The First Days of Spring

This morning, I woke up to birds chirping merrily in the forest and immediately knew it would be a good day. Sundays in Germany can be a bit boring – almost everything closes down (except some select cafes and bars), and the vast majority of people take the day off. It’s nice to relax for the day, but when no one is working, that also means there are few places to go… so after some searching online, I found a running group for English speakers meeting in the city center to run along the Main! (This is the river that runs through Frankfurt.) Today was my 3^rd or 4^th time meeting up with them, and today was great weather for it! There has been something in the air the past few days that I’ve greatly missed since leaving Florida: humidity. It felt so good to sweat today. It was also nice chatting with some native English speakers!


My exercise totals:
16 km (~10mi.) cycling (there and back into the city center)
6.5-7 km (little over 4mi.) run
10 minutes yoga/ stretching

Before the cycling and jogging, I had a date to appease my morning hunger giant and had half a banana once I finished to hold me over until breakfast. By the time I got home, showered, and was ready to make breakfast, it was already past noon – but I had oatmeal anyway. :) Last night, I prepared some “Vegan Overnight Oats”, which was adapted from Oh She Glows. Here is the go-to recipe I’ve been using the past several weeks:


1/3c. oats
1 tbsp. flax seed meal
A little under 2/3 c. soy milk
1 tsp. cocoa powder
¼ tsp. Ceylon cinnamon
1-2 drops almond extract

I prepared this last night and let it soak overnight in the fridge. This morning, I made Banana Soft Serve from one large banana with a splash of soy milk and 1 tsp. each of peanut butter and strawberry jam. I topped it with 1/3 of a fruit and nut bar, 1-2 tbsp. granola, and some shredded coconut – delicious! I also had half an orange on the side. Mmm, a little taste of Florida. Sort of.

I was super excited to be able to sit outside and eat breakfast, but by the time I had finished preparing it, it had started to rain. However, I was determined, so I just opened the umbrella and made due – I was just thrilled that it was warm enough! In the process, I managed to break a glass, cut my finger, and spill the contents of the dustpan everywhere – but still managed to have a successful and delightful breakfast! :) Moral of the story?

  After I was finished, the sun managed to come back out again, and I got to kick my feet back and soak up some of that Vitamin D! My host family is at a BBQ today, so it was really quiet (compared to the normal Sunday of 4-5 children stampeding about the house and garden). While I was biking this morning, I spotted a café that looked open, so I strolled into town to check it out. And it was, indeed, open! Boasting a lovely terrace, it’s the perfect place to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee in the sunshine!
The only downside is no wireless, but finding free wireless in Frankfurt has proven to be almost as difficult as finding chia seeds, so I knew I was pressing my luck when I asked. I am thinking I’ve found a new Sunday routine! And now, off to go enjoy some more of this lovely sunshine! Bis bald!