What do we remember?
What do we forget?
What do we gloss over?
What memories are true? (More importantly, which do we *want* to be true?
As I finish my next book (almost there!), which my friend aptly called "autofiction" because, while most of it is made up, there's a good chunk that's based on firsthand experience, I’ve been thinking a lot about memory.
Because as I go through old texts, blogs, and journals, I'm amazed by the number of things I have forgotten and the timetables I’ve messed up.
Do we forget things because they are bad or because so much of our life is on autopilot?
I mean how many of us remember all our dinners, happy hours, and meetings with friends? All the errands we’ve run? Or the day-to-day mundane stuff we do?
Of course, the human brain isn’t designed to remember everything, but sometimes I wonder why we remember one thing and not something else, even if that something else is a good memory too!
I always want to remember more. If it wasn’t for all my saved text messages, pictures, and journals, I'd have forgotten so many things (not just for this book but for life in general).
I read recently that people write to live twice and I think that's true. Writing helps you remember - and process - life.
Writing this upcoming book helped with both those things!
Anyway, I have no answer to this and am just thinking out loud here on this random Monday in May!
What are your thoughts on this?
P.S. - Unrelated to the above, for travel tips, comment NEWSLETTER and I'll send you a link to my newsletter so you can get weekly tips, tricks, and deals sent to your inbox!
Going to Provence and want to see the lavender fields?
From June to August, the fields of Provence in France are awash in purple as the lavender blooms before harvest.
The best way to explore the fields (and take those Insta-worthy photos) is to rent a car but what do you do if you don’t have a car?
Here’s what you do:
1. Book a tour. Tons of tours will take you out to the lavender fields for full or half-day excursions to famous and not-so-famous areas. Sure, you don’t get as much flexibility but you still get to see plenty of fields. This is the option I did and I feel I got to see enough fields and a sense of the region. You can use @Airbnb Experiences, @getyourguide , or @Viator to find excursions. While tours leave from many cities in the area, the ones from Avignon are the closest and best option.
2. Take the bus. If you have the time, take the bus out to the small towns in the region and then go hiking or biking around the area. There’s an extensive network of hiking/biking trails in the region that take you through many lavender fields. A good base is the town of Sault. (Note: Be sure to check the bus schedule at https://zou.maregionsud.fr/en as buses into the small towns are infrequent.)
3. Hire a driver. If you have more money to spend, you can hire a private tour guide / driver who can take you around. You’ll get the most flexibility (you can drive when and where you want) and you’ll have a guide to show you around. If you’re looking for a guide, I recommend @travellingprovence . She came highly recommended and, while I didn’t end up doing a tour with her, she answered a lot of my questions about the region and her recommendations were always great!
For more travel tips, comment NEWSLETTER and I’ll send you a link to join my weekly newsletter so you get the latest money saving tips, tricks, and travel deals!
#provence #france #traveltips #provencetravel #francetravel
Going to Provence this summer? Doing a wine out of the Cote du Rhone region is a MUST.
But doing it without a car can be a hassle but luckily there are a ton of tours from Avignon.
You can find them on websites like @getyourguide , @airbnb Experiences, and @Viator .
As another option, you could also take the bus but it doesn’t go often and then you’d have to figure out how to get from the towns to the vineyards, which isn’t that easy. But it’s doable if you have time or plan to stay out there for a night.
If you take a tour, I recommend taking a full-day tour. Not only will you get to taste more wines but, given the driving times between places, you get more time in the area and less time in a car. Don’t rush it with a half-day tour!
I found a tour with Provence Panorama on Get Your Guide and I absolutely loved their tour. It was one of the best value tours I’ve been on in a long time. (Not sponsored. I paid for my tour!) Our group was small (5 people), we had a full day of wine tastings (20 tastings!!!), got to walk through vineyards, eat lunch at a chateau, and had a super knowledgeable guide who explained the unique wines of the region.
If you’re going on a wine tour from Avignon, this company has my stamp of approval.
#provence #cotedurhone #francetravel #avignon #avignontravel
Where should you REALLY go when you’re visiting Madrid?
If you’re a first-time visitor to Madrid and wondering where to go, here’s the itinerary I would do with
my friends that combines a mix of the big stuff (everyone wants to visit the Prado!) with lesser-
visited attractions, parks, and areas.
And I also included a list of other things I like since Madrid has a million options - and I tailor my trips
to my friends’ likes! From museums to art to music to shopping to endless cafes, this is a choose
your own adventure kind of city! (I’ve also included suggested places to stay, too!)
For suggested tour companies, check out Devour, Take Walks, Get Your Guide, Airbnb Experiences,
and Viator.
Check out @visita_madrid for more Madrid tips too.
#Madrid #Madridtravel #spaintravel #travel
Throw away your plan and say yes to those fellow travelers who asked if you wanted to join them!
What’s the best thing you threw away your plans for?
Mine was staying in Bangkok and living there for 10 months!
How much does it cost me to live in Paris?
Last month, I posted my expenses and I got a lot of….let’s just say feedback…because the number was so high. My spending is significantly higher than that of the average French person (mostly due to overpriced housing).
However, this month, I managed to lower my expenses some. Swipe to see my April costs!
All prices are in dollars converted from Euros.
Notes:
1. My housing costs remain high because I’m paying for a furnished apartment and, when you don’t have a work contract, it’s hard to find a place that doesn’t come with a lot of fees! However, luckily, I’ve found a new place and my rent will go down starting in May.
2. This number is still pretty high but I also eat out a lot for the blog and I like nice food. I’m still going to try to bring this number down more but, as a foodie living in Paris, I’m cooking even more in May but realistically, this expense will always be elevated!
3. I only took 2 Uber this month so my transportation costs went down a lot!
4. I worked from more libraries and my apartment in April. I’m going to try to do that even more in May because I don’t really need to be spending so much at coworking spaces.
5. Misc expenses: They are what they are. I had to do a lot of dry cleaning in April.
Overall, this is still way cheaper than what I was spending in NYC and, with my lower accommodation costs in May, this number will come down even more. It will never be as low as a French person but I feel like I can still decrease it!
I’ll do a few more of these expense posts. They are fun and they challenge me to be more frugal!
#paris #parislife #parisexpat #pariscosts
This is the only picture I have from my weekend in NYC.
A large group of friends and I went for sushi. I booked all the seats at this place. (Shinzo Omakase in the East Village is great! Go there! $70 omakase!)
Next visit, I’m going to take more photos because I saw so many friends I wish I had captured the moment with. Endless dinners, happy hours, lunches, and meet-ups.
It was as if I never left. We just picked up where we left off.
It was a much needed visit home.
Because, as much as I love Paris, I miss NYC. I miss my friends. I miss that bartender who, even after three months, still remembered my favorite whiskey. I miss my sushi spots. I miss the food. I miss the energy.
But I’m not ready to be back yet. There’s still more to do in Paris. Eurosummer is upon us, I have a book I need to finish, some more roots to grow, things to explore, and life to live.
Maybe I will stay in Paris forever. Who knows! Three months is not long enough to decide that but being in NYC this weekend reminded me that home is always an easy flight away if I start to miss it too much again.
Wrapped another month in Paris! How quickly time is going! I’ve been here for three months already.
But, honestly, it feels like it’s been three years.
Sometimes I think to myself, “Wow, when I visit New York, it’s going to be so different. Everything is going to have changed. Like I haven’t seen my friends in forever. What are they even doing right now?”
Then I catch myself.
“No, wait, it’s actually only been three months.”
Not that much time has passed.
Three months is the blink of an eye. Heck, with everyone’s busy NYC lives, I went months without seeing some friends even when I lived there!
I’m feel like SO much time has passed because SO much has happened in Paris that it has elongated time. When you’re busy (and this is something people feel when they travel), events that happened a week ago feel like a month ago because your days are so packed that activities just get pushed down more than they would when you’re just going through the motions of day-to-day life.
And I think that’s one of the reasons I’m feeling so nostalgic for New York.
Because to me it doesn’t feel like it’s only been three months. It feels a lot longer. I feel like I’ve been away ages.
A lot happened in April! I found a long-term (and cheaper) apartment, I went to Bordeaux, I finally found good cafes and libraries to work from, my produce guy greets me and asks about my day (if you know anything about French culture, you know how huge this is), I expanded my circle of friends, I hit many of my fitness goals, and I have a routine now that really works for me. I had two visitors, tried a bunch of new restaurants, and went to a lot of events.
And, most importantly, I finished about 70% of my new book!!
So, it’s been a really busy month!!
But I’m looking forward to ending my month in NYC. I miss my friends (and good sushi).
I’m still figuring that out if I want to stay in Paris forever but I know I don’t want to leave any time soon.
#paris #parislife
Bordeaux is one of my favorite cities in France. It was the first place I visited in France (all the way back in 2010!) and I love the history, architecture, food, and, of course, the wine.
This mini-guide to the city can help you plan your trip and has some of my favorite activities, restaurants, and bars.
And, if you’re going, be sure to stay at @outsiteco . Outsite is a co-living website that has all the benefits of a hotel (private room, cleaning service) combined with the benefits of a hostel (social place to meet people and events) and co-working space (place to work and fast wifi). Each location also has a community manager who plans events and can help answer questions (mine was super helpful). Check them out the next time you’re traveling.
And save these tips for your next trip to Bordeaux - and share with anyone you know going!
Drop any questions in the comments.
#bordeaux #bordeauxtips #outsite #travel #francetravel
A friend once called the people you meet on the road “five-hour friends” because they’re there for such a short time.
Maybe you spend a few days together in Panama.
Or an afternoon in Prague.
Or just an overnight train in China.
Or maybe it’s a few weeks together on an island in Thailand coming up with plans to build an eco-friendly hostel in New Zealand you swear you will do.
But then someone moves on. Off to the next destination.
Yet that time together never leaves you.
Maybe one day it’s a story you read. Or a picture you see. Or someone mentions a place and you go, “I knew someone from there once…”
Travel’s ephemeral nature makes you appreciate how fleeting the moments you have with people are - and how deep relationships don’t always mean long ones. Some of the people who shaped my life were not in it for that long.
And I think that makes you want to savor the moments you do have with people even more.
Because you never know if someone is in your life for just one scene, one chapter, or the whole book.
#travel #travelfriends #travelfriendships
