Upon seeing this post, some of you are going to immediately exclaim, "what??? Oh come on, way to jump the gun, Brooke. Autumn isn't here yet! We are still enjoying the remaining days of summer." And that is true, autumn is not here yet. We do still have a few weeks left of warmth (at least, fingers are crossed on this one) during which we can certainly revel in and squeeze out of September.
But its also true that the fall season is just around the corner. And I personally find that really exciting! I LOVE fall. To me, autumn holds a sense of anticipation, excitement and new beginnings within its cooler air.
The temperature does begin to drop, subtly but noticeably (though thankfully this drop is not too extreme...yet). When I imagine the scent of fall, I smell crisp crushed leaves, cinnamon, sweet dough, apple cider, pumpkin pie, a crackling fireplace. I think the changing leaves are just stunning (though in Germany, I am not sure "stunning" would be the applicable adjective which I would use to describe the leaves changing here. But as a New Englander originally from New Hampshire, when our leaves change? Stunning is the PERFECT word for that complete explosion of vivid color. People actually drive from all over the USA up to New Hampshire during autumn just to see the leaf colors. These visitors are nicknamed "leaf peepers"- how sweet is that?).
This too is more prominent in the US, but there is an mass production of all edible things pumpkin flavored during the September and October months. YUM!!!! This thrills me, as pumpkin is one of my favorite flavors. And its actually one of the things I miss the most about autumn in the US. There are no pumpkin donuts, nor any pumpkin cheesecake over here. Major bummer.
Anyway, on with the wonders of fall. Cozier, layered, classic fall fashions (plaid, tweed, jackets, boots) begin to emerge bit by bit, until soon thereafter, everyone is bundled up in layer upon layer.
Cafes become the perfect reading, writing and people-watching locale to hole up for a few hours, either with a friend to chat, laugh and connect over a hot beverage and something sweet, or on ones own to do the three activities I just named. Movie nights, comfort food, soft blankets, great books, baking, and selecting a new TV series to become addicted to and race home each evening to watch, these all become inviting and wonderful aspects of the season.
To me, autumn even evokes a bit of romance. This is my favorite season, as you can probably tell.
With all of that said, I have compiled a number of lists that detail awesome autumn activities, foods, movies, desserts, TV shows, books and more. (Though I am sure all of you can come up with tons of your own personal favorites to add to the lists as well!)
Hooray for autumn approaching!!!
Foods
1. Oatmeal
2. Macaroni and Cheese (possibly my all-time favorite food EVER)
3. Nearly all things pumpkin flavored
4. Grilled sandwiches....Mmmmmmm
5. Pumpkin beer
6. Apple cider
7. Tea and coffee
8. Chili
9. Any type of delicious pasta dish (though especially lasagna)
10. Grilled cheese and soup
11. Sweet Potatoes
Movies
1. When Harry Met Sally
2. Bridesmaids
3. Wedding Crashers
4. Hocus Pocus (does this evoke childhood nostalgia for anyone else besides me???)
5. Halloween
6. Harry Potter
7. Grease
8. 500 Days of Summer
9. American Beauty
10. You've Got Mail
11. Good Will Hunting
12. The Town
TV Shows
1. Friday Night Lights- this could not be more fitting, quintessential autumn TV material
2. Six Feet Under
3. The Wire- ALWAYS phenomenal and mind blowing
4. Dexter
5. The Walking Dead
Desserts
1. Pumpkin Pie
2. Brownies
3. Brownie Sundae
4. Apple Crumble
5. Carrot Cake
6. Coffee Cake
7. Donuts
8. Pudding
9. Warm chocolate chip cookies
Activities
1. Tea and cake on a Sunday afternoon (though really, anytime)
2. Small dinner parties with friends
3. Apple picking
4. Hiking
5. Shopping for some new fall clothes
6. Pumpkin carving
7. Reading or watching movies, curled under a blanket on the couch
8. Weekend road trip
9. Camping (as the days are still somewhat warm and chilly nights...perfect excuse to huddle together in your sleeping bags. Yes, this is a romantic thing).
10. Cooking and baking
11. Laser tag
12. Picnics- during the last few warm days of summer
Books
1. The Art of Fielding
2. Olive Kitteridge
3. The Virgin Suicides (just finished this book the other day, was really, really good).
4. The Girl on the Train
5. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
6. The Goldfinch (this will always be on my list ;-))
7. A Dangerous Fortune
8. The Help
9. The Lovely Bones
10. The Storyteller
Places
1. Paris, France
2. New Hampshire (USA) (this is actually the state I am from!)
3. Prague, Czech Republic
4. Boston, Massachusetts
5. Heidelberg, Germany
6. Konigstein, Germany
7. Kronberg, Germany
8. Rudesheim, Germany
9. Berlin, Germany
10. Budapest, Hungary
Boston, Massachusetts |
Budapest, Hungary |
Heidelberg, Germany |
New Hampshire (where I am from!!) |
New Hampshire again... |
Prague, Czech Republic (I took this photo two Septembers ago while I was living there!) |
Paris, of course. |
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