La Décision
In the before time, in the way way back (also known as pre-March 2020), I used to travel. A lot. A weekend in London here, a trip around Iceland’s Ring Road there…by the time Covid hit, I had been taking a flight every month for over a year. In Spring of 2020, I was gearing up for my most epic trip yet—a full month in France—when everything came grinding to a halt and I found myself stuck at home for the first time in ages. One month turned into two, two months into a year, and then suddenly three years had passed. I knew it was long past time to make a change.
Cue a close friend proposing the truly wild idea of moving to France for 3 months. We would split an apartment and spend our weekends traveling the country. I said yes without hesitation; when those plans invariably fell through not long after, I was more disappointed than I could have expected. And then my longtime roommate suggested the even wilder idea of simply going by myself.
It wasn’t really so wild—I’ve traveled alone enough in my life that the thought doesn’t terrify me like it probably should. Working from home and avoiding restaurants for three years meant that my savings was more robust than ever before. I knew I couldn’t stay for three months, but with the luxury of telecommuting I could stretch my stay for as long as I could afford an apartment on my own.
So I made a decision: I’m going back to France.
I timed it carefully, making sure to travel in the off season and far enough away from the holidays to hopefully avoid another Covid surge. I made an embarrassing number of color-coded spreadsheets. Thanks to long stay discounts and apartments with good internet, I was able to lengthen my stay to a seemingly impossible 7 weeks—the longest trip I’ve ever taken.
My plan Is still to work on weekdays and explore as much of France as possible on weekends. I’ll be staying in Dijon for the month of March, chosen both for its central location and for its proximity to the Côte d’Or, home to some of my favorite wines. This will be bookended by nearly three cumulative weeks in Paris, a city I’ve visited three times before but never long enough. I even have plans to meet up with a dear European friend for a weekend of chateau-hopping in an electric Fiat. By the time I come back home in April, I will have seen roughly 7 cities, taken 14 trains, rented at least two bikes, and walked who knows how many miles. Ce sera une grande aventure.
I’ll be armed with my trusty camera, an intermediate grasp of the French language, and the intrepid spirit of someone who has been cooped up in one place for entirely too long. I’m hoping to post here as often as time will allow, even if it’s just a photo here and there, so bookmark this space if you want to see some pretty pictures and maybe read a funny anecdote along the way.
Allons-y!
