So many things contribute to the tapestry of the French experience. The lilting French language that is the background noise of life here. The loamy smell of the terroir in wine country. The familiar church bells, or the unexpected clip-clop of horses passing though our village on a lazy afternoon.
And then there are the visuals: those weathered, quirky, French doors and windows, each different, wearing the mark of time or the touch of a casual, inadvertently stylish hand.
I can't help but collect photos of them, to remember and treasure. I'm always sorry if I take a walk in France without my camera at the ready.
This week, a collection of doors. Another day, we'll take a peek through some French windows. And I'm betting, dear readers who know this country, that you've snapped one or two in your travels as well.
The mystery and romance of Old French lace
A cheerful barn door, with les fleurs
Can you guess where this door leads?
Perfect patina
Nobody home?
A Parisian classic
The soft blue of Provence
The kitchen door of our friends Pete and Dee's house in Burgundy
...and Dee's sister Maggie's pretty rendition of it.
In the COMMENTS: Paul, I understand! this is not a political blog, and I did some soul-searching before I waded in last week (and in this post before the election). But in a week like no other, I just couldn't bring myself to write a perky French post and not mention a thing about the seismic shift in my own country. My conscience wouldn't let me. But now, back to all thing French and southern.
I really appreciated all of the thoughtful comments, including dissenting ones, thank you all so much for weighing in. They are interesting and worth a read for all. And those of you who speak French, pay close attention to Nicole's comment and her funny and deliberate misspelling: Il est important de ne pas se trumper...
RE our Burgundy overview, if you want an excellent little Burgundy vacation by means of a great video, check out this link, which David Watson, a fellow Burgundy expat, sent us by way of Facebook. An aerial view of Burgundy wine country, It really captures the beauty of the place.
