An afternoon in Detroit

Last Friday, I visited a friend who recently became a grandmother and spends her days with her granddaughter while her daughter and son-in-law are at work. My friend is thrilled to be able to spend so much time with her granddaughter. We walked to a neighborhood restaurant, and along the way, I took these pictures of some of the houses in the Woodbridge neighborhood of Detroit.

I loved this whimsical way to line a flower bed!

One of the people we stopped to chat with along the way was wearing a t-shirt with a picture of the Eiffel Tower and the words: Detroit, the Paris of the Midwest, an expression I had not heard before. I know the word Detroit is a French word (meaning a strait and referring to the Detroit River) and that the French explorers were the original settlers, but I had never heard the Paris comparison. A little digging turned up a piece on a local show called CuriosiD about the origin of the comparison and this postcard.

As we walked through this neighborhood, I was thinking about how one does not necessarily have to travel far to discover something new and interesting.

Have you ever been to Charleston, SC?

For twenty years, Charleston, SC, has been on my travel wish list, and I finially visited this past week. The Festival of Houses and Gardens was in full swing, and I attended two events–a harbor history tour and a lunch/lecture on the gardens of Charleston.

On a walking tour the first day, I learned about the history of Charleston and archeticture of the houses and commercial buildings. It will take me a while to process all that information, but what immediately attracted my attention were the flowers in boxes and planters. Here are a few.

The “eyelash” shutters of Lucca

The shutters in Lucca caught my eye because there were unlike any I had ever seen, and they reminded me of eyelashes. There were so whimsical, as though the windows were fluttering their eyeslashes at me.

Provence, France

The most amazing excursion during the Amawaterways river cruise from Lyon to Avignon was to a limestone quarry in Provence which has been repurposed into an immersive art experience called CARRIÈRES DE LUMIÈRES.

The limestone quarrey (not my picture)

When we stepped inside the quarry, we entered Venice and were immersed in images of art and architecture. Haunting music enhanced the experience, and I was mesmerized.

My photos cannot capture the magnificence of this exhibit, so I encourage you to visit the site–and visit the place.

One of the scenes projected on the quarry walls (not my picture).

From there, we went to Les Baux-de-Provence, a 12th century village on top of a mountain.

Narrow street of Les Baux

Saint Blaise Chapel, built in the 12th century

Tapestry inside the Chapel of St. Blaise in Les Baux

French Churches

It seemed that most every town we visited had a beautiful church or cathedral. Some dated from medieval times and others were relatively new (19th century).

Eglise Notre Dame de la Persévérence (St. Mary of Perseverance), Barbizon, France

Bayeux Cathedral, built between the 12th and 16th centuries.

Stained glass window on the Bayeux Cathedral

St. Cecelia Cathedral in Albi was built in the 13th century. The outside looks more like a fort than a church, while the inside is full of ornate paintings, sculptures and carvings.

Side altars inside the Albi Cathedral

The Cathedral in Le Mans