Monday, May 31, 2010

reoccurring dreams.

do you ever have reoccurring dreams?
not the scary kinds
(as a kid I had dreams about tornadoes
ALL.the.time
one even chased me through a gymnasium)

some themes i seem to dream about on a reoccurring basis:

gymnastics, which i did as a kid for about 7 years.
flying. usually way too close to telephone wires, and on scarily short runways.
and most recently: palau.








the dream is always different.
i know that i'm in palau
but it never looks the same

i'm swimming
scuba diving
admiring fish

last night, i was buying post cards 
from an overcrowded tourist shop
for people at home

why do you suppose we dream about the same things
over and over?
are we trying to get back to something?
reveling in some warm worn memories?

do you ever have reoccurring dreams?
about...?

happy monday!

a+

alli



Friday, May 28, 2010

things i'm excited about.

well, since yesterday's post was about 
things i'll miss in france
i only thought it appropriate
(and positive)
to share a few things i'm excited for
outside of france

seed spitting contests.


this booger.


driving!


mountains. hiking. picnics. 


baseball games! french don't understand the wonderfulness.


this lovely girl's wedding in two weeks!!


hammock naps :)

and i'll also mention 

target
to-go coffee
forever 21
plane rides
my bed!

and of course the fam. 
you thought i was going to forget. 
:p

what are you excited about?

a+

alli


Thursday, May 27, 2010

ca me manquera.


what do you miss the most when you leave a place you love?
what are the details, the sensations that stick out most?

les odeurs
baguettes and patisseries out of the oven in the morning
streets laced with the smell of thick, creamy butter
lilacs as they bloom in the spring, lining streets and driveways
fresh peaches arranged in crates at the morning market
waiting to be sprinkled with sugar, arranged in a tarte

les couleurs
yellow mustard flowers and colza in the spring
vineyards in the fall, grape leaves rusted orange and red
sun peeking through indigo stained glass windows
shutters painted vert, jaune, violet
gleaming proudly, arranged in a row

les bruits
toddlers bubbling french phrases
boots echoing on a cobblestoned street
the sncf ring tone, a ticket composted, the metro ring
ambulances, car horns, and the
first-Wednesday-of-the-month
fire station horn that rings eerily in each city

les saveurs
the crunchy croute of a baguette, the inside soft as a cloud
Chablis, Bordeaux, Gaillac, Muscadet, Cote du Rhone
foie gras, escargots, tartiflette, fondu, crepes, croque monsieur
camembert, brie de meaux, roquefort, epoisses, st marcellin

les sensations
letting my mind wander across the french countryside
witnessed from a train window
navigating city streets by bike
groceries and fresh cut flowers in the wooden basket
exploring french cities and villages,
each wrapped neatly around an immense but graceful cathedral

with ten days left in france
I can’t thinking about everything I’m going to miss
the obvious, the not so obvious
the tangible, the intangible
the small details, the immense differences
everything that has made
living in france
a wonderful experience
a challenge
two years passed quicker than I ever imagined

what do you miss when you leave a place?

a +

alli

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

life list: see dave matthews band in concert

i was supposed to see dave matthews in concert
last summer


but they cancelled the day of :(
i've been listening to them on my morning runs the past couple days
and have a renewed desire 
to see them play


this is one of my favorite dmb songs
looks like they're playing at usana ampitheatre in august
i would love to see it played live!

who have you seen in concert?
who would you like to see?

a+

alli

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

le weekend.

a french wedding
with a beautiful bride


cathédral d'albi
down south by toulouse


gaillac wine tasting


spent my birthday walking through sand
on the highest sand dune in europe


birthday feast. 
cucumber/tomato salad
artichokes
steak
cheese. wine. bread.


keeping warm. and getting a sunburn.


on a bike ride through the region, we saw tons of these guys.
la region des landes
is known for their pines.
this dude dropped a log to the side of his truck


airshow this weekend


one of the cutest toddlers i've ever met.
romane


the champs elysees.
look a little different?
it was covered with crops, trees, and bushes
veggies, fruits, and animals
promoting french agriculture

to prove that sens is actually beautiful
when it is sunny.

this 'le weekend' post 
is actually a culmination of 
3 or 4 weekends 
since i've been skipping around like crazy

trying to soak up the last of my time in france
13 days till the states!

a+

alli

Friday, May 14, 2010

bikes.






this year was big for me
i became a biker
save a couple snowy days in january
and a couple rainy ones in april
and that time i got hit by a car...
i rode my bike each day i went to work

in fact, most days i rode it to and from work
in the morning and afternoon
stopping at home for a little lunch

i don't particularly consider myself
a morning person
but i was my closest this year
a brisk ride in the morning
under trees with rust colored leaves in the fall
and fuzzy branches in the spring-
certainly does wake you up

and this is (was) my beauty!


he never officially had a name
but i'd like to think it was pierre
typically french
plus it was a 'peugot' brand


he was a little worse for wear by the end of the year
but he did get somewhat of a facelift
in the form of a new back wheel
did i tell you about that time i got hit by a car?
that was a fun thursday afternoon
but really, everyone came out ok

Now that I spent most of the year as a bike commuter
i find myself a complete convert.
it got to the point
where i didn't particularly want to go anywhere
if it wasn't somewhere i could go by bike.
a kind of opposite laziness.

we'll see if Montreal is bike friendly next year
or if i'm brave enough
to get on a bike 
when it's -5984 degrees C.

Any of you bikers? 
Send me a picture of your bike!

a+

Alli


(i'm doing a bad thing by not posting the links to these pictures- i've lost them!
if you've seen them before, feel free to send the link in the comments)



Thursday, May 13, 2010

warmer days.


Coucou!

Anyone else yearning for summer?  
Heck, I’d settle for spring, 
I feel like we’ve fast forwarded to autumn over here in France.  
It’s May 13th and I’m wearing a wool sweater…. 
and slightly regretting the fact 
that I’ve already packed my pea coat.

I thought I would be reading a book in a park, 
having picnics and going on runs.  
Instead, I find myself taking refuge from the rain in cafes, 
and putting on three layers just to take a walk outside.  
Oh well.  
Maybe June will be scorching…

So I’m thinking warm thoughts, 
in the hope of something 
besides 40s and rain 
coming our way for the next couple of weeks.  
I want to leave France with warm memories! 

Here’s a random handful of photos from my Picasa,
in hopes of warmer days soon!

Nice, France


Giverny, France


Summer barbeque at the Rays


Sunset in Michigan


Canoe ride

  trampoline!

Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Jellyfish Lake, Palau

Palau

Coca.  Looking way too serious.


What pictures do you have that remind you of warm times?



Wednesday, May 12, 2010

life list: be published in national geographic.

although one of my biggest goals
as a writer
is to write and publish a novel
another one on the list
is to be published in national geographic

angola

paris

rajasthan, india

the pictures are nearly the best part of the magazine
so vivid
even the most travel-bug resistant person
can be inspired to get up and explore

some day
i'm going to write down some of my travel stories
and get published
even if it means 
traveling to every corner of the world 
to find a story
make friends with different cultures
taste the local grub
admire tiled mosque walls
walk along ancient cathedral floors

i'm just that dedicated
;)

What's on your life list?


photos via National Geographic

food for thought.

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