“Regular life” has resumed, and I’m trying to figure how to build on some of the insights travel provided about using my time well — how to balance Shoulds and Musts so that I stay healthy, exercise and express my creativity and intelligence in ways that satisfy me, and support and enjoy my family and friends. A balance between nurturing solitude and energising social time. Currently a work in progress. . .
Meanwhile, all I have for you is this page from my travel sketchbook and the photo of the inspiration at one of those ubiquitous amusement parks in Italy. Too often, these include an array of rides on garishly coloured creatures into which a doting grandparent can feed tokens purchased from a nearby booth. I find them vaguely creepy, not quite nightmarish, but with that potential. I sketched them from a bench while our Four bounced in a Castle (tokens required), and I painted them a week later, back in Bordeaux. Obviously, I wasn’t striving for colour accuracy but tried instead to capture the hint of terror they hold for me. Anyone else a bit frightened by their plastic carnival vibe? The same folks who find clowns frightening, perhaps?
So there you go: that’s what I have to share this Monday morning in the second half of June. Wave or leave a comment — I appreciate knowing I have some company.
xo,
f
The balance between all those different components is tricky. After 2 months of travel, resettlement can be a challenge. I have to agree with you about arcades, Playland, theme parks, circuses…I've never been a fan. I don't even want to go to Las Vegas. There's something creepy about simulation. But I'm sure that the children enjoy the colours, sounds and a bit of adventure.
Waving:)
I think the kids just recognize cartoon characters they already know. When my nieces and nephew visited Europe as toddlers, their parents were scandalized by the topless mermaids on the merry-go-round. The children, who were tantalized by the beautiful horses going up and down, didn't understand why they were being hurried away. They also didn't go into any museums because of the naked sculptures. Sigh.
While the group in your photo don't look too scary, I know what you mean. Some carousels have the most grim looking horses…teeth bared with feral looks. Not nice.
Hoping that your readjustment is going well. Always find that the initial weeks or so after travel are a bit discombobulating. Almost as if you can't quite believe you went somewhere and yet here you are back again–needing to push the reset button. Good that you will be taking time to contemplate all that you experienced and incorporating, perhaps, some new ways/things in your life at home.
Carnival and fun fair rides are just plain scary!
Holiday time is such a luxurious feeling…it feels like life is carefree. Retutning to reality and homekeeping can be quite an adjustment, at least it is for me and I don't travel as often or for as long as you do so I imagine that there must be some resentment that creeps in.
Your goals for balance sound sensible…as retirees, we should be able to strike a happy medium which we know is good for us, and we have the wisdom and time to successfully achieve. Would love to read more of how you plan to get this project started!!!
While I do quite like traditional carousels, I don’t love mechanised rides for kids either – they are garish at best and often poorly designed but my daughter loved them when she was little. Luckily for me, it’s easy to avoid coin hungry rides these days. I find it interesting and admirable that you chose to draw something you don’t like! Best of luck applying the life lessons learned from your trip. Like many worthwhile endeavours, I guess discipline and mindfulness may be required. Any hints towards these ends would be gratefully received 😉
While the carousel animals never have bothered me,
either while as a child,or now, have to say the cat in the middle is a bit in-your-face with a slight whiff of menace (should one look at him sideways).
Your rendition of him immediately brought to mind Paul Klee's Cat and Mouse, with even the colors you usedn giving the same impression of that painting. Kandinsky painted horses with same vibrant colors around them as you have painted around the horses here.
Think you managed to convey in your art the unease you felt in their presence.
A. in London
Mme: Yes, it's a challenge — one I'm lucky to have, of course. 😉
Taste of France: Ha! I remember our youngest daughter, eight the first time we went to France, being fascinated by the topless statues at Versailles — and then when she saw the real thing walking past us at the beach at Annecy!! Almost as good as dancing on the bridge at Avignon!
Mary: Yes, it's always an adjustment! This time, with my son, daughter-in-law and two Littles in town for the week (and meet-ups with his sisters' families), there's not much time for navel-gazing. We're just plunged right back in! 😉
Hostess: You're right — there are all kinds of re-calibrations to make, not least of which is the way we spend time as a couple. . . A process, always. . .
Maria: We mostly avoid the coin-hungry activities as well, but when you're the visiting Nana and Granddad once or twice a year, some pockets do get shaken. I shall think about whether I have any hints. Discipline and mindfulness are always helpful, right?
A. Yes, the fellow in the middle is way too jolly for me. Can't quite trust that! Thank you for making that comparison to Klee's and Kandinsky's work — far too flattering, but I'll take it. xo
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Susan: Thank you so much for the wave. It's sweet to know readers are out there. Much appreciated.
The first week at home after traveling does feel strange. I rarely want to see anyone. The splintered feeling of being in two place at the same time takes a bit of adjustment. We very rarely talk to others of our experiences while away. It’s so hard to put into a few words what a great time you had, or what something tasted like. The odd photo image can be shared easily.
The carousels in Europe seem to run constantly. The children seem so happy to be on their favourite creatures.
Ali
Coming back after any bit of time away is a shock to the system – I'm still working the day job so I think the most I've had was three weeks (two weeks on the Camino and a week to "recover" 🙂 in Paris. Now that was a vacation!), but I found re-entry tough. Driving in particular.
Inching my way towards retirement and a vision of ex-pat life that we're developing (Portugal, we think) – I love reading women like you and Sue Burpee for inspiration of ways I can shape that life.
Carol
Is there Pikachu in your sketch?
I'm ok with carousels but hate big wheels with chains and chairs-they seem scarry and dangerous to me
Dottoressa
Always a thoughtful post. I like the sketch as a rendition of what you wanted to take away from the experience. I don't think I saw any kids parks with rides on my recent trips to Europe come to think of it. But I'll be on the lookout next time. BTW nice horse drawing ;).
But I would say I've never liked the traveling carnival rides that pop up in towns these days. If you've ever tried to assemble and reassemble anything from IKEA you'll know that taking something apart and putting it back together again never goes as well after the first time. Which is why when I watched my 6 and 8 on rides at the most recent traveling carnival here in town a few weeks ago, I was relieved to see them choose rides that were rooted to the ground. But maybe this is an aging grandmother thing. I see all sorts of potential pitfalls at parks these days that I know I never gave a second thought to when I was raising my 3 kids. Although a funny moment in time a few years ago was with my grandchildren when we came across a teeter-totter on a trip to another country and they asked what it was. They had never seen one before 🙂
As to the first paragraph. I look forward to hearing more of your thoughts on balance.
I agree these are a bit creepy now but I would have loved them when I was a little girl…and I would have chosen the horse on the left, hopped on and gone happily into my imaginary cowgirl world.
Yes, the cat in the centre is Pikachu (he's some kind of rodent but I think not a pika despite his name; I'm sure I knew back in my daughter's Pokeman-drawing years)…he doesn't translate well into three dimensions does he? Quite frightening.
I agree with Georgia and Dottoressa: the beast in the middle is crtainly meant to represent Pikachu. There was a time when I knew almost any Pokemon character in any of its shapes, but nowadays Pikachu and Squirtle are the only ones I recognize.
Luckily, my son never fancied those stationary mechanical rocking horses. But he did go in for merry-go-rounds (ride on the fire-engine!), which gave us quite a problem when he was very young. I could never accompany him, because I get sick very quickly, even on a toddlers' carousel. So very early on he had to learn to go by himself.
My nightmares are of a different kind – no monsters involved. So I do not find those creatures scary, just ugly. But your drawing certainly conveys your ambiguous feelings towards them.
Ali: So interesting — we find we rarely talk to others about our experiences either, except for brief summaries in response to questions, and later, every once in a while when a prompt arises, we might tell an anecdote or describe a favourite place or meal. . . Perhaps that's why I've liked writing travel posts on the blog. . .
Carol: Yes, depending on your vacation allowance, three weeks would probably mean going back to work still jet-lagged. I'd find that really tough!
Dottoressa: My kids are too old for me to have known Pikachu . . . I share the fear of wheels that revolve above the ground. . .
Sandy: I'm the same! Very conscious of who gets employed at traveling fairs, doubtful that the labour-employer relations there support great training and maintenance of skilled and reliable workers. I could be wrong, but I never wanted to test the theory at my kids' expense! As for teeter-totters, one of the few memories Nola has of my mom is riding on a teeter-totter (see-saw) and learning the Teetter-Totter rhyme (she was about two, but the vague memory has been much reinforced by story over the years). I suspect teeter-totters are too dangerous in today's litigious world 😉
Georgia: Thanks for more Pokemon info. I missed that boat — not terribly sorry;-). My own childhood fascination with horses was more Misty of Chincoteague than western cowgirl 😉
Eleonore: As I say, completely missed Pokemon and don't mind at all. Merry-go-rounds are much, much rarer here — we're more likely to find individual rides like the ones above, generally at an indoor mall, and my kids knew better than to ask for me to feed those with coins, although they were free to sit.. . Mean mommy 😉