Winter Wonderlands

It’s winter, so naturally temperatures are dropping. But it’s been many years since I’ve lived in a cold winter climate, so I’ve been piling on the woolens and whimpering like a little baby. The past couple weeks have taken me outside Paris twice, to also fairly chilly destinations, but I had plenty of good times to warm me on the inside.

First I jetted to New York to attend the wedding of a dear friend and visit family. It was a trip rife with familiarity, both social and cultural. First, seeing loved ones – how wonderful! I didn’t consciously realize I was homesick until I entered my mother’s apartment, dropped my suitcase, and gave her a huge hug (aw). My visit was way too short, but I managed to squeeze in some quality time with mom, dad, sis, grandparents, cousin, family friends, and some friends. The wedding was a blast and I’m so happy I was able to be there. I made a strong case for my entire Big Apple contingency to visit Paris, but let me reiterate once again…free crashpad in Europe! Free crashpad in Europe!

My brief jaunt to the States was also long enough to give me some cultural comfort. Imagine being able to understand everything I heard! In France, I strive to eavesdrop just to listen to the natural rhythms of French speech, with comprehension coming in a distant second. In America, I could once again eavesdrop with ease, and it felt great – not because I really was interested in strangers’ conversations, but because it felt so deliciously familiar. Plus there was the warm, tingly sensation of freely conversing in English or reading English material on public transportation in anonymity. (Parisians are chronic starers, especially when anything Anglo is dangled in front of them, and it has been my experience to be openly stared at every day on the Metro. At this point I’m beyond feeling self-conscious or creeped out, but it’s still an odd reality.)

The only discomforting aspect was dealing with US domestic flights and all the aggravation that comes with them. As I had booked with frequent flier miles, I wasn’t able to procure a direct flight, and so had to deal with long layovers, even longer delays, and astonishing security lines. In France, the security agents could barely be bothered to question the contents of my suitcase. Too much work, perhaps?

My second short trip of the season was to Bruges, Belgium just this past weekend, and it was also full of social and cultural comforts. Nate and I had been hankering for a trip outside Paris before the year was through, and it so happened that a slew of his SF co-workers were going to be in town this week. We invited some along, and before we knew it, the posse snowballed into a group of 9 people strong. My company was comfortingly San Franciscan, and although I traveled with 8 employees of a video game company, it wasn’t an uber-geeky crowd – just fun and easy to be with.

Aaaaaaaah, Bruges. It’s a box of chocolates wrapped in a gingerbread house wrapped in a vest. I had been there in 1996 during my debut whirlwind European tour. I think I’d only spent 2 days in the city, and my recollections of it were hazy…beer, a beautiful park, medieval architecture, and accidentally breaking a street-level window with my backpack and being told by a local to “Make a run for it! Quick!” (let it be known that the beer-drinking was on a separate occasion). This time I got through the weekend vandalism-free, but indulged in the best Belgian treats available: beer again (those monks really have a good thing going), mussels, frites (best in the world), waffles, and the piece de resistance, CHOCOLATE. The latter must be written in all-caps because it puts the rest of the world’s so-called best chocolate to shame. Sorry, France, Switzerland, and Italy – there’s just some special love and magic that gets infused into Belgian chocolate. It stops you in your tracks, makes your eyes roll into the back of your head, and fills you with a warm surge of adrenaline to last you the rest of the day. Yes, it’s that good.

Lest you think we were slovenly consuming all weekend long, I can also tell you that we bravely walked all over the city (it’s very, very walkable and compared to Paris, delightfully clear of dog shit) in freezing daytime temperatures, checked out a magnificent church and the Town Hall museum, and took many photos of the gorgeous architecture and charming canals. It was the perfect place for just a 2-day, 2-night trip (just a quick 2.5 hour train ride away) and left me hungry for more European travel. 2008 will be a big year for exploring!