All photos in this post are mine
It's Tuesday, aka "we're not even close to the weekend" day...Sigh...
I've recently quit my job (best decision I could've ever made) and have a bit more time on my hands. So today I'll take you on a little family adventure, starring my mom and Sophia, from a lovely May weekend back in 2023.
To start off, as a typical millennial mom, I'm all about research. Anything I'd like to visit or purchase, rest assured I've Google-d reviews, watched an infinite amount of TikToks or read online articles about it.
Back in 2021, I stumbled upon a TikTok about B-Fly. It's a place where one can do activities while also spending time among butterflies. The minute I saw it, I bought tickets for my family - I had a feeling Sophia would love it.
B-Fly 2021
Now fast forward to 2023, Sophia reminded me of B-Fly and expressed her desire to go back. And so we did (because whatever Lola wants, Lola gets 😄).
B-Fly 2023
Something to keep in mind for our 2023 visit - Sophia had cut her bangs by herself the Friday before we went to see the butterflies. Apparently, that's the only solution when your bangs are becoming a bit too long to your liking.
The place was as beautiful as we remembered. It looked like a mini paradise - you see happy people, kids running and butterflies fluttering around.
As much as this is generally a kids activity, I'd have to admit that my mom and I had an overall wonderful experience. Maybe it's the fact that we kind of escaped the dullness of every day life, and found ourselves immersed into this colourful, serene place amongst some of the most magnificent papillons.
Just look at her smile 🤩
On the last photo, behind my beautiful momma, you can see a display, detailing all the butterflies ("papillons" in French) that we could catch a glimpse of. Here are some of the ones that liked us!
Tailed Jay
Lime Butterfly
Blue Morpho and Large tree nymph
Green Swallowtail
Green Swallowtail and Malachite Butterflies
Despite all the fun we had and the beauty we witnessed, I must say we also noticed a few butterflies with torn wings and a couple of them laying on the floor, pretty much dead. I get the idea of making a fun activity for both adults and kids, but when we go to places like these, we have to pay attention. We're talking about living, breathing creatures that are captivated for our own entertainment. The least we can do is to be gentle and keep them safe.
Sophia waiting for butterflies to find her again
I have mixed feelings about this place, as you can tell, as well as any type of place that has animals in captivity. I always feel torn between the desire to show as much of our world to my daughter as I possibly can because 99% of these are a first time experience for me too, but also we can never fully enjoy them as we stop and reflect on the fact that these insects, these animals are there to entertain us. They are not in their natural habitat, they do not have freedom, they are helpless.
Overall, it was a fun experience for us, humans. Not so much for the poor butterflies who try to survive among people on the daily.
Thank you for taking the time to read all the way through. Wishing you all a wonderful rest of the week and a relaxing weekend ahead...Can it be Friday already? 🥹
Imagine quitting your job and then just hanging out with butterflies. That's the dream! The thing about resigning especially if you've done the same thing for years is that it can feel like a huge step transitioning to a different lifestyle and weaning off of old work-related mental habits. This trip is a good transition.
I feel the same about animals in captivity, even dogs in cages. Usually it's children who unintentionally kill these vulnerable creatures out of panic.
So parents, take some time to introduce kids to animals before they start handling them with kindness.
Much love and thanks for sharing your experience! 🙏
I have honestly thought about resigning for at least 2 years prior to doing so. It's definitely a huge step and one that was needed, especially for my mental well-being. Reminiscing about butterflies definitely helps too 😊
Thank you so much for your comment - I appreciate it 🫶🏻
Wow, what a beautiful experience, and magnificent photos, you can see that they both had a great time, their happy face is great.
Thank you so much! I'm lucky they are both easy to make smile 😃
Thanks for sharing your experience about your visit to Bfly and things you noticed during your first and second visit.Quitting your job was a tough decision but I think it was worth it.
Thank you, I feel the same way. I am definitely stressed as I have no job but it's such a different type of stress compared to what I'd feel at work. Because I know I will be employed soon enough. Whereas at work, it just felt like doomsday was upon me, end of the tunnel type of vibes...Not what you'd wanna feel every single day when doing your job 😅
Thank you so much again!