CALIFORNIA, Day 12, July 2, 2011
Hello to all on this, the last day of the California segment. I will be sorry to be leaving this amazing area of the country, and want to offer my sincere thanks to Maureen for an amazing visit! I will be back in Dallas tomorrow evening, and will be editing my 700+ pictures on July 4. For any of you interested in my next segment of travel blogs, stay tuned for my entries starting July 8, from various venues in Italy. My background will change, and you will be seeing a new photograph. Remember, you can answer me one of two ways--either by becoming a follower of my blogsite or by writing me at my e-mail address--whatever you feel more comfortable doing.
But now to my description of this, my last day in the SF area. Maureen and I, after a quick breakfast, traveled to the de Young Museum to see an exhibit whose only venue is in San Francisco. The show is closing on July 4, so we came to it just on time. The exhibit is "Balenciaga in Spain." If any of you don't know that name, let me tell you that Cristobal Balenciaga was one of the greatest designers of the 20th century. He created a revolutionary body of work that transformed the way women dressed. From the opening of his Paris fashion house in 1937 until his retirement in 1968, his visionary, evolving designs and impeccable tailoring appealed to generations of the most fashionable women in the world, including Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain, the Duchess of Windsor, Gloria Guiness, Pauline de Rothschild, Mona Bismarck, Princess Grace of Monaco, Doris Duke, and Diana Vreeland.
We attended a one-hour lecture on his work and then went to see the exhibit, which was crammed to the gills with people. Moving at snail's pace, however, was good in that it required the exhibit-goer to really look at and examine the most amazing clothing I have ever seen. There was a deep influence from many different spheres of Spanish life--the Spanish master painters Zurbaran, Velazquez, Goya, Picasso, and Miro; the legacy of Spanish religious dress and ceremony, its lavish royal court, the tradition of flamenco dance, the drama of the bullfight, and the distinctive costumes of the country's diverse regions. I had seen a few of his dresses in design books, but never close enough to examine the amazing detail and beauty of them. Incredible!
Before lunch, at 3:00 in the museum cafe, we also went to one gallery that had wonderful glassware by Dale Chihuly and other glassmakers. After lunch, which included couscous salad and a pasta salad with steak and carrots, we left the de Young Museum and traveled to downtown SF in order to see the "Painted Ladies," a collection of Victorian houses across from Alamo Square. These houses had been exquisitely restored, and I took lots of pictures. We also stopped at the oldest intact mission in California and the oldest building in SF, established by Father Junipero Serra-- the Mission Dolores. We saw its tiny chapel as well as its great basilica, but as it was almost 5:00 p.m. by this time, the basilica was closing after a wedding service had just been concluded there. Oh well, something to look forward to on a next visit. Before leaving for Mountain View, we enjoyed another artisanal ice cream store. Maureen had rhubarb sorbet and I had Vietnamese coffee ice cream--both fabulous.
This evening, we had a vegetarian dinner at home and then watched the marvelous movie "Ladies in Lavender," with Dame Maggie Smith, Dame Judi Dench, and Daniel Bruehl. I have seen it about six times now, but never tire of it.
This will be my last blog for the moment. I have enjoyed writing it and have appreciated any and all responses. Take care, and let me hear from all you friends and relatives soon! As ever, Sylvia
But now to my description of this, my last day in the SF area. Maureen and I, after a quick breakfast, traveled to the de Young Museum to see an exhibit whose only venue is in San Francisco. The show is closing on July 4, so we came to it just on time. The exhibit is "Balenciaga in Spain." If any of you don't know that name, let me tell you that Cristobal Balenciaga was one of the greatest designers of the 20th century. He created a revolutionary body of work that transformed the way women dressed. From the opening of his Paris fashion house in 1937 until his retirement in 1968, his visionary, evolving designs and impeccable tailoring appealed to generations of the most fashionable women in the world, including Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain, the Duchess of Windsor, Gloria Guiness, Pauline de Rothschild, Mona Bismarck, Princess Grace of Monaco, Doris Duke, and Diana Vreeland.
We attended a one-hour lecture on his work and then went to see the exhibit, which was crammed to the gills with people. Moving at snail's pace, however, was good in that it required the exhibit-goer to really look at and examine the most amazing clothing I have ever seen. There was a deep influence from many different spheres of Spanish life--the Spanish master painters Zurbaran, Velazquez, Goya, Picasso, and Miro; the legacy of Spanish religious dress and ceremony, its lavish royal court, the tradition of flamenco dance, the drama of the bullfight, and the distinctive costumes of the country's diverse regions. I had seen a few of his dresses in design books, but never close enough to examine the amazing detail and beauty of them. Incredible!
Before lunch, at 3:00 in the museum cafe, we also went to one gallery that had wonderful glassware by Dale Chihuly and other glassmakers. After lunch, which included couscous salad and a pasta salad with steak and carrots, we left the de Young Museum and traveled to downtown SF in order to see the "Painted Ladies," a collection of Victorian houses across from Alamo Square. These houses had been exquisitely restored, and I took lots of pictures. We also stopped at the oldest intact mission in California and the oldest building in SF, established by Father Junipero Serra-- the Mission Dolores. We saw its tiny chapel as well as its great basilica, but as it was almost 5:00 p.m. by this time, the basilica was closing after a wedding service had just been concluded there. Oh well, something to look forward to on a next visit. Before leaving for Mountain View, we enjoyed another artisanal ice cream store. Maureen had rhubarb sorbet and I had Vietnamese coffee ice cream--both fabulous.
This evening, we had a vegetarian dinner at home and then watched the marvelous movie "Ladies in Lavender," with Dame Maggie Smith, Dame Judi Dench, and Daniel Bruehl. I have seen it about six times now, but never tire of it.
This will be my last blog for the moment. I have enjoyed writing it and have appreciated any and all responses. Take care, and let me hear from all you friends and relatives soon! As ever, Sylvia
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