Barcelona to Paris (via Montpellier, Marseille, Annecy, and Chamonix/Mont Blanc)

July 24

Just booked my flights for this year’s big trip. After toying with heading to Asia, I ultimately decided to continue where I left off last year. I’m going to fly into Barcelona and head up into France, hitting Provence, a town or two near the Alps, and Paris. It will allow me to see parts of France I’ve never seen and to get some badly needed French language immersion. Also I’ll hopefully get to hang out with a couple friends I met last year and meet a couple others whom I’ve known for years but have only met online and make some brand new acquaintances as well! Felt weirdly blasé about it at first but now am getting a little excited at the thought.

August 20

All my lodging and train connections for my upcoming European adventure are booked. The only other part of doing these trips that comes even near to being as stressful and anxiety inducing is getting to the airport at the beginning of it all. And maybe packing. Planning takes a lot of effort for me and doesn’t come naturally but ultimately does help me to enjoy the rest a lot better. Weirdly, I find that sometimes things just kind of fall into place if I let them, which I suppose could apply to life in a grander sense as well.

August 28

After an insane 24 hours after I learned that my passport expired too soon /after/ my trip forcing me to scramble to get another one, I’m finally headed to Barcelona to begin el viaje/le voyage. It’s nice to hear the announcements /en français/ at the gate!

Sitting next to a hunky young cowboy – or so I thought. French accent. Reading a book in French and he has since exchanged his cowboy hat for a scarf. Mmm-hmmm…

August 29

Couple meandering thoughts – sedation should be required for every child under 10 on a flight that is longer than 2 hours. And why is it that the wifi never works in places that advertise free wifi… Just now getting access at my friend’s place.

August 30

Meandering thoughts and observations – I love being in cities that have vibrant subway systems and public transportation. It feels right and makes so much more sense to me. I stopped in some bar for a little snack of olives with a side of sangria. While there relaxing I couldn’t help but notice how much fun the wait staff was having, dancing and laughing and singing along with the songs on the radio (at one point all three of them were singing together) and I wondered, have they somehow discovered the secret to a happy life or was this just a good day for all of them? Whatever it was, I was so tempted to ask if they had an application I could fill out right there. I got lost on my way up to the Park Güell, which may as well be in the clouds. I stupidly saw some interesting structures on top of the hill and thought – oh that must be it! So I started climbing and climbing and climbing. Only, I started to notice that I was the only one making this trek. Most people would have stopped. Not me!! Up, up, and up I went until finally, in the oppressive heat and sun, I finally gave up and asked some woman in her garage, “señora, puedo ir al parque Güell de aqui?” “–Oh nooo…” And she proceeded to tell me that I would need to descend back to where I came from and ask around down there. “It should take about 20 minutes,” she said in Spanish. Of course, had I actually read the map on the wall of the metro station – the same one I noticed on the way out when I arrived – I would have known this. Or same thing had I asked around of the others outside the station. Instead I did the same thing that I have throughout my life many times done and I just took off and ended up in some strange place with a goofy story to tell.

August 31

The Dalí Museum is definitely worth the train ride from Barcelona if you ever find yourself there. I never realized how involved he was with so many different types of work – modern, classic, surreal, sculpture, paintings, sketches, jewelry, video, placement of materials, use of reflections and optical illusions, etc. His works are oftentimes multi-layered and complex and so are the showrooms! I would give the room one last glance before leaving and realize I had missed two or three things because of the perspective of where I had been standing. Loved it. What I didn’t love, however were all of the people taking pictures of literally almost every piece of work in the place. That and the whole selfie thing has driven me up the wall on this trip!! And I say that as someone who is fond of taking pictures and an occasional selfie myself but I try to be respectful about it and not get in people’s way or hog a vista. I’ll appreciate simply looking at it, snap a photo, and step away for others. The Russian tourists have been by far the worst. Totally rude and I swore one woman at the Park Güell yesterday was preparing her hair and positioning her body for a full-on fashion shoot. How did we get to this? I’ll have to admit that it’s caused me to be a bit self-conscious at times, hoping I’m not one of these annoying people, too! I mostly stopped taking pics at the Dalí museum because I realized that to focus on one piece in a showroom is to totally miss out on how they work together. // On the very comfortable train ride to Figueres, thoughts bubbled up in my head about some stuff I’ve heard in meditation lately that has caught on unlike previous times. Thoughts about how there can be a tendency to cling to ideas. “I am a person who likes this political candidate or dislikes this candidate.” “I am a person who has witty humor or who travels or is caring of others or has problems meeting others, etc” and how it can be easy to unknowingly cling to an identity that may no longer fit. I thought of many times past and even present when I’ve allowed this to happen, almost like fulfilling a role rather than authentically being. // That being said, if I don’t hear one more child screaming or obnoxiously yelling on this trip, I will be fine with that. 

September 1

Je suis arrivé en France! Finally a language I can communicate in without seemingly stumbling over every other word. I loved being able to communicate in Spanish but it was starting to make me tired straining so much and I was starting to be all too willing to switch to English without trying. Although it was frustrating to me whenever people would switch to English whenever they heard my accent or I tripped on a word. I understand that they are probably thinking it’s easier for me or that the transaction will flow better or whatever. I just wish they’d ask before launching into English. Sometimes I’ll just keep speaking in Spanish. So there was an instance today where the Spanish waiter was speaking in English to an American tourist who was responding in Spanish. I did appreciate the ticket salesman at the Park Güell the other day who switched back to Spanish when I said I was from the U.S. and then said “pero quiero practicar mi español.” I was so looking forward to the comfortable TGV ride to Montpellier and was super excited when I saw that I had been put in one of those rows facing the other row with a mother, grandmother and five children, including a toddler who would randomly yell out for seemingly no reason. Even better that the mother had given them all sandwiches and chips wrapped in plastic that I got to listen to being ceaselessly crinkled for two-plus hours. At one point, the toddler was standing in front of me holding onto my leg eating a cookie. All I could do is flash a “what are you gonna do” smile. I arrived and was immediately speaking French with my host and was surprised at how well it went, given that I haven’t used my spoken French in forever. I was able to converse at almost full speed, which I was happy about.

September 2

So I have this habit of talking/mumbling/whispering to myself. When I was in Barcelona I started occasionally talking to myself in Spanish and today I started doing the same thing in French. And Spanish. And English. Sometimes I would start a thought in one language and end it in another, causing me to laugh out loud. Then I would realize that people could see me and that they probably thought I was completely insane, which caused me to chuckle harder. // Had the chance to meet up with a Facebook friend today. What a joy that was. It completely amazes me the connections that we can make today that we never could have 10+ years ago. What’s great is that both of us are able to speak each other’s language pretty well so we both got some discussion practice. It felt so good to be able to fully converse for hours in French without really any major problems. It gave me some badly needed confidence that I had been lacking. And it was so nice to have the conversation flow so easily and naturally.

September 3

It’s funny how some cities you just instinctively “get” and others it takes a while to figure out. Marseille is more of the latter for me. I was really moved by how scenic the town was when I first arrived. The train station sits on a huge hill that overlooks the city and the city has a new feel I’m not familiar with. I found that exciting. Unfortunately when I stepped out to explore I felt like I spent a lot of time just spinning wheels trying to understand the layout of theplace. I did figure out how to get to a scenic sight I want to see, though, and got a sense of where things were. There is this church way, way, way up on this huge hill (mountain?) and I decided I wanted to see it. I again just figured it out instinctively but I like with Barcelona, it worked! I second guessed myself many times as I climbed and climbed and climbed but I’m so glad I followed through. The pictures don’t even come close to capturing the vista that I saw. Seriously. Afterwards I descended and went to a gay bar for a beer. Why do I ever think I’m going to enjoy these establishments?? Awful. Sad, dance crap music, bad beer, and people who are about as interesting as a pair of socks. I had a quick bite to eat and hit a regular bar and had two delicious beers – a stronger ale and a Scottish Amber (this is unheard of in France) and ended up having an impassioned conversation about politics (American and French), travel, and sexual health – tout en français!! The conversation began shortly after one of the guys lamented the presence of over-sized Americans and their beloved McDonald’s. I chuckled and one of the guys looked at me and said, “mais c’est vrai, alors…” Then the other asked where I was from and I said in French, “The United States” and the other guy started laughing realizing why I had been laughing earlier. I informed them about prevention and harm reduction in terms of HIV prevention among les hétéros and they seemed very interested. Then the one guy asked if I was in a relationship or if I had kids. “Non et non.” Then the other guy just went for it – “Es-tu gai?” I’ve never been one to come out and directly say that. I think maybe being from Nebraska, I just learned to let people figure out on their own and to not make a big deal of it but here I was asked a direct question. I hesitated for just a fraction of a second. I had heard them use the derogatory term “pédé” which really just means fag but is derived from the word “pédéraste” which means child-molester, which seems horribly unfair, not accurate, and just plain insulting. AND, one of the guys unbelievably expressed support for the Front National’s (extreme-right xenophobic party) Marine Le Pen, although he said he hasn’t voted in over five years. Anyhow, I said yes, and they were both totally cool with it and we proceeded as if nothing big had been revealed (in my eyes it hadn’t). Great evening and the weather was absolutely perfect. Couldn’t have asked for anything better!

September 4

I’ll have to admit that Mother Nature has been extremely kind to me during my vacations. Even when the weather wasn’t maybe what I had wanted, it has led to other cool experiences like when my friend took me to the top of the mountain in Spain last year that has an abandoned village and amazing view. Only the fog had completely taken over, obscuring the view while really adding to the feel of the ghost town. I almost preferred it that way. Today Mother Nature decided she didn’t feel like cooperating as much and kept the skies cloudy, which was a bummer for visiting Les Calanques. You can see in some of the pictures that even with cloudy skies, there is an interesting blue hue to the water. But when I have looked up pictures online, they have been out of this world gorgeous. Don’t get me wrong. The scenery was still amazing. At least it wasn’t raining with choppy water while we were in the boat. For that I’m thankful. Afterwards, I had a beer in the port to pass the time waiting for the bus back to Marseille. One thing I’ve realized being the beer lover that I am is that France has the most amazing wines and liquors but not beers. Why is this? There are so many delicious beers out there that could equally augment and complement a meal. Another thing I noticed today is how people don’t really believe in forming lines over here and how much I get my feathers ruffled when people don’t get into an orderly line. It’s like I get angst-ridden and panicky, worrying that I won’t get on the train or bus or whatever. Am I becoming a Minnesotan??

September 5

I’ve heard a lot of people rave about Aix en Provence so I thought I should check it out. I even considered splitting my time evenly between Marseille and Aix at one point but just opted to stay in Marseille and take a side trip to Aix. I’m so glad I did. I found Aix to be, well, “bof”. It’s pretty and all but it’s basically just a big shopping town with a few museums in it. As the French might say, “C’est pas mon truc.” (It’s not my thing). I couldn’t care less about shopping. I was very excited to learn though that I could in fact take a shuttle bus to the Montagne Ste Victoire, which is what I /really/ wanted to see. So I asked at the bus station and got a classic example of Southern European direction giving. I asked where I needed to go and the woman told me to descend and go to Quai 21. So I went down the hill and naturally the quais ended at Quai 20. So I went back to the information desk. It’s true I needed to descend the hill but what she /forgot/ to tell me is that to get to quais 21 and higher you have to go two blocks further around two round-abouts and take a left and go down a ways to a place that is not at all visible from the bus station. Thanks for the info! On the bus ride there weren’t any announcements as to what stop was what and I ended up getting dropped off in the middle of nowhere with an older couple from Scotland. We laughed about it and made the best of it by snatching some photos (the one that looks like I am a happy owner of a vineyard is one) we wouldn’t have otherwise had a chance to get and hiking back to the nearest little town. We found the stop there and I chatted it up with some young guy who lives in that town and works in Aix. He was excited because he had never before met anyone from Minneapolis. I think that may be my first ever reaction like that. Later tonight at a pub I ended up chatting it up with a bunch of English people from Birmingham. They didn’t seem quite so excited about my adopted home town. Going back to the whole Aix en Provence thing, though… I oftentimes find that I really couldn’t care less about what most other people seem to get excited about and that things that I really like or get into, most people think are weird, not fun, or probably stupid. I think it kind of goes to explain a little what I mentioned in a previous meandering thought about how I always end up veering in other directions down paths that would probably make other people scratch their heads – but that make perfect sense to me, even if it feels a little weird to be alone on that path.

September 6

One of the greatest parts of doing the airbnb thing is the opportunity to meet interesting people and share fun moments with cool hosts. When I stayed in Dublin my host made crêpes one morning and we chatted in French for a couple hours. Tonight I hung out with my host and we shared a Pastis and chatted about this, that, and the other – tout en français. I’ve loved my stay in Marseille but am admittedly ready to move on. I’m thinking Annecy will be much more “relax”, which I could really go for for a couple days. Had a funny moment at the little market down the street. I bought some chocolate candy thing and asked the cashier if I would lose weight by eating it. She looked at me as if I were serious (and crazy). “Je plaisante,” I said but she still looked confused. Then, some other woman said she was expecting to see a camera come out from somewhere. The poor cashier still seemed totally dumbfounded when I left. This is not the first experience I’ve had like this here. Do Southern Europeans not understand irony? This surprises me greatly.

September 7

Early night tonight. I was going to go out to get something to eat but I’m so zonked that lying down sounds like a better option. I think I’ll get some reading done and maybe even get up early tomorrow and try out a breakfast – something that is a real rarity for me. Two things I’ve decided I’ve had my fill of on this trip – annoying, screaming/squealing/crying children and women (usually older) drenched and fully immersed in a suffocating cloud of perfume. I picture Pig Pen, only with lipstick and jewelry. Maybe a shawl. I’ve reached the point where I haven’t got the slightest clue what day it is. Feels like forever ago since I was in Barcelona. I haven’t watched the news once and I don’t miss it at all.

September 8

Low energy day today but Annecy was the perfect place to have it. I literally strolled around, ate a chocolate and coconut crêpe while swatting away a bee (I hate eating outside this time of year sometimes because of that), walked down some esplanade to a park, read a little and then fell asleep in the lounge chair! My body needed it, though. I’m feeling much better tonight. I went on a little boat tour of Lake Annecy and observed this group of what I was gathering to be employees with a group of older people who maybe live at an assisted living establishment? I couldn’t help but notice how the employees were talking to them like little children. Do they like this? Do they require this? At one point I saw a woman singing what seemed like a child’s song with an elderly woman as if she were a child. Then they were taking all these pictures and telling them to smile so that they could record what a blast this trip was or maybe they’ll put the photos in marketing brochures? Who knows. It all seemed so fakey and contrived to me. Then came the moment. One of the employees kept posing for pictures by repeatedly holding her very long scarf in the air and letting it flow into my face. The first couple of times I just let it go but I started to get agitated after that and by about the fifth or sixth time I yelled, “Arrêtez!!” (Stop it!!). Anyone who knows me knows that I really have to be pushed pretty far to do something like that. She turned around and looked at me like I was the problem and I glared back at her. Then she got up and moved a row ahead. I felt justified in saying something but truthfully, the whole thing felt really icky afterwards and I found myself trying to avoid eye contact. In hindsight, I probably should have said something like, “could you please stop that?” Expressing anger or displeasure has never come easy to me but I guess if I’ve learned something it’s to take a step back and find some place between getting walked all over and flipping out. Saw a lot of dogs walking around today. Feeling again like I need to rearrange my life to take one in.

September 9

Just renewed my Minneapolis library books from a small mountain resort town near the French-Swiss border. I love this crazy world we live in…

Well I’m up in the mountains now. It’s very cool, I must admit. I’ve never in my life been so close to anything so tall and I’ve also now seen a glacier for the first time. So neat. And the whole resort town thing is a feel all its own as well. These are some hard-core hikers and outdoor enthusiasts! The guy whose place I’m staying at rescues people stranded on the mountain or trapped in avalanches or who are otherwise in trouble. I’m hoping not to see him out of the confines of his place! lol. I’m going to head up to the top on a lift tomorrow – another first. And will also go for a hike but nothing too hard-core seeing as to not pack too much for this trip, I don’t have all the proper stuff. The girlfriend of the guy whose place I’m staying at gave me an awesome itinerary with a homemade map, even! Hung out tonight with the guy who stayed at the airbnb place last night – from Croatia and lives in Norway and naturally speaks near-perfect English? Naturally. One observation or maybe an observation-related question – does one have to be a model to be eligible to be a police officer, guard, or train line worker/guide? Oh my god… Also went to a library today in Annecy to check it out. Really interesting. Wish I could have checked some of those books out! I took some pictures to see if I can find them online. The art section, had great framed photos and drawings one could look at and even a video/media arts section where you stand and watch.

September 10

Today was totally committed to the trip to Aiguille du Midi and the hike to Montenvers that my airbnb host’s girlfriend suggested I take and what great suggestions!! Wow. When I first arrived at Aiguille du Midi it was completely clouded over and you couldn’t see /anything/. I had bought a multi pass to access the transport back down after the hike and figured maybe I’d have to descend and try again later. And then all of a sudden like magic it cleared and I was blown away. Never in my life had I ever seen anything like that. Ever. I think I stood on that first deck for possibly an hour just in complete awe. It was definitely cold but not really too bad. I was wearing three shirts and had brought my scarf and hat and was fine like that. I put my hands in my pockets when they got cold. I descended half way down and started my 3 hour hike to Montenvers. The scenery was unbelievable. The trail was pretty well marked for the most part and only a few times did I have to stand there for a bit and figure out how to get from point A to B. Mostly it was about navigating the many rocks, whether they were on flat surfaces or inclines or descents. One wrong move and you’re stuck in the middle of nowhere with a twisted ankle. After a while, I got to thinking about how the hiking I was doing was kind of like life in many ways. You can rush ahead but can easily mess things up that way and in some cases, taking one’s time and being thorough ends up taking the same amount of time with likely better results. There were also times when the trail would split and there would be two options. Taking the easier option almost always ended up just postponing the harder stuff til later on. It was also so easy to focus so much on the trail and forget to stop and rest and just look around at the gorgeous scenery for a while. Maybe take a drink of water or a couple bites from a sandwich. I would catch up with and chat with an occasional person on the trail or pass others going the other way. Only once did I start to get a bit anxious. There was a major split in the trail (why do they do that??) and both ways indicated that they led to the same place but one path was labelled “chemin conseillé” (advised way). I took it but all of a sudden we were going up, up, up, and up!! And the path was getting filled with more and more looser rocks, which I wasn’t crazy about. The other path appeared to go down, which at this point, is what I was wanting to be doing. I started second-guessing in my head and the couple that I was hiking with for a while and eventually passed because the wife kept needing to sit down to rest (more than me) were all of a sudden nowhere in sight. I stood at a turn and waited for them for a while. Nothing. I half entertained the thought of heading back to the fork in the trail but decided to just go with what the signs had been indicating and after maybe five or so more minutes, I rounded a bend and saw quite a few other hikers as well as another sign and I was much relieved. Took the transport back down but had to wait forever. I think one train had broken down but there were no announcements or anything. Just standing. For what seemed like an endless eternity. That made my feet and back ache more than the hiking!! Came back to town, got my ticket printed for my dreadfully early train trek out of Chamonix tomorrow and rewarded myself with a nice Murphy’s Stout, which I drank like water at an English pub. Now to get as much sleep as I can before the alarm goes off…

September 11

Et enfin… Haha. I started my post like that and continued writing in French and then realized! I took my last train today for Paris for the final leg of my trip. I thought I was going to have my first problem with a train connection this morning. I’ve been so impressed with how everything has worked and then this morning I got up and was at the station /before 7:00/. Anyone who knows me knows what a huge accomplishment this was. So naturally my train was late. To the point where I obviously wasn’t going to make my first connection, and therefore likely not my second either. I started to fret and then was like, what I can I do in this moment to change things? Nothing. I did my part and now it was up to them. If I miss the train, I will figure things out then. Then I felt myself much more at ease. The conductor called ahead and seeing as many of us had the same connection, got them to hold the train for a few minutes – but only long enough for us to scurry over. The train took off literally before I was able to get to a seat. I decided to take a break from posting pictures today, which I’m sure will please someone out there. I’m having weird feelings about Paris. I’ve become very familiar with this city so it’s almost more like a feeling of simply returning and getting back into the groove, which is cool but I kinda miss the feeling of it being a magical fantasyland that I used to have. Because of the familiarity, I don’t feel obligated at all to go see all the things that one typically would (and should!) the first few times one is here. I did because I was near, walk over a few blocks to make sure the Seine and Notre Dame and the Hotel de Ville were still there but mostly I was just taking in the experiences, sights, sounds, etc. I find the city to be a comfortable one to go strolling in. I went to a Senegalese restaurant for dinner and listened to this interesting woman whose origin I couldn’t exactly tell. African? Parisian? From somewhere else but lives in Paris now? Go on and on to her friends in English about all her experiences. She had such a passion for life that even the most mundane stories sounded like full-on adventures that ended in dance, art, or making new acquaintances. I could have listened to her all night. I’ve heard more English spoken here than anywhere else but am finally hearing American accents for practically the first time on this trip. Speaking of which, I was told that I have an American accent while speaking French by a couple Italian guys I chatted it up with. They spoke no English and I no Italian. Alors, français! It was a fun thing to hear as I consider myself to not really have an accent when I speak English. Or not a very interesting one, at least. I’ve so enjoyed being able to converse and even crack jokes in French. I’ve been feeling very comfortable conversing in it. More so than other times I’ve been here. I think this time, for whatever reason, I’ve not cared as much about making mistakes and when I’ve hit roadblocks, just sought other ways to describe what I’m saying. Ok, back to sleep I go. I came back originally to where I’m staying and collapsed fully dressed. A bunch of guys in the distance have been very loudly singing something together. At first I thought it was kind of quaint but now it’s getting annoying and I wish they’d stop. Might have to shut the window… Bon. Bonne nuit (encore)!

September 13

As the French would say, “Bon, ben. Voilà…” My crazy, awesome vacation ends tomorrow as I head to the Charles de Gaulle airport to return to Minneapolis. Had an interesting weekend in Paris. It’s funny how much the weather can affect one’s ability to have a good time. Yesterday was awful and rainy the whole day long until the night. I was glad to experience great weather all throughout my trip so I guess I had it coming. My shoes got wet and then my socks and I couldn’t figure out what to do. I have a bad perfectionist habit when it comes to making decisions like that and I start spinning wheels. Ultimately once I got moving I went to the Picasso museum then went to the Cimitière des Chiens located just outside of Paris. I had read about it online and was moved so I went and after reading some of the messages people had left for their pets, I found myself standing in this cemetery in full-on tears a number of times. It was very moving to me. More so than anything I’ve ever experienced in a human cemetery. I glanced in a few Moroccan bazaars on my way back to the subway stop and wanted to enter but it felt weirdly disrespectful to me for some reason so I didn’t. Had a cheapie sandwich at a Lebanese sandwich place. I’ve been eating at a lot of places like that because it’s much less expensive than eating in a restaurant. Paris has gotten crazy expensive. It never was a cheap place but wow, I don’t know how students could afford to live here. You really have to figure out how to stretch things out. I bought some cheese yesterday because, well I’m in France and you have to eat some fromage while here!! So it served not only as a way to try some new cheeses (I asked for the strongest one they had as well as another which was completely different) but it also served as a meal. Today it started raining but thankfully cleared and stayed that way. I felt obliged to go see the usual things and was so glad I did. It was so nice to see the Louvre and Tour Eiffel again. I walked all over the whole city and never was tired. So great to meet another Facebook friend as well. We passed the better part of the day strolling around the Seine as he showed me interesting architecture and points of interest that I would have never known about otherwise. Even got to see a photo shoot in action for some fashion magazine. And Paris at night is really beautiful – especially with the reflections of the light on the Seine. There is a particular time at dusk when the light is just right that I love as well. Admittedly, I felt like I had fallen out of love with Paris yesterday but I love it all over again now in all of its beauty, history and weirdness. I feel so fortunate to be able to travel and have experiences like this. Sometimes I get bummed that I’m unable to travel more often but I’m very lucky to have the good health, resources, and time to do what I have been able to do. It makes me feel good when I hear that others are able to enjoy all or part of my journey as well.

September 15

Well it’s 4:30 Minneapolis time (11:30 Paris time) and I’m wide awake. I guess that’s what happens when you initially crash on your couch at about 9-ish (I’m guessing). I’ve been wanting to try getting up much earlier. This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind but I guess it could serve as a good start. lol. Woke up at 1am and for once it was actually quiet in my neighborhood so I just went to bed. Returning can definitely be a reverse culture shock of sorts. I love our light rail but the experience on the connecting Minneapolis bus is shall we say a little different than being on the Paris metro. Came back to my neighborhood and the first thing I heard was some crazy woman yelling in the park. Welcome back! lol. I went from tooling around European sites, having a beer or cafe in a brasserie, and meeting interesting new people who speak different languages to unpacking, vacuuming, and cleaning up cat puke and seemingly endless amounts of cat hair. Was going to do laundry as well to add to the fun and wild times but my body decided that sleep should come first. I’m looking forward to looking at all my pictures again on an actual computer screen rather than just the little screen on my phone. As is usual for me after I’ve gone on a major trip, I have a lot of ideas of things I want to do / ways I want to live differently. This to me is one of the greatest benefits of traveling. I find that it takes me out of my everyday patterns and routines and allows me to be and think in ways that are outside of what was capable beforehand. It’s like it breaks away, even if just momentarily, the tunnel vision and rut within which I become entrenched. And of course there are the great memories and experiences that will bubble up from time to time, sometimes unexpectedly and for no reason, for the rest of my life.