Weekend in the City

I spend this weekend in Amsterdam with a good friend. It was so good. Let me tell you about my friend and I. We have absolutely no shame when it comes to taking tourist photos. Since we are both tourists (in my opinion, even though I have been living here since September, I am still a tourist) we find no shame is getting extremely snap happy around the city. Yep. We are those people taking photos of ourselves pointing at signs (see below) and taking photos of our soup (again, see below) and we have no problem with taking funny photos in mirrors and windows. My Dutchie friends often get a little embarrassed by my tourist ways! It was good to share a couple of days with a fellow tourist.
Since my friend and I adore good cappuccinos and chats, we visited the Starbucks concept store. Amazing. Love that place. I could happily stay there forever. Maybe I should drop out of University and spend my life lovingly making cups of coffee for people. I love how you can meet new people and have such good conversations over a cup of coffee.
Hope y'all had a good weekend.

Paris Leftovers

My first visit to Paris with The Thinker

 
My first visit to Paris was back in High School. I was 16 and about to enter into my final two years where I would complete an A level in Art. Art has always had a strong hold on my life. I am a sensitive soul. I am that person who may well tear up in the middle of the Tate or Louvre. As a child I have precious memories of watching my grandfather paint. When I would arrive at my grandparents home in Bath, England, for the summer holidays my Granddad would pass me a sketchbook and smile. "That had better be full by the end of the week" he would say. I remember walking in the woods with him and sketching the trees and hills. I remember sitting at his easel on their lawn, looking down the beautiful valley and learning about perspective. My talented mother also sculpts - her vision inspires me and her work amazes me. I like the idea of creating something. I love that we are co creators with God. God created us to be creative. I remember an artist once telling me, "if you don't create it, the world will never have it". We all have unique skills that mean that no two people will create the same thing. That is a beautiful thing.
Over Spring Break when I returned to Paris for the first time in almost six years, one thing was non-negotiable - I had to go back to Musee de l'Orangerie. The large Monet lily pads captivated me back in High School and I just had to see them again. So, on my final morning in the city, I ditched parted company with my friend Laura for a couple of hours. It was worth it.
This weekend I was watching Midnight in Paris under the stars in our local Market Square on large screen. There was a moment in the movie when the characters visit de l'Orangerie. I gasped. The paintings get me, even when they are in a movie. My friend beside me sighed. He said he didn't get it. But that is ok. We are all free to be moved by different things. We all see beauty differently.
Here are some left over snaps of Paris. This will be my last post on my trip. Promise.