I’m not usually one to celebrate the New Year in any particular way, but what can I say, the older I get, the more sentimental I get. The resounding theme of 2018 for me was “Contentment”. It was a new feeling for me to settle into, especially after the insane highs and lows of 2017. At times I panicked – I wasn’t feeling INTENSE feelings – what is WRONG with me? Am I depressed? Am I not doing enough? It took me a while of sitting with myself to recognize this very new feeling: Contentedness. I’m settling in to my new life in France and living a quieter, yet happy and fulfilled little life.
Enough philosophizing, where did I go? What did I see!?
- January: I continued my explorations of France with My Day in Èze / Monaco and My Day in Mandelieu-la-Napoule. And I went to Paris! Again! I met a good friend for 36 Hours in Paris. This was the first of 3 trips this year.
- February: French explorations continue with Hiking in L’Esteral and exploring Saint Raphael and the Fete du Citron in Menton. I also had a surprise trip to Texas for work and got to visit my parents in Austin and my dear friends in Waco & Dallas with a one day stopover in Madrid, Spain
- March: I spent a weekend in Barcelona and a weekend in Rome.
- April: I helped my dear friend from Bangkok move in to his new home in Munchen: My Weekend in Munich, Germany. Aaaaand I continued to see Paris in every season with a Sprintime visit. Yep, an American in Paris in April.
- May: Went to Grasse for the Rose Festival and dipped my toe into a new continent with 36 Hours in: Casablanca, Morocco
- June: My friend and my parents visited me and I had to go to Prague for a conference while they were in France. Made up for it by meeting up with my Parents in Switzerland for a weekend.
- July: Continued exploring France with my parents by visiting the lavender fields of Provence stopping at the adorable towns of Aix-en-Provence, Valensole and Moustier-Sainte-Marie. Then I departed for an epic road trip through Croatia & Slovenia and jetted off from Milan to Scotland for my wee Scottish Godson’s baptism. (If you are keeping track, between end of June and beginning of July I was in 9 Countries in 4 weeks: France, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Slovenia, Italy, Scotland, England)
- August: Weekend trip to Ile de Porquerolles, Marseille and Les Calanques
- September: I went to Paris again in early September as my Summer trip and I ended the month by starting my birthday celebrations with a trip to London where I saw a bunch of shows on the West End including Hamilton.
- October: From London I flew to Los Angeles to attend a friends wedding in San Luis Opisbo. And since I was already all the way over there, I decided it made sense to hop over to see my cousin in Muai, Hawaii.
- November: I got in the holiday spirit by visiting all the Christmas markets I could in 48 Hours in: Vienna, Austria
- December: Finally, I travelled home to New York for Christmas with my family. Rang in the New Year on the airplane on the way home to France!
Hoping to continue the contentedness & travel pace through 2019!