So, the ski trip that I was so stoked for didn't happen.  We planned to be in the Pyrenées for a long weekend, but when we got news that the trip wasn't happening, we called up some old friends in Caen and headed north for the weekend.  It was really great to get away from Paris for a bit.  Our friends, who are a French couple we met in Austin, have a comfortably spacious house with a garden and well-equipped kitchen that we took good advantage of while there.  Juliet was looking to take a break from the city, too so it turned out to be the perfect solution to our botched original plans.  I really needed a break.

While we were in Normandy, I finally got to visit Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery.  It's such an astounding visual memorial that we couldn't really appreciate because of the rain that followed us there.  I'm really glad to have finally been there, though - I had never before fully understood the magnitude of devastation that the befell the courageous American troops in France.  It was impressive.






The rest of the weekend was spent eating and drinking and being merry with friends.  And when Gui and I returned on Sunday night with a full Monday off ahead of us, we decided to bounce around Paris on a sublime, sunny day.  After grabbing fallafel and coffee, we spent most of the day in the Jardin du Luxembourg and Jardin des Tuileries just soaking up the spring sun.

Our (rather successful) attempts at Mexican Martinis


 

Tuileries and Place de la Concorde

I just wish the sun wouldn't be so fleeting around here.  It's warmed up a bit, but the days have been mostly grey with patches of sunshine, and it would be really nice if spring just sprung already!  Despite my complaints, I am pretty happy that I can still wear my tweed wool sweater that was finished just in time to greet the giboulées de mars (the French version of April Showers or June Gloom).  I'm really proud of my first attempt at sweater-making, and I'm getting as much wear out of my new knit as the weather will allow.