• Home
  • Posts
  • Column: Summer Travels in Europe Bring Greater Joy to Home

Column: Summer Travels in Europe Bring Greater Joy to Home

lettertotheeditor
Greenwich Sentinel reporter Michelle Moskowitz stands in front of Paris’ Eiffel Tower. (contributed photo)

By Michelle Moskowitz
Sentinel Correspondent

There’s no place like…Paris.

As a reporter for the Greenwich Sentinel for the past three years, it gives me great joy to write a column for the first time.

It’s September, though it may not feel like it, and the town of Greenwich is officially in ‘back to school’ mode. But as we bridge between summer fading and fall beginning, why not take a moment to unpack our summer travels and reflect on how those relaxed summer experiences may fuel us at the beginning of a new season.

This summer I spent a full three weeks in Europe with my family, which sounds incredibly indulgent for an American (which it is), except for the fact that I am married to a Frenchman where a 3-week vacation is customary in the European culture.  So naturally I acquiesced.

After all, the summer is a time to work less, stress less, and spend casual nights with family and friends, and take in the world around us a little more closely, wherever that might be.

While I have been fortunate enough to have visited “The City of Light,” both for work in the past, and to visit our family often enough, it’s the type of place that when touching down at Charles de Gaulle airport, no matter how many times you have been there, it’s like arriving for the very first time.

The city brims with the constant hum of commuting scooters, the waft of French breads and pastries emanating from patisseries on every corner, and perhaps most of all, the beautiful, historic architecture that envelopes you from every turn.

While we traversed the Tuileries Gardens, Notre Dame Cathedral, a frequent jaunt to the kid’s favorite amusement park, and long walks among as many Arrondissments as our feet took us, some of our family’s French favorites included a daily marvel of the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triumph and the view of the Siene River.

Simply witnessing the thousands of tourists who visit these landmarks each day with their bright smiles and determination to snap that perfect photo brought an inner smile, like a shared collective appreciation for these incredible monuments and vantage points.

We even managed an all-day tour of The Louvre where famous works like the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, the Liberty Leading the People, by Eugene Delacroix, and works by sculptor Auguste Rodin, one of my favorite artists, take your breath away.

My particular favorite was watching an elderly couple sit side-by-side in their wheelchairs, while both sketching the works of an admired painting of the French Revolution.  And by the way, they were exceptional.

I thought of all those lucky Parisians who must come on their lunch break just to be surrounded by such works for quiet contemplation, while millions of others, including us, had to cross an ocean just to be there.

Of course, backtracking our steps for one of our kids lost iPhones at the Louvre afforded me even more time than we had planned with three kids in tow.

Now that our kids are a bit older, ages 12 and our twin girls about to turn 10, we felt ambitious enough to hop on the Euro-train for a few get-aways, where in just a few comfortable hours on a luxe train, one can be transported to another slice of Europe.

First stop, Geneva. Home to Europe’s United Nations, the Red Cross and equally as important in my opinion, Swiss chocolates, the city is a quaint, walkable city that upholds the European finesse of beautiful 12th century cathedrals, historic monuments and yet, the clarity of a bright blue sky when looking up at Jet d’Eau, a stunning water fountain considered one of the city’s most famous sights.

My daughter’s favorite was the L’horloge fleurie, the iconic large clock made entirely of flowers.

Having never been to the second largest Swiss city myself, I encouraged my kids (like in Paris) to truly marvel at the sites, to slowly take in those spectacular landmarks in order to let those memories sink in, that will hopefully last them a lifetime.

But perhaps best of all was the 3-hour boat tour where the family could sit together in the bright sunshine, enjoy ice pops, and together bear witness to the full expanse of Lake Geneva and the breathtaking views of the Alps.

Back to Paris for one more week of more museums and walking mileage, such as the Museum of Modern Art and one of my favorites, The Palais de Tokyo, and back to my daily Camembert baguette sandwich.  In fact, the city started to feel like home, though we did begin to miss our town of Greenwich, after the 10-day mark.

We began to discuss all the beauty that Greenwich affords such as the Bruce Museum, the Audubon Center, our beautiful parks and greenery, and how we too can walk a bit slower when we are back home to listen closer to the sounds that our town makes during the course of the day.

Next up, just a two-hour train ride to Bordeaux, (this time the kids packed more efficiently (aka bringing less meant less to carry) and three days spent in a charming French province which the Queen of England called “the very essence of elegance.”

Aside from the city being a notorious wine region (we did have our kids after all), the city is chock full of bistros, cafes and ‘gastronomic’ selections, and is home to rue Sainte-Catherine, the longest shopping street in all of Europe.

The Miroir d’eau, the world’s largest reflecting water pool was the kids absolute favorite, where something so simple as getting your feet wet on foreign soil felt so invigorating.

But as these three long, exciting, and sometimes tiring weeks drew to a close, it occurred to me that by truly stopping to marvel at such spectacular monuments, works of art and our surroundings like tourists, was meant to give us a deeper appreciation of the vast beauty, culture and history that encompasses our own town.

The charming tree-lined Greenwich Avenue, the walkable, individual communities, the vast collection of erudite resources at Greenwich Library, or the fascinating exhibits held at the Bruce Museum and the Flinn Gallery as well as the many other art galleries in town.

There is so much beauty right here in front of us.  Perhaps at the start of fall, we just need to walk slower, pause, and take in all the beauty that surrounds us as often as we can.

After all, there is no place like home.

Related Posts
Loading...