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| Jules, Sue and David at St. Paul de Vence |
Re-entry. After two weeks in the south of France, I’m back in Houston, back at my job and recovered from the 20 hour trip home. While I was gone my husband re-arranged and/or switched out all the furniture in the house including my office. He’s a brilliant architect and interior designer so this isn’t quite a weird as it sounds. Still, there’s a surreal quality to returning to find a different house from the one I left.
And yet, I too change whenever I travel abroad. The people I meet, things I do, places I see alter my perspective in large and small ways. This time I came back wanting to walk places like I had in France. Luckily Houston’s weather has cooled from its 100+ degree summer highs and walking is actually pleasant. Yesterday I walked three blocks to the Uptown Park shopping area at lunch for the first time, braving the Loop 610 underpass and aggressive traffic. Today, I’m considering walking the five blocks to Target to buy a birthday card. In a city where nobody walks, I feel oddly free—thankfully, since my husband has to use my car while his is in the shop.
Perhaps this weekend, I’ll explore my neighborhood on foot for the first time since spring, walk to Rice Village for coffee or to shop. So many choices in this fine weather. Just like Monaco or Nice or our little French village of Plan de la Tour!
How have your travels—near or far--changed your perspective?
3 comments:
Hi, Lark,
I fell for recently picked carrots in Ireland. Since then, I've sworn off the baby-carrots-that-really-aren't sold here in favor of organically grown carrots in an amount I'll use up within three or four days. Oh, and I long for a cup of French press coffee right this minute.
Missed the carrots in Ireland but my husband still talks about the multigrain soda bread we had at a little cafe in the village near our house. At least FRench coffee is an easy find here. It's the sidewalk cafe that's always missing.
A trip to France sounds wonderful! I have never been. In fact, it has been far too long since I’ve been abroad. But my husband has afforded me several week trips away to write. I relish this time and always come back refreshed and feeling more connected with the world around me, if that makes sense.
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