A welcoming day in Paris.
Travelling is a pretty crazy concept. It’s so strange to think that one minute you can be in your everyday life, then a few hours later in a completely different world. These last few weeks I’ve spanned almost half the globe (at least I think I have).
A beautiful sunset in the vines greeted me on my first night in Provence.
It started with a trip to Vancouver Island for a work event, where I hadn’t been in ages. I like the Island, but this trip really opened my eyes to how brilliant it is. I’ll have to put it on the consideration list for a place to live. Then a short while after I was hopping on a plane to another wine event in Niagara and a little visit with family in Ontario. A couple days later I was off again, this time to cross the big blue ocean and make my way here. Provence. Finally.
Even though I might travel more than most during the course of a year, for work and fun, it never ceases to amaze me. OK, airplane travel has become a chore with the endless security lines, the bad clothing choices and the inedible food. But the result is nothing short of a miracle. It’s so bizarre that you can be in the opposite side of the globe in a matter of hours. It might not feel short when you’re cramped, twisted like a pretzel, next to some very large fellow drooling and snoring in your ear. But the reward for enduring those frustrating moments is arriving in a wholly different place, just like that. All of a sudden everyone is speaking another language, there is another currency, and the view and weather is way, way better. Pretty good deal if you ask me.
Everyone always wonders if I get excited before I head back to France. In truth there is rarely any time to get excited. There is so much to do beforehand, and it never fails, there always seems to be a massive work deadline before I leave. So no, I don’t get excited before. But the minute my feet land on French soil I am literally giddy. I can’t stop looking, thinking and being. When I go out to eat, I don’t bring a book to distract myself. I just eat, enjoy and experience. On the train down from Paris, I can’t read or sleep, I just stare at the passing landscape. My senses are overwhelmed and this never seems to change. Thank goodness.
So am I excited? You better believe it, now that I am back in my soulful home. And I’m looking forward to every magical moment.
Perfect petit déjeuner.
