Walking Through Time- Marie Antoinette

There's something about the past that intrigues me, sends tingles up my spine.

When I first learned of Marie Antoinette, I was about 12, but from that moment on, I was hooked on history.  I wanted to learn more about this girl, who was not much older than I when she was sent to France to become Queen and then tragically beheaded by a people who had come to despise her.

A few weeks ago, my husband and I took our three kids ages 20, 18, and 13 to Paris to take a walk through time and get a glimpse of the past.

Le Procope, opened 1686, rue de l'Ancienne Comedie

We began our time in Paris with a private French Revolution walking tour, which my husband arranged through Paris Perfect. This was a great way to get our kids, especially our 13-year-old son, excited about seeing historically important places. Our guide, who spoke English very well, took us among other places, to the oldest street in Paris. It was here that the first ever cafe in Paris opened in 1686, called Le Procope which served a new drink called "coffee" to guests such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Voltaire (who supposedly drank 40 cups of coffee daily), Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin and many other historical figures.

As part of our tour, our guide took us into Le Procope where we sat, drank coffee and discussed the past.  The cafe is now kind of a living museum displaying various items including the writing desk of Voltaire as well as a copy of the last letter that Marie Antoinette wrote to her sister-in-law to bid farewell to her daughter and son only hours before her beheading on October 16, 1793.  As we stood there surrounded by our children, looking at her tear stained letter sealed in a plexiglass case, I wondered if I could have been so eloquent in saying the last goodbye to my children.

Her words still echo in my mind, "...I feel profound sorrow at leaving my poor children: you know that I only lived for them and for you, my good and tender sister...let him (my son), never seek to avenge our deaths...My God, how heart-rending it is to leave them forever! Farewell! Farewell!..." (The original letter is housed in the French National Archives, English translation found at Tea at Trianon)

Royal bedchamber in Versailles

In my search for more of Marie's life, we traveled to the town of Versailles, about 50 minutes southwest of Paris by train.  Here, at the Palace of Versailles, we strolled through the splendor Marie knew as her home.

I had to remind myself that Marie, daughter of the Empress of Austria, was sent away to France to be married to Louis XVI at only 14.  She and Louis lived here in the palace surrounded by the court, servants, and luxury.

Panorama view of the Gardens of Versailles

The gardens of Versailles with their neatly shaped plots and magnificent fountains are well worth the few extra euros to visit.  I could have spent the entire day exploring them...my mind often slipping back to a time when the women strolling along the paths wore large hooped skirts and powdered wigs stretching sometimes over three feet high.  I could almost hear Marie's playful footsteps rushing off to her Petite Trianon, her private country quarters on the outskirts of the gardens to get away from the constant pressures of the court.

My daughter, Jess, in the gardens at one of the main fountains

Only five years after arriving in Paris, Marie's life  would change forever.

Upon learning of the death of King Louis XV, their only real parental or monarchical guide, Louis XVI and Marie fell upon their knees, cried, and exclaimed, "O God, guide us, protect us! we are too young to reign" from the Memoirs of Marie Antoinette.  She was only 19 and now she would be Queen of France.

I love my daughters, ages 20 and 18. I think they're amazing and very talented, but I can't imagine them or anyone their age being capable of ruling an entire kingdom. Anyone with teenagers knows that they are much too guided by their passions and often cannot see what consequences their actions bring.  It seems tragically pre-destined that young Marie would incur the wrath of an already impoverished people while trying to navigate being a newly married teenager, a young mother, as well as a Queen.  

Near the end of our time in Paris, we visited The Conciergerie, a former medieval palace turned prison, where Marie was held leading up to her trial as well as just before her execution. This was where she spent her last night alive, where she wrote her last letter.  We stood in her cold, stone cell and somehow I felt her aura near me. Her sadness at leaving her children. I could hear her pen scratching across the tear stained parchment. Staring at the silver tears painted on the walls years later by King Louis XVIII to honor her, I felt a tear form in my eye and a chill run up my spine.  Two hundred and twenty four years later...here I stood...bridging time...connected in some small way.

This is now the window in her cell.
Today it is a chapel to pay homage to Marie Antoinette

More Information on Marie Antoinette:

Marie Antoinette: The Journey  by Antonia Fraser
http://www.authorama.com/memoirs-of-marie-antoinette-1.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGl61UPX-KU

http://www.archives-nationales.culture.gouv.fr/web/guest/parcours-permanent

https://francearchives.fr/fr/facomponent/c970071822c3d45e0d77f780b18a6b3f59680115

http://19thc-artworldwide.org/autumn11/remembering-the-past-in-restoration-france-an-expiatory-chapel-for-marie-antoinette

Kathy

Not Enough Time

82 hours of driving.

It sounds like a long time.  Especially when you're confined in an RV with 5 people:  two teen girls, a ten year old boy and two parents.  Sounds like a recipe for disaster, but like the rest of life, the time together went much too quickly.  

Our first campfire in Laird River Hot Springs, BC Canada

We had never driven an RV before, and that first day driving from Forest City, Iowa to Missoula, MT started off anxiously as my husband learned from experience how to handle a 28 foot vehicle that filled almost the entire lane.  Within an hour he was driving comfortably.  It took me a little longer to feel comfortable driving the behemoth but eventually I did too.

It took us seven full days to drive from Iowa to Alaska, 3575 miles (about 510 mi/day).  Before the trip, we had planned to fill the driving time and the hours in the evening after we stopped with journaling, family video logs, playing card games and guitar, reading, talking and writing a collaborative book which we had brainstormed.  We did do some of that but many nights, by the time we had done some sightseeing and eaten our campsite dinner, we collapsed from exhaustion.

There was a lot of singing while driving.  We blasted all the kids' favorite bands like Pink, Cold Play, My Chemical Romance, and One Direction.  It's one of the best sights of a trip to see your kids singing their hearts out together.

The drive itself was amazing.  Once we got into the Canadian Rockies, around every bend was a breathtaking view.  So I took too many photos that of course could never capture the reality of the immense beauty, but it made me feel better to try.

Grizzlies

Our first bear we saw was a huge thrill.  It was a big black bear grazing on the hillside near the road.  We pulled the RV over and watched it until it wandered back into the woods.  He didn't seem to even care we were there.  We saw a total of 16 bears, 3 of which were grizzlies, but all from the safety of our giant vehicle. Interestingly, all but one of those bears we saw in Canada.


 In Alaska, we saw two moose, some Dall sheep, lots of Bald Ealges, seals, and sea otters.  We also had the privilege of witnessing a humpback whale breaching not more than 100 yards from our boat on a wildlife cruise.

View from Homer Spit

I think my favorite Alaskan towns were Homer Spit and Juneau, but I loved everyplace we went, which also included Valdez, Seward, Anchorage and Ketchikan.

We were able to see a number of glaciers whose compacted ice reflected an intense blue color.  Many times I felt like a character in a fantasy world seeing landscapes that my mind did not think possible. Unfortunately, most of the glaciers are retreating rapidly and many had signs marking where the glaciers had been in previous years.  By the time our kids have their own children and journey back to Alaska, there
may not be many glaciers left.  

Aialik Glacier, Kenai Peninsula, AK

At the airport, when the kids figured out we were going on a cruise

Maybe the best part of the trip was the surprise.

We hadn't told the kids that for the last week we were getting on a Princess Cruise ship heading to Vancouver.  We also didn't tell them that their Grandma and Grandpa McKendry were meeting us on the ship.  But Grandma and Grandpa had a surprise of their own for us.  They brought with them my parents as well!  We were all surprised and thrilled!  It was great to end our trip with the whole family together.

Dinner on the cruise together :)

Three weeks have never gone so fast.









I hope you have all had a wonderful summer so far!

Kathy :)


And don't forget to head over to the WRiTE Club at DL Hammons.  The bouts have begun and there have already been some great pieces.

Glacier Bay

We Made It!

We made it to Alaska two days ago!

 It took us a seven full days to drive from the Winnebago factory in Forest City, Iowa to Alaska. It was an amazing drive!

I had no idea how well we would do in a 280 square foot RV with five people, two of which are teenage girls, but I'm happy to report that we are still a family of five.  My husband's limitless humor helped to smooth over the few rough spots we hit.

On the docks in Valdez, AK

Yesterday we enjoyed the sights of Valdez, AK a little town of about 4000 people on Prince William Sound.  It is surrounded by snow capped mountains on one side and the sea on the other.  It's like a tiny cold New England town mixed with Hawaii's mountains and rain forests and is absolutely stunning.

Sunrise on the ferry

Then we took a 5 1/2 hour ferry boat ride through Prince William Sound to Whittier, where we got off and drove to Homer Spit, AK on the Kenai peninsula. :)







We have seen a number of bears, but I'm happy to report that we haven't had to use the bear survival tips yet because we've only seen them from the car, not when we're out walking. I think the kids are so noisy they scare everything away! :)

Here are a couple more pictures:  

Athabasca Glacier, Columbia Icefield, Canada

First Campfire, Liard River Hot Springs, B.C., Canada 

Hope all is going well with you!  I'll be back intermittently as time and internet permits.  Until then have a great week!

Kathy :)

Zucchinis and Zen

Count-down: 17 days until departure for Alaskan Adventure!

I can’t believe today is already the last day!  The Challenge went so fast this year! 

I have a hard time with “Z”.  I always want my last post to be really good, but “Z” words often don’t fit too well with my themes.  Last night my son, who’s nine, was trying to help me come up with a good “Z” word.  It was getting late because I’m a procrastinator and we started rattling off all the “Z” words we could think of.  Finally, he blurted out, “zucchini”.  I told him zucchinis didn’t have anything to do with Alaska.  He thought for a moment and told me we needed to take a zucchini with us on our trip, then we’ll have one in Alaska and I can write about it.  

Amid bursts of laughter we thought about drawing sharpie eyes on the zucchini and dressing him in a hat and sunglasses.  We would name him Zorba the Zucchini.  I told Ryan he might not make it through airport security.

My actual “Z” word, I decided is Zen.  I’ve only attempted meditation a few times, but I feel like our long drive will be a sort of meditative experience.  There will be long stretches of looking inside myself while my eyes focus on the constancy of the road.  I can let go of the everyday stressors and concentrate on breathing. On Being.  

Being not an individual, but a part of something bigger;  a family, a mountain valley, a speck in this grand universe.

   

Thanks for stopping by each day to read my posts! I had a great time this year and I learned so much from everybody. I want to thank Arlee for creating this wonderful A-Z Challenge! And thanks to all the co-hosts and helpers who help to make it run smoothly.  I know it takes a lot of time and effort. You guys/gals are awesome!  

Kathy :)

YOLO

Count-down:  18 days until departure for Alaskan Adventure!

My 15 year old daughter explained its meaning, “You Only Live Once”, because I’m not up on all the hip language of today.  She said driving to Alaska is definitely a YOLO moment.  Being the nerd I am, I looked up the term anyway.  It is similar to expressions such as Carpe Diem.  But, I was surprised to see it has negative connotations of taking dumb risks and explaining them away by saying “YOLO, man!”.  

That got me thinking.  What are we humans to do? Should we live as if we’ll die tomorrow, or live as if we’ll never die?  Maybe that is the same thing.  Either way we may take too many risks with our body or money.  Or should we do everything we can to protect ourselves?  That leads to becoming a hermit afraid of everything.

If I only live once, I don’t want either of those scenarios.  It’s not one amazing experience that is important to me.  It is a lifetime of combined experiences, wonderful adventures, painful trials, and quiet moments.  White water rafting together. Losing track of my two year old daughter at Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia (we found her five minutes later).  Sitting with my son in my lap. Gazing out the window on a rainy day where the only sunshine is in the golden yellow wings of goldfinch.  Living each day no matter what life throws at me.  

Yes, driving to Alaska is surely a YOLO moment, but I prefer to think of my whole life as one long string of YOLO moments.      

My 9 year old son introduced me to this silly YOLO video from Lonely Island. I hope you enjoy it.

Kathy :)

Xperience

Count-down:  19 days until departure for Alaskan Adventure!

I love going on vacation.  I love having time where our whole family is together, with no outside distractions. Nothing that takes our attention away from one another.  That is more important to me than the actual place we visit.  Though the kids have said that our more experiential trips have been their favorites.  Seeing new sights and exploring the unknown has been more memorable to them than our beach vacations. There is something special about being adventurous as a unit.

It’s all about the experience.  What we experience together is forever woven into the fabric of our family’s history and brings us closer.  

A buffalo, for us, instantly brings to mind the time in Yellowstone when a big bull walked right up to our car window and Alyssa blurted out, “Look at that bad boy!”.  Say “Sea Lion” and the McKendry family brain is transported to St.Thomas where we swam with Omar, the sea lion.  

Even when the kids are all grown up and have moved to various parts of the country, they will still have these links back to our little family of five.  Hopefully they will smile and their hearts will be warmed by the memories we made together.  

So despite all the difficulties we may face driving 82 hours to Alaska, I’m thrilled to be etching forever on our brains a whole new set of family experiences that we can draw from later in life.

Moab = driving ATVs through desert canyons 

Kathy :)

Volcano

Count-down:  22 days until departure for Alaskan Adventure!

Augustine, 2006 Wikipedia Commons

When I think about the dangers in Alaska, I think Jack London style.  Freezing to death, falling in icy water, or bears.  But Alaska is a mix of fire and ice.  It is littered with historically active volcanoes!  

According to the Alaska Volcano Observatory, there are over 130 volcanoes in Alaska.  In the past 40 years, Alaskan volcanoes have averaged 2 eruptions per year.  Mount Bona, near the Alaskan border with the Yukon Territory, is the highest volcano in the U.S. at over 16,000 feet.  

On our way through Alaska, we will be traveling near two volcanoes that have been recently active.  Mount Wrangell and Augustine. Mount Wrangell which is about 200 miles from Anchorage has been erupting on and off for 750,000 years.  Its last eruption was reported in 1930 where impressive columns of black smoke spewed into the sky.    

Augustine’s last eruption was in December of 2005 and lasted until March of 2006.  It went through four stages of eruption one of which propelled ash more than nine kilometers into the atmosphere and included pyroclastic flow, the same type that destroyed Pompeii.  Augustine seems to have incidents about every 20 years.  

The Volcano Observatory keeps a close watch over all Alaska's volcanoes for new activity and issues warnings when they deem there is danger. Every day they update their website with alert levels for each active volcano.

I'm not worried about seeing a volcano blow its top, I think it would actually be pretty amazing to see, from a distance.

Alaska Volcano Observatory

Kathy :)

Unbelievable

Count-down:  23 days until departure for Alaskan Adventure

I’ve noticed there are a number of words I overuse in writing.  Somehow “just, but, and that” sneak onto my page.  There is one word though which always seems to creep into my speech.  Especially when on vacation.  It is my old friend, “UNBELIEVABLE.”  

We’ll be out looking over some magnificent waterfall or unique geologic landform and I stand there mesmerized by it’s power and beauty.  It strikes me dumb and all I can manage is to mutter, “Unbelievable.”

Examples:

Watching Old Faithful erupt surrounded by bison grazing nearby, “Unbelievable.”

Standing before the Delicate Arch in Moab, Utah, “Unbelievable.”

Taking in the crashing surf in Monterey, California, “Unbelievable.”

Unbelievable moment at Delicate Arch

I wish I could be more creative.  In Alaska, I’d like to say something else.  So I looked up “unbelievable” in the thesaurus for some possible substitutes.  None of them quite resonated with me. The best was, “astonishing” though I also like “inconceivable” because of The Princess Bride.

 

My biggest problem is, one word can’t describe the overpowering emotions I feel when I visit these places.  One page might not be enough.  So when I’m gazing upon the eerie blue of an ancient glacier, I’ll probably go back to my old friend and whisper, “Unbelievable.”

    

Kathy :)

Time

Count-down:  24 days until departure for Alaskan Adventure!

Wikipedia Commons

I never have enough of it. It slips through my fingers like water rushing from a faucet.  Lately, I’ve been striving for efficiency.  I listen to books on cd in the car and at home while I’m doing mindless chores. I have lists and I try to fill every minute with something.  I’m always moving and trying to accomplish some task.  Some days I do manage to get a lot done.  

I wonder though, should my life be about crossing items off my “to do” list?  What is it that I’m rushing around to do?  It’s like I’m hurrying through one task to get to the next one and my mind is off thinking of what I have to do later.  

There is always this pressure of time.  Even with writing this post.  I didn’t get it posted early.  So I’m rushing to get it done.  Why?  Shouldn’t I enjoy sitting here looking out at the greening grass, listening to music and putting my thoughts down on the page? I write, because I love it but when I’m thinking about getting it done, I’m not enjoying the art of writing.  I’ve already moved on to the next thing.  

What if I learned to stop rushing, to feel every second even if it’s while doing the dishes? Wouldn’t I perceive the existence of more time?

On our way to Alaska we will have about 82 hours of driving time.  Time that I can’t be rushing around.  At first my husband and I wanted to bring books on cd to fill that time.  But then we decided not to.  We don’t want to “fill the time”.  We want to “be in the time”.  We want to talk with the kids, blast their tunes, and sing with them (luckily our tastes in music are all pretty similar).  I don’t know what we’ll talk about.  I’m sure we can’t fill 82 hours with conversation and singing, but that’s okay too.  I think a few hours sitting in our own silent worlds watching the scenery, looking for bears, and thinking will be wonderful. 

Maybe I will finally learn to have more time.

But if you have any great conversation starters I’m all ears!

Kathy :)

Seldovia

Count-down: 25 days until departure for Alaskan Adventure!

Seldovia Harbor, Wikipedia Commons

No roads lead in or out of Seldovia, Alaska.  The only way to get there is by plane or boat.  A tiny town on the Kenai Peninsula, across Kachemak Bay from Homer, Seldovia has been a town since 1787 when it was established as a Russian fur trading post.  Though various native peoples gathered there thousands of years earlier for trade.  Eventually it became a major fishing port when large schools of herring were discovered in the bay.  Canning herring, salmon and other seafoods became Seldovia’s top industry.  

At it’s height it had around 2000 inhabitants.  Then on Good Friday of 1964, an earthquake larger than any that had ever hit North America struck the area.  9.2 on the Richter Scale.  Seldovia would never be the same.  The land dropped 4 feet, putting buildings and the town’s boardwalk in the bay during high tide.   

Today Seldovia has a population of around 255.  The townsfolk seem to welcome visitors to their seaside paradise. They offer fishing, flight seeing, bear viewing, chainsaw carvings, parks and hiking trails as well as sunsets on the beach.  Their website boasts that Seldovia is Alaska’s Most Charming Seaside Community.  

I hope it is.  I’m really looking forward to seeing if they’re right.

Seldovia's grocery store, CrabPot. Wikipedia Commons

For more info:
 Seldovia
Wikipedia

Kathy :)

Rocinante

Count-down:  26 days until departure for Alaskan Adventure!

In 26 days we pick up our rented RV from the Winnebago factory in Forest City, Iowa!  I’m so excited.  I don’t know exactly what it will look like inside, but I’ve seen pictures of RVs that are similar to the one we’ll have and they look pretty nice.  It’s amazing what they can fit into 28 feet of vehicle.  It has a kitchen with stove, refrigerator and cupboards; a little dining table, bathroom with shower and beds for the five of us.  It even has a coffee maker and teapot in it!  

The first night of our trip, we actually sleep in the RV at the factory.  The next morning, we get up early for an RV orientation class.  Hopefully this will teach us everything we need to know.  I hope it includes a driving lesson too! It might take me a while to get the hang of driving that thing!  

And then we’re off on our adventure.  

Because my husband and I kind of resemble the bumbling knight errant, Don Quixote and his trusty companion Sancho Panza searching far off lands for adventure, we’ve decided to name our RV after Don Quixote’s noble steed, Rocinante.  We’ll just have to watch out for windmills.

Kathy :)

Rocinante will be similar to this one, from Wikipedia Commons

If you'd like to take a peek inside of RVs today, check out this link: Minnie Winnie RVs

Quest

Count-down:  28 days until departure for Alaskan Adventure

Most of my childhood was spent in imagination.  My head was filled with faraway places, King Arthur stories, Disney Princesses, and Star Wars.  How could I keep my thoughts to Earth in the present?  I wanted to be a heroine going on a quest, finding magical worlds, hidden truths, and talking animals.  To be saved by my Prince or me saving him.

As an adult, I’ve had to spend a little more time in Earth-present doing those everyday things that have to get done, though I always jump at a chance to leave it all behind and go explore new lands.  Our trips are always wonderful and exciting but they are mere vacations.  

This trip to Alaska is a Quest.  We will discover frozen, magical lands with powerful beasts.  At times it will be difficult and may be dangerous.  Luckily, my Prince is traveling with me. Whatever we encounter we will journey to the end and be changed because of it.  I’m not sure what we will find along the way, though I have a feeling we will uncover hidden truths within ourselves.  

As for the talking animals... anything is possible on a Quest.

Kathy :)

Prepared

Count-down:  29 days until departure for Alaskan Adventure

On our drive to Alaska we need to be flexible and prepared.  Prepared for whatever might cross our path, whether it’s a pristine glacial waterfall, snowy roads, or a bear.  That doesn’t mean packing for every possibility.  It means we have to be mentally prepared to encounter surprising and sometimes uncomfortable situations.  It means not worrying too much about our exact itinerary and being able to improvise.  It means not being in total control.

But when in life do we ever have total control? 

No matter how hard I try I can’t control the world around me.  I can only control my reactions to it.  If I’m mentally prepared for different situations no matter how difficult, I’ll be able to think more clearly and handle them better.  

“P” is also for Procrastinate, which I definitely did with this post! :)

Kathy :)  

Opportunity

Count-down:  30 days until departure for Alaskan Adventure

When my husband came home one day and asked if I wanted to drive to Alaska in an RV with the kids, my first thought was, “Of course!”  Then the more I thought about it, I wondered how we could make it happen.  Questions and doubts swirled around my head.  Could we really do it, having never even ridden in an RV before?  What about the kids schooling? They attend an online school from home, but they still have deadlines they have to meet and there won’t be much connectivity on the road to Alaska.  Maybe it wasn’t the right time. Maybe we should wait until next year.

Then it hit me.  We had a chance, an opportunity, to go to Alaska at this moment.  Not next year, or five years from now.  If we didn’t do it now maybe we would never go. The opportunity may never be there again.  

That’s when I decided, “Okay let’s go.”  We’ll figure out all the other stuff along the way.  We will make it work.  And it will be the trip of a lifetime for all of us.

Kathy :)