2. Fenocchio ice cream. Where else are you going to find weird flavors like cactus, vanilla-rose-cracked pepper, ginger, violet, dragibus, avocado, and chili chocolate?
Not to mention that they're actually all delicious. Can't go wrong, no matter how weird it sounds. 3. The Mediterranean. Dad and I went to the beach today and swam in its clear, turquoise wonderfulness. It was lovely. If only my skin absorbed color better...
4. Salade chèvre chaud. That's warm goat cheese salad. Sounds weird, but is actually delicious. Of course, no little toasts for me, but I'm always up for some warm chèvre on a bed of mixed greens with fresh tomatoes and vinaigrette. Yum.
5. Joan Miró. This one's called "The Bather." The color's not great here, but I was absolutely struck by the depth of the hue when I saw it in the Pompidou Center. I know, too, that it looks like child's play. Especially looking at 20th century art, we're often tempted to say, "Psht, I could have made that!" Ahh, my good friend, but you didn't think to! Often the meaning of the work lies in its very simplicity.
6. This quote from Chagall:
Un vase debout n'existe pas, il faut qu'il tombe pour prouver qu'il est stable.
That is to say, "An upright vase doesn't existe; only its fall can prove that it is stable." I'm not quite sure what that means, but I sense that, metaphorically speaking, it is true.
Also, it's probably time to change the title of my blog: I've only got another two and a half days in France (what?!) and then I am off to Cambridge for summer study.
Dear France,
You have been so good to me. I have been so extraordinarily well-fed, I have seen so many beautiful places and works of art, I have spoken your beautiful tongue, I have walked your streets at all hours (which are sometimes quite filthy, but for that I forgive you), I have danced in your streets at the Fête de la Musique, I have put my feet in the seas that surround you, I have learned to drive your cars, I have profited from your public transportation (but also been quite maddened by it. Could you stop the strikes and the suicides and the technical problems? I guess that's really out of your control).
In short, I have quite fallen for you all over again. Can I come back, and very soon? I will miss you terribly when I leave.
Yours,
Grace
