Today, after a lunch of duck, two different vegetable mixtures, a tater-tot-type potato thing, and little mirabelle halves (YUM), my host parents took me to see a big "château" with beautiful gardens and a huge palace type building. We went through a nice tour and they made us put these weird things on our shoes so that we didn't hurt the floors walking on it. Some people opted to just take their shoes off... It was bizarre seeing people walking through a sort of museum in stocking feet... I went pretty nuts with the camera too and got some beautiful shots. I think I may actually do a post on photo blog, which I haven't done since August... Check it out!!
After we finished the tour, my host mom and I went upstairs where they were doing a special exhibit of the dresses of an eighteenth century Austrian queen. They were amazing, gorgeous dresses and that is when I decided I need to be eighteenth century royalty. But then I just took pictures of all of them and will use them for inspiration next time I need a gown for a black tie event :)
Europeans really do museum exhibitions much better than Americans. At least Clevelanders. I'm sure we all agree that museum exhibits can be a bore and it's hard to drag your kids to the museum to see the latest. But the ones I've been to here have been ridiculously well done and interesting. I actually ENJOY going to exhibitions here. I look forward to it! It helps that I can take pictures... But even in each room of the palace, they had perfumed so the kitchen smelled like cinnamon and the salon smelled like lavender. It was really very well done. Not to mention breathtakingly gorgeous. They're just so creative. In one room, there was a film, but it wasn't just projected on a screen. There was a huge table that spanned the length of the room, very low to the ground, and there were countless candelabras and candlesticks scattered along the edges, and then the video was projected into the center so the candles made a sort of frame. But then it wasn't just that. There was a mirror hanging from the ceiling at an angle and you watched the video on that. So cool.
After we saw the exhibits, we went up to the tea room (oh la la!) and had our afternoon tea. Literally. I had an Earl Grey, and we ordered a little plate of cakes and chocolates. Which were, of course, delicious. The waitress was in an eighteenth century dress and the tables were all old fashioned and decorated. It was so cute. I love tea time!
Afterwards, we went out onto the grounds, and although we didn't go through them all, what we saw was still grand. The sky was gray and the snow was half melted, so it wasn't particularly gorgeous, but it was still worth seeing and I walked through, imagining myself in one of those glorious gowns and was struck with inspiration for an eighteenth century photo shoot when I get home. Chelsea and I are going to do it.
Then I went home, we had cheese and breads and salad for dinner with a layered chocolate mousse cake for dessert, I took a shower, and now it's midnight and I need to get to sleep! Bonne nuit !
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