I met Laura on Day 1 or 2 of college. We were both in the same major at Cornell and it was some sort of orientation for our major. She introduced herself in a very thick Boston accent and I wrote it down as "Lara". Later I found out it was LaUra, pronounced "Law-ruh" if you are from Central NY.
Fast forward about 25 years and we've been studio-mates, roommates, and always close friends. The last few years Laura has come over to Europe to do some travel. This time we met up in Paris and stayed with our friends Nils and Aleljandro. Then we went to the Loire Valley to do a bit of castle-storming, wine-drinking, and lots of chuckling.
A photo by the very talented Alejandro Neut. Laura and I have our obligatory Parisian scarves on.
Doing what one should do in Paris: sit on a bench and people watch.
It was close to that holiday when people give each other Lillies of the valley.
Always a beautiful sky to be seen in Paris.
Some great spring-inspired window dressing.
Nils is always good for some goofy posing. I kept photographing him and I think the other market-goers thought we were doing some sort of cooking magazine article.
Ahh a great way to relax after a long day touring Paris is to get a talll glass of Bier Blanche in a really cozy, funky bar.
Strange...and worthy of a photo.
I really liked her style-I wish I could dress like this and not look like an idiot, or just plain terrible.
One of many beautiful and delicious meals by Nils.
After we took our first exit in teh Loire, we had to pull over to capture some gorgeous color from the bright yellow Colza fields and dark blue skies.
Our first stop (and home base) was Amboise. This is where Leonardo DaVinci spent a lot of time, retired, and is buried. Why his tomb isn't more of a tourist site, I don't know.
This is the home of DaVinci's tomb- the chapel at the castle of Amboise.
The Loire river is suprisingly wild.
And it sometimes floods.
We did some wine-tasting.
We made friends with vineyard cats.
We toured Chambord- the former hunting chateau of King Francois I. It's the largest chateau of the Loire and it's LARGE.
The spaces are massive. The double helix staircase is super cool. Based on a design by DaVinci, so they say.
The walls were as thick as Laura's arm span. And she has some LOONG arms. No kidding.
Another stop was Chenonceau. It's built over a river.
This place had fantastic flower arrangements, worthy of their own mention.
Even a gargantuan vase of simple mums was breathtaking- and many of us had their photos taken with it.
The wildlife of the Loire.
Chaumon Sur Loire- the setting
The chateau up close
There was a REALLY interesting garden installation exhibit going on. Lots of modern scultures on the grounds, incorporating natural elements.
Inside there was also a really interesting exhibit. Photos were made into stained glass and displayed in the rough, unrestored rooms of the chateau.
After getting caught in a major downpour.
Meanwhile, back in Paris...
Color-coordinated napper.
Hmmmm...
Bye Laura, I hope you come back again soon!
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