I turn 30 today! My first thought is: sh**. My next thought is: spending my 30th birthday in France isn't quite as cool in reality as I thought it would be when I booked the ticket. At this point in the trip, it's actually a little lonely. But truth be told, I think it would be anticlimactic whether I was here abroad or in the US because I'm just going to be lonely without my lover, regardless. Cue: "...its my party and I'll cry if I want to....cry if I want to...."
Ok, sorry, lonely spousal separation aside, the day has actually been exquisite so far. I literally hit the most gorgeous weather week possible here in Provence and today has been no exception. It's positively shimmering outside. Forrest has been the giggliest, happiest little boy ever this morning and that, in and of itself, is one of the best gifts I could ask for. I'm trying to teach him how to say Happy Birthday and give me a foot rub, but that may be asking a bit much. He is the best birthday companion I could ask for (well, his daddy would have been the best, but Forrest is a pretty good stand in) and I've been so grateful lately to have gotten this special time and trip with him before baby girl arrives. He may not really understand or remember it, but it has been such a sweet, memorable adventure together. I'll always cherish these memories--not so much because they are specifically in France, but because they are with him in France and with him alone.
So today we are celebrating, starting with the amazing breakfast buffet the hotel serves that I have been too cheap to eat prior. I still have no idea how much they charged the room, but, today, it didn't matter. Nowhere have I seen roquefort, brie, and fresh salami at a hotel breakfast spread. I'm virtually certain I massacred however one is to approach eating a softboiled egg in a silver egg cup, but I did give it a valiant effort -- my little pile of egg shells and yoke puddles just kept piling higher with each attempt, but luckily I can blame any and all messes on Forrest, and my corner table was very protected for such experimentation.
Forrest, driving a pretty French girl around in a red sports car. God help us in the future. :)
There is an incredible Christmas market they are setting up on Cours Mirabeau right outside our hotel room. I'm super bummed the wooden stalls draped with greenery and Christmas lights won't open until Wednesday, which means I totally miss out, but there are a few childrens' carnival rides set up at the beginning that are open for business, and Forrest has been clambering for a ride each time we step out of the hotel doors. I figured today was a good day to give in. True to form he was all about it the first time around. In all the circles, however, he lost sight of me, and ended up nearly crashing the whole locomotion in his attempt to escape and find momma. It took almost an hour of sitting in my lap and just watching all the other kids go around and around before he finally wanted another go. After that and multiple turns later, we left, him kicking and screaming and writhing in my arms with the whole world hearing his bellows of, "my car, myyyyyyyy caaaaaaarrrrr!" Hot or cold, I tell you. Hot or cold.
A cream and pumpkin soup with little pieces of apple... heavenly.
I'm not even entirely sure what this is . . . but does it matter!?!
So now, I sit here in the hotel restaurant eating a peaceful, way-too-fancy-for-me dinner with my baby monitor and my glass of champagne and feel...well, not my age - definitely not my age... but really just thankful. Thankful that I miss home and am ready to return, thankful for our safety when so many were not afforded it, thankful for a healthy, vibrant little boy and a husband who could (somewhat reservedly) condone a trip like this, thankful for family and friends who support me even if they don't fully understand me, and thankful for feeling success in what I needed the trip to signify to me (lets not count the french language catastrophe). Coincidentally, I look back and realize I turned 18 in Chile as an exchange student, 21 in Spain as a University student, and now 30 in France as a sojourner of sorts. The freedom and passion to travel and to know other cultures in a deeper, immersive way has not subsided with the years, instead it has simply evolved, taking into consideration the vibrancy of a full and immeasurably blessed life. And for that, I welcome this new decade with a gratification that makes me want to cry.
Forrest and I will both miss this beauty that has delighted us every day the moment we step out of our hotel.