We sat at date night, discussing plans for our next “big trip.” We’ve got a to-go list a million adventures long, so the wanderlust is real. It’s true what they say- I’m in love with places I’ve never been to. I’ve been fantasizing about a Parisian getaway since I spent 36 hours there as an awkward teenager, and moreso as David and I have grown up and travelled together. I wanted to absorb culture and cuisine, romance and rosé, to stroll and shop, and spend some time living like a local. Milking my 30th birthday, I guess I had a pretty good sales pitch, because David bought. We started pondering when, settling on a week+ in late summer. I wanted to add another European city if I could, but knew I was pushing my luck as flights are spendy from the west coast.
The next evening, David was at the theater, so I started ‘wanderlusting’- reading and researching cities, itineraries, activities, and more. I start the planning process of most vacations that way, so I can assess value before I start fleshing out the itinerary according to the budget we’ve set. I was looking at European flights on Kayak Explore, when I came across a crazy deal on flights to Barcelona. They were far from ideal- in April rather than August, for more than two weeks, and with a simply nonsensical detour through Moscow, but our schedules were surprisingly still open, and they were literally two for the price of one, and an anomaly- other cities/months were significantly pricier. I’ve rarely met a sale I didn’t like, so I justified the longer stay with flight savings, and went down the rabbit hole. I browsed available apartments, and by the time David got home around midnight, I had had planes, trains, and several airbnb’s ready to discuss. Poor guy- I essentially steamrolled him, but when we went to bed sometime much later, we were booked to fly to Barcelona, had apartment booking requests out, and I was beside myself with glee.
And y’all- it was loverly. Filled with so much deliciousness and delight, it was shamelessly romantic, occasionally perfectly imperfect, and such a fabulous trip on the whole. We walked and rode the metro all over Paris and Barcelona, took a million pictures, had so many adventures and experiences and amazing eats (live to eat, I always say!) and I’m so excited to reminisce as I share them with y’all. I’ll be breaking it down into manageable chunks, beginning with Barcelona, where I’m already pining to return as soon as reasonably possible…
loveRavayna
