I think I could talk for days about why I love France and where this love originated. I've always been enchanted by the iconic Eiffel Tower, for example. I know many people share this enchantment, so that's not exactly original of me. Oh well!
One thing that is a little more original is my love of lavender. Not only do I adore the fragrance of lavender, but it has always been my favorite color (just ask my mom who labored to find just the right shade for my walls when I got my very first, very own room). I will walk in a field of lavender in the French countryside before I die. I hope.
Of course, it almost goes without saying that the French know how to enjoy their cafe. This is a lovely old photograph from 1925 of two girls doing what girls do best -- chatting over a cup of joe. They just happen to be in Paris! The only thing that has changed seems to be the clothes (and aren't we the poorer for it? Look at those hats and shoes!).
And here we have the inimitable Palace of Versailles. I must have a thing for castles! No culture in the world can do elegance and grandeur like the French, and I can't wait for a chance to experience the height of that grandeur in person by visiting Versailles.
In the mood to fall in love with France? One of the cornerstones of my own love of France came back in the 80's, when my sister Katie and I watched the TV mini-series "Napoleon and Josephine: A Love Story." I don't know if it was actually the life of Napoleon that was so compelling, or whether it was the way Armand Assante played him (ooh-la-la!), but I've been captivated by Napoleonic history -- and the country he was so passionate about -- ever since. Apparently you can only buy the DVD from private sellers online, but keep your eye out for it, since lots of tv series are now coming out on DVD!
Armand, je t'aime!
6 comments:
If you need a volunteer to go with you, I'm it!!! Since Christopher refuses to fly, I either have to go places by myself or find someone to go with me. You can go anywhere you like, just dump me off at the Louvre and pick me up a week later. :) I have to add another reason to love France. I know you probably wouldn't have minded if we had lost the American Revoluion - we'd be speaking with an English accent right now, which I know would rock your world. But, I have to extend some love to the French for coming to our aid and helping us defeat the lobsters. That alone is enough reason to love France forever. That, and that awesome miniseries! We have to find a copy of that somewhere!!!
Actually, the American Revolution is the one period in time for which I can suspend my obsessive anglophilia! Yeah, scratch the surface here and you actually have a Patriot!
It's just that we were so clearly in the right, and England was so clearly abusing us. But hey, no country is perfect, though England comes very close in my estimation (just the literature they've produced earns them near-perfection with me).
So I guess I should say:
Vive la France!
God save the Queen! and
God bless the USA!
Is it acceptable to say I hate the French but love France? Katie, even tho' I don't know you as well as B, you and I could do a week at the Louvre together while B goes off to sniff lavender and tour castles. Sound good? :)
I'm not sure if that sounds necessarily complimentary...I get this image of me smoking rolled-up lavender and touring castles while hopped up. But that would be rather French, wouldn't it? :)
Kate, I am totally in! Are you an art lover, too? I'm just dying to see Nike of Samothrace (and about a million other artworks) up close and in person! I will be so ecstatic when I graduate with my art history degree in the spring!
Katie,
I never studied art, as you did (tho' I'd love to) but my parents are both buffs and imparted their love to their children (unwilling as we were back in the day). My favorite artist is J.M.W.Turner, and at least one of his is in the Louvre, I hear, but I really want to see some of the sculptures there.
If I ever win tickets, I'll let you know! :)
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