明日はいよいよ理想宮に行くというときに家内と諍いがあり、一人で行こうと決めたら彼女が折れてきた。彼女は2度目のパリ旅行で、せっかくの短い旅の貴重な１日をそんな得体の知れないものを見に行くことに費やすことに賛成できなかったみたいで、ご機嫌斜めのまま早朝のリヨン駅まで不機嫌だった。

僕だって言葉の通じないフランスの田舎町なんかに無事にたどり着けるかどうか不安だった。

どうにかオートリーヴに着きタクシーで理想宮までと伝えたら、なんと、時間がなくて諦めていた彼の墓所（これもシュヴァル自身が建てた）に寄ってくれた！。いきなりラッキー！。摩訶不思議な彼の墓を見た時点でもう感動してしまい、理想宮に着いた時には興奮マックスだったのを覚えている。

でも、僕は理想宮のことは充分知っていたから落ち着いて対面したのだが、彼女は前知識がないままデコレーションケーキのような、見方によってはグロテスクな建物に出会い興奮して、喜び勇んで理想宮に登り始めた。（理想宮は自由に歩き回れるし、触れることができる。）

あれあれ、昨日の不機嫌はどうしたの？

理想宮は想像以上だった。言葉にはならない。とてつもなく感動した。生き方を教わったような気がした。

美術の教育を受けていない、アーチストとして生きてこなかったシュヴァルが、日々目にする絵葉書にインスパイアされて作り出した自分だけの作品。いわば生涯をかけてたった１つの作品を生み出したことに重大な何かを教えられた。いや、気がついた。

自分の思うようなものを作ればいいのだ。いつからだっていい。いつまでかかってもいい。数も気にしなくていい。

自分が納得する物ができればそれでいいのだ。商売でやっているわけではないのだから・・・。

A day before the visit to the Ideal Palace, my wife and I had some arguments. It was her second visit to Paris, but she could not agree with me spending a precious day for visiting strange, nonsensical building especially during such a short time we had left for the trip. She eventually gave in after I said to her that I would still go there alone. Yet, she was still in a bad mood on the way to Lyon Station next morning.

I was feeling anxious about whether we would be able to get to a small rural village in France without knowing or how to speak any French, but somehow we managed to get to Hauterives. When I asked a taxi driver to get us to the Ideal Palace, and he stopped by at Cheval’s grave on the way there (which he also built for himself). Lucky us! Especially I was thinking that we would not have time to visit there because of time. . I was really moved when I saw such a mystifying mausoleum he built. By the time we got to the Ideal Palace, my excitement was at the highest.

However, knowing about the Ideal Palace well, I was calm enough to see the place for myself, but it was different for my wife. She met this peculiar building that looks like a decoration cake but also grotesque, depending on the point of view, without having any prior knowledge. She was thrilled by this encounter and started to climb the Palace in high spirits. (You can freely walk around and touch the Palace)

Hey, what happened to your bad mood?

The Ideal Palace was much more than what I have imagined. No words could possibly describe how I felt. I was extremely moved. I felt like it has taught me a way of life.

The Palace was a work of his own creation by Cheval, who did not educate himself in art or lived as an artist, that he was inspired by the postcards he saw on a daily basis. So to speak, his Palace taught me something significant about having only one piece of work in his lifetime. No, I realized its significance.

Which is that you just have to create something that you desire. It doesn’t matter when to start or how long it takes. You don't have to worry about the quantity either. You just make something that satisfies you, because you are not doing it for business anyways....