my perfect space

This week in Paris I have experienced probably the most perfect week of weather of my life. High sixties, sunshine, a slight breeze, and a general feeling of happiness filling up the air. Paris literally exploded Monday morning once the sunshine came out. All the fountains in the city are turned on now, every sidewalk cafe is full, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a good spot in all the parks. To celebrate the perfection that Paris  presented me with this week I spent quite a bit of time in what I consider the most perfect part of Paris which is the Jardin de Tuileries and the Jardin de Luxembourg. The Jardin de Tuileries is much more conveniently located and they have the most awesome lounge chairs, but the Jardin de Luxembourg has grass that you can picnic and lay out in (the French are usually really picky about their grass). I took full advantage of the nice days by reading in one of the parks everyday, painting in the park for a day, having three picnics, and taking a nap in the grass on Friday. People keep asking me what my favorite part about Paris is and I think it really is just being in my perfect little space in the gardens, people watching, and enjoying life.

and since it's been a while since I posted a song, this one seemed appropriate.
"Go Outside" by Cults

paix. amour. et picnics 

my valse de Danielle

If you want to feel like you are walking around in your own little French film, than I've found the way to do it. This week on a quiet afternoon, I slipped off by myself, went for a walk in the Jardin de Tuileries, popped in my headphones and listened to the Midnight in Paris soundtrack, and then when that ran its course, moved on to the Amelie soundtrack. This is cheesy, I know, but here is some of the music if you are feeling like you need to take a little mental trip to the city of lights.

After my walk I made my way into the L'Orangerie; it is one of my absolute favorite museums in Paris. You walk into a giant white oval room and stretched across the walls are Monet's water lily paintings. They are purely incredible. I couldn't be more proud to share my birthday with anyone other than Monet. He is a painting genius, and in fact, my all time favorite painter. 

To make my afternoon completely perfect, I stopped into a cafe, ordered some hot chocolate, and spent an hour people watching and reading my book. 

This week I also headed to Montmartre (where the film Amelie takes place if you are familiar with it...and you should be). We visited Sacre Coeur, enjoyed the authentic Parisian feel, and walked along the streets that famed authors and writers used to call home. And then, we went to see the Moulin Rouge...really just because of the movie...that I don't even like very much. 

The duck pond stairs have nothing on these bad boys leading up to Sacre Coeur.

I love a beautiful view. 

Some street artists :)

And yes, here is the Moulin Rouge.

paix. amour. et afternoon strolls in the park.