autumn leaves and more traveling

Another birthday came and passed. It was pretty quiet, just what I wanted. The best part of this birthday is getting to celebrate it in France and having my best friend here with me. I had a great time showing her around despite the constant rain. (Then again, Lyon is beautiful under the rain.) Luckily, Tuesday cleared up for us and we were able to take a quick day trip to Annecy.

It's been busy and even though I have decided not to take any classes this time, I find that I am still pressed for time; fitting in my running sessions, errands and trying to balance a social life. Soon, things will be a little more relaxed and I'm looking forward to spending the Christmas holidays in Lyon. I have been studying Russian by myself so it's ok for now. Eventually at some point, I will definitely get back to Russian class, and who knows, maybe spend one month or so in Russia. Nothing beats immersion.

But October is coming to an end, the end of the year slowly approaches. This, for me, is the best time of year. The weather is finally cooling down and I love walking in the crisp, fresh, and sharp air. Occasionally, I'll smell firewood burning while biking or walking along the rivers. The leaves are changing color and some memories of the New England autumn colors comes with it. No Halloween celebration here other than the occasional pumpkin decoration on windows of certain shops.

So what was I up to this weekend? *See below:

YES: Salon de Vins. 

My friend and I spent a couple of hours hanging around trying the wine. I ended up getting a small bottle of wine called Soleil d'Hiver. Even the name sounds romantic. Obviously I tried it and it was awesome.

Holy crap that's a large pumpkin and weirdly shaped

Reindeer on my run in the park. Look at those leaves!

Soon, I will make my way to Brussels for a weekend getaway. I have a trip to Aix planned as well as well as a trip to Strasbourg for its famous Christmas markets. I haven't been to Brussels in almost four years so now is the perfect time to go.  Because, who doesn't want to eat chocolate, Belgian fries, Belgian waffles and see some awesome Belgian comic books?

Looking forward to the rest of Autumn and winter adventures. Oh yeah, I'll be cat sitting in December as well, which should be fun!

Bonne semaine!