On our trip, we were often asked what we think of
when we think of France. Do we think of Paris, French cuisine, wine, the French
fashion centers, the Cannes Film Festival? Before this trip, I usually thought
of Paris, the Impressionists, and French cuisine. After this trip, I’ll also
think about how the French respect and honor their intelligent people,
especially those who had significant achievements.
We took a Viking River Cruise from Chalons-Sur-Saone to
Avignon. Our first stop was Beaune in Burgundy. We visited a Vineyard, toured
the Hotel Dieu, and walked through Beaune. The town was lovely and I was
surprised to see a statue in the park dedicated to a teacher, Gaspard Mongé. He
was born in Beaune and was also a prominent mathematician who participated in the Revolution in 1792.
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| statue of Gaspard Monge |
Our next stop was Lyon where we saw wall murals on several buildings of
prominent citizens current and past of Lyon. One of these gave prominence to
the Lumière Brothers, initiators of the first motion pictures. The main
university in Lyon is named after them as well.
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| wall painting of the Lumiere Brothers |
Saint-Exupéry, author of The
Little Prince, was also featured on several murals. Their airport is
named after Saint-Exupéry as well.
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| the Little Prince and Saint-Exupery |
In Bellecour Square, Lyon's main plaza, there is a statue of
André-Marie Ampère, physicist and mathematician for whom the measurement of
electric current is named. Next time you want to know how many amps an electric
appliance has, you can think of him.
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| statue of Andre-Marie Ampere |
In Tournon, as we got off the boat, we saw a statue of Marc
Seguin, engineer and inventor of the first suspension bridge. As we looked
across the Rhone, we saw that bridge spanning the river.
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| statue of Marc Seguin |
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| the first suspension bridge |
Arles, as expected, had many statues and sites dedicated to
Vincent Van Gogh. He spent the last two years of his life in Arles and painted
many pictures in Arles enthralled by the sunlight and colors of the south of
France. All over Arles there are monuments and other signs indicating that he
was there. The people of Arles have kept the memory of his stay there so
palpable that I could almost feel his presence as we walked through that
beautiful town.
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| hospital in Arles where Van Gogh was treated |
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| picture and actual Cafe Van Gogh |
Here in the United States we could learn from this French
example. We certainly have many people who have achieved considerable feats but most are not esteemed every day in the general culture. Let’s start erecting statues of our teachers, engineers, scientists,
writers, social workers, and thinkers and honoring them.
Maybe when our children see alternatives to gaining fame, respect, and fortune
as athletes and celebrities, some will change their choices of role models. Maybe with the ubiquitous presence of our
instant news cycles and instant messages it's too late, but I
think it’s worth a try.
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