Red Baron's Blog: L'Être suprême

Leaving the south of France, our group visited Rodez and settled for the evening in Clermont-Ferrand, home of the famous Michelin tire company.

Rodez

When entering Rodez from the west, the view of the mighty Gothic Cathedral of Notre Dame is impressive.

Cathedral of Notre Dame in Rodez

As you would expect: Saint Mary is everywhere.

The Annunciation: Hail, thou that art
highly favored, the Lord is with thee:
Blessed art thou among women.

This is Saint Elisabeth of Hungary
lying to her husband by displaying roses
instead of bread, she gave to the poor

The window in Elisabeth's chapel shows from
bottom to top: The capture of French troops at
Dunkerque 1940, as POWs sent to work in
STALAG VI C (Stammlager, i.e., main camp),
liberation under the Tricolor with the dove, the
Holy Ghost is the symbol of hope and faith on top.

This window called
Genesis in water
I regarded it as
an attempt to reconcile creation
with evolution. An audacious
display in a Catholic church.

Tired of all the impressions, I settled in a cafe at Rodez's central square and marketplace for an aperitif. The yellow stuff guests were drinking at the other tables intrigued me. It was a local gentian schnapps. Following a lively conversation with people from Rodez and another gentian, I wanted to pay. Still, those friendly Ruthénois, as the inhabitants of Rodez are called, had paid the bill already. Vive l'hospitalité francaise!

A gentian schnapps

Red Baron's frugal but tasty lunch in one of the bistros at the marketplace

Clairmont-Ferrand

Clairmont-Ferrand is the city of Michelin, the famous inventor and maker of tires. From our hotel, we walked to the Cathedral Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption, passing on the way to the Romanesque Basilica Notre-Dame du Port.

Notre Dame du Port, seen from a courtyard

The interior of the Romanesque basilica is even more impressive than the outside.

The Cathedral Notre-Dame de l'Assomption, as seen from the roof of our hotel.

Pope Urban II started it all in Clermont in front of the cathedral
on November 27, 1095, when he called for the First Crusade.

The Gothic interior of Notre Dame de l'Assumption

A Poor Man's Bible in the form of stained-glass windows for the many illiterates in the Middle Ages. From bottom to top:
Annunciation, Visitation of Mary, Birth of Jesus, Angels announcing Christ's birth to the shepherds, Adoration of the child by the shepherds, The Three Magi contemplating the guiding star, The Magi before King Herod, Adoration of the Child by the Three Magi.

Aren't we back to icons and Emojis nowadays?

Stained-glass windows as Biblia pauperum

During the French Revolution: The proclamation of the Supreme Being at a side entrance of the cathedral: The French people recognize the Supreme Being and the soul's immortality.

Where did the poor souls of all those people guillotined end up?

Once more, French genius impressed me. I remember that the slogan: "We French have no oil, but ideas" was famous during the oil crisis.

Here comes one of those strokes of genius: the tramway in Clermont-Ferrand. It is simple: Take a bus, guide it by a metallic rail and place the vehicle below one overhead line. No heavy rail construction is necessary, and no double catenary, as in the case of a trolley bus, is required since the guiding rail on the ground serves as the return conductor. In addition, the tramway smoothly and silently runs on tires; local Michelin oblige.

Clermont-Ferrand's tramway

Chalon-sur-Saône

On our way back home, we made a stop at Chalon-sur-Saône. It was the time of the morning market, but two other items caught my attention instead: