London calling?

[midnightblues]

At the end of September, Stefano went to France to write:

I'm in the French hills, staying in a REAL castle, writing with some the best writers and producers the world has to offer #BlessedLife

They must travel to Europe for artistic reasons because the exchange rate against the U.S. dollar doesn't appear to be favorable.

I know there are some issues with entertainment industry union contracts (I believe related to royalties) that motivate many movies to be made outside of the united states (but of course there are synergies of staying in Hollywood to access creative resources more readily)

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As for artistic inspiriation, for the visual arts I'm certain that there is so much to gain in terms of seeing works of art in context if nothing else.

I think also, any exposure to other cultures and breaks from our normal day to day context stretches our senses of things and allows us to see finer gradations in things around us. (back-packing in the Sierras each year does that for me.. I know hunters and fisherman throughout the US probally get the same thing.. its not some crunchy granola or efete snob concept)

I've made many trips to France and Italy and to London(can't say I've seen too much of England beyond and hour or two Cambridge etc).

After you pay your plane ticket it really doesn't need to be any different in cost than travelling in the states.. and you often need to pay a plane ticket here too. Lodging isn't expensive(their star rating system is strictly enforced .. a two star hotel will be cheap but up to high cleanliness standards.. and far far more charming than the day's ins or Howard Johnson equivalents here...more bed and breakfast like i suppose .. 3 stars a bit more but on the level of Best westerns here in cost if visually far far different) and you'll usually get a free cup of coffee and a cresant or roll included.

Sitting down for one meal a day is enough for me grabbing a "gourmet" sandwich at a market or something for the other meal. The people love cooking so much that the meals served in the little inns and in little family restaurants is tremendous and not so terribly expensive ... certainly for it's quality.

Southern France and Northern Italy (those are my favorites even though i've seen almost all of those countries) are just amazingly beautiful in terms of colors of the landscapes and the way the sunlight bathes everything. I enjoy history a good deal and there is plenty to see during the day as reasons for excursions.

You have roman empire structures, and you have medieval castles. You have Renaissance cathedrals and also have the art of the 20th century.

I have an eye for industrial history which is both interesting in terms of the Roman era as well as evidence of more recent industrial history is. I took my family on canals in a part of France 10 years ago. You can rent these little boats.. basically the house boats you can rent on lakes here in the U.S. (Winnebagos on pontoons?) and drive them yourself in the waterways that were vital for commerce in the early 1900's . They run from Amsterdam all the way to the Mediterranean in a spider-work of off shoots etc.

I had studied that transportation/industrial history in college and had to see for myself how before the time of electricity and even engines figured out how to take boats up over small mountain ranges using locks. But I'd do another canal boat rental again readily because of the beauty and serenety of moving through the slow water and all the colors and shadows etc. (like here though, renting a mobile home isn't necessarily the cheapest way to travel - depends on the number of people etc)

Anyway.. if done right, the cost isn't prohibitive at all for middle income people here and the rewards are wonderful in terms of broadening your mind. Staying in cheap places here might feel like you're slumming it but the cheap places there are often charming. Also renting those "Villas" and some small castles can mean everything from some huge mansion to just a basic vacation rental home with the tag "villa" given to it... i

GUESS who pays for that