Race Among The Ruins
A certain Duke of Normandy who moonlighted as the King of England had a castle built upon a cliff towering over a great bend in the Seine. It must have been quite magnificent even during the 100 years war. Now, it consists of a formidable pile amid the ruined remnants of a once great wall. Imagine the smile of an old school hockey player who enjoyed chewing on gravel. There aren't many teeth left in that smile. The place is, nonetheless, beautiful. A small French town is literally nestled between the bend in the Seine and the white chalk cliffs. The ruins are Le Chateau Gaillard, and the town(s) is (are) Les Andelys . We drove to the ruins from Amiens, having skipped my planned stop at Beauvais because the time was "Slip Sliding Away." I had been to the cathedral at Beauvais many years before; that seemed like the best stop to eliminate. I'm certainly glad that we didn't skip Chateau Gaillard. It was one of the most picturesque places we saw...and w...