Beauty

When my grandchildren become ten we plan a trip together to the destination of their choice. My oldest granddaughter wanted to see the Eiffel Tower and ride the Chunnel. Traveling overseas just once before, naturally, I was a bit nervous. Giverny was my antidote to that apprehension. Beauty can be found everywhere around us, and some gifted souls arrange that magnificence in such a way that breathing in its aura, standing amongst the plants and structures, brings peace to every cell of one’s body. Monet was a master in the garden as well as in front of the canvas. We spent the day drinking in the timeless beauty of his creation that surrounds his home. Both garden and house, filled with color and delightful vistas, entice the visitor to spend more time within them. I could have spent days there.

Creating beauty soothes us as well, so, today they will devote some time to creating beauty. In the art room, in the garden, in their rooms, wherever the muse takes them….for creativity is the soul of existence.

Leaving Paris

The funky internet situation in our hotel room has prevented me from posting, but I think today, on our last morning, that i finally can!

Giverny was everything I thought it would be. We went by hired van, very easy. The village surrounding Monet’s home is very sweet, one can understand why, from a train ride through the town, he chose this spot to live and paint. The house was even mote interesting to me than the gardens if you can believe it. Those who know of my own gardens know what I mean. All the woodwork is painted different colors, yellow, lavender, blue….and the light in the rooms is spectacular. There are photographs of the artist in his studio and bedroom where you can see that the rooms are exactly today the way he lived in them. That is an intimate detail you don’t have in other museums. I bought a book about the home and gardens, what a sweet read while I look out at my own fall landscape.

Another major highlight of this trip is visiting Shakespeare and Co. I have been reading Anais Nin since high school, and fell in love with the Left Bank and the writer’s scene there from my first exposure to it. This bookshop was the epicenter of that time. Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Miller, Cocteau….all of them, came here. It was a surreal experience!

We spent several afternoons here at Laduree sipping tea with my AFS friends Nathalie and Rene. Emma finally found her beret and totally looks the part don’t you think? I shall miss these precious moments, but I am anxious to get home to my hub and my pups.

I know they all miss me, and I have missed them. 

Happy 10th Birthday Emma, I hope you enjoyed the trip and you remember it for the rest of your life! 

Now, I hope the French security people don’t take my knitting away from me. I have 7 hours on the plane!!