Thanks for the Memories



Springtime
1996.

Being in Paris
for the first time
with someone I love
truly, madly, deeply

(even after we've been together for
more than two weeks already,
driving all over Italy
and France, having a great time
even though everyone said
that more than three weeks
of constant togetherness
would make us both crazy )




Romance.

Sidewalk cafés and wonderful little restaurants.

Staying at The Royal Monceau,
dining in the restaurant there
and stealing sideways glances
at Omar Sharif and his two lady companions,
both elegantly dressed and of a certain age.

Being delighted that the French
were so friendly
despite my rusty French language skills
and the many holes in my vocabulary.

(I could make myself understood in the present tense --
at least most of the time --
be polite, and order food for both of us.
Merci beaucoup
Mrs. Fletcher, Ms. Smith, and Mrs. Forrest,
you taught me well.)




History.


Art.



Musée d'Orsay on Mother's Day
when I know the kids
are safe at home in
Seattle's suburbs
with a responsible nanny,
knowing that they weren't
too freaked out about the earthquake
I just knew would happen while we were gone,
the one that rattled dishes in the cupboards
and made the chandelier swing
but didn't break anything.

(And to my friends, who thought I was being
a neurotic mommy when I told them that
yes, I was excited about the trip
but I was really worried about the kids
because there was going to be an earthquake
while we were gone:
I told you so.)




A stroll along the Seine,
seeing the young couple
stealing a kiss in the shadows,
trusting that love would last forever.

Maybe for them it did.

But at least I have wonderful memories
of Paris in spring
and Musée d'Orsay on Mother's Day.


Comments

HeartFire said…
Meri, a lovely post, one that I relate to... similar for me only 20 years before that. And we saw Omar Sharif too making a film with Julie Andrews on the streets of Paris... lovely memories of a time that was
Anonymous said…
1996. I was in Paris for the first time. But I was with a friend, not with my love.

I am still waiting to go back there and experience the romance of the city with the love of my life.
Judy Wise said…
Beautiful post. Romance. Paris. Ahhh...
rebecca said…
amazing how memories live in our pores forever,
waiting for a certain texture in the air, a strand of words from a certain song, the way the light falls across a distant horizon....
igniting in us
a chance to live again and again moments riveted to our hearts.

thanks...
Bee said…
I had a similar experience in Paris -- with my husband! I remember waiting for him in a cafe; how excited I felt. Your post conjures up all of those heady feelings.

Memory seems to be the theme of the day, doesn't it?
UBERMOUTH said…
Why do they say Paris is so romantic? Surely, Venice is moreso?
Lovely pics.
Delwyn said…
Lovely memories to cherish Meri.
Funny how that school girl french can lie dormant and them come back to life many years later.
Love can too...
Jelica said…
Beautiful post, Meri. I guess nothing beats romance in Paris, for some reason.
ELK said…
magical memories to share ~
Meri said…
Yes to all of you -- Paris is magical, whether or not you see Omar Sharif like HeartFire and I did.

Kamana, you need to plan the trip to Paris with the love of your life. I recommend Midsummer Night, when Paris is a non-stop party with music on almost every corner (at least on the Boul San Mich).

Rebecca and Bee -- memories do seem to be the theme. It's because they are so magical, stored inside until something unleashes them and they come back to us.

We all need magic. And even though Hubby is married to someone else now, I will forever be grateful to him for that amazing trip to Venice, Tuscany, Cinque Terre, the south of France, the Loire Valley and of course Paris. It was simply incomparable.

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