I love Paris in the springtime..........

photo from the book Paris la nuit.

Years ago, my uncle (my mother's brother) who lived in Paris, France at the time invited me to stay with him and his big family to study French and even pay for my tuition. I accepted his offer with a lot of joy. I stayed with my uncle's family for two years while I went to Sorbonne. It was the first time away from my family, but my uncle and aunt made me feel welcome and at home. I enjoyed being a student in the quartier Latin. I remember being with two other girls Zana from Yugoslavia and Leigh from Canada in the jardin du Luxembourg and eating pommes frites (french fries) in a splendid spring morning. The three of us explored Paris, we walked, took the metro and visited museums with the student budget that we had. Zana was going to be a museum curator and she made us visit every church and cathedral we could find in sight. I loved nature and we went to parks like the Bois de Boulogne. On weekends, we had a beautiful family meal with my uncle's family. The menu was always roasted chicken with spinach noodles that the kids liked.
I am so grateful to my uncle and aunt for giving me that opportunity. After all these years, the memories are still vivid in my mind and i can still picture the open windows over looking Rue Molitor.