As we touch down in Vancouver, the planeload of people reward the pilot with a round of applause, a rare and pleasing reaction to a long, but fairly civilized flight. Fortunately, this model of airplane was equipped with more modern electronic amenities which kept me distracted with all of its second rate movies I hadn’t yet seen. Once back on terra firma, I spend the next few days recovering and orienting myself back into my normal life which seems a bit ordinary after all my adventures. It feels like I’ve been away for months and I’m already missing the museums.
I unpack all my Vermeer postcards trophies and crowd in the last candidates onto my Vermeer bulletin board. Seeing all the artist’s works finally together helps to sum up my journey nicely and pleases me. I include my MIA ‘Woman with Pearl necklace’ just to torture myself with its absence; I’m not entirely disappointed since it gives me the excuse to visit the energized city of Berlin in a year or so. I have loads of materials and even more writing to be done. I feel like I’ve accomplished something, something much more than just my initial cultural safari idea that I started just over two years ago. I’ve seen some really wonderful art, amazing cities and been touched by the kindness of others. I’ve also taken some chances, problem solved and overcome obstacles. Not only have I become a seasoned traveller, but I also feel much more confident in myself and my writing. I’ve enjoyed really being in the moment, observing and experiencing things intensely. Being back however, I notice that the predictability of my life here begins to dull my new awareness – all that ‘mindfulness’ that so many religions and philosophies encourage. Could it be that seeing art is my way of keeping focused and ‘awake’? If so, now that I’ve nearly run out of Vermeer ‘shrines’, how can I find a way to continue my inward journey? Perhaps this isn’t an end, but rather just a beginning as I move ahead and assemble all my notes into a book, its cornucopia of topics enticing me off in all kinds of new and interesting directions.
Inpursuitofvermeer's Blog 