Yesterday I shared the top 5 things I missed from the states while gone. Today, you get to see the top 5 things I miss from Europe now that I am home. :)
1. The FOOD! - delicious crepes (I'm not talking about the street vendor ones!), French limonade, freshly baked baguettes, freshly baked croissants, freshly squeezed orange juice, French breakfast cheese, muesoli, macarons, and sparkling water that can be found everywhere!
I'm not going to lie. I didn't love it all, but I certainly didn't miss American food either.
2. The views. Even in the most mundane locations, the views were still astonishingly beautiful.
Ok, so I lie. Even in the most mundane locations, an astonishingly beautiful view was often not too far off, often within walking distance … up a steep hill or lots of stairs. Perhaps including some rock climbing. The views I miss, but the rock climbing … not so much.
3. The weather. I left Georgia when the weather was topping off in the 80s on the hot days. While I was gone, I'm pretty sure the weather in Europe topped off in the upper 70s, but that was the hottest. Now that I am home they are expecting Georgia weather to go up to the 90s by the weekend. Ugh. If flights weren't so expensive and long, I'd be hopping aboard another plane right this minute to get away from the heat! :)
4. The Parisian Metro. First of all, they call it the metro which is way better than the "subway", "PATH", or even "MARTA". Second of all, I loved seeing the Parisian women board in their beautiful coats, high heels, and dresses. The men weren't too bad either in their fabulously maroon jeans. And last but not least, the trains were fast! If I had to use public transportation, I would want to use the Metro.
5. The stores in Paris. Not all of the stores though. I especially loved the boutiques and vintage shops that housed items I probably couldn't afford. On my first day in Paris I found a magnificent umbrella - white with the city of Paris in black going around it. It was soooo adorable! In a vintage store, I stumbled across an old film camera that was so stylish and perfect. We won't even talk about how I did the touristy thing and bought paintings from street vendors near the Louvre just because I wanted to take a piece of Paris home with me. At least I'll have a story to tell when I hang those paintings in my home!
6.* The people. We ran into so many friendly people while abroad. I'm not sure how many were curious and friendly simply because we were foreigners and how many simply enjoyed hearing themselves talk, but it was certainly refreshing to run into so many friendly faces during our travels.
I'm sure there are plenty of other things I will miss about Europe, but those were the first things to come to mind. Obviously a return trip will need to occur "somewhen"* but until that time comes, I will have to live off of my memories and pictures.
*stealing words from a German friend.
