Bonjour and happy Saturday! 
How was your week? Are you starting to settle into Autumn and its cosy weekends (or Spring and its warmer days suited for picnics and drinks in the sunshine if you are on the other side of the world)?
Just when I started to fluff my warm jumpers this week, warmer days made an appearance. I guess this is what we call Indian Summer, those unexpected warm days when the weather has been much cooler for the past two weeks. It is certainly dark much earlier in the evening too but with just enough light left for us to observe a little bat fluttering between our building and the trees this week (it's my first time spotting one in Dublin city!).

​I have a few interesting things for you to read or listen to with your breakfast/brunch so here we are. Have a lovely weekend!

Autumn is here and I could not be happier! 
If there is a season I really enjoy and look forward to every year, it is this one. I eagerly look at the weeks passing by during the Summer until we reach 21st September (which I still consider the first day of Autumn) and I can exclaim: hurray for the cosy season of warm jumpers, delicious pumpkin soups, blackberry picking, walks on crunchy leaves, apple desserts and all of the vibrant yellow, orange and red colours everywhere!

This is the season where I feel I can slow down a bit and enjoy everyday's little things until the rush of Christmas hits us (I have nothing against Christmas by the way; I quite enjoy it but it just goes a bit too fast for me). This does not mean I take a three-months holiday obviously but the idea is to make things nice and cosy enough to appreciate at the end of work days and weekends. 

So how do I go about planning the next three months and getting ready for this beautiful season? Here are a few of my tips (and you do not have to go along with it, this is just a starting point to then make your own Autumn plans):

On the occasion of a family event last month, we spent a week in France. We planned it so there would be three days at the end of our stay that we could spend in Nantes. As you know if you have been following this blog for a while, this city is one of my favourites. Not only because I have family there or because I used to study at the Université de Nantes, but because every time I spend time there, I always seem to discover something new: a museum or gallery I had never visited before, a specific building or area I had never seen, older and newer cafes or restaurants I had not heard of, etc.
Just like the time we were there before Christmas last year, we stayed at Hotel La Pérouse which is a very central base when you like walking around rather than taking public transports. It is also very relaxing and just like last time, we really enjoyed our stay in this hotel.

Are you ready for another mini visit of Nantes? It's definitely warmer and sunnier than on the previous occasion. Here we go: