ON Y VA PARIS!

Me and the gang at the palace of Versailles
The view from Notre Dame's towers - Paris and the Eiffel Tower

Sometimes I wonder if I will ever love a group of people in the same way and to the same magnitude as I loved my Study Abroad friends.

For a good two weeks, the catchphrase of the group had been 'On y Va Paris!' Then, finally, some kind soul arranged all the necessities, and I found myself tagging along - taking the two hour train ride to the City of Light with what would pass as a bunch of giggling teenagers. And oh boy! the madness that followed... It was a spectacular time.

MISCHIEF AND MEMORIES:

That time half the group showed up an hour late to the towers of Notre Dame, and then proceeded to piss everyone and their mothers off by jumping in line.
That time I was appointed to the position of honorary tour guide, and proceeded to spout out every ounce of my historical knowledge to the group, whether people were listening or no. I must have been the only one who was excited about the medieval abode of Heloise d'Abelard. I can't think why.
That time Rita and a few others walked into a wedding behind the bride, and almost got to be a part of the ceremony.
That time when Penny, Maylena and Rita had nowhere to sleep for the night, and wanted to spend the night in a church till they saw (some) reason. I ended up sneaking Maylena into my hostel room where she slept on the floor.
That time we were in hysterics about Jean Jaures.
That time we lay beneath the Eiffel Tower and tried to do headstands.
That time Maylena and I took the MOST FRENCH PHOTOS EVER.
That other time Maylena and I snuck away from the group to discover the real home of Nicholas Flamel. Now a restaurant, the façade is still gorgeously ancient, and Maylena managed to barge her way inside while the place was being cleaned, offering us a glimpse of the low timber framed ceilings.
That time we took the train to Versailles and spent our time lazing about and picnicking on the grass beside Marie Antoinette's hamlet.
That time we all stood in front of the painting of Empress Josephine's coronation, speechless. (What a bunch of nerds, right?)
That time Rita and I wove flower crowns of dandelions.
That time when Nicole was awesome, Alejandra was beautiful, Liz was screeching with excitement, and Penny was acting not-at-all-impressed by our antics. Oh. Wait. That was ALL THE TIME. 

 

Me and Maylena and Rita
All of our feet on a golden disc in Paris
The view of Paris from the top of Notre Dame - towards the Seine and the Îles
My foot and Nicoles foot - our shoe patterns matching the floor at St Chapelle
Painted walls at St Chapelle
House of Eloise of Abelard in Paris
Ice creams from Berthillon in Paris
Geranium window planters on the Îles of Paris
Me in front of the Eiffel Tower with a bottle of wine, a baguette and a beret
 

IT DOES NOT GET MUCH MORE FRENCH THAN THIS:

A BAGUETTE

A BERET

A BOUTEILLE DU VIN ROUGE

A PHOTO AVEC LA TOUR EIFFEL

Cameras and books at a bouquiniste on the Seine
Books of Asterix and Obelix at a bouquiniste on the Seine 
Entering some random persons wedding near the Pantheon
Tomb of Jean Jaures at the Pantheon
Tomb of Victor Hugo at the Pantheon
Fire performer outside the Cathedral of Notre Dame at night
the Eiffel Tower at night lit up beside a carrousel

ENCHANTED FRENCH FOREST

Enchanted forest in France with young trees and purple flowers and undergrowth

 

THE WOODS BELOW MY WINDOW

My life is instilled with moments of childlike wonder. 

Childlike wonder is the ability to be utterly lost in the patterns of a leaf, or to watch the flight of a bumblebee, wondering if it would be a bad idea to try and capture the fluffy creature, if only for a moment between the clasped palms of your hands.

Children can often see the world as if it is new, taking on the attitude of one who is still learning. 

Maybe children grow taller and not smaller because, at such a young age, they need to get up close and personal with the world in order to learn more about it. No bending down, or the like. 

Childlike wonder will lead you to suspect that fairies live in the woods behind your house, and it will take your feet tripping down to the stream to cast out small walnut boats with cargoes of flowers.

It will push you to climb on all that is climb-able, and some things that are not.

Tight-rope walking becomes fallen-log walking, and gutter-side walking. Shells are echoes of the oceans, dandelions are wishes, and clovers are luck.

It is the belief that maybe, if the wind is strong enough today, one may lean into it and still stand upright. 

It is also the thing that makes one try and stick their pudgy fingers into electric sockets, to see what will happen. But even Edison went through a process of trial and error.

Of course, we never stop learning about this wonderful world. All our lives we are learning, and so we can all possess this kind of childlike wonder.

 

Bumblebee and purple flowers in a French forest
Purple flowers stuck in a snail's shell
Enchanted french forest - full of light and ivy
These were the woods below the window of my apartment in France. Nearly every day, I would go out to wander among the ivy, looking for adventures. Although these woods were ringed by suburban developments and supermarkets, they still seemed so magical. A few steps in, and it was another world.
Small snail's shell in the French forest
Mushrooms growing on a tree in the enchanted forest
Tiny fairy boat made from a walnut shell with a cargo of flowers
Fairy boat made from bark and carrying flowers on a stream in the forest
“One must ask children and birds how cherries and strawberries taste.”
— Wolfgang von Goethe

THE HILLTOP TOWNS OF ANDALUSIA

Hilltop towns in the mountains of Andulacia, Spain

GOATS, CARPETS & CHIMNEYS

In the hill-top towns that crown the mountains in the Kingdom of Spain, the villagers live rich lives of quietude, interrupted only by the occasional festival. 

SMALL WONDERS OF THE MOUNTAINS

The overwhelming joy in my heart when we entered the mountains - like a feeling of coming home. I was finally able to see further, breath deeper and take in all that blue sky.
That day was like a cat, asleep in the sun: warm, and relaxed.
A teensy Catholic shrine, the gate laden with roses, prayer beads and ceramic figurines.
The many orange sellers, sat by the roadside with bags of oranges piled high on the bonnet and sides of their cars.
A beer in the gardens of Casa de Pilary Paco Lopez.
The abundance of prickly pears that grew on the cacti, up there in the high places.
The whitewash and the clay chimneys on the small mountain houses. Each one reflecting the glare of sun, making the villages gleam from afar.
The insistence of the carpet sellers.
A shepherd tending a flock of goats with bells on.
The complete silence that descended at the Siesta hour. The only sound is the flap, flap of a woven curtain hanging in a doorway.
A little wooden door, charming beyond belief. Behind it: Pepe the Jamón seller, who proceeds to show me how to carve a giant leg of ham.
A circle of elder villagers watching a young boy kick a deflated soccer ball. 
In a courtyard lined with lavender bushes, a small fountain trickled water - just one of the many fountains that flow with medicinal spring waters in the area.
Purveyor of fine spanish mountain wares - carpets and painted chairs
Person selling oranges from the hood of their car, in the mountains of Andulacia
Shop in the Spanish mountains selling jamon, honey, herbs and chillies
carpet door hanging and white walls and siesta time in the Spanish mountains
Fountain of healing in the Spanish mountains
Little rustic wooden door in a tiny mountain town
prickly pear on a cactus in the Spanish mountains