Sunshine and a Kiss. What a Difference!

Like many European countries, people here greet each other with a kiss on the cheek. Just one kiss here, unlike two in Italy or two or even four in France, but still, there is a kiss, some contact beyond a cold and distant handshake. Of course it is fun, but beyond that, it just makes things warmer, closer, better.

Today was also the warmest and sunniest day I've experienced since my arrival. It is, for those unaware, winter here and while not a snowy frigid winter a la NYC or Berlin, it is definitely a damp cold, not to mention dark, thus impeding some of the exterior glory that might otherwise be. (Or should I say, WILL be, a few weeks after I leave!?!?) It was a bittersweet thing to behold. Children running around wildly, cafe patrons lounging out of doors, and a glorious long winter sunlight all around. It was wonderful, if fleeting, and then, no more. (Waking up at noon didn't help matters either, tis true.)