First
of all, let me say I was thrilled to be invited to teach at the
“Polydays” conference in England, by the British Polymer
Clay Guild, and had already decided to extend the trip to include
a little more time in England and Paris. At Heathrow I was greeted
by my charming hostess, Alison Gallant and her husband Paul, who
generously took me into their home. I was grateful that night to
feel amongst friends as I witnessed the eerie bombing of Iraq on
television.
The next day
Alison and I headed off for the conference where I met a wonderful group of people from
all over England. The teachers included Kathy Dewey, Sue Heaser, Allison Ingham, Alexandra
Blythe, Christine Alibert, Philippa Todd and Pat Goodall-McIntosh. I saw some
exceptionally talented miniaturists, beadmakers, sculptors and more. Click HERE to check out the BPCG and view some of their members’ work.
At
the end of the conference I rode the train into London, where I met up with my friend and
began to look around. After taking in some of the historical sites we landed at the
Victoria and Albert Museum, which houses the largest collection of decorative art in the
world and absorbed as much as we could in the short time we had.
We then
rented a car (I was NOT the driver) and cruised out toward the southwest taking in
Avebury, Bath, Glastonbury (the site of the Abbey that existed when the legendary mists of
Avalon cleared) and Stonehenge. 
Cold
temperatures and a few flakes of snow did not diminish the impression the stones made on
us, amazing and majestic.
Returning to London, we caught the “Chunnel” train to
Paris where we breathed art for the next five days. 
We visited the Picasso Museum, the D’Orsay, the Grand Palais, the
Louvre, St Chapelle, and perhaps my favorite, the Cluny, with a great collection of
medieval relics, tapestries and stained glass. I, like so many before me, loved Paris,
loved walking on the Champs Elysee, loved looking at the city from the balcony of the
Eiffel Tower, loved eating and drinking all there is to eat and drink, loved the outdoor
markets, loved my little neighborhood in the Marais district and would love to return.
For now I’m happy to be home again and thankful to have had
this opportunity to travel and see beyond my usual boundaries.
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Copyright 2002-2008
Sarah Nelson Shriver
Last revised: JAN 9 2008
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Celtic Canes and
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