Dear Readers,
Many thanks for stopping by and huge thanks for coming back!! I’m truly honored and so glad that you like my blog!
Today, I wanted to share with you a few updates so you know what’s going on and what you can expect to see on RTatW, in the future. So here they are:
Life in General
In my previous Blog update post, I told you life was crazy! I was kind of hoping for a slow down, but it just didn’t happen.
And the last few weeks were the wildest! Apart from hectic work schedules, and on a total different scenes, I got to play photographer at my friends’ engagement party and on an incredible film set. Such incredible experiences!
Now the result is this:
I know, you were expecting this picture!! 😉
I worked so much on Lightroom that I got some intense pain going on! It come from my pinkie so I taped it to prevent it from going wild when not in use!! lol
Now, July and August should provide some much needed time off. As you may know, things slow down considerably in July and August in Europe. Big cities, not just Paris, are deserted by their inhabitants to give space to hoards of tourists. Businesses close down completely or offer barely minimum services. People in Europe do take their vacation days and seem to all take off at the same time, disappearing completely for 3 weeks at a time.
Mr A. and I hate to have to do the same. We’re kind of burden free, so we prefer to travel off peak. It’s obviously cheaper, less crowded, more relaxing and it offers a different perspective on the places we go to. It also takes less planning because we don’t have to worry about booking in advance or arriving at a certain time.
But this year, again, I may add, we’re going to have to accept to take some time off, in August and to be fair, I’m totally looking forward to it. I’m planning another great road trip but I don’t want to spoil it so I’ll keep it secret for now 😉
Work Life balance: Did I make the right choice?
Mr A. & I are not full time travelers and I’m not a full time blogger. Just repeating this, in case you are new to this blog.
I’ve been a consultant for 3 years now and I really love it. I especially love the freedom that comes with it.
But being independent doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want, whenever you want. You still have deadlines, meetings and lots of responsibilities. It also means that you have to do a heavy load of accounting and tax and all sorts of administrative works on top of your paid hours. And guess what, it can take an awful amount of time, no matter how organized you are… Also, you don’t get paid to do your tax! 😉
When you are just starting something (let it be a new job, a new passion, a new blog…), there is always a period of uncertainty where, every now and then, you start freaking out and wonder: did I make the right choice? What will I do if this or that happens? Well, fear not, because I truly believe that if you made the right choice, things will just flow in the right direction. I’m not saying the road won’t be bumpy. What I’m saying is that you will find your way and most importantly, it will feel right.
For me, despite the ups and downs, as time goes by, it is becoming crystal clear that I’m on the right path and that there is no going back! I love it!!
Travel update
In April, I was actively planning our next road trip, which was supposed to take us to Greece. It didn’t happen and instead we went to Portugal! It was really great and we got to see so much, despite partially unhelpful weather. This just means Greece is back on the long list of places to go!
In addition, and amongst other things, Mr A. organized a romantic week-end at the Sedan Castle. I love visiting castles, you know that, but what’s even better than visiting one, is to get to stay in one! I’ll tell you more about it soon but I must tell you that, the cherry on the cake, was that we pretty much had the castle to ourselves when visiting the next morning!
We also managed to do a quick visit of the Château de Pierrefonds on our way to Picardie. It was such an intense trip but really nice!
And I got to take this little mine steam train…
We just came back from a few days trip to the Loire Valley and that was great as well. Just very relaxing.
And… I got my ticket for London, where I’m going in 3 days! Finally! I am in such need of a London fix! Yeah, London is in my blood!!
Blogging update
Writing for this blog is becoming a drug and I feel sort of out of balance when I can’t write. I know I’m not the best writer and being a French girl blogging in English is probably partially part of the problem 😉 Yet, I love it and can’t wait to have free time to be in front of my WordPress page.
Unfortunately, you may have noticed a slight slow down in my publishing pace and it’s totally linked to our hectic lives. I can’t believe I still haven’t posted all I wanted to on our road trips to Norway, Sweden or Germany. And quite frankly, I could write a book on London or France and still haven’t managed to do so… so many destinations to come.
I did however managed to publish quite a few articles on our road trip to Portugal and I created a great map itinerary which I hope you like!
What will be coming soon?
So you understood from all the above that I didn’t get to do everything I wanted to do lately: My next architecture mini guide is almost done but I just haven’t been able to put the finishing touch to it. Lots of articles are pending. Lots of pictures haven’t even been dowloaded… and I haven’t managed to edit all the videos I’ve been planning. Overall, lots of things have been delayed… the great news is that they are not cancelled!! So you can expect to see them in the near future on RTatW!
Also, I will soon be launching my series of post on how to become independent. I know you can already find a lot of information out there but my intention is to tackle the hard bits and be real. It may sounds weird to find such types of post on a travel blog, I certainly feel weird writing them, but I’m just too tired of the ‘Quit your job and travel the World‘ trend to not do something about it!
In conclusion…
Life is, bumpy, unpredictable and fun!
The last few months have been different than what I had expected but I still feel it is going in the right direction. It’s been another reminder that life is truly like travelling. It’s not the destination that matters, it’s the path you’re taking. It certainly hasn’t been a straight line for me but the ride is worth it, so I have decided to embrace it!
I hope your ride is just as interesting and hope you are making the most of it! If you’re looking forward to some changes, stay tuned!
That’s all for now, have a lovely week and don’t forget to go out and explore!
