Creative Sanctuary

travel

The Euphoria of Returning Home

By Allison

cherry rose green tea and journalI am just back from a brief business trip to France and basking in the glory of home.  My days in Nantes passed in a flash—meetings, a bit of research, a few get-togethers with friends, and inordinate amounts of bread, cheese, and Muscadet.  Then… poof!  The week was over and I was headed home.

Leaving France is always bittersweet.  This particular trip was chock-full, but I returned to Kentucky feeling energized and happy.  Coming and going allows me to see how much I value my space—a small house bursting with books and decorated with meaningful objects I have collected over the years.  Travel makes me love home all the more.

But what is home?  And why are homecomings euphoric?  I’ve moved enough times to understand that for me, home is not architectural and not even geographic.  I carry the idea of home inside me.  It’s an evolving, comforting feeling that grounds me and reminds me of who I am.  Home is supple, nebulous, and affirming.

Coming home is a euphoric return to my center.  I take up my daily rituals and reunite with those who are dear to me.  I reengage in work.  I undertake creative projects, many fed by my travels.  The intense excitement of homecomings doesn’t last… and it shouldn’t.  It is healthy that we fall back into the comforting, ho-hum daily routines that give structure to our days.

Inspirations

Morning tea meditation

Beauty in Grief

Colors of the Soul

Summer Redux

By Allison

Are you ready to sink into autumn? While we sweat out the last days of summer, let’s revisit the glories of the season. What brought you joy this summer?

 

cancale beach

Brittany

 

elegant versailles

Elegant Versailles

 

Wild Child Times Three

 

pittoresque bruges

Picturesque Bruges

 

tiny tea cups

Spring Greens in Strasbourg

 

 

 

Unlocking Versailles

By Allison

keyhole versailles

Photo Courtesy Yann Prigent

With so much to see in Paris, it’s easy to shortchange Versailles.  Over the years, I made a number of half-day trips to Versailles, dreading the lines I’d face waiting to visit the Château and bracing myself for the crowds of fellow tourists.

Recently, though, I’ve come to embrace Versailles as a destination unto itself rather than a simple daytrip from Paris.  The more time I spend in Versailles, the more I grow to appreciate its splendor, history, and dynamism.

Every year, millions of people visit Versailles’ Château, gardens, and Trianon Palaces, and each year the crowds grow!  I have learned how to navigate the swelling crowds of Versailles, and I am setting out to create a guide to the Château, its grounds, and the city of Versailles.  My French co-authors are Art Historian Stéphane Ceccaldi and Professor Yann Prigent.   As we research, write, and photograph, I will share some of my Versailles secrets with you on Creative Sanctuary.  Collected in the My Versailles category of the blog, the brief posts “unlock” Versailles with personal tips and tricks for avoiding long lines at the Château.  I’ll share favorite restaurants at all price points and highlight local hotspots often overlooked by tourists.  Please send questions and inquiries to unlockingversailles@gmail.com.

Clearing Space

By Allison

I travel a little for work and a lot for pleasure.  I set out on my own, my journeys bringing me to rainy Edinburgh streets, to the salty French seaside, and to my childhood home in Iowa.  Each trip enriches me.  I fill my soul with modern art, befriend fellow train passengers, and soak in the places that become part of me.

My homecomings are also sweet.  The thrill of travel heightens my appreciation of Central Kentucky—the place I’ve made my home for the last decade.  As I readjust to small town life, post-dinner walks help me sort through all I have gleaned in my travels.  The evening light, the tangle of wildflowers, and the mid-summer stillness clear space in my crowded mind.  The intensity of travel diminishes.  Recent memories settle in me.  With successive walks, my inner landscape begins to mirror this expanse.  New thoughts emerge, informed by comings and goings.