I WANT YOU......!!! PERSPECTIVE OF A PERSONAL BLOG SITE

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A series of essays.....

I WANT YOU.....DEAR READER!!!

......as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes


One year ago this week, my Blog, Moving On, 2013, began.  The hoopla and enthusiasm surrounding its birth was centered directly on the joy and unequivocal excitement that is derived from visiting people within their own habitats, culture and society.  This joy of life was then, gratefully, shared with you.....through my eyes!

When 2013 slipped into 2014, admittedly, I was still riding the 'high' of recently having returned from one of the most spectacular and eye-opening trips to the Wild West Coast of Ireland.  Having stood at the base of an 'Holy Icon,' Croagh Patrick, in County Mayo, to climbing up toward the heavens on the peak of Diamond Hill, Benbaun at 2,400 feet, in the heart of Connemara National Park, my heart soared with new insights and indubitable Love!

This was a new year and Moving On, 2014 had to roll with the changes, so.....included in my blog were stories, essays, if you will, about people, places and things that have greatly influenced my life, past and present.  Along this journey, I had hoped to learn so much via my research and, I certainly have, as well as been able to pass this insight on to you in an entertaining and humorous fashion.  Hopefully, I was able to achieve the latter more often than not!?!

At the end of my first year of consistent (weekly) blogging, I'm still only half way up the learning curve when it comes to effectively utilizing social media and tweaking it to my advantage.  As a human being, feedback in any form, positive or negative, is helpful in determining the success of our endeavors and whether or not it is advantageous to continue in a certain direction.  As a writer, ideas, words, sentences and phrases will always continue to flow like the waters of a mountain stream and be written down with much love and patience in order to soothe an aching desire, an ancient need...with or without those who read them!

However, who is a performer without an audience or, a teacher without students, a challenge minus stimulating competition?  Bouncing our thoughts and ideas off of others in order to gain unlimited perspectives has historically been helpful towards innovative growth in general, political agendas and, artists of all sources of mediums and levels of magnitudes.  Social media has encouraged artists to 'hawk their wears,' so to speak, offer their talents and aggressively peddle their 'goods' for sale and/or consumption on a street call Mainstream Avenue.

As I stand here on 'M' Avenue, crunching autumn leaves beneath my rubber soles and blowing party horns while throwing colorful confetti in celebration of my first anniversary....my words bounce and echo off of the brick walls of the tall buildings surrounding me.  This sound reminds me that my ideas are not always escaping beyond the brick and mortar; advancing beyond my 'realm of dreams' by riding on the sound waves created by Facebook and Twitter.  What is needed to create the enthusiasm required to expand and to grow stronger?  I am so asking your help with this one!

Moving On, 2015 is fast approaching, advancing like a herd of wild buffalo on the open plains, kicking up dust and debris in its wake.  Even though I am not prepared to relinquish 2014 and believe deeply and gratefully in the 78 Likes my 'Blog Page' (Jackie.thetravelingkeyboard) on Facebook has generated this rookie year, I know I can do even more.  All of my 'Faithfuls,' as I like to call those who consistently read, like or comment on, my blog, mean the world to me!  Without your encouragement I would be nothing.  Thank you, always....

By the end of 2014 and, certainly, by the beginning of next year, I want to 'turn it up a notch' by generating more of my Faithfuls who, in turn, will help to generate even more by sharing and talking about Moving On.  I believe in my writing.  I trust in the common sense and down to earth attitudes I employ when approaching my stories for your consumption and entertainment.  Like every good performer, teacher and artist in general, I take my work seriously enough to induce and promote your heated desire, as a reader, to stick with me....just one story longer......!

Sincerely,

Jackie Hughes

Copyright © 2014 By Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved

FALLING IN LOVE ALL OVER AGAIN...!

A series of essays.....

A Colorful Selection of Fruits and Vegetables from a French Farmer's Market

.....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes


Hey, I met a girl.  I've only known her for a few weeks now.  I think I'm in love.  Yes.  It could be love....after all of these long and lonely years.

Her name is Rachel.  It's funny because the only other person I can think of right now with this name is Rachel Ray.  And, I've never liked Rachel Ray, at all.  So, this puts 'name associations' aside.  It always fascinated me how some people could dislike certain names because they associated them with an individual they didn't care for.  I like the name Rachel....just not Rachel Ray!

Anyway, my Rachel is beautiful, quite the visionary and intelligent in a most appealing way.  Gotta love her, you know!! 

And, what a body.....I mean lean, healthy curved in all the right places!  Wow!  It's obvious that she takes good care of herself.

And, most importantly, she LISTENS to me!  I mean, you just don't get this from every 'pretty' face you meet, now, do you?  No, it takes a special person to make you feel good about yourself.....she is, well, amazing is the best word I can come up with to describe her.  If I have a question about anything.....she'll have an appropriate, compelling answer for me.

Yep, the all-around perfect woman from what I can tell.

I'm kind of a passionate person myself, so.....when I first listened to what Rachel had to say, I was attracted to every word, hook, line and sinker: "Hello!  I'm Rachel......  My passion is sharing real food ideas that are fun, simple and delicious.  I love people (including me?) and hearing how others are eating more clean food, too!"

Her full name is Rachel Maser who is the mother of four and the creator and host of Clean Food Crush, at www.cleanfoodcrush.com and we met on Facebook several weeks ago.  That's when I fell in love.....

......That's when I fell in love with ME all over again, because of Rachel!!!

Berry Smoothie with Whey 
Protein Powder
 

This is the best way to describe the term 'clean food' or, 'clean eating' to you.  "The soul of clean eating is consuming food in its most natural state, or as close to it as possible. It is not a diet; it is a lifestyle approach to food and its preparation, leading to an improved life – one meal at a time."





Additional gems of wisdom by The Clean Eating Team include:


EAT FIVE TO SIX TIMES PER DAY:
Three meals and two to three small snacks. Include a lean protein, plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, and a complex carbohydrate with each meal. This keeps your body energized and burning calories efficiently all day long.

DRINK AT LEAST TWO LITERS OF WATER A DAY:
Preferably from a reusable canteen, not plastic; we’re friends of the environment here! Limit your alcohol intake to one glass of antioxidant-rich red wine a day.

GET LABEL SAVVY:
Clean foods contain just one or two ingredients. Any product with a long ingredient list is human-made and not considered clean.

AVOID PROCESSED AND REFINED FOODS:
This includes white flour, sugar, bread and pasta. Enjoy complex carbs such as whole grains instead.

KNOW THY ENEMIES:
Steer clear of anything high in saturated and trans fats, anything fried or anything high in sugar.

SHOP WITH A CONSCIENCE:
Consume humanely raised and local meats.

CHOOSE ORGANIC WHENEVER POSSIBLE:
If your budget limits you, make meat, eggs, dairy and the Dirty Dozen your organic priorities.

CONSUME HEALTHY FATS:
Try to have essential fatty acids, or EFAs, every day.

LEARN ABOUT PORTION SIZES:
Work towards eating within them.
Author's Note: We can all learn from the French on this one.  Food there is always meant to be savored, not OVERSIZED.

REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT:
Eat produce that is seasonal and local. It is less taxing on your wallet and our environment.

SLOW DOWN AND SAVOR:
Never rush through a meal. Food tastes best when savored. Enjoy every bite!

TAKE IT TO GO:
Pack a cooler for work or outings so you always have clean eats on the go.

MAKE IT A FAMILY AFFAIR:
Food is a social glue that should be shared with loved ones. Improve the quality of your family’s life along with your own.


These truly are fantastic rules to live by: Simple, easy and clean!

Clean Veggie Plate with Eggs

My husband and I are in this together and, we've never felt more comfortable or positive about an eating regime.  We believe it's all about going back to the basics....how simple is that?  Before there was pop (So sorry, fellow-Floridians, it's soda for you!), ugly chips in a can, or 'Big Bucks' to be made by a few under the auspices of 'fast-food convenience,' there were family gardens in the back yard, canning foods for winter consumption and water was the first drink of choice.

Curry and Coconut Chicken
with Sweet Potatoes

We can do it again.  We can break this modern cycle of greed and self-indulgence as we open ourselves up to healthier, cleaner possibilities in foods.  Yes, eat organically if possible however, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and the like aside, more and more of our national grocery chains are incorporating GreenWise products (Publix Brand) into the mainstream and making 'buying clean' more affordable and convenient, especially within the inner city and   walking distance for most people.  I urge you to check-out your own neighborhood family markets.

Coconut Oil Chicken with Veggies

Next step: Take steps and go for walks together....as a couple, as a family or, all by yourself!  The morning can be the most beautiful and inspiring time of your day!  Bring along your camera of choice and document the sights around you.  You will be amazed by the pureness and stark intensity of the light surrounding you....

Thank you, Rachel.  What more can be said? 

Rachel's followers are growing in numbers by the day, hour and minute.  We are asking questions such as, "What is the difference between steel-cut oatmeal and rolled oats?"  Do you know?  And, we are getting answers.  Knowledge is wonderful!  We are learning to think about what goes into our bodies and if it will keep us healthy or make us sick.  If we wish to be healthy....then we are taking the beginning steps towards loving ourselves enough to be able to treat our bodies and souls to the clean, healthy lifestyle they deserve!

Check-out Rachel for yourself.....you just might fall-in-love all over again.



Rachel Maser

Rachel Maser, Clean Food Crush
www.cleanfoodcrush.com











Copyright © 2014 By Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved

BEYOND THE GRIEVING WELL.....

 A Personal Tribute To A Special Friend...

Dan's Chalk Drawing of Brulee Dated Early 2001

Was it just yesterday morning when time stopped as we have known it for the past fourteen years?  Yes.....

I am suspended within a transparent bubble filled with my own salty tears and supported by the undissolved particles of loss...grief...despair. 

Outside of this bubble the world resembles a Dali dream scape complete with melting clocks and swarming ants where The Persistence of Memory is beating, beating, beating its chorus into my saddened heart.

A well-intentioned gift from Family designed to fill yet another void, this furry, black and white creature bore into my soul upon first sight.  With 'Baby' nails clicking along pink porcelain tiles and sharp, tiny teeth shredding hems of jeans....he opened the 'heart door' and slammed it firmly shut behind him!

Weekend powwow provided his name when our youngest combined my Francophile tendencies with his stark coloring of black and white.  So, Crème Brûlée, he was christened, Bru, for short; Mr. Brûlée, when I seriously required his immediate attention...

Funny how the smallest details rise to the surface: Holding him tight when they drew his blood at the Vet's; watching him interact for the first time with our grandchildren; chasing him around the family room couch until he would stop, turn and chase us within a hail of laughter and heavy breathing on our part...

Brûlée, our Florida Child, shaking in wonder when discovering ice and snow for the very first time. I don't believe he felt comfortable traversing this crystalline landscape.....ever!  Perhaps he just sympathized with his human parents?

He need not worry!  The tiny lizards he loved to hunt and prey on for hours within the heat of an Orlando afternoon, existed for his pleasure....or, so he believed.  Even with their tiny tails eradicated by their furry hunter, these miniature beasts survived to live another day!

I could go on and on and on.... 

For now, we will jump into our 'well of grief' and slide beneath the leaf-laden surface until body and soul can be purged and cleansed by the saturating and healing waters.  After we have allowed our bodies to sink to its very depth, a world of pebbles and silt, only then can we reverse our course and begin to rise to a brighter surface.

As echoes of his paw steps ring in our ears today and memories of his short, wagging tail brighten tomorrow's horizon, we will arise from the well, dry ourselves off in the Floridian sunshine and concentrate on the future.....

That adorable little face and fourteen years of amazing memories with Brûlée by our side will help us smile again, reflect, aid during this grief and, hopefully, guide us full circle into the healing warmth we need so much to find.

Thank you, Mr. Brûlée!  It was a helluva ride!  ❤    


Dated: Monday, September 22, 2014

Best Gift Ever...!  Best Friend, Always...!

Copyright © 2014 By Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved

WHAT YOU WAITING FOR?

A series of essays.....

"Down the Rabbit Hole" Directed by Tim Burton, 2010

.....as seen through my eyes!


By: Jacqueline E. Hughes


Gwen Stefani.....What You Waiting For?.....popped-up while scrolling through YouTube music videos so, I watched it again.  It had been a  little while since seeing it last and, the storyline behind it is cute, fresh and who doesn't like a good 'Alice down the rabbit hole' theme?  It often equates to my sense of adventure.

It never fails......as humans, whenever milestones approach, we begin to reflect upon the past while viewing what might, or could, lie ahead for us.  Suddenly, the words Inspiration, Writer's Block, Creative Pathways and 'Pay Whenever You're Finished' loom large in my mind.  Adding another year, this month, to a growing list of 'Wedding Anniversaries' will do that to you! 

Did I happen to mention possible 'missed opportunities' in the above list?

Hey, listen!  There are few complaints coming from me on this one considering September has been reserved as our 'major travel month,' especially when including our Anniversary in the mix, and it has served us well throughout the years.  Couple this with the fact that traveling through Europe in September is such a beautiful and enriching experience!

Farmers Bringing In Their Grapes

In France it is harvest time.....the ritual of harvesting the grapes (The Vendanges) for another year of delicious French wines rich in the traditions of Old Family beliefs, as well as youthful and imaginative new blends sporting colorful labels on the bellies of their corked, glass bottles. 

Photo Courtesy of Domaine Rouge Bleu

It was a joy to witness the pride etched onto the farmer's faces via deep-set creases and wrinkles as they pulled their precious crop behind ancient tractors smeared with rust and bits of color.  In The Cave, the grapes are separated and/or mixed according to variety and depending upon which 'blend' each farmer or vintner is looking for.  Near the village of Sablet, a Côtés Du Rhône Villages, and our home for a week in September of 2009, the local wine is made from hand-harvested grapes.  People from all over the world flock to these areas in September to become a part of this ritual filled with spontaneous camaraderie and the pure zest for life or joie de vivre!


Kissing Balloons Over The Loire Valley

September is the perfect time to ride high up in the clouds and sail over the Loire Valley in central France like a bird taking advantage of thermal air currents and updrafts in order to prolong its flight.  Even though we tasted the crisp and fruity wines of this beautiful valley also, our thirtieth Anniversary back in 2003, took us to great heights above the vineyards and the numerous and notable châteaux of the region in the form of a hot-air balloon adventure. 

Replica of First Balloon Aircraft

The first successful, untethered manned flight in a balloon aircraft happened on November 21, 1783 in Paris, France.  Here we were, nearly 220 years later, ensconced within an oversized basket (gondola) with eleven unknown faces (including the pilot) surrounding us, gliding majestically above ancient slate roofs, cows grazing in lush, green fields and treetops so close we could pick the uppermost leaves to bring home as souvenirs!



Solitude and Tranquility

Our evening flight originated in Amboise which lies on the banks of the Loire River and is seventeen miles east of Tours.  After briefly meeting our fellow travelers, we were whisked away in a van as the balloon pilot hung out of the window brandishing a large red flag used to calculate the wind direction.  Stopping occasionally, she would hold the flag high and then direct our driver to the best spot for assembling the hot-air balloon.  Her information was instrumental in pre-guiding the pick-up vehicle to our approximate landing destination based on wind direction, as well as visually chasing our balloon's path.

What struck me most was the solitude of this flight.  Even though there were people around me and occasional bursts from the burner directing a flame into the envelope (balloon) mimicking thermal lift, we were mesmerized by the historical scenery below and the tranquility of balloon flight in general. 

When the sun began to disappear, our expert pilot landed our machine in an open field where we all became a part of 'the ground crew' gathering pools of the deflating nylon envelope in our hands.  We were all as giddy as small school children high on the vapors of pure excitement pulling together to smooth the colorful fabric, fold it into one, long strip and proceed to roll it up as if it were a gigantic sleeping bag.  Working as one unit, we could hear others speaking in German, Italian, Spanish, French, English and more, laughing and enjoying the international company of their fellow travelers.  Was this a fine example of how the people of this world could work and enjoy being together devoid of racial and religious differences?  We were proud to be a part of this moment in time....




Looking For A Spot To Land

Administering high fives amidst a cacophony of wild cheers as our job was completed, our pilot began popping champagne corks from the stash of bottles in the back of the van.  Waiting for everyone to hold their filled champagne flute aloft, a loud, magnificent cheer arose from the darkened field, now pierced by the headlights from the various assembled vans, as we toasted a perfect hot-air balloon flight together.  Each of us was presented with a signed 'certificate of achievement' commemorating our voyage and mutual respect for one another.

Last year, 2013, our September adventure included climbing Benbaun, the highest mountain in the Na Beanna Beola or, the Twelve Bens Mountains of Connemara that span the Wild Western Way along the western coast of Ireland.  This was the most physical and dangerous of all our exciting experiences to date.  However, the bounty of spectacular scenic views gathered from the summit of Benbaun was worth each and every step and rocky foothold it took to reach it!! 

Standing On Top Of The World!!!

I stated once before in an earlier blog entitled, IRELAND: 2013, Mountain, where I described our wild and crazy adventure in Connemara National Park last year, "...the pride and self-
confidence I brought down that mountain with me that day was beyond compare.  Was I humbled?  You betcha..."

The lyrics to Gwen's song, "Life is short, you're capable," reminded me of why we help hand-harvest grapes in the Rhone Valley, glide high above Châteaux Chenonceau in France's Loire Valley and climb the beautiful and rugged mountains along Ireland's Wild West Coast.......

Life is too short not to and because, well, we can!!

I can hardly wait for what is yet to come!  I love September!!

So, what are you waiting for?

Hand-Picking Grapes, Courtesy Domaine Rouge Bleu

Copyright © 2014 By Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved

WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW......? WRITE WHAT YOU FEEL......!

A series of essays......

Claude Monet's Painting Impression, Sunrise

.....as seen through my eyes!


By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

I recently enjoyed watching a July 2010 TED Talks featuring Elif Shafak, a prominent, female Turkish author.  Although she has published books in her native language and has become Turkey's best selling female writer, she has written numerous books in English and is best known for infusing her magical-realist fiction with big, important ideas.  Wikipedia says, "Critics have named her as 'one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary Turkish and world literature'."

Elif Shafak

Many of her brilliant ideas concerning her life's career as a writer and storyteller extraordinaire, were discussed in her TED Talks, however, a specific notion that has become one of the guiding beliefs behind her writing is based upon a famous quote, "Write
what you know.....," often attributed to Ernest Hemingway.  Ms. Shafak clearly disputes the 'literal' meaning behind this concept and, perhaps, (this is exactly why Hemingway used it in the first place). 

Bret Anthony Johnston

We, as thinking and creative human beings, have deeply questioned this concrete writing notion, choosing to believe, "Stories aren't about things.  Stories are things.  Stories aren’t about actions. Stories are, unto themselves, actions." (Quote by Bret Anthony Johnston,  author and Director of creative writing at Harvard University.)

Embracing this belief about a story, Ms. Shafak, as do many other storytellers, believes in the notion of 'Writing what you feel.....' as being far more acceptable, less controlled and less rigid with regards to fiction writing.

We have to ask the question, did Diana Gabaldon actually plunge into a vortex and time-travel back into the Scottish Highlands of 1743 in order to write her best selling novel, Outlander?  Most likely, not.....

 

Allan Gurganus

What she has done is enter the 'ground floor' of her story by delving into the history which includes the background of her main characters and established the groundwork behind their existence.  "We all enter here but, given our spirit yearnings, our malformed characters, as soon as possible, we ascend," according to the North Carolina novelist, Allan Gurganus.  Bret Johnston responds, "This seems inviolably true to me, and impossibly inspiring. Writers may enter their stories through literal experience, through the ground floor, but fiction brings with it an obligation to rise past the base level, to transcend the limitations of fact and history, and proceed skyward."

In essence, what a fiction writer does is formulate ideas based upon what he or she knows, loves, has experienced already in life....and then, they MUST take a giant leap of faith to rise above what is known, enter the stratosphere located far beyond all personal restrictions, out of their comfort zones, and create experiences based upon these feelings.  A good novel hooks us, the reader, while we are traversing the 'ground floor'......  A great novel can take us all the way up to the 'penthouse' apartment while harboring our desire of never wishing to leave.  The steps that encourage us to climb to the very top are lined by elements of the writer's life....details that illuminate the writer's imagination and enable him to gain confidence and curiosity about his own story development and pull him up, level by level, creating a brand new world that is more real than anything ever experienced before!  And then, upon completion, it is passed-on to the reader to interpret, explain and enjoy in his own personal style, with his own individual reactions and experiences.

Have you ever completed an amazing fiction novel only to find there is nobody else you can talk with about it?  We love to share, especially something that awakens our senses and plays with our emotions as much as a 'good book' does.  Ah!  Props to the birth of reading groups and book clubs, as well as to their members who take, seriously, the intentions of each and every author's work they dissect....bisect and discuss!  You may not always like or agree with an author but.....all the more reason to have an opportunity to talk about it.

Young Ernest Hemingway

In this day and age of social media, more and more author's are making themselves available to these groups via computer programs such as Skype and FaceTime....entering the personal space and lives of readers anywhere and everywhere.  Authors understand that by sharing their own reasons behind composing their novel and sharing these ideas with their fans and interested readers, they are getting valuable information across to others in a timely and intimate manner.  Any author will tell you....after a fiction novel is officially published and distributed among the general public, it is not their 'baby' anymore in the sense that we, the readers, claim each sentence for ourselves, ravenously devouring each word and leaving few crumbs to be swept away afterwards.  Voila!

Write what you know.....
Writing fiction is a true art form where the author begins the story with a stretched canvas (familiar ideas) accompanied by an array of colorful paint (medium used to expand on these ideas) and, a vision of what the future will or could be like.

Write what you feel.....
The author's goal is not to duplicate an experience, but to create a work of art that is an experience in itself.  By taking the raw materials above and creatively layering each color upon the canvas in a productive and stimulating pattern.....fiction serves-up a powerful visualization in the same way that these components assisted in Claude Monet's Impression, Sunrise.

Impressionist Artist Claude Monet

Hemingway's quote, "Write what you know...." May have, ironically, been his argument all along.  In Bret Anthony Johnston's The Atlantic essay entitled, Don't Write What You Know, he says, "The very act of committing an experience to the page is necessarily an act of reduction, and regardless of craft or skill, vision or voice, the result is a story beholden to and inevitably eclipsed by source material."  If this is true, then it is essential for a fiction writer to go up, up and far beyond the level of his source material if he is to expect a positive reaction from his readers.

With only my greatest respect for the best of intentions of all the authors I have mentioned above, as well as for TED Talks for helping to bring the 'souls' of many talented individuals into the light for all to see, I leave you with this quote by Ernest Hemingway:

“All good books are alike in that they are truer than if they had really happened and after you are finished reading one you will feel that all that happened to you and afterwards it all belongs to you: the good and the bad, the ecstasy, the remorse and sorrow, the people and the places and how the weather was. If you can get so that you can give that to people, then you are a writer.”
― Ernest Hemingway

Copyright © 2014 By Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved

ADRENALINE VERSUS JET LAG

 

 A series of short stories.....





Young Friend Overlooking 'Terrace' Built for King Louis XIV With
Eiffel Tower in the Background.......

.....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

"Damn, not again!"  Picking myself up from the middle of a French street and proceeding to pick cinders and pebbles from my knees appeared to be the 'norm' so far this visit.....and it was exasperating if not terribly embarrassing! 

"Are you okay?" asked my husband.  "We've got to stop meeting like this in the middle of the road....people will think I'm either a hero or, I have malicious intentions towards you!" 


Cazaudehore La Forestiere
Our Beautiful Boutique Hotel

Can We Sleep Now?

Quite early that same morning our plane flew into the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport where we picked-up our cute, green rental car and proceeded to navigate the northern suburbs of Paris before swooping down into our destination for the night in the town of Saint-Germain-en-Laye.  Nestled in among the sweeping curves of the River Seine twenty minutes to the west of Paris and positioned within the heart of a forest of hundred-year-old oak trees and picturesque gardens, our beautiful boutique hotel, Cazaudehore La Forestiere, part of the Relais & Chateaux hotel experience, epitomized the true 'art of living' and hospitality! 

Parking the car across the Avenue du President Kennedy before checking-in, my poor knees experienced their initial encounter with the road's lethal surface as we were greeting a gentleman coming across from the opposite side of the road.  "Bonjour......." and, I was down for the count. Of course, I totally blamed my fall on the cement curb, semi-hidden by sprigs of grass.  I knew better.  With a few minor abrasions I gingerly dabbed with a tissue after clearing the debris that clung to each knee, we marched-on and entered the hotel, our 'magical escape to somewhere else,' for the night.

Dining Room at Cazaudehore
La Forestiere

Due to the excellent caliber of cooking linked with the pride that the French employ when serving others their delicious cuisine, we had pre-booked 'une table pour deux' at the second seating time, ten o'clock.  The chef usually reserves two seating times per evening dinner so that he or she is better able to 'create' their menu items for a more reasonable and structured amount of guests, thus making the dining experience more pleasurable for all.  We chose ten over seven o'clock for dîner because we planned on visiting the Grand Palace of Versailles for several hours that afternoon.  I know.  I can hear all of you worldly travelers out there asking, "What were they thinking?"

Enjoying Our Balcony

Needless to say, our room was stunning.  A small balcony complimented the scenery we enjoyed from every window in the room.  Stepping out onto it, we were lovingly enfolded by the deep green foliage of the forest, tempted by the sweet sweet smells of the variegated colored flowers and mesmerized by the soft, sensual breezes that brushed our skin and teased the senses.  Oh, what a beautiful dream!  However, we weren't dreaming and knew that the Hall of Mirrors, intricate gardens designed by André Le Nôtre and the Chateaux de Versailles itself, a few kilometers to the south, awaited our arrival....

                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sitting on a small wrought-iron bench and nursing my new wounds along the Avenue de Paris, the famous statues that line the Place d'Armes, defining the walk up to the palace doors, were in sight.  (And, within reach, provided I could remain upright long enough!).  By the time we made it to the equestrian statue of Louis XIV, my adrenaline had kicked-in sending me into overdrive and I was ready to take-on the world!


Equestrian Statue of Louis XIV

View From Bench As I Nursed My Wounds.....

Dan Entering The Hall of Mirrors

Several hours and a million people later, we felt as though Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette were old friends, having navigated their grand private apartments and famous 'gilded meeting hall' with the priceless view of the rich, elaborate palace gardens to be seen from multiple gold-framed windows.  Opulence of this magnitude is powerful and has a way of literally taking one's breath away!  Even though we had to share this amazing experience that afternoon with many, many others....we would not have missed it for the world and vowed to return in the future.


Opulent Gardens of Palace of Versailles


Many years ago, my Mother helped me answer a particular ad in a magazine that asked the question, "Which historical and present day figure would you be...based upon a photo of yourself?"  Supposedly, this ad was sanctioned by The Hollywood Performing Arts Group and a series of people representing the renowned movie producer, Alfred Hitchcock.  ( I believe that, secretly, my Mother wanted to move back to sunny California and represent me in my new dramatic career.  Anything to avoid another northern Indiana winter!!!).

Anyone Remember Dino the Dinosaur?

Several weeks and a series of 'nail bitings' later, an actual letter from California arrived in our mailbox addressed to me!  Carefully slitting the envelope open in order to preserve it and its contents, I found my picture staring back at me and now flanked by someone else's......, 'Marie Antoinette' was the caption beneath her portrait.  The letter stated that, "Mr. Hitchcock has determined that you are a Haley Mills look-a-like with the charm (rounded face and nose) and interesting facial similarities of Marie Antoinette."  That's it.  Dashing my poor Mother's dreams, the letter was placed back into its envelope, looked at a handful of times afterwards and (I'm guessing here) disposed of sometime during the multiple moves we made due to my Father's job with the Sinclair Oil Corporation.

Returning to our beautifully appointed room in one piece and several hours before our dinner seating, we decided to shower and refresh ourselves a bit after an already long and extremely busy day.  Having left Florida the night before, only to travel through several time zones and walk many miles afterwards, the cleansing water relieved some of our stress and calmed our minds and wandering spirits just enough to feel relaxed and whole once again.....

"Is that a fire alarm?  Where is that loud ringing coming from?" Dan asked sitting bolt upright on our feather-topped bed!!  "What...I don't know," I said, rolling over and reaching one pink, terry cloth ensconced arm instinctively towards the telephone resting on the nightstand at my side of the comfortable queen sized bed.  As my hand wrapped around the receiver, my eyes glanced at the clock near the phone that was seemingly flashing the time in broad, neon red lights!!  By the time my mind registered nearly eleven o'clock, I was saying hello into the phone.

"Bonsoir, Madame!  But, the Chef would like to know if you will be attending your seating for dîner this evening?  Your time is still available and it would be a pleasure to serve you."  Oh, how that sweet voice charged through my body with pangs of guilt, regret and total embarrassment because I knew that if we were to survive tomorrow, we needed to stay right where we were for the remainder of the night. "Non, merci mais, non.  Nous sommes très, très désolé." I choked as I heard a stern 'merci beaucoup' coming from the receiver before resting it back into its cradle.

"Oh, Dan.  We just committed a huge major faux pas tonight!!  It is highly rude to snub the Chef and his staff by ignoring dinner reservations." 

"But, we didn't mean to....we fell asleep, something we both needed," he said in an attempt to calm me down.

Even though Dan's logic was absolutely correct and we would have felt as badly about the situation if it had occurred back in the States, it failed to console me.  Setting the alarm in time for breakfast (we were going to be quite hungry by then), we turned off the lights, kissed good-night and submerged ourselves, once again, into a feathery Dreamland.


Route des Mares

Our View of Saint-Germain-en-Laye

The early mid-September morning was so delicious!  We had left several windows open and, by doing so, were now being serenaded by many birds living in and around the lush, green forest.  We could feel the cool, gentle breezes wafting in through the screens carrying along with them the earthy smells of ancient fallen leaves and the clean, freshness of the many flower beds.  Pure heaven!

We were ravenous!  After changing and getting ready for the day, we semi-packed our bags and then headed down to the breakfast room.  Now, I do know that guilt can be a highly infectious emotion that can do crazy things to your mindset.  Was it just me or, was the hotel staff refusing to look us in the eye?  I totally imagined the word had been spread around during the night about the two rude Americans in Room #14 who ignored Chef and chose to sleep through dinner.  I did feel badly and often think about our faux pas to this day.  We vowed from that day on never to pack so much in so little time, especially without resting a bit first.

Turning onto Route des Loges With View
of Chateau-Vieux in the Distance

 

Our heads were clear and a breakfast of strong, black coffee, yogurt, a croissant with jam and eggs with bacon strengthened our resolve so, we headed out for a morning walk along a beautiful tree-lined path just to the west of the hotel property called the Route des Mares.  I had read that this path would eventually lead us to a magnificent place and intentionally failed to give any details to Dan so not to spoil the surprise.  Turning onto the Route des Loges, we walked under the Tunnel de Saint-Germain and could see the charming town buildings nestled together to the right of us.  In time, the trees lining our walk thinned out and before us, across the formal gardens and a deep moat stood the imposing gray-stoned Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, the birthplace of King Louis XIV in 1638 and his home until moving permanently to the Grand Palace of Versailles. 

Quite A Surprise For Dan!!!

It was at the Château-Vieux (Old Castle) that the image of the future Sun King began to take shape.  He organized lavish parties and promoted extravagant fashion while introducing his political program.  He renovated and extended his castle with the French architect, François Mansart, and developed his formal gardens with André Le Nôtre, who created the famous Terrace for him which overlooks the west of Paris and the valley of The Seine.  The young king enjoyed the air, space and forest that he lacked while in Paris.



Heading Towards The Terrace

Sadly, the castle was not opened that day so we spent time walking through the beautiful formal gardens to the famous Terrace and gazed across the 'serpent-like' River Seine.  In the early morning light, The Seine resembled a shimmering switch-back mountain road looking down from the mountain summit to Paris and the Eiffel Tower far below in the distance.  Dan was pleased by the surprise!

We checked-out of Cazaudehore La Forestiere, secure within our little, green automobile, and headed back down the same roads that led us to Versailles yesterday.  It was hard to believe that we'd only been on French soil a little over twenty-four hours and had accomplished so much in that short span of time.  This day we were heading down the back roads to Chartre to tour the famous Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartre, purchase a white rosary and Bible in its small boutique for our youngest daughter's upcoming wedding day and enjoy a jambon et fromage sandwich for lunch at Bistro de la Cathédrale right across the street.  Ah....life is good!

Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Chartre

I often think about my poor knees whenever I am shaving my legs or getting a pedicure.  The small, white scars remain vivid to this day and pepper my knees, especially the right one, with what I lovingly refer to as permanent souvenirs....beautiful reminders of having lived life to its fullest each and every day!



Do you have your own 'permanent souvenirs' and, if so, where did you acquire them?  Do you recall committing a major faux pas towards traditional, local customs while traveling abroad?  Tell us your story of jet lag and fatigue. Was this time punctuated by an adrenaline rush, also?

Would love to hear back from you in my comment section!  It would only take a moment or two....


Copyright © 2014 By Jacqueline E. Hughes
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