Spring in Nantes

It's April!! Today's high was 40°F and I wore a scarf, gloves, and wool hat to stay warm! Awww... Haha. Actually, last week and last weekend, we had some absolutely beautiful sunny days here in Nantes. Since it was Easter last Sunday, Monday was a holiday- no work! I was happy to be able to take advantage of the long weekend and the sunshine by going on a couple of photo adventures with N and Juan.

On Sunday, the three of us met up with C for some coffee in Commerce (how's that for alliteration?), and then we went on to explore Parc de Procé, which is a HUGE park north of downtown. I pass by it every day on the bus to work, but I hadn't yet had a chance to explore it. I'm glad we wandered through! The main part of the park is lovely and the whole thing would be a great place for a run. The back part of the park kind of reminded me of Ravenna Park in Seattle. :) Below is one of about ten pictures I was able to snap before the battery in my camera died. Fail.

On Monday, the three of us met up again to take pictures in the Japanese Gardens on the Ile de Versailles downtown. N had never been before, and this was the perfect time to see it. The young cherry trees are in full bloom (which reminded me of spring on the UW campus!), making it an especially lovely place on a sunny day. Some shots from the day:

I was happy to be able to bust out my sunglasses!

Can you see the bee in one of the blooms? 

THIS is my city. Isn't it beautiful?? 

Cours des Cinquante Otages 

I love active water photographs!

So do N and Juan :)

Another thing I have been happy doing lately is going for runs! I've gone for four runs in the past ten days and have run the equivalent of a half-marathon (not very impressive, but for me, that's a big feat, haha.). The sunshine does WONDERS for motivation. Unfortunately, we've had some rain the past day or so, but I'm hoping for improved weather and more runs next week. I've been running around the Ile de Nantes and really enjoy the views of the Loire and the city. The photo of the crane below is one of the cool things I get to run by (or in this case, right under) on my route.

Wednesday was particularly lovely, and I captured these two shots of the sunshine near the Chateau des Ducs de Bretagne and coming through the kitchen window in my apartment. So beautiful!

 

Sunny days are the greatest reminder of just how much I love this city. Having lived here twice now, I love it all the more! Even with the spitty rain and cold weather in the winter time, I think this is one of my very favorite cities in the world, and someplace I will always call a "second home"!