathedral where a service was being held; the Archbishop officiating. The exquisite proportions of the great nave unobstructed by a screen of any sort, the music & the brilliant flash of the wonderful glass, now lit by the afternoon sun made an unforgettable ensemble. Later we made a careful tour of the chapels with a special eye on the glass. The gradual weakening of the decorative values during successive centuries is well shown here beginning with a precious panel attributed to the eleventh cent. The entire apse is glorious 13th, unbelievably jewel like in colour – 14th to 15th still good but treading dangerous ground; 16th the downward path; too pictorial 17th.

The House of Jacques Coeur, the great 15th cent merchant was most interesting & it would be difficult to imagine a better example of the period. The town itself is full of old timber houses with their picturesque pointed gables & carved moldings. As we went to bed we noticed a placard stating the ‘son Altesse Royale’ the Prince of Wales slept in this room June 1912.

Ap. 26 At the Cathedral again by nine examining the details of the exterior. The West Front with its deeply recessed doorways & twin towers is very fine but we preferred the N. & S. porches with their 11th & 12th c. figures. We noted the curious resemblance of some of the full length figures to Chinese sculpture of the early Tang Dynasty.

Back of the Cathedral is a little park – very formal and much clipped but charming in its primness. From it one gets a view of the church as a whole with its flying buttresses & peaked caps of the apsidal chapels. We indulged in a final visit to the glass which seemed more intoxicating than before & then bade au revoir to Bourges.

The road to Tours is much worn due to the presence of a huge military camp en route – now very shabby & mostly deserted. A few Americans are still in occupation as the presence of the stars and stripes showed. The houses in the smaller towns are often built in long terraces of two stories. The ground for habitation & the 2nd a loft with [8] a large dormer closed by a wooden door. The only means of access to this is by a ladder, chained to the sill, & it was curious to see long lines of them leaning against the houses. Leaving Tours we passed Chenenceau which we could see dimly among the trees by the river. We saw too the innumerable cellars, houses and vaults dug into the hillside along this part of the road – a veritable settlement of cliff dwellers.

After settling down at the Hotel de l’Univers & reading some very welcome letters from home, Bess & I started for the Cathedral which contains some good 13th cent glass though not to be compared with Bourges. The nave is fine but the exterior is too flamboyant.

Ap 27th We took a long walk through the old town rediscovering the odd corners we had enjoyed when we were here in 1907. In one old place now used as a warehouse the medley of periods was worth noting. The house was perhaps originally 13 or 14th gothic in stone, but had some 15th cent Renaissance windows. The sills deeply cut by ropes used in hauling up the goods. In the courtyard an open stairway with turned & spiral oak balustrades dated middle of the 17th while in a room marked ‘inflammable materials’ we saw simple but effective 18th century paneling a huge stone fireplace. In an adjoining room now a stable, was cut in two by a partition, but appears to be 15th or 16th cent. This is only a sample of all this section of the town where whole blocks date back at least five hundred years.

In the afternoon we motored along the road past Lapalisse. The street façade is splendid with grim walls & flanking towers. The interior is sadly over-restored but there are some fine bits of early furniture. Azay-le-Rideau – an ideal setting for this beautiful new - repairs chateau. The interior painfully are permissible but surely suggestion is better than wholesale restoration.

Ap 28th. A windy & doubtful day with heavy showers. We decided however to go to Blois taking in Amboise en route. The closed car was quite comfortable & we reached Amboise where we saw the room & railing where so many poor Huguenots met their fate. The elaborate little chapel of St. Blaise contains the bones of Leonardo de Vinci who died in the neighbouring manor house which can be seen from the terrace. After lunch at Blois we made our way to the Chateau. Standing in the courtyard five successive periods can be seen. The least attractive being the great unfinished but pretentious wing at the back of the court built by Gaston d’Orleans in the 17th cent. As we had recently read together a book on Catherine de Medici & the reformation we thoroughly enjoyed going through the rooms so intimately connected with her. The rain was coming down in sheets as we left Blois & we regretfully decided to omit Chevernay & Chenenceau from our programme.

Ap 29th. A perfect day as we motored north, bound for Lemans. The country is rolling & well wooded; quite park-like in appearance. We took the road through Le Chator as we were advised to keep to the less frequented roads. We stopped to see N.D. de la Couture; on entering the town & found its chiefly interesting for its fine Norman apse. The Cathedral is good with an extremely fine early porch (West). Part of the Church is Romanesque * among the many restored windows there are some fine early fragments. The glass in the apse is partially 13th century & the clearstory windows early & good while the Eastern rose contains 15th cent. We walked over to the house known as Queen Berengeria’s . One of group of early 14th buildings with carved beams & overhanging stories. Later we found a little curiosity shop with lace peasants’ caps & bits of ironwork to which we treated ourselves. Leaving Le Mans we found the country rougher with considerable pine woods much of which were being cut. Some military camps accounted for the wretched state of the roads. The banks & ditches today were white with the tall branching heads of the saxifrage; probably s. hyponides. At Chartres we pulled up at the Hotel du grand Monarch; quite comfortable. Long before we reached the town the great bulk of the Cathedral could be seen towering above the flat plain in which the town lies. Of course we made for the Cathedral as soon as possible. Only six months ago we had read Henry Adams little dreaming we should be here in the flesh so soon after. It not often given one to find the reality to exceed expectation especially when founded on the enthusiasm of a devoté. But in spite of the fact that only about a quarter of the glass, the Cathedral’s glory, is again in position (after the war) the shock of pleasure was particularly intoxicating. Chartres is the greatest work of art in the world. I may alter that opinion but today nothing made by human hands or conceived by human brains can compare with Chartres Cathedral for pure beauty.

Ap 30th. A more careful study of the porches & glass only confirm my feelings of yesterday. I had a long talk with the caretaker, E. Honvet, who has published several volumes of photographs of the carvings & taken a number of colour plates of the windows. I bought three of these though they are only faintly suggestive of the brilliancy of the originals. This morning several more panels of glorious 12th c. blue window over the door (Portail Royal) were in position. They say it will be three years before it is all in position. We examined the extremely fine tympanums over the windows of the 13th cent house opposite the Cathedral. I was told these had only been discovered about ten years ago under a concealing coat of plaster. Walked over to the Church of St. Aignan with a curious painted barrel vaulted roof. St. Pierre is very attractive with splendid 14 cent glass in the clearstory windows & a panel of lovely 12th blue. The enamels (16th) are famous & once belonged to Diane of Poitiers but did not interest us at all. We had promised to be back at the Hotel at 12 & I was forcibly removed still kicking for Chartres.

Paris looked its usual charming self as we motored along the Rue de Rivoli & turned into Rue Castiglione to the Hotel of that name. We were just in time for tea & as we smoothed the creases out of ourselves we instinctively made for Rumpelmeyer – the same crowds, the same cakes in fact the same Paris –

We leave for London Wed. 12th May Hyde Park Hotel
May 9th 1920
Dear Mater-

I sent off a little while ago two letters containing the diary I promised you & now send the concluding sheet bringing our trip to Paris. The weather here has been quite good on the whole though not as warm as one could wish. We have done a good many of the usual things which hardly need describing but you will like to hear of our two days trip to the devastated area around Soissons & Rheims. After reading, hearing & seeing so much by way of magazines etc. I wondered whether one’s imagination would be dulled – whether one could receive an impression sufficiently new to be startling & permanent. With the ruined towns this proved true a in a way. The destruction was awful & one felt a dull anger at the senselessness & brutality which made such crimes possible. But the real horror was in the wasted country side. There for miles around the lines of rusted barbed wire, the zigzags of half ruined trenches, the pitted, tortured ground, still strewn with all the wreckage & waste of war – piles of shells, knapsacks, rusted helmets & every now & then a wooden cross or maybe three or four to mark the scattered graves. And then the terrible loneliness – no one – only the larks to press the contrast? On all sides – in every bank – the dugouts with their curved iron roofs told where men had lived their sufficiently tortures lives in mud & dirt & cold, and now the weeds & grass were trying to hide it all but only succeeding in making walking treacherous & humps of upturned chalk more gaunt and uncanny. As for the villages, there were none – some extra heaps of pounded mortar they called Berry-au-Bac & they showed us where a farm had been - & then a sugar factory, the boilers, like bones, black against the sky.

Rheims I need not describe, the card I sent will do the rest only I hope the French will be satisfied to repair the Cathedral only against the wind & rain & leave the damaged walls & ruined sculptures as a warning to future generations as to the value of German culture. One relic – for Ian’s benefit – was saved from the foundation & platform of Big Bertha which bombed Paris over sixty miles away – I have some other treasures too but they are surprises which will be seen this summer. No Letters from Esther or you regarding this visit. Thank Ian for his again.

Love, Cleve