Spring's my new favorite

I have a new favorite season, although it's not necessarily the entirety of the season itself, but rather the transition from one to another that makes me sing.

Florida seasonal transitions were different, yet special enough in itself to celebrate. Football games and the presence of Pumpkin Spice lattes at Starbucks announced, "Fall is here, even if for the rest of the country it means cooler weather and you're still having beach parties!" Winter meant the temperatures dropped and I could wear sweaters, albeit if I was still in flip flops. Spring? Well, spring was really only a bright onslaught of lime-green leaves that suddenly appear on the massive oak trees and the two weeks that the oleanders and azaleas were in bloom. Plus, it was warm enough to jump back into the ocean. You blink, then it's sweet Florida summer.

But OH! how the rest of the world enjoys spring! I'm finding myself absolutely enthralled-- the burst of colors that appeared out of nowhere, how every day you can find a slight change with your surroundings that are leading us on a path towards summer. In Frankfurt, summer means festivals every weekend, ice cream in your coffee on a daily basis. Lake trips, biergartens, and the promise of travel to adventurous places.

Spring in Frankfurt means we have the chance to tentatively be outside... to start back up with barbecues and bocce, even if we have to be snuggled up in the picnic blankets that we brought.

... and some days we can bravely wear the dress that's been hiding in the back of the closet, order an eis kaffee and bare our legs to the sunshine.

..or attempt an outdoor birthday party (how simply perfect! The girls received crowns and squealed while kicking around a ball. Eat your heart out, Pinterest.

and of course, spring means baby animals. Done.

The Final Paris Photo Dump

The final Paris episode, and quite possibly my favorite day. 

Utilizing the "Paris Museum Pass," we decided to hit up both Musee D'Orsay and the Louvre in one day. Crazy, I know, but we figured out how do it without wanting to rip our eyes out by the end of the evening.

The day was started at a sweet local bakery that we ended up visiting every morning, called R. Bertraud. If you're staying around Notre Dame, I highly recommend this little place for heavenly pastries and the greatest coffee in Paris. (I had a baguette with camembert every morning, maybe the best thing I've ever eaten. ever.) 

Let's take a picture by our favorite bakery, except we've already left and feel too weird to cross the street to take selfies

No lines again, since we had the pass; we slipped into the Musee D'Orsay and I choked up a bit because Impressionism is my favorite. Monet, Degas, Renoir, and an interesting exhibit on Van Gogh that paired his madness with his biographer's own insanity. 

I was in heaven. 

We only saw what we wanted to see instead of attempting to take in every floor and every piece., knowing that we'd be doing the same at the Louvre later on. 

PS- Museum gift shops make excellent gifts for people. I might have bought a children's book about a little girl who jumps into Impressionist paintings, because who knows, it might come in handy one day.

Here's my other Paris secret- rent bikes to get between the museums and the Eiffel Tower. The walk is way too long. Plus, bikes are just lovely--we only almost died like, once.

"Wait! Rock climbing is on my 30 by 30 list! Take lots of pictures of me so I can cross it off!" 

And a must for all visits to Paris?

Picnics.

With baguettes and brie, preferably with good wine as well, although we failed on that part. 

Oh, and pastries. 

After the picnic we made our way back over to the Louvre, which is massive and overwhelming. We pretty much stuck with the highlights on the map and lasted for maybe two hours, hitting up the Starbucks inside and the gift shop again. 

Upon leaving-- holy cow, the sunset! 

Dinner that evening was at Chez Janou in the Marais, and it was SO. GOOD. 

Like, all discussion at a standstill we savored every bite of our delicious dinners. 

Eat there.

I know this post has been an absolute photo dump, but bear with me!

The last morning before our train to Colmar we hit up Sacre Coeur on a beautiful, sun-shiney day

and popped in to Shakespear & Company on the way back to the flat. 

Absolutely heavenly. And there's a whole upstairs with ancient books where famous writers like Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald used to hang out and borrow books. I could curl up and live there forever. 

We were sad to leave Paris, but all good things must come to an end!

A vow was made to return every five years-- who's coming with next time? 

:)

More from Paris

Hello, Versailles. So happy to have had the chance to meet again!

You always take me by surprise with your splendor! How could anyone live this extravagantly?

This was my favorite visit to see you, because we had the foresight to buy the Paris Museum Pass which meant we didn't have to wait in any lines. Plus, you were the least busiest I've ever seen you! Makes up for your gardens still being a bit wintery. We even rented a golf cart to explore the vastness of your backyard, but couldn't stop giggling when we realized the cart reached a max of maybe 10 miles per hour. Next time we'll rent bikes for sure.

I wonder what she was trying to tell me? haha

After Versailles we strolled up the Champs-Elysees, stopping for a quick lunch and continuing on to the Arc du Triumph (the top was closed though, which was also covered on the Museum Pass.) It was cold. And we were in need of coffee and pastries...

... so we ended up at Laduree! You have to go at least once for the ambiance and outrageously expensive coffee/pastries, even if you're surrounded by Americans and Asians. I much prefer little stumbled-upon cafes, but it was sweet. And there was no line, which in the summers it can wrap around and down into the street.

We wrapped the day up with meandering through the streets of Marais, one of my favorite parts of the city. Unfortunately everything was closed, but we made our way to what's supposedly the best falafel in Paris (L'As du Fallafel)  in the middle of the historically Jewish district- the girls were hooked! Called it an early evening since we clocked 12 miles of walking... but I'd say we did a good job of squeezing the life out of our second day :)