In France, the evening comes late in summer, and as the light slowly dims, it’s time to gather everyone together for the end of day meal.
There is a special place for dinner tonight. The Trianon. Set in the woods at the end of the main alley of trees is the little Trianon, a villa, unto its own. Dinner is prepared in the main kitchen, and ready to move to the Trianon. Everything must be brought by hand. Everyone helps to set the table, arrange flowers and light candlesticks.As the table is dressed and the candlelight creates a glow, the light outside fades.
he big house moves away and the guests get closer: the room is smaller, the conversations more joyous and more intimate. Everyone perceives the original atmosphere in the depths of the woods. In the magic of the evening, one imagines all the stories contained in the building. A prisoner took refuge there, it is said, inhabited by fear and the desire to live.
The night is quiet all around the Trianon, the darkness of the woods emphasized by the warm light of the dinner table and the happy flickering lights in everyone’s eyes.
Gradually, the flames of the candles descend to the chalice that holds them. Here, there is no clock. The end of the meal occurs when the wax has almost disappeared. We then return home, guided by the discreet lights of the stars, the sound of voices and laughter rising into the night.
