SELF: Day Thirteen

I'm debating whether to post the entire Joan Didion essay on the blog. It's long and involved, but lordy, is it a good read. I think I'll do it.

(inner thoughts done, on with the day-to-day...)

My tutee canceled for the night so I'm free to mark until my heart's content. It's the small joys, folks. Tuesdays are long distance running days with a small group of 11-year old boys from school. We run at 1:30 until 2 and it's a lovely way to pass the time. Sure, I wind up sweaty and a little cranky that I still have another class to teach, but overall, it's a great way to break up the day.

So here are more details about the trip that Kathleen, Aleisha, Frank, and I are taking in less than four weeks (eek!):

We start in Bordeaux (flight from London). We spend five days there. I can see it now...bike rides and wine-drinking. Ideal use of vacation time, if you ask me :)

After renting a car, we'll drive down to Barcelona for two nights, then start the journey east.

We'll drive up the southeast coast of France to Aix-du-Provence,



Image courtesy of ifrenchpropertyfrance.com

then head north toward Dijon (and stock up on mustard!). From there, we'll head east into Switzerland, stopping for a day in (the most expensive city in the world) Geneva.

Through the long and winding roads we'll drive until we get to Austria. Here's a little secret: I told my Nonno that I went to Innsbruck,


Image courtesy of orangesmile.com

but never actually did. I'm going to make good on my word this April. Phew.

Lastly, we head into Germany. We'll start at Munich (though I don't think we'll actually spend any time there), and hit up all the "-burgs" we can (Heidelberg is high on my list,


Image courtesy of earthbar.org

as is Nuremberg...am I spelling any of these right?), before dropping the car off in Dusseldorf.

So I ask you...are there any places along the long journey that we simply MUST see? Have you been to Germany? Where did you fall in love with it?

May I just say how incredibly blessed I feel at this exact moment? My classroom (my classroom) is warm, I'm sufficiently fed and exercised for the day, and I'm looking at pictures of these paradise-esque places, knowing that I'll be there in a very short time. This is my real life. Thankfully, my real life.