….thanks to Kate from for hosting Whatsoever is Lovely https://www.thesquirrelchase.com/2022/04/27/whatsoever-is-lovely-2022-week-16/
Our trip to Europe, France and London to be exact, was a blessing because we got to spend every day with our youngest granddaughter. Sevin is just two so of course there were moments when everything wasn’t sunshine and lollipops but for the most part we loved spending time with her and now that we are back home she asks her parents where are Oma and Big Papa.
….waiting for our Uber driver
I can’t believe that our 24 day vacation has come to an end. I think the worst part of a trip is the packing. Packing for the trip and then packing again to come home.
Many people end up with more bags coming home but some how we have one bag less. I was cursing my carry on bag when we moved from Tours to Paris to London. Even with the new clothes and gifts for family and friends I managed to reorganize my packing and get everything into two bags instead of three. I’ve left my carry on bag with our son here in London.
It’s impossible to say which parts of the trip were my favourites but spending these last three and a half weeks with family has been priceless.
Now that we have one trip under our belts we are ready for more adventures. New Brunswick here we come …….not too soon……I have a marathon of painting to do before my show in July.
Ciao!
….today was our last full day in London
Tomorrow morning an Uber driver will pick us up at 8:00 am and take us to the Heathrow Airport. All week I wanted to return to Liberty so that I could browse through this amazing but expensive department store.
Today we took the Victoria South train and headed towards Oxford Circus. When we got there I wasn’t disappointed. When you first arrive you are greeted by the most wonderful flower shop attached to the Liberty store.
As you enter the store your senses are accosted by the smell of perfume and the bright colours of the fashion display that is currently featured.
I was hoping to find a nice Liberty scarf for a friend’s birthday but the sticker shock may have sent the feint of heart back onto the street. I proceeded to the elevators and headed for the floor where the Liberty fabrics were on display. I knew that on this floor I would find something that fit into my budget. I wasn’t disappointed.
Kevin was walking around the floor while I went through a bin of fabric ends. When I selected a couple of pieces he assured me there was nothing else to see. When I peaked into the next room I found plenty of things that caught my eye. At the far end of the room there were some cosy chairs so Kevin settled in while I browsed some more. He quickly engaged in conversation with a couple of middle aged American women and I could hear them laughing half way through the store.
After making a few more purchases I picked Kevin up and we made our way to the basement where the men’s wear resides.
One of the things that Kevin has wanted for many years is a Barbour coat. Sure enough they had them there but unfortunately or perhaps fortunately they didn’t have one in his size. I say fortunately because we walked over to Carnaby Street and there was a store devoted to only Barbour clothing for men.
Not only did they have Kevin’s size they also had it in the blue colour that he really wanted, The best part, however, was that it was £90 cheaper than the same coat at Liberty.
We continued to walk through Carnaby Street and throughly enjoyed being tourists.
It was a great way to end our trip. After returning to our flat we started to pack up a few things and brought some of our leftovers over to our daughter-in-law, Azadeh, and we had a couple of new picture books for Sevin. Azadeh made us a wonderful farewell dinner. Unfortunately our son, Brendan had to work late tonight. He will drop by early tomorrow morning before our Uber arrives to take us to the airport.
Good-bye London. We had a great time and hopefully we’ll be back soon.
…when there’s no TV you have time to read and make art
For this trip I brought one novel (close to 600 pages) and a small pad of paper, watercolours and a few pens.
Very relaxing and it’s gearing me up to paint when I get home.
…..as of today we managed to take in two castles, the Amboise Châteaux Royal and the Château Royal de Blois
Visiting both castles required taking trains from Tours. The actual trips took about 30 to 40 minutes unless the train was delayed because there were too many bicycles on board. Yes that’s a thing apparently. The conductor refused to let the train continue until some of the bikes were removed or properly stored. Our last trip back to Tours took an hour. I’ve never seen so many people run as they left the train trying to catch their connecting train.
We have been very lucky with the weather since arriving in Tours. Our first castle trip was to Amboise and it felt like summer. We started out in an outdoor café got a bite to eat and then made our way through the old town to the entrance of the Château Royal.
The caste’s foundation was started in the 4th century by the Celts and over the medieval period the rights to the fortress was disputed between the counts of Anjou and Blois. In the 1400s the château was confiscated by the crown and became a place for all the Valois and Bourbon Kings to live, play and raise their families.
The style of the castle was greatly inspired by the artistic vitality of the Italian artists of the period. They were invited to Amboise and together with French tastes the Early French Renaissance was created.
One of my favourite parts of the Château Royal in Amboise was the garden.
The Gardens of Amboise…..to be continue
….in France most of the trees are blossoming
…..Happy Easter everyone
….I know there are bigger trees in the world
This Lebanese pine is growing in the middle of the city in Tours, France. It sits on the grounds of the Musée des Beaux Arts. It is so large that some of the lower branches have to be held up with upright logs that have been secured to the ground.
…..thanks to Lens Artist Challenge for the Bokeh challenge https://photographias.wordpress.com/2022/04/09/lens-artists-challenge-bokeh/
Bokeh means blurring and a photo with the main subject in focus and the background blurred is an example of Bokeh.
Today I practised this technique at the gardens of the Chateau Royal in Amboise.
Mama Cormier 