J’aime la Vie

No, the hotel walls aren’t an optical illusion. They’re the colors of the French flag

I’m a girl who moved to the damp Pacific NW from upstate NY, where it can snow in April. When Uwe and I first fell in love, it was springtime in Europe. Flowers bloomed everywhere, the sun shone, we sat at outdoor tables in cafés holding hands… Mid-April and I’m in a t-shirt drinking wine at lunch with my sweetie ? Now this is the life!

I didn’t know it at the time, but I was falling in love with a way of life, too.

It’s twenty-five years later and I’m still here. I remain in love with the way of life. But we joke that if the weather had been different I might not have been so quick to agree to stay. Some years it snows here in April, too. On April 18 & 19, it came down hard and then melted.

Possible snow showers are in this week’s forecast.

Snow flakes and a cloud bank coming our way

But two weeks ago we were in Paris and the temperature hit 22° C (71° F). Everywhere the trees and flower beds were in bloom, and yes, we sat at outdoor cafés…

We made a day trip to Amiens’ magnificent cathedral, the largest Gothic cathedral in France. I was excited to discover that Amiens contains one of the few labyrinths still in existence. [1]

While I wait for the weather to decide if it really is springtime, I’m enoying the photos from the City of Lights.

Paris remains the most satisfying of cities.

It doesn’t matter if I’m in Paris for the art, the food, the shops, or the French way of life. Paris appeals to all of my senses. Whenever I’m there I fall right back in love with being alive. J’aime la vie!

I lost my head for love. I wonder what his story was

NOTES: We took the direct fast train from Stuttgart. In 3 hours, we were in Paris. [1] Go to my earlier post Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres to read about another labyrinth and the glory that is Chartres. © Jadi Campbell 2017. To see  Uwe’s pics from our trips go to viewpics.de.

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12 thoughts on “J’aime la Vie”

  1. Paris is one of my favourite places. I love the flowers, but I especially love the window shopping photos! Those bizarre dolls above the glasses – too funny.
    Alison

    1. When I’m in Paris I’m enchanted – and amused beyond words – by little stores and the window displays. Who dresses these windows anyway? And where does s/he get their ideas?!

    1. We had a great trip! I had maybe the best meal of my life in an Auberge in a stone house dating from 1407 (the building, not the food). When are you coming to visit, Lou? As I say, Paris is only 3 hours from us…

    1. Yes! Isn’t it wonderful?! Barb, there is so much angst in the press right now about Paris. We saw a larger police presence but otherwise the vibe was, well, springtime in Paris. No way terrorists are going to keep me from visiting one of my favorite cities in the world.

    1. I truly fall back in love with all things French whenever I’m there. We’ve never had a negative experience. Though on one visit, the rare bad meal did bum me out. It’s too easy to eat really, really well in Paris. (This most recent trip was delicious!!)

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