Now, Where Was I?

Now that we've been there and back again, I feel free to officially mention that we just returned from a week-and-a-half-long trip in London and Paris.

It was something M and I had talked about doing ever since we visited Vienna nearly four years ago. The conversation had begun broadly, while we were still on the plane.

"We have to go back to Europe," I said, or she said, or we might have both said at the same time, still on a traveling high.

Once home, the discussion quickly became a brainstorming session of European countries we wanted to visit. Since neither of us are seasoned international travelers, I suggested we start with a place that didn't require a book of common phrases. Visiting a country with different currency, customs, and culture would be difficult enough without the added challenge of a language barrier. That's how England (generally) and London (specifically) ended up at the top of the list.

I would have been content with only visiting England, but M wasn't keen on the idea of seeing just one country. With the crazy cost of air travel, she thought we should aim for a multinational adventure. That's how France (generally) and Paris (specifically) came to be second on the list.

I agreed to it wholeheartedly since it would finally justify the French classes I took in high school. I wouldn't be able to say much more than, "Pardon, garcon, je voudrais un sandwich au poulet." But at least it would make me feel better about not choosing Spanish like everybody else.

Fresh from Austria, I thought it wouldn't be more than two years before our passports would be inspected and stamped again, but then came M's graduate program, a lack of funds, and a shortage of vacation leave. The desire to travel abroad was relegated to the back burner, left to simmer until conditions were right. In the meantime, weekend getaways would have to satisfy our wanderlust.

Everything finally fell into place two months ago. In the span of a few days, we went from simmer to boil as we purchased plane tickets, booked hotels, and started researching each city in earnest.

Planning the trip was probably the most stressful part of the whole process for me. Trying to figure out what places to see or skip was agonizing. It was also difficult to balance the competing interests of exploration and relaxation.

To make things easier, instead of planning the entire trip together, we each took a city. M was lead in Paris, while I was primary in London. That method worked well and relieved some of the pressure.

Still, the planning process revealed something I didn't know about myself: when it comes to travel itineraries, I'm detail-oriented to a fault.

The Excel spreadsheet I created had more rows and columns than I'd care to admit. It included admission prices (in dollars and pounds), map coordinates, nearest underground stations, hours of operation (each day of the week), and page references (for both books: Eyewitness Travel and Lonely Planet). Besides landmarks, churches, and museums, it included statues (Boadicea, Wellington), famous streets (The Strand), and famous stores (Harrods). I didn't realize the extent of my need for detail until I printed it. The endless grid came as a nasty shock. Apparently, my ability to wing things isn't as strong as I'd like to believe.

Because I'm not a savvy world traveler, every new place I visit leaves an embarrassingly deep impression on me. It's silly, really, but I fall in love with everywhere I go. Salzburg? Smitten. London? Lovely. Paris? Paradise! Vienna? Vonderful! I'm a complete dork when it comes to globe trekking. I would make a horrible travel guide, which is why I strongly discourage people from using the travelogue I plan to write and post in the coming days as a planning tool.

Today is my first day back at work. It's also my first day back at blogging, which is my excuse for the rambling nature of this entry. My head is still spinning from the trip (due to either the incredible experience I had or the jet lag -- it's hard to say which). The spinning sensation isn't helped by my inbox, mailbox, and RSS feed reader. All are overflowing.

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed and I have a feeling I'll be walking around for the next few days with a giant question mark floating above my head, asking the same thing over and over, "Now, where was I?" So, please, pardon me while I get back into the swing of things. It will happen, I promise... eventually.