Paris

No, I'm not kidding!!

We have booked to go to Paris in September for a week and will then take the TGV down to Aix-en-Provence for a few days.

I am so excited, but the entire prospect is so far removed from my daily life at the moment I'm struggling to believe it is a reality.

We've been intending an overseas trip for a while now - actually since we got married and only had a brief honeymoon. The trip is supposed to help ease the blow (or to celebrate, depends how you look at it I suppose...) of my 30th birthday in July.

Actually, I’m not really dreading turning 30. My 20s have been a great decade, and I’ve pretty much achieved what I set out to in terms of qualifications, and in my professional and personal life. I’ve had great opportunities to travel and done some things that I didn’t ever dream would happen.

But I’ll save all the navel-gazing for another post when I’m feeling all introspective.

For now, I’m going to dream of walks on the Ile-St-Louis, of lavender fields and small Provencal towns, shopping at Parisian markets and sitting at cafes...