La rentrée and travel updates

August is a strange month to be in Paris. I was warned about August and les vacances, when Parisians all pack up their bags and head to the south, or wherever they prefer to holiday. But to actually see such a famous city so (relatively) empty was somewhat hard to believe, even when seeing it with my own eyes. Apparently this is because the French are given five weeks paid holiday each year, so for the past month shops around the city have been closed, the restaurants that are open put out their B-team, and the usually-bustling city simmered down to a quiet dull buzz.

Now it’s la rentrée, or literally, ‘the return’. The city’s residents come back tanned and refreshed, ready to take on a new year of school, work, and the Paris metro. For weeks the city has been plastered with advertisements for school supplies, and as everyone returns to school at the same time, this week my quiet neighborhood has suddenly been flooded with youth.

But why is a French dictionary advertising itself in English?

I can identify with the back-to-school feeling as my job here involves English tutoring, so my work schedule is closely tied with the school schedule. I arrived in Paris in January, just as the winter school term was beginning; this summer I had a very generous seven weeks off for the Olympics and les vacances, and now I am also ‘rentree-ing’ and getting back into the habit of having to go to work five days a week (luckily I work in the afternoon, so I can still sleep in as usual).

So in the spirit of la rentrée, I thought I’d share my plans for the upcoming “semester”:

September-October: Azerbaijan

In a few weeks Azerbaijan will be hosting the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. I’ll be there, in the capital city of Baku, working with the same association as I did in London. I could not be more excited to be working with this fantastic group of people, especially at what is sure to be an memorable event.

October: Bristol, UK

Despite having been together nearly two years, Mike and I have never visited each other’s hometowns. This will change in late October when I head to Bristol for Mike’s oldest brother’s wedding. This will also be the first time I see Mike drive a car…oh, and the first time I meet my fiancé’s family.

November: Belgium, London Paris

I’ll be in London for World Travel Market, my first ever travel industry event. I have business cards being shipped to Paris (sidenote: Zazzle only charged $5 to ship them to France — amazing), am working on a media kit, and will be figuring out which travel bloggers I follow will also be at WTM so we can all finally meet.

Also, since Mike has some time to spend in Europe post-wedding, I’m hoping to squeeze in a small getaway to Belgium, as I’ve really wanted to visit ever since seeing In Bruges. Plus, Belgian whites are my favorite beers and I love frites, so it’ll likely be a three-day carb-loaded feasting extravaganza.

UpdateI will no longer be going to London for WTM or Belgium — my mom is coming to visit! She’s never been to Europe before and I couldn’t pass up the chance to treat her to best of Paris. She arrives the same day Mike leaves, and the day my mom goes back to the States my old friend Nat is coming to visit for the weekend — so it will be a busy two weeks of hosting friends and family in Paris, which I am more than happy about.

December: Asia

This is unconfirmed, but likely. I’m a little torn between going home for Christmas and going back to Singapore to see Mike — especially given that New Year’s Eve is his birthday. Singapore will probably win in the end, and I’m thinking Hong Kong for New Year’s Eve (though nothing can top Sydney last year). I already have the time off work, so it’s just a matter of picking a flight and booking it.

As for where I’ll be after New Year’s…that’s an announcement for a separate post.

What are your travel plans for the rest of the year?

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22 Comments

  • Reply
    Barbara
    September 6, 2012 at 00:27

    This is a wonderful post and so much reminds me of living in Italy & vacationing during August in Italy & France. Vacations in August are NOT recommended, if you ask me. But it’s amazing to think of an entire bustling city so eerily closed up in August.

    Looking forward to finding out what Azerbaijan is like! (Hopefully this year will bring travel to Manila and Singapore for me.) :)

    • Reply
      edna
      September 6, 2012 at 01:08

      It was indeed eerie, and I couldn’t believe how many shops were closed for an entire month! Enjoy some chilli crab for me if you end up in Singapore!

  • Reply
    Lauren
    September 6, 2012 at 00:39

    Meeting the family for the first time…that’s not nerve wracking or anything! I first met Jared’s parents when we surprised them by flying to Australia from London a couple of weeks early – “Oh, hey, I’m your son’s American girlfriend and I’m going to be living in your home for a YEAR. Where should I put my bags?” Potentially awkward but actually went really well. Besides the tears from his mother, which were obviously tears of happiness.
    And, to further establish our parallel travel love stories, Jared’s birthday is on Christmas Day, which seemed semi-relevant because your fiance’s is on New Year’s Eve. Spooky.

    • Reply
      edna
      September 6, 2012 at 01:10

      Thanks to Skype I feel like I know his family already, it’s just the first time I’ll see them in person and have a conversation that lasts longer than 20 minutes haha.

      You know what, at this point our stories are getting so similar we should just have a double wedding. Because we’ll probably end up planning them for the same day and country anyway.

  • Reply
    Katie
    September 6, 2012 at 02:55

    Oddly enough, we’re in between Singapore and HK for NYE as well. At the moment HK is winning. Although it’s only what, a four hour flight from Sing? Have him fly up. Call it a birthday getaway.

    • Reply
      edna
      September 7, 2012 at 00:06

      Oh yeah, wherever we go for NYE we’ll be going together. Last year he met me in Sydney for NYE weekend — flew 8 hours each way just to spend two and a half days there with me!

      • Reply
        Katie
        September 7, 2012 at 01:05

        16 hours in the air for just over 48 on the ground? That is love!

  • Reply
    Shreejana Adhikari
    September 6, 2012 at 06:31

    Being myself very far away from home, I can not imagine how you are doing all this. You travel every month to a different city, which is a scary idea for me. I think you are very brave. Good luck

    • Reply
      edna
      September 11, 2012 at 11:59

      I love it, if I’m not traveling somewhere at least once a month I get cabin fever! It can be scary for the new traveler but you just have to get out there — the more you travel, the less scary it becomes.

  • Reply
    Jay / From There To Here
    September 6, 2012 at 13:10

    Oh La Rentrée – same thing happened in Gabon except all of the French were heading back to France for their summer holidays. I quite enjoyed the quiet of those months.

    Your travel plans look fantastic! We just got back from Belgium – chocolates, frites, waffles & beer, you cannot go wrong (or hungry for that matter!)

    • Reply
      edna
      September 7, 2012 at 00:08

      The waffles, how could I forget! Belgium definitely sounds like my kind of place.

  • Reply
    Christine
    September 6, 2012 at 18:41

    Hi Edna!

    Definitely make it to Belgium if you can :) Bruges is something out of a fairytale, and if you go, make sure to stop by their great little brewery, and of course, stock up on speculoos cookies from the bakeries. But Ghent is my favorite city in Belgium –the city is beautiful, and I’m still dreaming about the amazing, pillowy waffles I had there!

    Your next few months sound pretty exciting and I can’t wait to hear more about Azerbaijan. As for me, I’ll be going to Montreal, San Francisco, and possibly Puerto Rico. Then in December I’m moving back to Paris, so I’m thinking of a mini Euro trip while I’m at it :) Enjoy your “semester” of travel!

    • Reply
      edna
      September 7, 2012 at 00:09

      Haha yes, the movie mentioned the fairytale aspect quite a few times :) I’ve heard great things about Ghent, I’d love to do a proper trip around Belgium one day and just eat my way through the country.

  • Reply
    Louise
    September 7, 2012 at 10:05

    Your mysteriousness actually drives me insane! x

    • Reply
      edna
      September 11, 2012 at 11:59

      Haha sorry Louise!

  • Reply
    Magu Bee
    September 8, 2012 at 00:37

    Hi Edna!

    Once in Brussels, make sure you go to Delirium pub just off the Grand Platz. It’ll be one heck of a treat if you’re a beer fan!
    And the best fries, in my opinion, are by la Bourse – take the samurai sauce if you like it hot ;)
    Oh, and don’t forget to go all touristy and get yourself a delcious waffle with strawberries, bananas, whipped cream and chocolate – a heavenly 1000 kcal (or so I’d guess …).

    • Reply
      edna
      September 11, 2012 at 12:01

      Thanks for the recommendations Magu, they all sound so delicious!

  • Reply
    Andi
    September 8, 2012 at 22:59

    You have some fun trips coming up darling!

    • Reply
      edna
      September 11, 2012 at 12:02

      Yep, I’m really excited :)

  • Reply
    Kait Mc
    September 20, 2012 at 19:37

    Edna,
    I love that first photograph. Please continue living the life of international awesomeness that we in the States live vicariously through.

    • Reply
      edna
      September 20, 2012 at 21:13

      Aw thanks Kait. I will, just for you guys :)

  • Reply
    Megan
    September 21, 2012 at 19:44

    Your upcoming travel plans sound so exciting! I’m sure it’ll be really great to have your mom in Paris with you. I’ve been wanting to take my mom to a few European cities for a while now, and just show her around. Have a great time! Can’t wait to read about all of it. :)

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