June 8, 2022
“If it had not been for his malice, forcing me to return, I would have been able to recover the whole of Outremer. (Crusader Claimed Lands in the Middle East) Then, when I was in prison he conspired to keep me there so that he could steal my lands.”
- Richard I (The Lionheart) on his alleged betrayal by King Philip
“King John is a great play!”
- Doug Powers of the Bard Fest Shakespeare Festival
“The richness I achieve comes from nature, the source of my inspiration.”
– Claude Monet
Today I had a hard reminder that I am old. I fell tripping on a step at a gas station. I was not watching where I was going and a simple step did me in. I remember being startled by my sudden loss of footing and then seeing the impending crash coming on the hard warm concrete.
I broke the fall by my hands and knees. I could hear, but not see Colleen crying out and I worried for a moment something seriously was wrong. My left knee was stinging and my right arm started throbbing. I rolled on my side and the objects in my hand scattered across the pavement.
Next thing I knew two young French men rushed to my aid and Colleen was there. I slowly and very awkwardly stood up being unsure of the stability of my tender knee and afraid to reach out to the offered hand of help with my right since it hurt. I managed at last to stand and I appeared all right. I thanked the gentlemen who I am sure had a story to tell when they got home.
I tired to recover my dignity with limited success. and Colleen drove the rest of the way home. After some rest and Motrin I began to feel better.
But before all that…..
We went on a road trip today from our home village at St Martin De Boscherville for a journey to see Monet’s garden at Giverny. The trip was about 90 minutes away and Colleen read about Chateau Gaillard as a place to stop along the way for a picnic.
The Chateau lies perched over a cliff edge overlooking a bend in the Seine River below. Here was an important trade route and the position of the fortress was strategic.
The castle was built by the second Plantagenet King Richard I, (or the Lionheart) who lived from 1157 to 1199.
Those of you old enough to remember the classic Peter O’Toole and Katherine Heparin 1968 film “The Lion in Winter” know this story well. The character of Richard was played by a young Anthony Hopkins marking his film debut.
Richard was an idealized King and the perfect heir for the great Henry II. In life he stood a towering 6’5”, huge for that time, and developed a reputation as a fierce crusader and brutal warrior. Throughout his short reign he was in constant war with the weaker King Phillip of France and his younger more lackluster brother John who tried to usurp him during his long absences at the Crusades.
Richard, who was also the Duke of Normandy, came to this hill top in the spring of 1196. He set about to design a unique castle to establish his power in this region. The construction took around 18 months with Richard supervising everything.
He left a short time after its completion never to return. He traveled to put down a local revolt in another part of the area. He besieged the tiny, virtually unarmed castle of Châlus-Chabrol.
While walking around the walls of this small castle he was talking to his Mercenary general when he was struck suddenly by a cross bolt fired from the castle wall. Cross bolts are powerful but short ranged weapons. The fact that he was struck at all was truly just dumb luck.
He was hit in the shoulder, not usually considered a fatal blow. However, gangrene set in and the situation grew dire. Knowing he was going to die he ordered the man who shot him be brought before him. It turned out it was only a young boy. As an act of grace Richard forgave him and let him live.
His mercy was short lived. After Richard’s death, the Mercenary general imprisoned the boy, had him flayed alive, and then hanged.
Richard was succeeded by his hated younger brother John who would prove to be one of England’s worst kings.
But, according to Mr Powers, John’s story makes for a great Shakespeare play.
We drove on from the remains of the Chateau and forward several centuries to the village of Giverny. Here was the home of the Father of Impressionism painting, Claude Monet.
Monet was already an established painter when he moved here with his wife and eight children. He would live his remaining 40 years here and all of his subjects came form this garden and surrounding area. For many, his most productive work was during this time.
Monet planned the gardens and it has two parts. There is the walled inner garden filled with dense messy foliage overflowing with climbing roses and flowers of all types. Much like his paintings, the scene is disordered with flashed of brilliant color.
Outside the wall lay the pond and water garden. Here is the famous Japanese bridge and the water lilies that would ultimately become Monet’s greatest work.
For Monet, it was always about the light. The subject was not as much consequence as the way light would reflect off of it at different times of the day. This is why he could find so many different ways to paint a scene of the same garden.
It was a lovely spot to visit. But the sun was starting to go down and we needed to go home.
I didn’t want to be late for the fall that was waiting for me.
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