Let's try this Spring update again...

Substack has been testing my patience.

I had this full update for everyone that was packed with beautiful spring pictures, trip accounts from a family visit a couple (few, at this point) weeks ago, and a strong nod to rosé as it is now, as was captured in the title of the original post that crashed and never returned, officially rosé season in France. “Official” is, in fact, not really official, but it should be.

I had written about how for the previous two weeks the weather had been ~perfect~, and so everyone—and I mean EVERYONE—had been outside doing activities ranging from biking (me), running (also me, as well as the oblivious person I collided with while on my bike the other day), laying out in parks, picnicking, and yes, drinking copious amounts of rosé in the sudden, unseasonable warmth that everyone was happy to see.

But it’s now been raining for 48 hours straight. The mountains are getting 3 feet of snow. My previous post didn’t go out, nor did it save to my site. So here I am, piecemealing it back together, channeling the joys of Spring when it is decidedly no longer Spring outside.

What it has looked like here lately, until Sunday.

Interesting French Things That Bear Discussing This Season

1. They don’t do window screens.

   I had a whole thing on the open window, mosquitos-in-apartment situation here because I could have killed someone last summer for some window screens. It’s like that Hugh Grant scene in Love Actually when he says, “Who do you have to screw around here to get some biscuits” (cookies, Americans). That was me all summer, but with window screens instead of sweets. There are plenty of those. But they don’t do them, just like air conditioning. The reasons are nonsensical. Ask me more about it if you want and I’ll elaborate. So, we ordered window screens from Germany and are in love. They’re folded back up for the moment, but will be making their triumphant return as soon as it’s warm again.

   

   One common complaint is that screens are ugly, but you can barely see it. Excuse invalided.

2. Pedestrians don’t look where they’re going. Like ever.

   I feel like this is a particularly French phenomenon, and something that becomes so apparent in nice weather because the people are OUT. This translates to a lot of cyclists as well, unfortunately, and also 99% of runners. From blindly moseying in front of moving cars to stepping into bike lanes right in front of moving bikes, pedestrians have a knack for perpetuating the aloof French stereotype.

   I mentioned I collided with a runner the other day. This happened because of this same head in the clouds attitude to noting your surroundings. (Runner did a u-turn right in front of me on a shared off-road path, without looking, which resulted in a bit of a scene and a damaged bike. Color me unhappy.)

   I have been, and remain, on a mission to impart the glorious practice of keep to the right onto my adopted home. The style here is total chaos. I’ll try to take some pictures for a later post.

Travels: Berlin > Normandy > Paris

My cousin and her husband visited to go to a Sturgill Simpson concert with us in Paris and we made a big trip out of it. The concert was fantastic, in this old, beautiful theatre in Paris called Le Trianon. I’m not sure I could ever go see a stadium concert again after that.

St. Patrick’s Day in Berlin

The whole trip was fantastic. I got to eat some currywurst and visit one of my favorite cities (Berlin). The weather was great. And I got my recurring dose of Paris. While I do love and appreciate the City of Lights, if our next visitors want to NOT go, that would be 1000% ok with me. Anyway, here’s a whole post I wrote on the Normandy part of our trip…

Normandy Isn't A Day Trip from Paris

And here are pictures from Berlin and Paris.

Notre Dame is open again. The cross above had molten metal drip on it during the fire and it was pulled out and kept as is. The inside is shockingly bright and colorful. Even before the fire it was pretty dark and many chapels needed restoration. But she's back, baby. Photos also include the aforementioned sausage I could eat almost everyday, Berlin at night, some graffiti in Hackescher Markt, and other scenes.

Fingers crossed this sends this time. I hope. TTYL.