Croissant, baguette, chocolat, macaron, cafe au lait, fromage, vin…these are a few of my favourite words.

 

 

 

And yes, apparently all my most-special words pertain to food, because really, why else would one endure the indignities of an economy class flight to Europe?

Like the poor little mouse in the cheese-laden maze, I am following my nose to France. Food, my friends, French food, is one of my favourite reasons to travel.

So onward ho and here we go.

But first, there are a few things that must be attended to.

Right now my clothes are strewn across the bed as I figure out the most-severely-edited wardrobe I can imagine.  The unfortunate fact is, that like me, my size 10 hiking boots could never be described as delicate. And those monolithic boots take up most of the real estate in my carry-on bag.

But will I be defeated? Non!!

This would be easier if we were just swanning about in Paris.

However, we have, once again, decided to incorporate two completely different types of traveling into one trip. The hiking boots with those thick Vibram soles are definitely required for the weeklong trek at the end of September as we will be knocking off 20-28 kilometres each day.

But there is also time to be spent in Paris for the aforementioned swannage. And hiking boots simply cannot be worn on those ancient streets.

“I would die, simply die, to be seen in hiking boots!” (she said dramatically, holding the back of her hand to her ever-so-slightly-perspiring forehead).

Vanity? Mais oui!

But this is Paris after all.

 

 

 

One must put a little effort into things when one is in the City of Lights, mustn’t one? It’s not enough to simply slap on some lipstick. Might I remind you that the word protocol has its origins in French?

 

 

Still, there is very limited room in my suitcase for a city-sashaying wardrobe.

Over and over I repeat my one tried-and-true packing mantra…just because I own it, doesn’t mean I need to bring it.  Packing too much is equivalent to wearing all of your jewelry at once or every single one of your scarves. Editing does not just apply to writing.

The trick, for me, is the reduced colour plan. I’ve decided that this trip is going to be all about black and white clothes with a few camel/caramel brown coloured extra bits. As we all can agree, black can be dressed up or down with the judicious application of a well-placed accessory; a woolly wrap, a scarf or a necklace can quickly change up an outfit.  And these little extras can be stuffed into the corners of a bag where they take up very small amounts of otherwise wasted space.

It will still be fairly warm in Paris and most of the other areas we are visiting, but there could be cooler nights, so my fall-coloured items will help address that and change up the black and white colour scheme.

My other trick is to dress myself up in layers for the flight. That light wool wrap goes on top of the tunic-ish linen dress that is layered with the linen pants and worn with my dressiest walking shoes. Shoes, we might note, that would otherwise never fit in the bag with those stupidly-large hikers.

Now, it is possible that less charitable people might observe that I look a little like the Michelin-man when boarding, but I will have foiled the Air Canada carry-on policy by wearing my bulkiest items, and that, my darlings, is a worthy accomplishment.

Also, I don’t worry about dirty clothes. There are sinks everywhere you travel. Hotel shampoo works as a wonderful laundry detergent and most stuff dries overnight. If it doesn’t…I don’t bring it.

And let us also remember this; most people don’t notice what you’re wearing. Seriously, can you describe anyone’s outfit from yesterday?

Exactly.

Still, it is for our own sense of who we are that we dress. We are all busy conveying how we want to be seen in the world and let us not forget that it’s fun. The best part for me, is that after all these years, most days I still feel like I’m nine-years old and playing dress up in our Cherry Street basement.

As for the hiking outfit? The answer lies in the fact that I didn’t use the plural.

My fellow hikers, Kevin, Bruce and Yvonne, will have to quickly get used to my khaki hiking pants, because yuppers, that is the one and only pair of pants for the trail. Those pants, and my one hiking shirt, are both washable and quick drying.

Boring? Bien sûr!

Our self-directed walk includes each day’s delivery of our suitcases to the next inn. That means that each night, I can dress in my Paris outfits and offer my fellow-travellers some visual relief from my all-day every-day khaki-combo.

 

 

My only other carry-on bag is the same little day-pack that I will be using for that week-long hike. That black backpack will hold my sandals, book, journal, pens, travel documents, reading glasses, my jet lag kit, water bottle and some minimal toiletries for easy access on the plane after my carry-on is stowed overhead.

To help minimize weight, I won’t be taking my laptop on this trip, so this will be my last blog post until October.

If you’d like to follow my journey,  I’ll be posting on my Facebook page and Instagram.

Otherwise, I’ll be back in the land of blogging when we return in October.

Until then, I bid thee adieu and wish everyone a wonderful September, the month that we all know is the REAL beginning of the year.

À bientôt!