By the time the train pulled into Geneva, our 11 year old had reached her not another church limit. From Notre Dame to Westminster Abbey, shed seen them all well, at least a dozen she reckoned.
I sympathized. Stone and stained glass loses its fascination after a while. But the most important church was next. Even if she had to be slapped in chains, this one was compulsory.
Every girl should see where her parents were married, I said.
We caught another train along the lake to Lausanne. Switzerlands still pretty as a biscuit tin lid. A taxi took us to the village of Lutry where things havent changed much in 13 years. In fact Lutry has stayed fairly much the same for 13 centuries.
Ancient houses still cling together along cobbled streets. Patisseries and toy shops we used to frequent are still open for business. The medieval church looks exactly as it did when we persuaded the only English speaking clergyman we could find to marry us there.
A st eeple with tiles the colour of Swiss earth rises above its plain white walls. Time-worn carvings around the entrance feature stylized forms of plant life. With its prominent clock and somber bell, the church looks as sensible as the pragmatic Swiss who built it. I could tell the child was underwhelmed.
Wait till you see the inside, I said.
A group of smartly-dressed people were laughing near the entrance. A wedding party. We couldnt intrude.
Lets go and have a coffee, my husband said. A wedding cant last more than half an hour.
When we returned to the square in front of the church the wedding had finished but the celebrations were just beginning. Bride and groom posed for photos while girls in pastel frocks and little boys in bow ties ran wild.
As we sat on a bench watching the festivities, I recalled there had been similar witnesses to our own wedding strangers observing silently from across the street. At the time Id assumed they were well w ishers.
But maybe theyd travelled half the world and been desperate for us to leave so they could have a nostalgic glimpse inside the church.
Do you think theyd notice if we took a peek?
Course they will, he said. Looks like rain. Thatll hurry them along.
The interiors of most churches are somber, sometimes even depressing. By contrast you cant look inside Lutry church without smiling. Riots of red and yellow designs on its airy Romanesque ceilings make it one of the happiest places on earth. It exudes celebration, an uplifting sensation that feels something like pure love.
Wedding guests peeled away, leaving the bridal couple, the photographer and a few hangers on. As they drove off in a black vintage car, the groom tossed sweets at us from his window acknowledgement of the Antipodean ghosts whod attended his wedding.
Stooping to collect the sweets, we heard an ominous thud. A woman slammed the church doors shut and scurried away before we could stop her. We rattled the doors but they were firmly locked.
Oh well. Well see the inside next time we come to Switzerland, I sighed, hoping we wouldnt have to wait another 13 years.
Later that day we dragged the child to our final church of the trip, Lausanne Cathedral. I was intrigued by a notice board near the back of the cathedral on which visitors had posted prayers on yellow sticky notes. It seemed a very businesslike method of contacting CEO of All That Is.
Some of humanitys most urgent needs were on display. Next to a couple of prayers for world peace I would like to have a dog was written in French. No doubt the author hoped her parents were watching.
Protect my family had a moving simplicity, along with For my grandfather who is an angel. Other prayers were more practical I wish all the best for my study in Lausanne; For Karen and Pierre to find a happy life in Lyon.
Reading these messages I had the same feeling I get in air port arrival halls. No matter what their race or country, most people crave the same things love, peace and family. If we had stronger belief in that fact Im sure war would become obsolete.
I was about to leave when my eye was caught by a message written in tidy fountain pen ink. Dear God, help me kick this cocaine habit.
Whether attending to prayers in Lausanne cathedral, marriages in Lutry or all the votive candles lit in Notre Dame, God certainly has a full schedule.
Helens Email address:notnuts@bigpond.com
Author:: Helen Brown
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