Escape to Spain

Bon lundi!

"How did you deal with winter here last year?" I asked.

It was my first winter in Paris and I was talking with a friend. I was trying to get accustomed to the days of overcast, gray skies in Paris that winter brings along. I'm a Jersey girl from the northeast of the US so cold and snow don't phase me like my southern Californian friends, but short days with little sunshine do.

"Well...I vacationed in Spain a lot," she answered.

As it turns out, winter isn't the only time it rains frequently in Paris! This July has been out-of-the-ordinary with cool weather and lots of rain. While my plants appreciate the extra water to make up for my lacking green thumb, these days I've been thinking of that plentiful Spanish sunshine. Here's a photo from a trip I took last summer in Sevilla:

 Plaza de España in Sevilla, Spain

Hope you're enjoying summer so far!

European Adventures in Pictures

We started by looking at our best canvas-worthy photos of Paris and then expanded the scope to all of France. Now it is time to conclude with our best pictures from our European travels of 2013.

There was much to discover on our travels in Europe. The first trip of the year outside of France was to Iceland, a country completely off my radar to visit. Now I can't help hoping to spend more time there enjoying its spectacular natural beauty.  

The summer brought an amazing trip to Sevilla which once again proved just how wrong I was about Spain. I once had no interest in seeing Spain at all. Then I got acquainted with tapas (oh, the tapas) and the warmth of the country. Now I keep trying to scheme ways to return. 

In August I joined my fellow Parisians in a mass exodus out the city. I found myself in Ireland on the most relaxing trip of the year, drinking lots of tea with dear friends in a house overlooking the Dingle peninsula. 

Fall brought a trip to Bruges with good friends who, not coincidentally, were very knowledgeable about Belgium beers. I was afraid that I overly romanticized Bruges from my first trip there in May 2012 but found that I love the city all the more. 

I closed out the year on a Christmas trip making my way through Germany to be in Seefeld, Austria over Christmas. All I can say is I'm already planning to be there next year for Christmas.

Here's the year in review: 

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