Last month at this time I was in Scotland at the beginning of a two-week European vacation. While I am now unpacked, I think I left part of my mind behind. 
It’s been difficult to settle back into a routine–no matter how diligent I am about making my to-do list, it doesn’t mean anything on it is getting done!
The trip was for pleasure, but I also visited six museums for research. I took notes on backs of receipts and odd bits of paper, because I had left my notebook-calender on my desk at home. Once I got back to the hotels, I hastily transcribed everything onto my laptop. When I could read my writing.
By the time I got to the Louvre gift shop, I found the answer to any future note-taking problems. I now have a tiny blank book in my handbag with this very stimulating (for a romance writer) image on it! I had a choice of St. Anne or a medieval tapestry, but I think you can see why I chose the Flandrin painting.
I visited the Victoria and Albert Museum in London again, too. I think it’s my favorite museum in the world. I’m particularly fond of the jewelry exhibit, which is enhanced by computer stations. You can see the actual pieces in the cases, then get all the details online. The room is quite dark, though, which made my scribbles kind of challenging to read, LOL.
It was fascinating to check out the period clothing in some of the museums, but I must say after seeing Queen Elizabeth’s dresses in Glamis Castle and Princess Diana’s “Elvis” dress at the V & A, I feel underdressed. And fat.
Do you have a favorite museum which inspires you? What’s on the cover of your notebook?
I really love the National Gallery of Art in London, but closer to home, I enjoy a little gem of a museum called the Isabella Gardener. In the early 1900′s Isabella Gardner inherited several million from her father and since her husband was a very wealthy man, he told her to spend it collecting art. The result is a very personal collection curated by Mrs. Gardner herself. I really got a sense of this remarkable woman by studying the treasures she chose for herself.
The museum is also famous for a break in that occurred in the 1990s. A rare Vermeer was stolen. Since there are only 36 of his canvases extant, it was a huge loss.
I took a group of high school boys to the Gardner museum ages ago–perhaps not the art aficianados one would hope for, LOL. I remember sitting in the garden asking God to grant me patience.
I love the Hearst Castle in San Simeon, CA. It’s really cool to see what Mr. Hearst saw when he was creating it. To be around when that was in its hay day w old have been so cool.
I’ve only seen pictures–spectacular!