Thabk you, Julie and Jane, for this evocative essay. It brought back memories of taking our grandson to New York, which we thoght woukd enthrall him. He was jaded, bored and bratty.
Jul 23, 2023·edited Jul 23, 2023Liked by Jane Ratcliffe
Love this story. I too lived in France when I was in my early twenties, I lived in the Dordogne but visited Paris often. When my son was 13 and we were visiting my family in London (from our home in Brisbane) I decided I wanted to take him to Paris for a week. I had the opposite expectations; I thought my son, who had to that point only lived at the beach in Southern California and Queensland Australia, would hate Paris. But he instantly fell in love - he was captivated by our little apartment in Montmartre, its French windows opening on to La Place where two old gentlemen sipped grand cafe creme and brandy with their little dogs beside them. He loved Sacre Coeur and the Eiffel Tower, the Batteau Mouches and huge ham and cheese baguette sandwiches, and was intrigued to hear me speak French. He is twenty-five now and always travels to places with a rich history - I like to think that Paris had something to do with that.
This was such a great read! I love the descriptions of Paris combined with the author’s insights and her relationship with Sophie. I laughed when she wrote about having the air come out of her like some deflated balloon lol Made me want to visit! Beautifully written
I know, I want to visit Paris, too. I've been there three times and whilst I appreciate her beauty very much, I never felt her, if that makes sense. But now I want to try again!! And, yes, gorgeous writing. Glad you enjoyed it.
Love the way we try so hard to transfer our joy to our children, when their job is discover their own. I had a similar experience with my daughter in London. The funny thing is, now, 15+ years later, she remembers it with great fondness.
That's a beautiful way to put it: transfer our joy. I've done the same with kids in my life! So glad your daughter remembers London (my fav city!) fondly! Yay!
Thabk you, Julie and Jane, for this evocative essay. It brought back memories of taking our grandson to New York, which we thoght woukd enthrall him. He was jaded, bored and bratty.
Haha. I know this feeling well!!
Love this story. I too lived in France when I was in my early twenties, I lived in the Dordogne but visited Paris often. When my son was 13 and we were visiting my family in London (from our home in Brisbane) I decided I wanted to take him to Paris for a week. I had the opposite expectations; I thought my son, who had to that point only lived at the beach in Southern California and Queensland Australia, would hate Paris. But he instantly fell in love - he was captivated by our little apartment in Montmartre, its French windows opening on to La Place where two old gentlemen sipped grand cafe creme and brandy with their little dogs beside them. He loved Sacre Coeur and the Eiffel Tower, the Batteau Mouches and huge ham and cheese baguette sandwiches, and was intrigued to hear me speak French. He is twenty-five now and always travels to places with a rich history - I like to think that Paris had something to do with that.
That's so wonderful, Louise! I'm sure you're right. How could Paris not open his heart to the richness of the world!
This was such a great read! I love the descriptions of Paris combined with the author’s insights and her relationship with Sophie. I laughed when she wrote about having the air come out of her like some deflated balloon lol Made me want to visit! Beautifully written
I know, I want to visit Paris, too. I've been there three times and whilst I appreciate her beauty very much, I never felt her, if that makes sense. But now I want to try again!! And, yes, gorgeous writing. Glad you enjoyed it.
Love the way we try so hard to transfer our joy to our children, when their job is discover their own. I had a similar experience with my daughter in London. The funny thing is, now, 15+ years later, she remembers it with great fondness.
That's a beautiful way to put it: transfer our joy. I've done the same with kids in my life! So glad your daughter remembers London (my fav city!) fondly! Yay!