I heart Santa
Well, Merry Christmas and happy Boxing Day to all! Hope everyone had a very fragrant holiday. I certainly did; no full bottles this year, but a sample of J.A.R. Bolt of Lightning for a stocking stuffer and.... *swoon* a 16-day trip to European perfumery hot spots! Itinerary: stopping over for two days in London (Ormonde Jayne!), flying into Nice for Carnival and the "Flower Battle" parade with day trips to Grasse (Grasse!) and Èze, by train for four or five days in Paris and area (Serge! Guerlain! the Osmothèque in Versailles! etc., etc. etc.) and then back, probably for the central coast, Merseille and Aix-en-Provence (M.F.K. Fisher's fave, land of Cézanne). We are renting a car, and may try Avignon and Châteauneuf-du-Pape instead of the central coast - my husband is an oenophile and history buff - or, then again, we may head east to Menton and Italy. Santa has the plane tickets and his spring bonus, but is leaving much of the planning up to me. We are taking the baby, which seems to shock all our relatives, but delights me. It is the most generous and exciting gift I have ever received. I am looking forward to advice from my worldly perfume-obsessed buddies on what to sniff out...
posted by Erin @ 12:22 p.m.
12 comments
12 Comments:
Oh my goodness, that is absolutely fantastic! Congratulations!
Thanks c! I am thrilled. I had kind of guessed that it was a trip because Mr. EB (hey, those were my initials with my maiden name!) wanted me to get passports, but then he threw me off the scent (haha) with a big box - which was a humidifier, that we certainly needed. I am proud of him...
Fantastic! I'm wildly jealous but trying to be happy for you anyway. Are you an MFK Fisher fan, too? I've read everything she's written and regularly read aloud at dinner parties her description of the perfect martini. I studied in Avignon for a while and highly recommend it for a visit. And think! You'd be able to compare the cathedral's scent to CdG's approximation!
angela: I know what you mean - my best friends have done a lot of traveling lately and I've been saying: "You had a great time, I'm so... happy for you." I promise I will try to spread the love (i.e. swag). I love Fisher. AJ Leibling is great too - have you ever read "Between Meals: an Appetite for Paris"?
Wonderful that you are taking the baby--take ots of pictures. You wil love Grasse (Fragonard and Molinard)
Just have fun whatever you do. I'm really happy for you.
If you do opt for Menton into Italy, you'll have a nice time too... San Remo is a fun place with Fab. FOOD!!!-- if you do go to Monte Carlo it is worthwhile to dress up in order to get into the nicest historic casino--it is fun to watch eccentric wealthy people place hUgE bets, sip pastis...it is something you can do while dad takes baby for a walk around the village. It is fun to dress up a bit, anyway.
Wowee!!!
That is AMAZING...
THAT man gets to live, he done you goooood !
So happy for you...
Giselle: Thank you! I have a digital camera, so I will take lots of photos and finally get some images on this Luddite blog. We are real foodies so we are looking forward to that aspect of the trip - although I imagine we will be doing cheaper, prix fixe lunches with the babe. (I understand the French do not consider fine evening dining a family activity.) Most people have voted for us to go west, so it is nice to hear Menton, San Remo and Monaco are worth the trip. As for dressing up, I have lovely pearls, but not much in the way of anything else grown up!
Chaya: Yes, he did very well, didn't he? I'm particularly proud of him because he knows that this trip will also cost him hundreds of dollars of "souvenirs" of Paris and Provence! Thanks for the well wishes, too.
Aw, I'm so happy for you! Yours will be a dream journey surely so don't forget to take zillions of photos! Funny that you should visit Aix-en-Provence before me, I mean, my aunt LIVES there and I've never been to France :-)
Do try Lanvin's Arpège pour homme if you haven't, I just snagged a 30ml bottle of its gorgeousness :)
Have a great trip and Happy New Year!
Hugs
Dusan: Thanks! I'm terrible at remembering to take photos while I'm all agog some place. My albums are like: "And here is the airport that we flew home from..." I really will try this time, though, I promise. Aperge PH sounds like a dream - and that bottle! *Victorian-hysteric-style swoon*
Yay!!!!! I am sooooo happy for you! The baby will be fine. You will be fine. (I say this as someone who spent a month in Costa Rica with a 9-month-old). BTW how big IS baby? I forget ... already thinking logistics for you. Consider a baby backpack? Pushing a stroller around many/most of those streets and up/down escalators would suck... ahhh, you are going to have soooo much fun!
march: Thanks! Babe is almost 10 months old - we'll be returning from the trip the day before her first birthday. We've heard that there are now backpacks that convert into umbroller/strollers - which we may need since she is 22 pounds or so, and likely to be bigger by the time we go. Great to hear of your trip - what an adventure that must have been...
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