Little things

It’s that time of year again, when winter begins its slow and steady approach. Although we are still safely in the plus digits, this Arizona girl has busted out her warm winter boots and down jackets (thank goodness one or two still fit!). In Frankfurt, there was a persistent fog hanging over the skyscrapers until yesterday. And one sure sign it’s getting chilly, even the Germans aren’t sitting outside as much – my favorite little coffee house is starting to burst at the seams.

But there are definitely some nice sides to this inevitable change of seasons. Cozy things like homemade soup for dinner, reading a book cuddled under a blanket, and clementines. I love them! They’re like little packets of sunshine and goodness!

clementines

What to love about summer

It. Has. Finally. Arrived. Summer is here! It’s amazing what a difference it makes to be greeted by the shining sun first thing in the morning. Here are some of my favorite things about the beginning of summer in Düsseldorf:

  • Blue skies and sunshine
  • People everywhere (where were they all winter?)
  • Drinking coffee at an outdoor street cafe
  • The crowds on Ratinger Straße (Düsseldorf’s ‘party’ street)
  • Shorts, sandals, and sunglasses
  • Daring to leave the apartment without a scarf or a real jacket
  • Grown men eating gelato with ridiculously dainty, brightly colored plastic spoons
  • The pasty bodies of sun worshippers speckled all over the bright green grass of the Hofgarten
  • The air filled with swirling white seed heads from all the blooming trees
  • Riding my bike along the Rhine

I love it, love it, love it!