wandering

Spring is finally in full effect here... so I find it harder to sit down at the computer. Since the sun has come back and it's warm enough to go out without a coat, I've been doing lots of wandering and exploring. Last Saturday, Derek and I set out with the goal of walking to Geneva. This would have been about a 4 hour walk had we followed the direct rout, but it's more fun to meander along indirect paths that lead to fun surprises along the way.  So it took 8. 5 hours instead, but we spent much of that time on wooded trails, passing through small towns, and winding along with the river. Some sights along the way:

Spring green.

In towns.

We stopped to picnic on the steps of the marie in Bernex, the biggest town along our route. It even had a grocery store, buses, and bustling with afternoon activity.

The river trail, getting close to the city.

And here we are, greeted by a graffiti chicken and floating tents! Now to rest our feet a bit and catch the bus back home.

franciversary

Today is our six month "franciversary" (yup, six month anniversary of living in our apt. in France). To celebrate, we did a little bird watching, I planted a few things in front of our place, including strawberries, mint, rosemary, thyme, some flower bulbs, and our landlord's fig tree. Then we had a nice dinner.

What have we learned and accomplished in six months? 

- Well, a big thing is the little bit of French, enough to have some minor conversations. 

- Ski to enjoy the winter.

- I've learned to drink espresso and like it.

- Cooking and shopping for food has become a real pleasure.

- Not owning a car is awesome.

- Slow down, look around.
- The only thing missing in my life is a cat, but there are enough sitting on window sills to tide me over a little longer.
- People here are really happy and that makes me happy.

Santé!