Le retour du printemps est comme un miracle renouvelé.

 

So constant, reassuring, and promising is the miracle of spring! The dreadful news of the world with its wars and impending catastrophes appears out of sync with nature. Spring is not newsworthy, but when the news has come and gone, after many deaths and much destruction, le printemps sera de retour. Life holds the upper hand. 

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On one spring morning unannounced, the buds suddenly burgeon into a delicate form of fresh and vibrant green. The leaves are once again unfolding, and with them life itself. The single bud appears so fragile, while the surge of millions together evokes an indomitable life force.

 

So it is that spring fosters in us these two emotions: the awe of such life-potency, but also tenderness at the sight of such fragile new life in all forms. In French, la tendresse is more widely used than its English equivalent. Sensing that a bit more of la tendresse would do us much good, I have made it the subject of this season’s “Finer French” page.

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This April 2024 in Paris, spring arrived explosively after an interminable two-month row of rainy days. The shift in people’s humor has been as visible as the budding peonies. It lures people out into the parks, but also on the search for a new home. I’ll offer you a peek inside one of those.

 

A new season for real estate may also be budding, as I’ll comment under the “Buyer’s Guide” page. 

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Just about all of my clients are engaged in some form of life renewal, most often framed by the status called “retirement”. The American dream has, for many, come to signify leaving America. Were it not possible for the grass to be greener on the other side, then nobody would have left for America in the first place. Is the grass greener in France? Maybe not greener, but more edible at least, and more to be delighted in. Come to France with a love of beauty...with a touch of tendresse. Don’t come for anything else. 

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Most of my clients moving to France will start with Paris. For these, in my ongoing series on the arrondissements of Paris, I'll feature the 11th this time. 

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Others will wander far and wide across the hills and valleys of la douce France. One such client ventured out to the eastern frontier, or perhaps more to the heart of Europa (depending on your perspective). In this edition of “Déjà”, he offers us his feelings about living in Strasbourg.

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Wishing all of you an exuberant spring!