and of course beauty: Paris

And of course beauty: the beauty that was for him the link between the ships and the woods and the poems. He remembered as though it were but a few days ago that winter night, himself too young even to know the meaning of beauty, when he had looked up at a delicate tracery of bare black branches against the icy glittering stars: suddenly something that was, all at once, pain and longing and adoring had welled up in him, almost choking him. He had wanted to tell someone, but he had no words, inarticulate in the pain and glory. It was long afterwards that he realized that it had been his first aesthetic experience. That nameless something that had stopped his heart was Beauty. - cs lewis

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The Promise of Spring

On the other side of the phone, my sister was telling me about another impending snow storm around Washington, DC and how she's grown weary of the perpetual chill, the kind she said remained in her bones throughout the day like a nasty itch. As much as I'd love to experience Paris under a magical blanket of snow, I very much understand her longing for warmer sunnier days too...

So for my sister and to you other warriors of winter who have simply had enough of the cold and ice, and are beginning to daydream of waking up to the sweet smell of Spring, these tulips and ray of sunlight are for you...

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A Morning of Modern Art: Centre Georges Pompidou

Where does the artwork begin and where does it end at the Centre Georges Pompidou, 

my older son asked. It's like one giant sprawling work of art...

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Snowfall In Paris

From my apartment window, I watched a light drizzle fall over the city while below Parisians went about their daily business without giving the raindrops much notice. Not a single umbrella among them, they adaptated over the years to the wintry conditions of perpetual powdery grey skies followed by rain followed by a slant of sunlight and then repeated.

I was wondering when I'd be so blasé about walking in the rain when I noticed it began to fall a little harder, the city folk quickened their pace and the energy changed. Raindrops intermingled with small flecks of white and before long giant snowflakes draped the landscape. In an instant, the sky was a magnificent spray of white. Excuse my gushing, but this was my first witness of a real-ish snowfall in Paris, it was like seeing snow for the first time!

I have a feeling Parisians would deny it ever snowed. After all, it didn't stick, there was hardly a trace afterwards and it left as quickly as it came... but it did, it really snowed for the most magical twenty minutes - and I have photos to prove it ;)

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