The feminine tranquil birth of the river Le Seine was named after the goddess, Sequana. The Seine has a 483-mile journey from Burgundy to the sea. She begins at 1,540 feet above sea level. The Gallo-Roman goddess Sequana’s name comes from the Celtic squan meaning serpentine. Its source has been...
Napoleon III became Emperor in 1852 when the city of Paris was heavily polluted. Parisians were emptying sewage and waste into the streets and into the Seine River. There were no sewers. In 1832 there had been a massive cholera epidemic in which 20,000 residents died. A new city emerged...
When Louis XIII succeeded as French king in 1610, Versailles was a prosperous hamlet set in an upland valley which was only partially cleared for cultivation. There were 200 residents near this primal woodland. The Latin word vertere means to turn the soil and immortalizes the “hard grind of the...
Bonjour. This week we visit the Dordogne River Valley in France during the Middle Ages. The rain is gently falling as the fat goose family crosses the boulevard. The Viking raiders crossed through here in 976 A.D.. They left behind an uninviting tango of castle ruins and limestone rock roofs,...
