30 Jan Travel Diary
I’m writing this from the airport, still a few hours from home after two months of travel.
It started with a month-long stay in Italy. Italy the refined, the elegant, the plentiful: art, music, architecture, design, clothes, food, wine, culture, ambiance, smell of coffee, of fresh-baked bread, and the language, a pure delight. I can still hear my girlfriend saying: “Don’t forget to mention the gelatoooo!!”
I will long remember fabulous Siena and its lively pedestrian streets, the majestic Cathedral of Santa Maria Asunta, the vibrant ochres of the architecture, constant reminders of the ones on my palette when I paint.
Then onto the charms of Rome’s great squares and streets, their constant bustle of life, smells, colors, history. Rome the magnificent.
And Venice! Romantic city with multi-colored houses, a maze of narrow walkways, streets, a lacework of canals and humpback bridges.
We then met up with our daughter, a university student in vibrant and charming Bologna. We wandered around for week, blending in with the locals, sipping lattes or enjoying fabulous Aperol Spritz at all hours of the day or night.
After this thrilling month-long adventure in Italy, we flew to Mexico for a laid-back and peaceful retreat in La Manzanilla, a charming little coastal town in Jalisco state. Three weeks of rest, reflection, meditation and yoga on the Pacific Ocean. The perfect time for looking to my future creations, for sketching and discussing with Hélène.
We finally ended this journey by a week in Mexico City. Change of tempo? Really? A total shock! A frenzied Mexico City was waiting for us: crowded streets, cars backfiring, revving up, honking, outdoor markets, breathtakingly beautiful parks, museums, boutiques, cafés, bars, unassuming little eateries. Tantalizing choices all around, delight at every turn!
I’m happy to be heading back home. I feel rested. So many images in my head. So many ideas for creation. This extended moment of reflection, without touching my tools has made me very aware of the pleasure I have in creating. I can’t wait to
go into my workshop and touch clay, unfurl canvas and finally hold my brushes once again…
