The days are getting warmer and longer, thankfully. Last week I woke up to sunshine streaming through the window and decided I wanted to take my bike out for a spin. It had been a couple months…

So I hopped on my bike and headed out toward the Bois de Boulogne, a massive park on the western edge of the city. Google Maps recommended a route that would take me along the boulevard that circles the city, but I opted instead for the route that would take me by the Eiffel Tower. Because really you can never get too much Eiffel Tower.

From there I biked across the Seine and headed west toward the park. Just as I entered, there was a lovely lake with an island with some kind of 19thcentury ruin on it. Then I biked by the Louis Vuitton Foundation with its Frank Gehry arcs of glass. But much of the park was just slumbering woods, the trails muddy and the trees not yet leafed out with their springtime greenery. So a bit dreary on the whole.

I was just despairing a bit when I happened upon the Parc Bagatelle on the western edge of the Bois de Boulogne, which bills itself as a botanical garden. I cautiously ventured in through the gates, not sure what to expect.

It was so lovely with the dappled sunlight and peacocks promenading randomly around the gardens and luxuriant fields of narcissus and daffodils. It felt like a portal to Spring, in such a French way.

A few days later, Dani and I and our friend Lara went to a stage performance that was very not French. We had tickets to the Rocky Horror Show in version originale (meaning English) and were super excited! Dani and I had both been huge fans of the movie back in the day — I first saw the movie in tenth grade at a church youth conference, which you might be dubious about until I tell you we’re talking about the Unitarians here — and were curious to see the original theater version that the movie was based on. When we showed up that the theatre on the Champs-Elysees, we were blown away by the very modern entrance…

Then we made our way into the actual theater. It felt like we’d stepped into the 1920s, with the colorful art deco decor, the arcs of booth seats nestled around tables, and the massive chandeliers overhead.

We had a blast! Dani and I were both singing along — I couldn’t believe I still remembered (almost) all the words! Can never get too much of the Time Warp! Such a fun night!

And then the other thing I’ve done recently to to sign up from some classes — a French class with the Alliance Francaise and an illustration class with the City of Paris — both to learn some stuff and to improve my French, since both classes are taught in French. With the illustration class, I was a little concerned I’d gotten myself in a little over my head, but it seems to be working out.

Yesterday we had an interesting exercise to go to a park next to the school and observe something in the park for two minutes and then do a contour drawing of it for two minutes using our non-dominant (for me, left) hand while trying to capture a sense of motion. I like how this pigeon turned out…

I hope Spring is starting to pop for all of you, too!