It seems like spring has finally come to Paris. People have started to shed their winter coats and scarfs. The parks are starting to fill on the sunny afternoons. Picnic baskets are getting the dust shaken off and you there seem to be joggers everywhere.

With the improvement of the weather we decided to break away from Paris for a few days and take a trip to the coast. We ended up escaping to a little coastal town, La Bernerie-En-Retz on the Vendeen coast. There were five of us squeezed into a Duster(the French version of a Subaru) for the 4-hour trip. We ended up spending wonderful two days there. We passed the time eating Moules-frites, Coquille Saint Jacques, walking on the beach, playing board games and trying to relax. The house, belonging to diplomats, was decorated with all sorts of things from all over the world. Gael seemed especially fascinated with the tea china set and the impressive library. We spent a lot of time chasing him and making sure he didn't break or rip anything. Whenever we got a stretch of sunshine we tried to head down to the beach. It was a little tough though since Gael seemed fixated on the idea of running into the ocean. It was a great break from the noise, the smog and the people in Paris It did completely and utterly exhuast us though. Sometimes it feels like travelling without a car is playing life on hard mode. I kept thinking of the new Mad Max movie, where at the beginning he said "My world is fire and blood", and while it's not that bad, it can be pretty exhausting.

The last weekend was especially nice. Saturday we had one of those brunches that ended up stretching into lunch and then dinner. Then on Sunday we went to look at the art in Le Petit Palais. We enjoyed the museum until Gael figured out his voice could echo around the main hall(every two seconds "Dada"...yep that's me). They had a wonderful garden courtyard which we retreated to as long as Gael would let us and then finished up with crepes on the side of the Seine. 

Now that Celine is done with her written exams we've had a few more opportunities to spend time together which is great. The last few months were tough. Work tends to wear me out and I have a tendency to retreat a bit at the end of the day. One of the things I am working on is being present with Gael. It's an uphill battle.

I hope that wherever you are, you are finidng sun, warm paths through greenery and joy. Sending warmth from the 3 of us,

Cowabunga dude,

DJ