Riviera Dreaming on a January Day
Of winter hyacinth and Disney memories
An adorable little pot of still-closed pink hyacinth buds smiled up at me from the grocery store floral department the other day, and luckily it was fairly cheap, so I promptly added it to my cart.
“That will keep you seeing straight,” the clerk at the check-out said, nodding her head. What a delightful and succinct way to put it! It’s been very cold lately, and it’s easy to feel, in the dead of winter, as if icy grey days are the only kind of days there are. Not that bare branches don’t have a beauty of their own, because they do - but spring always comes back, as my minute but already-blooming bulb reminds me.
It occurs to me that my videos are a lot like a winter hyacinth…just some small shoots of bright and hopeful things. They’re meant to keep me seeing straight - to look back, in the depths of January, on an August day at the Riviera - the Disney version - and remember the fun time we had and the delicious things we ate. I might need to try making a croque madame for dinner soon...
I had almost forgotten about the checkerboard of photos of Walt and his family in Europe that covers the walls at Primo Piatto. I think the next time I go to Paris I’m going to need a classic outfit like Walt’s wife and daughters and definitely a crisp pair of white gloves - don’t let me forget - but maybe the nicest thing about those snapshots of Walt and his family spending time together on vacation was seeing them in the middle of a restaurant filled with families spending time together on their vacations. It was so wonderful during our trip just to see families hanging out together - a grandfather and his grandson, two grown-up women walking together who you could tell were sisters. It’s not designed by imagineers, it has nothing to do with carefully-positioned brands and IPs, but it’s a huge part of the magic of a Disney vacation, just being in the midst of so many other families making memories. I’ve posted Disney content on the internet for many years, but it’s not the Disney brand or company I’m loyal to, it’s those families.
It’s always a challenge on a Disney trip to try to film enough so that I have the footage I’ll want for an upload when I get home but not film so much that I’ve spoiled my own vacation. Since this was our second stay at the Riviera, and I’ve already posted a resort tour and a room tour, I didn’t worry too much about capturing every last thing, which was really relaxing. We enjoyed it just as much as we did on our first visit! I didn’t expect to love Riviera when I first saw the concept art, but the space does have a lot of character and a great European vibe.
So the little hyacinth bulbs I have for you all in today’s video include honey whipped cream on top of a fancy cold brew beverage, bright blue tiles underneath your feet (the Bar Riva aesthetic is definitely design goals), and my brother trying to convince us that Nessie’s cousin (what should she be named? Rivvie?) is out in the lagoon.
I have a pot of paper whites bedside and they are immensely cheering!