Where to?

Well, it’s the day before my departure, so of course I’m on my way to buy an extra suitcase.

Omg I asked my friend Jennifer if I should be proud or ashamed. She was like, ashamed? That’s a bit much for a little shopping.

Love her!

Now that I’ve given in to the fact that I need another suitcase, I feel more relaxed. Panic started setting in as I tried to squeeze all the souvenirs and shoes and various sundries into every possible inch.

No go. No way.

Here’s the thing. You may remember I already bought another suitcase. Right? But oh, I was an idiot, and bought a super small carry-on, thinking that’s all I’ll need. Had I bought a normal size piece of luggage, instead of the Barbie-sized French piece, I’d be fine. But no.

It looked fine but when I opened it up, I realized it’s a glorified shoe box. Cute, but no.

In my defense, I’d confidently purchased it about a month ago (pre-Olympics! And pre knowing—I-was-going-to-the-Olympics!). I’d tacked on more than 6 weeks to my original plan of 2 weeks!

Ok! Luggage store! Success!

Well, that’s what I’ve decided to call my suitcase/packing failure. lol!

My favorite café here in the 6ème was closed. August in Paris. It’s my go-to café when I buy luggage. <wink> I walked around the corner to Boulevard Raspail – a once daily haunt (!) because this is where Alliance Française is located. Oh the memories!

Gosh, I remember how unfamiliar everything was, and it seems so funny now. I just didn’t yet have a sense of the city, and I never needed to ride the Métro unless I was riding along with someone from school. That all changed during that first 5-month stay.

So much has happened in my life since 2022. I always felt at ease, always felt I belonged, and I can’t quite explain that, other than to say it’s just the way I feel here. Now if you’ve followed me at all, you know that’s not to say I haven’t had a hundred adventures! Because I have! And I sure never thought back then that I’d be here enjoying my twelfth month’s stay.

All that to say I found a great new café! Salads and bagels of all things. But so delicious! Dessert was included and I really didn’t want anything – and the choices were odd. Puddings, fresh fruit. Ok. I went for the pineapple.

L’ananas!

I decided to take an Uber back to the apartment. They asked if I wanted to give any details to the driver. Hmmm…. Okay.

I’m wearing a red sweater, and have a red suitcase. Should I mention the pineapple?

I didn’t, but it’s in-hand. How weird is this? Walking around with a clear xo gainer of pineapple. In Paris.

I came home to find Luigi on my bed amidst all the stuff that didn’t fit in my suitcase. My heart is breaking.

I can do it with a broken heart 💔 thank you, Taylor Swift. I just wish I didn’t have to all the time.

Just remembered I have a piece of chocolate in the fridge. That might help. Chocolate usually does.

Two hours later…

Well, I haven’t indulged, yet. I went straight to reorganizing my suitcases. The big one is under 50 lbs. Yes! Of course it could hold more, but I’d pay a fortune if it went over.

What about my carry-on? Do you think I’ll get through Security with this…

Decided to do a 5-minute meditation, and Luigi did this…

And I couldn’t stop. It’s been awhile while since I cried. Clearly I needed to.