So Paris is just over three weeks away...
I have reached the inevitable period I call "cold gut." It's kind of like cold feet, except that my feet are fine but I do feel a very physical ball of hesitation, second-guessing, and trepidation taking up residence behind my navel. I knew this was coming -- it always does -- and that is exactly why I booked my non-refundable one-way ticket several weeks ago while still riding the initial euphoric wave of excitement and theoretical boundless possibility. So turning back now, you coward. Suck it up.
In part, it is the near-total lack of planning that is making me so uneasy. I am supposed to be learning how to be more spontaneous and accepting, figuring out how to go with the flow. (Which is something I have always been particularly terrible at.) Except that I know myself, and know that I am going to emerge from a long bus or train ride, feeling dazed, exhausted, and lost, and I am not going to feel at all like searching for the very cheapest accommodation, or navigating the unfamiliar streets to find Back Alley Hostel. I'm going to see a sign for the Hyatt, and I am going to check in. And then I will order room service. And before I know it, a week's worth of travel budget will have been blown (again), and I'll be coming home in October instead of early December.
Unless, of course, I'm actually able to keep a hold of myself, keep things in perspective, roll with it. Keep calm and carry on, and all that.
There have been a couple of Eurotrip-related happenings I feel are worth sharing... first and foremost -- I will no longer be alone in France!!! Yeah, I do remember how alone was kind of supposed to be the whole point, but my lovely and irresistible sister and I began to joke and then to dream and then to plan the idea of her meeting me in Europe for one or two of the trip legs, and last week after a 90-minute skype conversation it was just pretty much impossible that Eve would NOT be joining me in France. So now she has a ticket too. And the idea of hugging her at Charles de Gaulle has done a lot towards battling this cold gut that I'd been feeling.
The idea of romping all over Paris and the French countryside with my very own sister makes me incredibly happy. There has been a lot of talk concerning wine and chocolate and cheese and crusty delicious French bread. Between these adventures, we're planning on devoting an entire day to the Louvre (still not enough time to see everything but we cannot spend our week in Paris inside a museum). There will probably be more shopping than I likely would have done on my own...
Egads, three weeks! Planning procrastination is all well and good, but I guess we really better get on that Paris hostel thing...
Also, despite my arguments towards the merits of "wheelie-packing," the wise advice of several friends caused me to reconsider. Europe does have a lot of stairs... and mud. I recently had to carry a suitcase up two flights of stairs and did not like it much. I mean, no big deal, but I sure was thinking about that Yerevan hostel with the fifth-floor walk-up.
So I bought THIS. In pretty pretty bright blue. Because I am a silly person, I am happy to have legitimized myself as a backpacker with an actual backpack. Eve ordered the same style in green and silver. It is important to coordinate such things with your travel partner. :) In the next couple days, I want to do a trial-pack and see exactly how much will fit inside this thing, and how heavy it will be.
In current events news, I have been really busy. I've been having no shortage of a good time with family and friends. And the next few weeks are booked so tight it's redic. My father and I have a box to make (birdseye maple and purple heart!), and there's also at least one more gaming one-shot (villains game!!), drinks and sleepovers and a Nat's game! I need to buy supplies like a new bra and a netbook and Imodium. A haircut needs to happen, for serious. And somewhere in all of this I fully intend to have one more morning on the porch, celebrating life for no good reason with a good book, smoked salmon, and champagne.
I have reached the inevitable period I call "cold gut." It's kind of like cold feet, except that my feet are fine but I do feel a very physical ball of hesitation, second-guessing, and trepidation taking up residence behind my navel. I knew this was coming -- it always does -- and that is exactly why I booked my non-refundable one-way ticket several weeks ago while still riding the initial euphoric wave of excitement and theoretical boundless possibility. So turning back now, you coward. Suck it up.
In part, it is the near-total lack of planning that is making me so uneasy. I am supposed to be learning how to be more spontaneous and accepting, figuring out how to go with the flow. (Which is something I have always been particularly terrible at.) Except that I know myself, and know that I am going to emerge from a long bus or train ride, feeling dazed, exhausted, and lost, and I am not going to feel at all like searching for the very cheapest accommodation, or navigating the unfamiliar streets to find Back Alley Hostel. I'm going to see a sign for the Hyatt, and I am going to check in. And then I will order room service. And before I know it, a week's worth of travel budget will have been blown (again), and I'll be coming home in October instead of early December.
Unless, of course, I'm actually able to keep a hold of myself, keep things in perspective, roll with it. Keep calm and carry on, and all that.
There have been a couple of Eurotrip-related happenings I feel are worth sharing... first and foremost -- I will no longer be alone in France!!! Yeah, I do remember how alone was kind of supposed to be the whole point, but my lovely and irresistible sister and I began to joke and then to dream and then to plan the idea of her meeting me in Europe for one or two of the trip legs, and last week after a 90-minute skype conversation it was just pretty much impossible that Eve would NOT be joining me in France. So now she has a ticket too. And the idea of hugging her at Charles de Gaulle has done a lot towards battling this cold gut that I'd been feeling.
The idea of romping all over Paris and the French countryside with my very own sister makes me incredibly happy. There has been a lot of talk concerning wine and chocolate and cheese and crusty delicious French bread. Between these adventures, we're planning on devoting an entire day to the Louvre (still not enough time to see everything but we cannot spend our week in Paris inside a museum). There will probably be more shopping than I likely would have done on my own...
Egads, three weeks! Planning procrastination is all well and good, but I guess we really better get on that Paris hostel thing...
Also, despite my arguments towards the merits of "wheelie-packing," the wise advice of several friends caused me to reconsider. Europe does have a lot of stairs... and mud. I recently had to carry a suitcase up two flights of stairs and did not like it much. I mean, no big deal, but I sure was thinking about that Yerevan hostel with the fifth-floor walk-up.
So I bought THIS. In pretty pretty bright blue. Because I am a silly person, I am happy to have legitimized myself as a backpacker with an actual backpack. Eve ordered the same style in green and silver. It is important to coordinate such things with your travel partner. :) In the next couple days, I want to do a trial-pack and see exactly how much will fit inside this thing, and how heavy it will be.
In current events news, I have been really busy. I've been having no shortage of a good time with family and friends. And the next few weeks are booked so tight it's redic. My father and I have a box to make (birdseye maple and purple heart!), and there's also at least one more gaming one-shot (villains game!!), drinks and sleepovers and a Nat's game! I need to buy supplies like a new bra and a netbook and Imodium. A haircut needs to happen, for serious. And somewhere in all of this I fully intend to have one more morning on the porch, celebrating life for no good reason with a good book, smoked salmon, and champagne.
Hi Mary!
ReplyDeleteFound your blog while trying to research Tbilisi and Georgia. I am going there for a brief holiday, and can't wait to experience it all! (or as much as I possibly can cram in...)
I have really enjoyed reading about your adventures in Georgia and your quest to find yourself. You are very brave!:)
Stine
Why thank you! Georgia was a great experience and I am really looking forward to coming back there in January. Enjoy your trip! Georgia has some of the most beautiful landscapes I've ever seen. And see if you can't get yourself invited to a supra. :)
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