Paris: In-sync and in Heels

There are worse places to be stuck then in Paris; in quicksand, in a daycare infested with screaming children, in a remote Tibetan village where animal brains are a delicacy... are a few examples.

Thanks to the haze of ash that has Europe’s Airports uttering curses in various mother tongues, I am stuck in the city of love until Tuesday, upon where my dad and I will venture on to our indented destination, Bologna, Italy. But for the present, Paris is home.

Accompanying my dad on business trips has proven to have its advantages. Our flight from Winnipeg to Minneapolis consisted of 10 people onboard, bumping us up to the only 2 people in Business Class. Less luxurious but still free, was the flight from the Twin Cities to Paris. I am not the heartiest of flyers, anyone who has flown with me can attest to this. The memory of my sweaty hand crushing their own as we flew through mild turbulence, is surely not a moment one forgets to quickly. So, to avoid my irrational anxiety and I took a lovely little blue sleeping pill with a glass of merlot and ...presto! The flights finito! I do recall waking up periodically to a meal being laid in front of me, and someone announcing “don’t worry we have a doctor on board” over the PA (the man turned out to be alright, just minor blood pressure problems).

With Italy unreachable and Paris before us, we lifted our noses an extra few inches (as to fit in) and spent the remainder of our day exploring.

Now, I must explain why I chose the subtitle “In-sync and in Heels.” The name of this blog is “Offbeat and Barefoot”, however, on this particular trip I am traveling in Europe as I never have before. First off, I packed whatever I wanted including multiple pairs of shoes (thank you Michelle) in a suitcase that has...wait for it....WHEELS! Saying “ta ta” to my ever so reliant and ominous backpacks, I declared myself a woman of class and boarded the plan in swede boots. Secondly , I will be staying in hotels, and though I miss meeting a host of half-backed backpackers in a communal bathroom while I brush my teeth, I am willing to settle for the comfortable, clean bed I am sitting on. And, eating....oh eating!! No Skippy...I will not be needing your healthy peanut butter and nothing sandwiches, bland yet filling, 30 meals for 1 Euro a day services on this trip! So with that said, I am traveling in-sync and in heels!

Here I am Europe, a rested, fed, well-dressed Erin...you may not recognize me from 6 months ago where I was a depressed, malnourished, heat stricken zombie suffering from Old Building Fatigue, but I am one and the same. I think we’re going to get along quite well this time around! The pictures below can account for that: