April in Paris? Nah....everyday

Fall agrees with me; Summer and I have argued for months.


Growing up, summer was my favorite season. Wasn’t it every kids’ favorite season? It meant the end of school and the end of ‘worries’.  If only we had those kinds of ‘worries’ these days.

When I got older, I fell in love with spring. The end of darkness finally arrived, and I could smell spring. There was/is always such hope during spring. The days get longer, hibernation ends, and the city slowly, but surely, starts to come alive.

In the past few years, I have fallen in love with fall. One of my favorite words and feelings is: cozy. Fall is cozy to me. I can finally pull out the sweaters, socks, sweatshirts, and scarves. (Hmmm…fall’s clothing all starts with ‘s’, I never noticed that before.) I can sit on our terrace with a sweater and scarf and knit and feel so cozy. The pressure of trying to fit everything into a Chicago summer has come to an end, and I can finally relax and take a deep breath of the crisp air. And, I can hide under looser, bulkier clothes, and really breathe because I don’t have to suck in my gut anymore under the less forgiving summer fashions.  Seriously, it is so hard to take a deep breath when you are sucking in your gut.  Whew!  What a relief to let it loose.

Last year my mom, Ignacio and I were in Paris (my favorite place in the world) in October. It was beautiful. Well, hell, when isn’t Paris beautiful? It was my mother’s first trip to Europe. It took a little coaxing, but she finally agreed to go. (I know! Who needs to be coaxed to go to Paris?) She loved it like I knew she would.

In the middle of our trip, we took a bicycle tour to Versailles. It was a perfect fall day and we rode through the grounds of Versailles and picnicked on the bank of the canal (or whatever that body of water is). It was breathtaking and amazing and pictures never do justice.

my mother...on a bike...in France!!

For our picnic in Versailles, we went shopping at a huge farmers' market and bought cheese, wine, bread, sausages, and did I mention cheese and wine??

Here is what happens after I remember I have my FLIP video camera with me after a few glasses of wine.  (now keep in mind:  I'm tipsy, I'm riding a bike with one hand while filming myself....)

Fall in Paris from Natalie Mikolajczak on Vimeo.

If I had my way, I would visit Paris every fall.

And every spring.