Southern Belles

Tomato and avocado chilled soup, mojitos, and Interview with the Vampire.

Sixteen Miles To The Promise Land

I randomly stole borrowed my roommate's car and went out to the peninsula this weekend. It was one of the most beautiful weekends. I wish I could bottle the tang of salty seas and honey sunsets.

Favorite Places

Hands-down, my favorite places in Europe have always been museums. I love the (mostly) silent contemplation of pieces, the way the museums arrange exhibitions (this is an art in itself), the way my heels click on the floors. Two notable visits were made to the Pompidou Center and the Dali Museum.

The Pompidou had an exhibit on women artists.






Joe made a friend outside the Pompidou, and they had a game of kick-the-globe.

We also visited the Dali Museum in Montmartre








My brother and I visited the Tate Modern while in London. I've been four times. I think it might just be my favorite place on earth.

Retroactive Blogging: Paris

I often have trouble moving myself from one element to another. I am a homebody. I worship routine. Ripping myself out of my own orbit has been a challenge. So upon arriving in Paris, I felt immediately homesick. It took a couple days to adjust. I would walk the streets with my dear family and feel gratitude for this amazing opportunity, but something wasn't clicking.

At one point, I ventured out by myself. I went to a cafe to write some postcards and read from Kerouac's The Subterreaneans (maybe this brief affair with Kerouac is the closest I want to get to that fantasy bohemian lifestyle). I was sitting on the upper level and ordered a coffee, a glass of water, and a raspberry tart. While trying to escape into the slums of San Francisco, my elbow hit the glass of water and it went tumbling down onto the waiter. I gasped and apologized profusely. He just looked at me as if I did it on purpose, as if I went, "And THAT'S what I think of your berets, your cheese, and your unitary semi-presidential republic!!"

The other waiter approached me softly and said, in English, "Ueh, can you pay now?"

After that episode, my time in Paris was splendid. My family and I walked around Paris. My dad would read aloud from Rick Steve's. We absorbed, side-stepped, got lost, and ate sandwiches. I was very grateful for the time spent with my family.

And a little glimpse of home.