Well my few days away with MissG are over. It wasn't the best time to go away but it was paid for and a break. Taking all things into consideration it was the thing to do.
It went well. Apart from two galleries we'd hoped to visit, were closed on the days we were there. Still the city of Rouen and Giverny, the village where Monet spent the last years of his life were in full bloom and we bumped into several characters during our short visit.
We spent our last day in Ypers, Belgium. A pretty town with a terrible past. 500,000 people died in and around the area during the Great War (1914-1918) It was totally rebuilt after the war. Many of the buildings replica's of what had stood there before. The history and terrible loss are handled well, It has a huge memorial to the fallen "The Menin Gate" to the east of the town. It's inscribed with over 54,000 names of Allied troops with no known graves. When it was offically opened in 1927 Field Marshal Herbert Plumer said in his address "He is not missing he is here". The local museum also makes the retelling of the episode personal by letting you follow individuals through their tragic journey at Ypers . The town is small enough to walk in a day and we were lucky the weather was good. There are also a lot of pavement cafes to sit and watch the world go by. Something MissG likes to do a little too often.
The only downside was the journey home. I don't know if it's the fact we are both coming back to work and all the associated rubbish that comes with that but we seem to move apart and away from the closeness that built up while we were away. Funny thing was, I've been reading Mark Gardners "The pursuit of happyness" and just as I'm hitting a bit of an odd time, emotionally. He's going through a very rough time as well. I was tempted to mention this to MissG but I think, this time I'll put the emphasis on the good and see where that takes us.
I'm typing this at MissG's. So haven't faced the several issues waiting for me at home. So this seems a good place to finish for the moment and deal with what's waiting for me under a separate day.
Onwards and upwards in the pursuit of happyness :~)
It is lovely to read about your time away. Funny how little dots appear that then get joined up. I discovered your blog and followed for a number of reasons, but one was definately your reference to The Pursuit of Happpyness. Coincidently the title of my blog. Saw today that you also mention Monet and strangely enough, it was looking at some of his work the other day that picked me up and became the subject of a recent post.
ReplyDeleteGood to hear that of the two possibilities you posted about... your trip with MissG turned out to be the better one.