Tuesday, July 31, 2012

30 minutes away from my kitchen


Yesterday I took my kids to the Jardin des Tuileries. Maybe one of the most beautiful places on earth. 
Have you seen the movie Diva, by Jean-Jacques Beineix? I used to love this movie when I was a teenager, and the scene at the Tuileries is a pure marvel.


So there we were. Swann was digging the durt with his little sand shovel, and Florina was slumped on a bench that people pay a fortune just to sit on. They come from all over the world. You can tell by the look in their eyes that they think Paris is magnificent.






At the funfair, teenagers were going on some crazy attractions, things that throw you high in the air and then turn you upside down and then keep you there, hanging for seconds that must feel like eternity. They were screaming so loud they probably lost their voices up there, somewhere between the rooftops on rue de Rivoli and the blue sky. At first I thought: you must be insane to want to go there and actually enjoy it. And then I realized that it surely helps teenagers get their frustrations out, it's actually very healthy and I should have gone up there myself when I was their age (I did cigarettes instead).

Looking at the ferris wheel, it reminded me of one of the first dates I had with Earl, and he wanted us to go up there and I said I was scared, and he called me a chicken (which I am, and also I have vertigo). I said I would go for my 35th birthday and I still haven't. Maybe next year, who knows. Now Florina wants to go with me, too. I'm trapped.




And then 30 minutes later, I was in my kitchen making dinner. Deep inside, I know how lucky I am, because this city, well, this is my home and I can't tell with words how much I love it.

3 comments:

Round Circles said...

Hello Anabelle,je suis si contente de te lire à nouveau et de voir que vous allez tous bien.Oui ce que tu décris du jardin des Tuileries est si juste!C'est un de mes lieux préférés à Paris(avec le jardin d'acclimatation)...mais je ne connais pas tout Paris:cette ville est une vraie mine d'or.Il faut savoir être patient et curieux pour en dénicher chaque pépite.Je suis d'ailleurs preneuse de choses à faire avec des enfants à Paris cet été car on ne part pas beaucoup cette année.

Je t'embrasse et te dit à très vite.

French Cannes Cannes said...

I feel the same way every time I walk over a bridge and look out over the Seine...we are so lucky!

Round Circles said...

Je t'envoie de douces pensées ,ainsi qu'à ta grande qui n'est plus qu'à quelques jours de sa grande rentrée au collège!
Bises
Nora