Yesterday's post of an alter or tomb at the Fontevraud abbey got some interesting comments, chief among them that fellow blogger Mitchell's partner is a descendant of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II Plantagenet. The former king of England and his wife are buried in the abbey, and their gisants (tomb effigies) lie above their crypt.
If you're a student of European history or have seen the 1968 film "The Lion in Winter," you probably know their story, so I won't go into it here. I'm in the latter camp. One year, upon our return from a vacation in France during which we visited Chinon and Fontevraud abbey, I was battling jet lag and unable to sleep. I turned on the television and, just by chance, that movie came on and I watched it. I don't think I had seen it before. An eerie coincidence.
My favorite line from the film: “I know. You know I know. I know you know I know. We know Henry knows,
and Henry knows we know it. We're a very knowledgeable family.” --Prince Geoffrey.
A great photo! Thanks for the mention. It would be wonderful to visit there. We discovered once we lived in Sevilla that another of Jerry's greats was buried in the cathedral there, Ferdinand III. We've talked of doing a European tour of his dead grandparents -- just as an excuse to travel to places we might not have considered.
ReplyDeleteI love that line, too! Another favorite of mine, is when Eleanor says to her ever-unfaithful husband, "I could peel you like a pear, and God himself would call it justice." Whoa!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite line is "Every family has its ups and downs."
ReplyDeleteI am pleased as Punch to say I immediately recognized what these are when it appeared on my screen.
ReplyDeleteI think I can could say the entire script of The Lion in Winter upon request.
I visited Fontrevaud when it was still a prison. We stopped our auto outside the gate. A warder popped out carrying a large bunch of keys and beckoned us in. There were prisoners slouching around the space in front of the church. The whole thing was so odd and so unsuitable for Henry and Eleanor. I found the film too self indulgent. Roderick
ReplyDeletemitch, I hope that travel becomes possible again soon. Maybe you'll get your chance!
ReplyDeletejudy, ellen, that movie is filled with great lines. I imagine they come from the stage play, but I've never seen that.
michael, that's tempting!
roderick, is there anything that you DO like? ;)
Easy peasy. Les Nymphe'as in L'Orangerie (which I have never seen featured on the blog) and numerous cafe's, particularly that one on the Place Saint-Suplice, facing the Church. Walking down the Champs Elyse'es from the Arc de Triomphe. And on and on. Roderick
ReplyDelete