Finalement, L‘Équinoxe de printemps est ici! With the changing of the seasons, Spring brings a return to sunny, albeit crisp, picnics in the park, ballet flats sans tights, and daffodils sprouting in the most unlikely of places. 
After being cooped up all winter, the motivation to acquire fresh produce has retuned! Perhaps you think me lazy, but my second bout with Parisian winter sent me into supreme hibernation mode. Why browse the open air marché when Franprix beckons with the promise of snagging vegetables with maximum convenience and ease?
Nonetheless, after I stored my winter coat in the back of my wardrobe, I went for a stroll around the quartier. Walking up Avenue Trudaine, I bumped into what must be my local open air market. Although quite small, the stands offered fish, meats, vegetables, cheese, and artisanal honey. Though the honey was tempting, I limited myself to a stand of fresh vegetables.
On the walk back to my apartment, I found myself getting excited for Spring for the first time. Daffodils–les jonquilles, en français–have always been one of my favorite flowers, and I grew up jokingly calling them the “trumpets of spring,” but after months of bitter weather, the name is joyously apropos. While Christmas lights and decorations lend a cheery touch to December, the rest of Winter feels like a depressing slump. I was delighted to see paper flowers decorating plate glass storefronts, and blooming buckets spilling onto the sidewalk in front of florist shops, adding a festive touch to the first couple days of Spring.
While New Year’s Eve and the beginning of September have habitually been my personal “seasons of rebirth,” perhaps moving to Paris will change my rhythms. It’s hard not to feel like the world is waiting at my feet from my perch up on the steps of Sacré Cœur. If the new season brings a bouquet of sunny days, I’ll admit Spring is a swell season indeed!