Jiggety-Jig

To market, to market, to buy a fat pig, Home again, home again, jiggety-jig.
     To market, to market, to buy a fat hog,
     Home again, home again, jiggety-jog.
To market, to market, to buy a plum bun,
Home again, home again, market is done. -- Mother Goose

A week ago, I was in Paris. I was not having a good day (arthritically speaking), but I had gotten to the Musée d'Orsay and viewed the French impressionists, the beautiful furniture collections, the sculptures of bronze and marble, the enormous paintings by the Romantic Italians and the small sketches by Degas. All of it amazing. A museum I would love to have to myself for a day. It reminds me that I need to get to the Minneapolis Institute of Art and other museums here in my own unexplored city.

On Thursday, Rick and I went to the Musée du Louvre while Ann headed out on her own. Rick and I took the Metro to a hotel, first, to see if we could replace something a friend of ours had requested. Unfortunately, what was destroyed is irreplaceable in so many ways. From Place de la Concorde, we Métro'd it to the Louvre where we used our indispensable museum pass to avoid the longer lines and get into a shorter, long line. Within 10 minutes we were in Denon Wing headed to the Mona Lisa, passing Winged Victory and the Madonna paintings of the Middle Ages. Et Voila! There she was! Her smirk belying the cigarette just out of shot and the half-empty glass of cognac next to it. We enjoyed our brief trip to this museum, and like most people not on a tour, got lost trying to find our way out! Finally outside, we wound our way around the building and took pictures on the beautiful Louvre plaza. Paris is an amazing place!
Friday. FRIDAY! The Royal Wedding of Wills & Kate. Ann and I watched the prep that morning in comfort compared to our compatriots on this side of the Pond. Paris is an hour ahead of London (Paris: Noon; London: 11am). What a beauty she was! He was almost "all boy" as they stood before the Archbishop and repeated their vows: flushed cheeks, glinting eyes, dry lips needing constant moistening. I thought Kate was wonderfully composed for the day. I felt the ceremony really was all about them and not the 2 billion onlookers. Well done, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge!
Shortly after the wedding finished, our driver for the afternoon, Boris, picked us up and whisked us out to Chartres to visit the great cathedral there. On most Fridays in the Spring and Summer, the labyrinth is available for traversing. I was fortunate enough to share this cathedral and labyrinth with Rick & Ann. We all walked it -- though not together interestingly enough. Others we walking it as well. The inside of the cathedral is undergoing significant rennovation and cleaning, so it's powerful beauty was somewhat diminished. Also, it was a cloudy day so the cathedral windows were subdued. I will return to Chartres as often as possible in my lifetime. I love the old part of town. In my wildest dreams of being an Oblate with Benedictine Sisters, I can see week-long retreats at Chartres, praying/singing the hours, reading, working, worshiping. I know. It's a bubble that could burst at any moment.
>>> Poof! <<< Done.
My timezone readjustment is underway and should be complete by Friday. I am currently in Newfoundland, Canada (time-wise). Bedtime/Sleeptime is at about 8pm and wake-up is at 5:30am. If I can make a two hour later shift in that by the weekend, I'll be home-zoned!
Thanks for reading! Please post a comment.
~N