at the cloisters . .

greg, chanda and i took a trip to the cloisters museum today, up at fort tryon park. we were in time to hook up with a gallery talk, which helped us understand how the museum was pieced together from several abbeys and churches in the south of france and the pyrenees.

we were entranced because it's a setting we're familiar with from attending the medieval festival. however, we've always been outside the walls of the cloisters, and never inside. today we peeked over a parapet from the herb garden and were surprised to see the grassy area we picnic in every year during the festival.

the fountains and gardens are very peaceful and people like to simply sit and relax amidst a quiet spot in nyc . .

and read . .

. . or take pictures of the ripening figs . . how tempting to eat them . .

i found the different colors in the marble very beautiful . .

and the animal carvings at the top of the columns were fascinating . . greg and i were imagining the stone masons chipping away to create these people and creatures. we wondered if they were free to create what they wanted, or if there was a master plan they were following. maybe a little of both. scholars wonder if some of them tell stories, and are meant to be read by starting at a certain point, and walking around the cloister.

we came home for dinner (with korrina) and played a few rounds of "may i."