Blois College of Art

The other day while walking about Blois, France, Stan and I sought out the Blois College of Art. As you would expect, it was in a beautiful old building. As you wouldn't expect, it was covered with signs of interesting thoughts:Click the image to see it larger.
I especially loved these:Write for the glory.

What is art?

Cleopatra spotted in Blois!

I've been offline for several days as we stayed with friends in un petit ville - Villerbon, France for the last week. So, I'm catching up a bit. Today we moved to an apartment in Blois for the next week, and we're hanging out in the "French Coffee Shop," which is doors away from our flat. Best things - fans (there's very little a/c here) and free wi-fi! (Pronounced wee-fee.) But first, we spent the morning walking around Blois, where we found Espace - a large bookstore chain here in France. And what should I find in the YA section? None other than Vicky Alvear Shecter's CLEOPATRA'S MOON, a.k.a. Le Fille de Cleopatre! I also found the french version of Josephine - remember when I interviewed the author? CLICK HERE to read.

Hidden Treasures in Blois

Saturday was the weekly market in Blois. It was as charming as you can imagine. But Stan had seen something just beyond the market that caught his eye. The only marking was a little sign on a little chair on a steep set of stairs tucked into the very back of the market. Inside was a perfectly terraced little garden with lovely seating. And on the other side, a little bar where a small winery has a tasting once a month, served with little bites of chèvre. How marvelous! What we're discovering here in Blois is that the treasures are often off the beaten path, tucked around corners and hidden in tight spaces. We left with a bottle of wine for a dinner Stan will prepare with our market finds. What we're also discovering is that the people are marvelously friendly and helpful here...and that we need to become fluent with numbers and money as quickly as possible!

Castle Blois and other things...

So many of you are emailing your appreciation (and envy) of our adventure overseas. Thanks so much for your kind notes! So today I thought I'd give you a little balance and perspective on the trip... while wrapping it in more wonders. For instance, did you know that bats (which I never minded and thought were quite cute) are basically poop machines when they get trapped in a four-story stairwell? Yeah. The window was open for airflow (there's no a/c here), but it will remained closed from now on. So anyhow...
     The other day Stan and I headed up to the castle and had a picnic on a lovely bench under a shady tree. The Houdin museum's dragons were working and we got some great photos: For all the times I've been to Blois, I'd never seen the dragons because they were always broken. Not this time! They growl and stomp the balconies down with their big feet, and open and close their roaring mouths, before retreating back into the windows to come out again later. (Click the photo to see a larger version in a new window.)
     Afterwards we went to tour the Castle Blois and see the exhibit of ancient books (manuscripts) hand painted by "Illuminators" (a.k.a. "illustrators"). Gads, they were stunning.
     At any rate, the castle was well worth the visit. Here are some pics:


The castle was built in three stages during different periods in history, as reflected by the various styles. But the amount of craftsmanship during every time period is overwhelming!
The castle doesn't really seem that removed from the village below, and yet most of the monarchy had their heads removed at some point. Makes me wonder if they were spitting loogies over the castle walls or something. They would have certainly hit somebody:
And hey - we can see our apartment from here! (That's our kitchen window circled in red.)
Maybe it was just the wealth of the amazing books, art, and these scary dudes hanging over your head every time citizens walked by:    Oh, the spoils of being king - with a salamander insignia!

Morning in Blois

I never claimed to be a poet, although sometimes it comes out of me anyway...

Morning in Blois
A sickle moon glows in a sunrise sky.
Pinks and blues promise another hot day.
Cool, shallow waters of the Loire
slide under ancient bridges,
as Ducks and Terns plunder its shoreline.
High in my fourth floor flat,
although called the third in France,
I watch
sparrows line antenna stands
reflected in my bedroom window
open to the warming breezes
which send lace curtains dancing shadows
over cracked plaster walls.
Pigeons coo atop the opposite roof peak
then flap, flap, flap to nearby perches
along the river and through the cobbled streets where I will follow soon.

France - Paris!

From Southern France, we took the train across the countryside to Paris. Starting in Toulon... We passed through the Provence region and saw castles, rolling farmland, and random Roman aqueducts. Gorgeous, but hard to get a picture of! We arrived in Paris in the evening. Who doesn't love the Paris train station!?Paris lights up like the very best Christmas tree of all! Here was the view from Cathy’s flat in Paris… Not necessarily in order, here are some of my favorite moments in Paris...
The Musée d'Orsay was hosting an anniversary celebration for the museum with an Impressionist exhibit and I had to buy my ticket beforehand to get in - it was crowded!

But mostly, I just wandered... In Saint Germain des Pres I took the classic "I'm in France" photo! I had to swing by Shakespeare and Company! I threw Stan off this bridge in the shadow of Notre Dame! I think he’d like that! 😊 But I was surrounded by a bunch of Italian teenagers who thought it was funny to spit off the bridge. They were shocked when I actually threw something off it! They said (in Italian), “What was that!?” I said, “Mi esposo!” and quickly left. HA! The best thing about my trip was connecting with my "French family." I was an exchange student in my late teens and we have all stayed in touch now for 38 years! (Ask me how I feel about study abroad - DO IT!!!) Here I am with my “French parents” Monique and Claude who drove in from their country house just outside Blois. We were having champaigne in Patrice’s apartment (across the street from Saint Chapelle), as you do… Cathy and her boyfriend Patrice… they are so cute together! Me and Cathy… French sisters! Dinner was oysters and whelks… I'd never had whelks before. They're a bit hard to look at, but dang are they delicious! The Paris flea market… I've done all the touristy things in Paris, so wanted to do something quirky. When I was an exchange student as a teenager, we went to the flea market, where I purchased a leather jacket that I adored (but that smelled awful). I had it for years. It was time to go back. And truly, it was just as fun! Treasures are everywhere!
It's so big you simply can't see it all in a day. So, refreshments were required. I went shopping on Le Rue de Sèvres - a very upscale street in Paris. Stan once bought me a scarf in Hermès because he had to go on a business trip to Paris and I wasn't able to tag along (and I was not happy about that!). So I had to see it. OMG. From there, I went to Le Grand Marché where they were featuring works by Jean Jullien, pulled together by Sarah Andelman, all through the museum. Forget the shopping, this was my favorite part!




But my favorite part about being in Paris was just that... being in Paris. I enjoyed lunches and teas and treats and just sitting and people watching... Cheating… I ate a crepe with Nutella and bananas – sooooo good!! OMG! Lunch... I had tea here and drew my tea with a watercolor kit I picked up at the Impressionists show at the Musee D’Orsay…
There are so many charming cafes, it's hard to choose! I took a walk through a park near Cathy's flat and came across this charming sculpture of a crow handing a round of brie to a fox. It was a tribute to the storyteller Jean de La Fontaine.
My last morning in Paris, Claude and I went to a café for breakfast. (Well, he had an espresso.)There, I cheated with my one chocolate croissant. Just as good as I remembered! There was a road race taking place outside Cathy's apartment. So, I was repacking my suitcase to the cherished sound of "Allez! Allez! Allez!" You can't really see them in this photo, but we were able monitor the race's progress from the terrace. Cathy made sure I took a jar of her homemade olive tepanade, made from olives she grew on her trees in St. Tropez! This stuff is pure gold - the best I've ever had - nectar of the gods! I wish I could have fit more in my suitcase! Cathy and Patrice got me to the airport and made sure I was safely heading in the direction before giving me great big hugs good-bye. I already miss them! Meanwhile, in the airport, I broke down and had a very American lunch before heading to Italy! It was so good to connect with my French family again. I hadn't seen them since Stan and I were heading to Scotland in 2015 and stayed in the apartment in Blois! Too, too long. With any luck, this will become a more regular trip. I can't wait another decade to head back!