So many things contribute to the tapestry of the French experience. The lilting French language that is the background noise of life here. The loamy smell of the terroir in wine country. The familiar church bells, or the unexpected clip-clop of horses passing though our village on a lazy afternoon.
And then there are the visuals: those weathered, quirky, French doors and windows, each different, wearing the mark of time or the touch of a casual, inadvertently stylish hand.
I can't help but collect photos of them, to remember and treasure. I'm always sorry if I take a walk in France without my camera at the ready.
This week, a collection of doors. Another day, we'll take a peek through some French windows. And I'm betting, dear readers who know this country, that you've snapped one or two in your travels as well.
The mystery and romance of Old French lace
A cheerful barn door, with les fleurs
Can you guess where this door leads?
Perfect patina
Nobody home?
A Parisian classic
The soft blue of Provence
The kitchen door of our friends Pete and Dee's house in Burgundy
…and Dee's sister Maggie's pretty rendition of it.
In the COMMENTS: Paul, I understand! this is not a political blog, and I did some soul-searching before I waded in last week (and in this post before the election). But in a week like no other, I just couldn't bring myself to write a perky French post and not mention a thing about the seismic shift in my own country. My conscience wouldn't let me. But now, back to all thing French and southern.
I really appreciated all of the thoughtful comments, including dissenting ones, thank you all so much for weighing in. They are interesting and worth a read for all. And those of you who speak French, pay close attention to Nicole's comment and her funny and deliberate misspelling: Il est important de ne pas se trumper…
RE our Burgundy overview, if you want an excellent little Burgundy vacation by means of a great video, check out this link, which David Watson, a fellow Burgundy expat, sent us by way of Facebook. An aerial view of Burgundy wine country, It really captures the beauty of the place.
9 thoughts on “Opening up the French Experience”
This post is delightful. I really look forward to putting a few of these doors on canvas in the near future. Thanks for sharing the beauty of French doors!
The doors and windows are irresistible. Many a time on a rambling with family have I heard the sigh when they notice I’m not with them because I’ve stopped to capture yet another photo of a door. In the end, I’ve never regretted it. And oddly enough, when they pop up on my screen saver, i can identify most of them–or at least the town or city. Our visit to Venice produced some very special door knobs, door bells, and address plaques as well.
I trust France is all a-twitter about its own political journey these days. But I’d say we have everyone else beat in the OMG sense. (And that is “a-twitter” the old fashioned way.)
Best to you, Lynn. Keep on sharing whatever moves you. I’ll never stop reading it.
Thank you,Lynn,for these gorgeous photos!
Talk about capturing our imaginations!
You have transported us to a wonderful place filled with joie de vivre
and I have to confess that if we didn’t have plans for the weekend,I definitely would not want to leave!
I love taking photos of doors and doorways. There’s a certain mystery to them that makes me wonder and wander regardless of where I am. When we were in Italy a number of years ago, I did just that, many many doors. I couldn’t get enough & my daughter thought I was a little nutty for doing so. I should ask her now if she still thinks that way, bet not. Lovely post, charming doors indeed.
Loving these pictures. Ah, the lace curtains! Many years ago I tried to replicate (well..sort of) that look in our 1923 house in Hudson Valley. No, it just simply did not work. Only in France, right?
Such an inspiring post. I have hundreds of photos of my trips to France over the last 30 years. I’m sure there are remarkable doors lurking among them. Now if I could only justify the hours it would take to find them.
Hi Lynn,
The hardware on that first door was sure unique. Makes one wonder about the history of what took place behind those doors. Now only a tiny lock guards the belongings????
Love the Burgundy wine country aerial view on the link David Watson sent you! Great photography!
Herm
Love the pictures! I have a few thousand myself! I love the wondering of what is behind that door or window and what history it could tell…
You really grabbed my attention with this blog since I keep my Canon busy with more and more shots of doors and windows in France. The ones you shared are real beauties and very representative of the area. I really should leave the camera behind and simply walk for the pleasure of the ramble, but my pleasure is heightened by the discoveries with my amateur photographer’s eye. Keep those photos and stories coming. The blue door loaded with hardware is a showstopper!