Last week I had to make a presentation in my Italian course. The subject was “La mia passione per l’Italia”. We had to explain why we were passionate about Italy, and we had to choose a certain object to talk about.
I chose the movie “Il Postino.” Did you ever see it? It is an older movie, from 1994, but so beautiful. It is also so typically Italian, the atmosphere… I am copying my summary of the movie here, so you can try to see what you understand of Italian 😉 You may correct me, of course.
Happy New Year to all of You!
And I only have a small clue of who “all of you”‘ are. To the ones who have given me direct feedback, on this blog or on Facebook, I am very grateful. It always cheers me up. I can’t help but look into the statistics now and then – my curiosity! – and then I see a world map with some countries lit up in blue. The blue stands for who’s read (or clicked on) the blog. There are readers everywhere around the globe. And then I get more curious. Who are they. Who are you?
In fact it doesn’t matter who you are. I want to thank you for reading what I write. I started this blog in the beginning of 2017 and have no regrets. I love doing this. It is a perfect way of exploring my creativity. All the things I like to do come together here in this blog.
I am not someone who tells her life story to a stranger or even to a someone I know well. But I am a good listener – for some reason, people like to tell their stories to me. I love stories. Isn’t that what life is about? Sad and happy stories, honest, made up, desperate, hopeful, finished, forgotten and untold stories.
I am grateful to have been a witness to stories of people I have met this past year. I am happy to have shared some of them here with you.
My friend Leen made her New Years cards with pages of books, the message was: in 2018, time for each other’s story.
Last week I came across someone who asked for my help. It was a minor thing, just explaining something on the phone on his behalf. He didn’t speak our language fluently enough, and if he asked for an explanation the person on the other side of the phone would just hang up. Afterwards he told me about all his efforts and not moving forward in this bureaucracy of indifference (my words). Have you ever seen the movie “I, Daniel Blake?” Well that was what it was like. I felt sorry for him so I just listened. At the end of the conversation he thanked me. I answered that I hadn’t done much. Then he said ‘Thank you for listening to my story.”
So cheers to stories untold, may someone listen to them and have them revealed.
Cheers to stories from the past, which can teach us, only if we listen.
And cheers to beautiful stories that are over, may we look back at them without regrets and with warm hearts, grateful to have been part of them.
Cheers to a beautiful 2018!
Did you have a good Christmas?
So! After a small Christmas intermezzo, I gladly take you back to Paris…
The second day we slept a bit longer, the 20 kilometers we walked the previous day were manifesting.
We stopped at a café for a cappuccino and croissant first. We passed the little Hotel Esmeralda, where I stayed with Jenny and Debbie about six years ago. We were there in April and had marvelous weather. Debbie organized a bike tour in the gardens of Versailles. You go there by train from the center of Paris — an adventure by itself. Really fun to do in the Spring or Summer.
A bit over twenty years ago, hubby and I went on a city trip–in Namur, the south of Belgium, not too far because we had two little kids we left with our family. On Sunday morning we went to the local antique market. We saw lots of beautiful things, but our eye fell on an old crib. I cannot explain, but for some reason it just drew my attention. Was it the shape or pure nostalgia? It was not too expensive, but on the other hand: why should we buy a baby bed? We had a son and a daughter, a dream family, and no intention of having a third child. We couldn’t leave the crib there though and bought it anyway. We thought, well we can always use it for the kids to put their dolls in.
Paris is in fact close to where we live – about 400 kilometers – but we do not go there very often. A shame because it is a sparkling city and has so many interesting museums and expositions… And shops 🙂
Hubby and I hopped on the train in our hometown and got off in Brussels Midi (that trip takes longer than the rest of the journey). Then on the Thalys train to Paris-Nord, a very comfortable high-speed train, only another hour and fifteen minutes! But you pay for it, more or less sixty Euros one way, a person.
Recent Comments