day 6: breathe...

traveling brings out...eerr...lets just say, "a lot" in people. 

as magical and adventurous as traveling can be, 

it can also be stressful and anxiety-inducing. 

and what a way to discover where you are. 

where you are physically. 

and 

where you are. in life. as a being in this world. 

where you are=how you perceive your surroundings, what tracks your mind keeps playing, how you react in these magical and stressful situations (and all the yummy stuff in between)...

these moments of realization/awareness/epiphanies...

these are the souvenirs we bring back with us

and they don't cost a thing!

ok, i take that back. 

it has cost some travelers their relationships or some degree of damage to them

perhaps some pricey material goods 

and maybe even a hospital bill or a collect call...

but you get my drift, right? 

it's really one of the underrated and often overlooked aspects of traveling, i feel. 

you (may) come back with

new worldly knowledge and experiences of culture and location+"ah-ha" moments about yourself (and others)

and how can you not have changed? 

you are a completely different you. 

in a totally different time. 

and the parts that feel the same are just memories of who you remember yourself to be in the past. 

mm...

yes, today was one of those evolutionary days. 

i saw a little more clearly where i am today. 

and where gina is. 

and it didnt feel so good, in fact, it hurt, it was frustrating, it was egotistical, it was self demoralizing, it was judgmental, it was downright fucking awful. 

and it was clarity. it was release. it was mindfulness in the making...

in case youre wondering what i mean by all this, 

if you havent already gathered the bits and parts yourself, 

my sister and i began our bike tour of provence, the south of france. 

we got lost several times, miles from our route, and it was boiling hot. 

neither of us speak french very well and we were biking in a foreign place in foreign traffic for the first time. so, these are the perfect ingredients for some form of hilarity...but mostly disaster. 

"and this too shall pass."

and here we are. 

we have safely arrived in st. remy de provence. 

and i love it more than avignon. 

st. remy may have also offered me the best souvenir yet...

[bonjour en avignon. a view from our hostel. those birds, i think sparrows? were so dreamy...]

[in a tres tres little village called maillane. a pitstop to our destination en st. remy. thats right, I had glaces for lunch. remember, boiling hot. and i am a grown woman who makes her own decisions. yay!]

[after 3 blissful hours at the lovely hotel canto cigalo - a proper and charming hotel room, swimming, reading, swimming, reading, napping, swimming, reading - we head to dinner in the city at La Cuisine des Agnes...yes, after a day like today, i downed that la cigale like i was born to do it! PS this is an AWESOME restaurant!]

[gina got this incredible eggplant flan dish and i happily went to town on this tuna aperitif]

[ma seour = cod with this tasty squash mush...tastes WAY better than the description. 

moi = chicken et semolina....all gone!]

[dessert numero un. thats right...this was only the beginning of the end. goat cheese goodness.]

[dessert numero deux. oreo tiramisu et glaces maison. they were alright. the looks of our dessert at the end would've made you think we would've licked the glassware if not for common decency...]

and now i sit in the hallway of this so darling hotel space. 

it is time to recharge for day 2 of our bike tour to fontieville...

ive had enough clarity for today. 

lots of deep breaths were inhaled and exhaled...

tomorrows deep breathing will hopefully be reserved for taking in the fragrance of lavender en rue...

bonsoir mes amies.

bisous

xx