Spring Has Sprung...

Winter (finally) came to an end yesterday.

It's not as though I had been counting or anything...yeah, right!

I enjoyed seeing signs of Spring on my way home from school each day during the past few weeks.  Some daffodil and crocus shoots started to bloom in the park very early on...

Hooray for Spring...

I knew you'd get here eventually ♥

La Mode...

Fashion.

It's everywhere in Paris.  But it's no more apparent than during Fashion Week...

A while ago, on my way to meet up with a new friend at a café in the Odéon area, I turned a corner and unwittingly stumbled into the fray of snapping camera lenses and sky-high heels and I'm pretty sure I saw this guy trying to photograph anyone who had a certain fashionista-je ne sais quoi about them (read: not me!)...

Turns out, there was a fashion show happening in a university building on that street.  The excitement was palpable and I found a spot to stand out of the way to just take it all in.  I totally wanted to take out my camera and snap away, but I was a little too sheepish at first, and so I only captured one image...

Maybe it was the hair that caught my attention?

Maybe it was the South Park leggings (tights?)...

All I know is, you can see it all in this city.

Paris is pretty great like that ♥

Luxembourg Gardens...

I've been enjoying using the bus system around Paris of late.  The metro system just seems too crowded and dingy, and besides, I really like seeing the city above ground!

I have to take two buses in order to get to the church, so on my return route two Sundays ago the second bus had a 20-minute wait.  Rather than just stand around, I decided to walk to the next stop in the meantime.  The next stop happens to be right across from...surprise!  The Luxembourg Gardens!  I scrapped the bus plan for a bit and wandered all the way around the gardens, dodging runners and watching people serenely engage in Tai-Chi exercises.  There is something for everyone in these gardens...pétanques (boules/bocce ball) for the older generations, playgrounds for the youngest ones and tennis courts, reclining chairs, and snacks for everyone in between.

Some views of that day's visit follow...

Bells Are Ringing...

Once upon a time, I played handbells when I was in high school (both at school and at church).  I took a number of years "off" and returned to my church's handbell choir last year, only to leave it again when I moved to Paris.  I didn't think I would pick up another bell for quite some time.

Enter The Celebration Ringers at the American Church in Paris...

I spoke with the music director one night in January about my interest in the church's bell choir (I came to find out there are actually three bell choirs!), and the very next evening I was filling in for someone who had injured her finger in the Intermediate group (!!)  After a few weeks of practice, we performed two pieces of music during Sunday's traditional service...a processional piece written by the music director himself and a "mash-up" (as one of the singing choir members called it) of "All Things Bright and Beautiful" and "He's Got the Whole World In His Hands."

What a thrill to partake in a musical offering in such an amazing space.  I've really grown to love not only the church building, but also the church family that has welcomed me in with open arms.

We play again for Easter...

I'll be there,

"With bells on" ♥

Mom in Paris...

I was terribly spoiled to have my mom come and visit for almost two weeks during my most recent holiday from school.  Her time went by so quickly :(  But while she was here we enjoyed day after day of fun activities and delicious treats from our favorite boulangerie, a movie here and there, meals at my place or out in the city and lots of great conversation :)  And we did everything at the most relaxing pace imaginable - very welcome in my book after flying hither and yon between my two schools for weeks on end.


We planned each day the night before and that allowed for a ton of flexibility and some spontaneity.  Here is what Mom's visit looked like:

Rouen...

The French rail system, SNCF, loves to encourage travelers to get out and see the country by way of its numerous chemins de fer (railways).  Tickets are often offered at a discount, so it seems silly not to take advantage of the great deals...

A few weekends ago, Susy and I did just that.

We packed weekend bags and caught an early Saturday morning train bound for Rouen, a short 1.5 hours away.  The city is known for being the site of Joan of Arc's demise, as well as home to the cathedral portal that Claude Monet painted over 30 times.  We signed up for a walking tour of the city (2 hours in the bitter cold!) and visited the Musée des Beaux-Arts on Saturday.  Sunday morning we awoke to a beautiful snow-covered city.  We learned that Paris had received a dusting overnight that quickly melted by mid-day...we woke up to at least 5 inches that stayed around the entire day!!  Dressing for the cold was one thing (multiple layers = 2 scarves, 2 sweaters, leggings under pants, 2 pairs of socks and gloves), but neither one of us were prepared for **snow**!  We had fun as we gingerly made our way through the "n'er to see a plow" streets.  The highlight of the day was entering the Musée le Secq des Tournelles, an iron-work museum with the most extensive collection of forged iron items in the world!  Susy was in iron-work heaven!!  The museum itself was housed in a decommissioned cathedral (small in size for a cathedral, but perfect as a repurposed museum).  The curator was a wealth of information and the collection was really breathtaking - everything from store signs, to keys, sugar pincers, kitchen utensils, jewelry, iron chests, balconies, railings, weights and measures...you name it, it was represented. The sheer amount of keys (and accompanying locks) were the most impressive!!  We were exhausted by the time we left, but happy to have explored another city outside of our beloved Paris...