Here’s to “Joie de Vivre”❣️

We just returned to Madison from a two week escapade to London and Paris, our first international trip since the pandemic.  Oh, my.  It was filled with all the “Joie de Vivre” elements I love about travel, and life:

⋅great food,⋅beauty, art, fashion, ⋅wonderful people, ⋅inspiration,                                               ⋅whimsy and spontaneity        

Here are a few highlights:

 In London:  🇬🇧 

♦ “Operation Mincemeat,” a clever, exuberant musical about a true World War II intelligence operation.  The musical recently opened on Broadway and is one of the nominees for the Tony Award of “Best New Musical on Broadway.”

♦ Taking a morning tour of the Chelsea Soccer Stadium and then later that night having  fish and chips at a local pub with lots of local boisterous fans watching the Chelsea soccer match being played in that very same stadium!

♦ The Chelsea Flower Show—WOW!  So many ideas, so many flowers, so many garden inspirations, so much beauty, even a dog-friendly garden, complete with tennis ball nestled in the grass, created by Monty Don of the British television series “Gardeners’ World.”  

♦ Classic Afternoon Tea at the Wolseley with traditional finger sandwiches, cakes and scones with clotted cream and jam, shared with friends from Minnesota.

♦ Fabric shopping at The Liberty Store which is celebrating its 150 year anniversary! (and where I bought a scarf over 60 years ago!!) 

In Paris:🇫🇷

♦The David Hockney Exhibition, with over 400 of his works, at the Louis Vuitton Foundation, followed by a picnic of French cheese and baguettes in the surrounding park with friends from Carmel Valley!  

♦Visiting the rebuilt and renovated Notre Dame Cathedral, a marvel of human devotion and hard work and a beloved landmark that welcomes over 10,000 visitors each day.  

♦ Lunch with friends from France at Bistrot Vivienne with a petit gourmand dessert plate of traditional French sweets, followed by a “pop-up” opportunity to swing dance with other couples in front of the nearby Palais Royal, which we did!

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And then there were all of the unexpected joys—like the small bands and choirs that would just appear in a park or in front of a store, cafe life where sitting and having a cafe noisette and croissant and people-watching could take an hour or two or more, clothes/hat shopping at the open-air Bastille Market, and one of our favorites: a little boy in the Palais Royal park walking around a small flower bush and smelling every single blossom while his mother, and we, watched and smiled.💓

What a gift to experience international travel again with all of its joys, both big and small, and all of its inspiration and “Joie de Vivre❣️”  

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                       “Do remember they can’t cancel the spring.”—David Hockney

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