Easter Weekend!

In France, the Monday after Easter (or Pâques), is a national holiday. Even though my friends and I are loaded down with schoolwork, we decided to profite and enjoy the weekend.

I had an exam the Friday leading up to Easter, and while I was walking home, I realized it was the first time since November that I could walk without feeling physically uncomfortable by the surrounding air temperature. I grew up in the southern United States, so cold and grey do not agree with my constitution. I found myself walking at a leisurely pace down Boulevard Saint Germain for the first time in months, rather than scurrying for warmth like I usually do.

To celebrate, I had un verre au terrace at a café near my place, and the walked to the Seine b/c I could. Snapped some sunset pics. Just cuz.

That evening, a friend invited me to a day trip she'd planned with a mutual friend to Fontainebleau on Saturday. We took a tour of the château and then rented bikes to bike over to the nearby town of Barbizon. What was supposed to be a 30 minute bike ride on a paved path ended up being a 2 hour mountain biking sesh through the forest of Fontainebleau. Gorgeous scenery. More of a workout than we expected, but we survived haha. Note to others: Barbizon has no buses and the cabs can't fit bikes, so if you bike there, you gonna have to bike your tush back, honey.

Bees have historically been the symbol for power and royalty, so Napoleon was sure to include a LOT of bee motifs. 

Nerdy selfie w/ my audioguide. There was a lot of history, ok?!

Ceiling shot.

Wall panel. 

The chapel. 

Napoleon's bed.

A stool in Marie Antoinette's ante chamber. 

Cute flower shop in Fontainebleau

On Easter Sunday, considerably more sore than usual, I biked over to the right bank to celebrate at a friend's place. I picked up some flowers as a hostess gift on the way. I noticed that peonies, my favorite flower, are finally in season! The weather was nice, so we decided to hang out at Jardin de Tuileries for the rest of the afternoon.

Windy and ominous, yet still sunny!

Peonies :)

Blue ballerinas for Easter!

The weather was gorgeous, even though we were hit by some intermittent showers. I had a great time with some of my closest friends in the Master's program. Spring in Paris is objectively amazing, but I think you really appreciate it when you've been through the winter. You feel like you've earned it. Every flower is blooming just for you :)

I hope everyone enjoyed a great weekend! 

Spring is Coming....

      One of the best things about having this blog is that I can look back to old entries from my first stay in Paris for guidance. Sometimes it's for factual confirmation: about when did the weather get warm here again? Other times, it's for nostalgia: can you believe that less than 5 years ago, I'd just eaten my first macaron? Better still, it's for signs of progress: thank goodness my french is better now, or, wow, there was a time when I really had a thing for french guys. Lol.

      Spring is almost upon us, and it couldn't come a moment sooner for me. This winter has been a grey one, but the lack of external light and warmth was more than compensated for by the warmth and light provided by all of the lovely people I've met in my graduate program here in Paris. Although I try to stay "present", I often use my college semester in Paris as a reference for my experiences here and now. I realized today, for example, that I wont be in Paris for Roland Garros like I was last time, which prompted me to realize that I won't be here as for as far into spring as I was last time, which is a serious dommage b/c I believe that there is no better place on earth to be than Paris in the spring.

      That being said, I came here this time on a mission: to get a master's degree in economic law. Last time, the goal was mostly to improve my french and to experience life abroad. And while this trip has surely been less fun-n-fancy-free than my first séjour here in France, I've been working hard to better myself and to create opportunities for the future. Last time, as the family and friends that suffered through my complaints remember vividly, it took me a long time to overcome my culture shock sufficiently to enjoy Paris. This time, the challenge has been managing my stress levels enough to savor the experience. It can be tempting to look at the past with rose-colored glasses, but sometimes an honest assessment will show you that you're actually making progress.

       Anyway, in the vein of my 2011 spring post, I'm going to post some pretty pretty pics of Paris in the spring. Though this time, I'd say that my photography skills have improved (see...progress!). I'll update this post as I take pics, but for up to the minute pics, follow me on Instagram (@lazeez90), where I will be posting at least a pic a day. Enjoy!