VICKI & DON HOME ON THE SEA ROAD. MS ROTTERDAM AT SEA IN ENGLISH CHANNEL

Transcription

1 VICKI & DON HOME ON THE SEA ROAD. MS ROTTERDAM AT SEA IN ENGLISH CHANNEL DAILY DATA REPORT: VOLUME 2018, EDITION - APRIL DATA FOR Friday, APRIL 27TH, 2018 THOUGHTS OF MARK TWAIN Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines.sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. 1 PAGE Explore, Dream, Discover.

2 FRIDAY APRIL 27TH HOME ON THE SEA ROAD. (DAY 15) HOLLAND AMERICA MS ROTTERDAM, CABIN PORT OF BREST, BRITTANY, FRANCE THE PLAN OF THE DAY: TAKE TOUR BUS TO SEE WHAT WE CAN SEE AT AND SEE.. CALVARY MONUMENT WWII MONUMENT THE CASTLE FORT BACK TO SHIP! KING S DAY CELEBRATION FLUTE CONCERT WEATHER OF AREA WE ARE IN RAIN, RAIN AND MORE RAIN. WIND, WIND AND MORE WIND. THERE IS A VERY GOOD CHANCE THIS WILL BE A COLD AND WET DAY. SUCH IS LIFE. WE WILL MAKE THE BEST OF IT AND SEE WHAT WE CAN SEE. WE ARE SO GLAD TO HAVE SUCH A BLESSED LIFE. 2 PAGE

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5 WE HAVE ARRIVED AT THE REBUILT CATHEDRAL, (DESTROYED WWII) THE CALVARY SCULPTURE WAS MOSTLY IN FAIR CONDITION. DAMAGE WAS VERY REPAIRABLE. THE REPAIRS WERE MADE BY A MONUMENTS MAN WHO RAISED THE FUNDS AND PAID FOR THE REBUILDING THE SCULPTURE. A LITTLE HISTORY ABOUT THE SCULPTURES (AS WRITTEN ON WIKAPEDIA) CALVARY OF PLOUGASTEL-DAOULAS. (THE CROSS OF THE PLAQUE) THE CALVARY OF PLOUGASTEL-DAOULAS IN THE CENTRAL DISTRICT OF BREST IS COMPRISED OF A RAISED OCTAGON PEDESTAL MADE FROM THE YELLOW GRANITE QUARRIES OF LOGONNA- DAOULAS. IT IS FLANKED BY FOUR THICK ARCHED BUTTRESSES. IT IS A SERIES OF SCULPTURAL GROUPS WHICH DEPICT SCENES FROM THE LIFE AND DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST. IT IS THOUGHT THAT ALL THE SCULPTURAL WORK IS BY THE WORKSHOP OF THE "YMAGEURS", BASTIEN AND HENRY PRIGENT; EXCEPT THE HORSEMAN ON THE LEFT OF THE CRUCIFIX WHICH IS BY JEAN FRANÇOIS MILLET. THE CALVARY HAD BEEN BUILT BETWEEN 1602 AND 1604 TO MARK THE END OF THE BUBONIC PLAQUE EPIDEMIC OF IT HAS BEEN CLASSIFIED AS A "MONUMENT HISTORIC" SINCE PAGE

6 THE CALVARY SUFFERED CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE IN 1794 DURING THE AFTERMATH OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION AFTER WHICH THE STATUES WERE HIDDEN AWAY IN THE CEMETERY GROUNDS BY THE LOCAL PEOPLE FOR SAFE- KEEPING. IN 1810 THE CALVARY WAS RE-ERECTED BUT WITH A WOODEN CROSS, THIS REPLACED IN 1836 BY A CROSS IN STONE. THEN FROM 1897 TO 1898, THE SCULPTOR YAHN LARHANTEC CARRIED OUT A SUBSTANTIAL RESTORATION, ON 23 AUGUST 1944 THE AREA WAS BOMBARDED BY THE AMERICAN FORCES AS THEY ADVANCED TOWARDS BREST. SEVERAL OF THE STATUES ON THE CALVARY WERE BADLY DAMAGED, AS WERE THE THREE CROSSES. LT. JOHN D. SKILTON: USA MONUMENT MAN JOHN D. SKILTON, AN ARMY OFFICER, MONUMENT MAN AND IN CIVILIAN LIFE, A CURATOR AT THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART IN WASHINGTON DC: WAS IN PLOUGASTEL-DAOULAS AT THE TIME OF THE BOMBING, SAW THE DAMAGE DONE AND RESOLVED TO RESTORE THE CALVARY. WHEN BACK IN THE USA, HE FORMED THE "PLOUGASTEL CALVARY RESTORATION FUND INC" TO RAISE THE FUNDS NEEDED FOR THE CALVARY'S RESTORATION AND, SUFFICIENT FUNDS HAVING BEEN RAISED, THE RESTORATION STARTED IN 1949 UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE MINISTÈRE DES BEAUX-ARTS ET DES MONUMENTS HISTORIQUES WHO USED THE SERVICES OF THE SCULPTOR JOHN MILLET. FURTHER RESTORATION WAS CARRIED OUT IN PAGE

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19 RAIN, RAIN, RAIN. AND MORE RAIN. YES: AND MAJOR WIND! 19 PAGE

20 THROUGH ALL THE WIND AND RAIN WE WALKED ON TOWARD THE FLAG AND THE OLD BREST CASTLE / FORT. HOUSED IN THIS 1700 YEAR OLD PRIMITIVE HISTORICAL STRUCTURE IS THE FRENCH NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM. THERE IS SOMETHING IN THIS MUSEUM THAT COVERS EVERY WAR AND MARITIME ADVANCEMENT FROM THE YEAR 280 TO THE PRESENT.(TO BE EXACT: = 1738 YEARS) NOW TAKE A DEEP BREATH AND THHINK ABOUT THAT FACT. HOLD ON TO SOMETHING TIGHT BECAUSE YOU ARE ABOUT TO BE DAZZLED! 20 PAGE

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28 WE FOUND OURSELVES AT THE TOP OF THE FORT AND TOOK THESE PHOTOS OF BUILDINGS AND THE GENERAL AREA. THE LARGE OFFICE BUILDING IS THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE FRENCH NAVY WE THEN ENTERED A SECTION THAT HOUSES A FULL HISTORY OF SHIPS MADE BY THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT AND HOW AND WHY THEY WERE MADE.. WOW! WOW! I HAD KNOWN THAT THE USA WAR OF INDEPENDENCE WAS HELPED BY THE FRENCH NAVY. BUT I HAD NO KNOWLEDGE WHAT THIS HELP CONSISTED OF: READ BELOW! 28 PAGE

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34 WE WENT THROUGH THE BUILDING OF THE FRENCH NAVY FROM INDEPENDENCE TO WAR OF 1812, WWI AND THEN COVERAGE OF WWII.. WHICH IS TOO MUCH FOR ME TO SHOW. MORE WAR THAN I WANTED TO SEE THIS IS A MUST PLACE TO VISIT WHEN YOU ARE IN THIS WORLD..DON T MISS IT NOW SOMETHING THAT IS SHOCKING: HOW IN THE WORLD DID THIS MISS THE BOMBINGS OF THIS HARBOR. THIS WAS WELL PROTECTED.. ART AT IT FINEST WOOD CARVINGS BY YVES-ETINNE COLLET READ ABOUT HOW THIS BOY OF 9 LEARNED AND WORKED FOR 70 YEARS IN THE SAME SHOP. 34 PAGE

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43 THOUGHTS BY DON ALLEN WE HAVE SEEN ART AND CARVINGS LITERALLY ALL OVER THE WORLD. IN FACT: MY OWN LOVING BROTHER IS AN EXCELLENT WOOD CARVER AND I VALUE HIS WORK. I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANY LIKE THESE COLLET CARVINGS. I THINK THIS DISPLAY ALONE IS WORTH THE TIME TO COME TO THIS GREAT FORT CASTLE IN BREST, FRANCE. I AM STUNNED. WOW! WHAT A VISIT! WE MUST MOVE ON! 43 PAGE

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45 LOOK AT THIS AND DON T DARE TELL ME THERE IS NO GOD! HE IS THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN MAKE THIS HAPPEN. 45 PAGE

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49 NEXT TO THE SHIP WAS A GROUP OF LOCAL MERCHANTS. THS COUPLE WAS MAKING CREPES AT 2 EUROS EACH. THEY WERE MAKING A 100 EUROS PER HOUR. ALL HE DID WAS HOLD OUT HIS HAND TO CLLECT EUROS. OF COURSE VICKI HAD TO HAVE ONE. 49 PAGE

50 KING S DAY KING S DAY IS WHEN THE DUTCH CELEBRATE THE BIRTHDAY OF THEIR KING. KING WILLEM ALEXANDER WHO WAS BORN ON 27 APRIL. SO THERE ARE MANY PARTIES, FLEA MARKETS AND, OF COURSE, THE KING HIMSELF VISITS ONE OR SEVERAL CITIES WITH HIS FAMILY THIS WAS 27 APRIL SO, OF COURSE, KING S DAY ON THE SHIP MS ROTTERDAM AND WE ALL WERE INVITED TO THE PARTY.. WE EVEN HAD A SPECIAL DINNER PREPARED. EVERYONE MUST WEAR ORANGE TO CELEBRATE. BEFORE WE EVEN GOT ON THE SHIP WE RECEIVED AN MESSAGE THAT EVERYONE SHOULD TRY TO WEAR SOMETHING ORANGE AND TO COME PREPARED. SO WE DID! 50 PAGE

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55 THESE TWO PEOPLE REALLY CAME PREPARED. JUST LOOK AT THEM! CHECK OUT THE SUIT.. HE IS INDEED: A STAR! HERE THE CAPTAIN OF THE SHIP (RIGHT) AND THE HOTEL CAPTAIN CAME TO VISIT THE PARTY. THEY WERE NEAT TO SEE. 55 PAGE

56 WE THEN WENT TO HEAR THE VERY LOVELY FLUTE PLAYER FROM SPAIN, THE RIGHT LOVELY ANDREA AMAT.. SHE MAY WELL BE THE BEST FLUTIST I HAVE EVER HEARD. IT WAS A STUNNING SHOW. 56 PAGE

57 WHEN YOU BUY TWO CD S, A PHOTO WITH THIS LOVELY CREATURE IS ALLOWED.. 57 PAGE

58 IT IS TIME TO FINISH THIS DATA. THIS EPISTLE IS DONE. SO LET IT BE WRITTEN: SO LET IT BE DONE. LIFE IS GOOD! LOVE IS BETTER! 58 PAGE