Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.
~ Robert Brault
If we really are what we eat, then I might very well be just this. The most simple & obvious pairing that seems almost too simple to share, but to me, this most classic combo easily represents the very best in food (and in life) summed up in just two ingredients. After all, isn’t this precisely what we want from our food, and really, in so many ways….our lives? I know it is for me. Continue reading →
Getting away is surely a luxury in this world, and one that should be thoroughly revered & enjoyed. Growing up, my family had not the means for such things as air travel, and despite this I can still recall as vividly as yesterday the many exciting road trips we took as kids, and think to how they must have saved my parents from going crazy at home with the four of us rambunctious island ragamuffins. Continue reading →
Here we sit in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, ready for just over a week of family chill time here on Hawaii’s biggest island. I’m tucked away here enjoying the view from the deck of our best friends vacation home, and as usual, am feeling so incredibly grateful for the good people in our lives. I am grateful for great friends that feel just like family, and even more grateful to have them here with us to share this incredible week. Continue reading →
Okay, so we all have things we are good at. That’s the great thing about people: our gifts. For instance, my husband is a natural at being patient. Me not so much. My mother-in-law is a gifted homemaker, adept at the art of ironing & bed-making like nothing I’ve ever seen. Me? Let’s just say I do make the bed every day and leave it at that. Continue reading →
Well it’s true what they say, the time does go fast.
It’s hard to believe it is now September, with August behind us and all that it brought. Just a month ago we were putting the finishing touches on our packed luggage…
But with September comes so many good things: back to school, back to work, and back to working on this little blog and all it encompasses I hope you’ll all stick around to see what we’ve got up our sleeves!
While we get back to normal life, it’s my pleasure to share in my next three posts a few tidbits from our time in France – starting with a few things that made a big trip not only more affordable, but really, that much better.
Travel is a real luxury, and as you all know it can sure get costly. I hope you’ll enjoy this little round-up of 5 ways we traveled well with (just a little) less.
The mere sense of living is joy enough.
~ Emily Dickinson
Our favorite statue in the city just up the street from ‘home’.
1. Shack Up
And no, I don’t mean run away with a french man on a motorcycle!
As tempting as that might be …but really, I am referring to accommodation, as anyone knows that after flights, the place where you lay your head is likely to be your biggest expense, particularly on a longer trip.
And really, fancy hotels aside (which are sweet if you’ve got the budget) – just how much time will you be spending in said place of sleep?
I referenced thequaint french apartmentwe took in Paris, and it was just that: small, old, perfectly lovely, and right in the heart of where we wanted to be (for those of you interested we stayed in the Marais district).
After all, this is how the vast majority of people live in big cities like this, so it was fun, and not to mention for the four of us, (just a little) less hit on the budget & a whole lot more authentic.
Unlocking the door to the courtyard after another big day.
Everything you can imagine is real.
~ Pablo Picasso
We did just fine cozied up in our tiny kitchen, enjoying simple foods made with basics (my next post).
This was the start of the food journey that has not only affirmed my approach to food more than ever before, but forever reminded me just how simple foods made with quality ingredients are best, and how important it is to enjoy each and every bite.
After all, that is precisely what the people do in France. And it certainly shows!
Our go-to salad for three whole weeks it seems!
2. Eat In
Really!
Part of the fun of having a real place to shack up in is the chance to live like any other person might in that part of the world (at least for me it was and I suspect this would be the case for many of you too!). Cooking in a strange (tiny) kitchen is an adventure, one I was up for, and one we had a blast with.
It was a beautiful thing – heck – I was cooking dinner in Paris! What a sheer delight it was, and one I took with gratitude and pleasure.
I mentioned the produce market that set up literally at the steps to our door twice in the time we were there. I bought melons, lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, nectarines, apples & berries. They were all pretty amazing, yes.
The block we stayed on had a store that stocked every fine oil, wine, preserve & jelly you could want, and the boulangerie on our block made just the right baguettes and chocolate croissants for the girls, who enjoyed them daily.
It was good living, as we say.
Not like the one in Provence, but hey – pretty darned good!
Eating in saved us tons of money, and it also meant that the three of us vegetarian girls weren’t struggling with menus (and our French) every night. It also meant we ate like royalty & had plenty of time & money left to hit the streets for some quality sight-seeing, and maybe an ice cream and a night cap (or two).
Of course, we ate dinners out too, andwe enjoyed it (just a little) more when we did.
Less really was more here, and it went this way through our entire trip.
The best part? Reserving the majority of our sitting time for chilling at our favorite cafes.
Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.
~ Dr. Seuss
Cafe life in France, and in Paris especially, is just about the funnest thing you’ll ever experience, as no one is ever in a rush.
The people watching is just about the best in the world, not to mention the goodies you are likely to enjoy. A few days in I gave up my afternoon coffee and switched it to white wine or beer.
And then we simply sat. And watched. And drank. And talked.
Until it was time to be on our way.
3. Set out on Foot
A big city like Paris is (obviously) more than well set up for tourists, and they are pros at handling all those visitors.
There are tour buses, stacked double-deckers, boats, bike tours, and of course, the metro is superb. But nothing is like seeing the city on foot both for your waistline and your wallet.
We walked for hours & hours each day, which many of you know is a wonderful way to get fresh air, exercise, and views that you just don’t get from a tourist bus, or underground on the metro.
Plus, how will you see that top in the window or find that off-the-beaten-track patisserie with the best pastry you ate the whole trip? That gorgeous old cathedral you stumbled on that time you got lost?
Nothing says adventure like traipsing around a city with just your bag, a camera, good company and a good stylish pair of comfortablish shoes.
More on shoes in an upcoming post
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
~ Martin Luther King, Jr
4. Pack Coffee/Carry Water
Depending on your preference for coffee, this might not apply, but I was glad to have brought along a few bags of ground coffee from home to make French Presses while I greeted the day and acclimatized.
The kids were often tired (especially at the start of the trip), and given my (fairly unreasonable) requirement for caffeine early in the day, I got amped at home before leaving the house.
I’d done quite a bit of research on some coffee places I wanted to hit – places that are doing quality coffee like we are lucky to enjoy at home. My first try yielded a closed sign (Telescope seemed to be closed for the month) and the others were just too out-of-the-way and not convenient to drag the whole brood to.
For a full list of great spots to hit, check out this post on Alice Gao’s beautiful blog here. Alas, maybe next time.
Besides, I see plenty of snazzy coffee shops here (it’s my job), and I realized that day that I didn’t need to travel to Paris to see them there too.
So the home coffee was a major lifesaver, not to mention an easy way to avoid the Oranginas and other goodies you buy every time you sit your kids at a table (cause you know they can’t sit there with nothing).
But believe me, they got plenty of Oranginas. In fact, I am pretty sure we spent more on those drinks then most anything the whole trip. But more on that in another post too
And bring water wherever you go! All that walking will make you tired, and many places might leave you high and dry (read: thirsty) and succumbing to overpriced drinks you otherwise wouldn’t need.
5. Buy a Museum Pass
Okay. So really. This one made me very, very, happy.
Mu husband deserves the credit here, and this action turned out to be genius.
And not strictly for financial reasons. In fact, all in, we figured that by the end of our week in Paris, we broke even on the cost of this. The real savings, however, turned out to be of the more precious kind.
This thing saved us precious and irreplaceable time. No line ups!
Visiting Paris in August means the height of tourist season there – in fact – there were (what felt like) more tourists than locals, and given the high rate of shop closures for ‘Vacances’, I’d say this was correct.
We bought a one week pass that got us into any museum, sans line-up. A sweet deal considering we packed a good ‘sight a day’ into the itinerary. And did I mention the time savings? Brilliant.
But this is my husband we are talking about. I married him for a reason, or two
On our ‘must-see’ cultural list was: Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, The Louvre, Musee D’Orsay, Les Invalides, Versailles, The Pompidou Centre, and of course, the Eiffel Tower (which we did not go up as one of the lifts was broken) – there are quite a few more amazing sights to see, but traveling with a young one allows only so much, and these kids were stimulated to the max.
Truthfully, they were amazing. As was my husband for buying this pass. Brilliance.
Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Commitment is a line you must cross….it is the difference between dreaming and doing.
~ Bernie Fuchs
Looking back, it seems crazy that all that is behind us now. Time really flies.
True to one of my fave Dr. Seuss quotes, I’ve got to tell you that I’m pretty darned glad we did that, and my smiles feel pretty darned wide.
I’ve since returned home to enjoy the blessings we enjoy here, such as goodgreat regional food, clean tasty water, and truly great friends.
Yes, this is where I give a shout out to all of you – whether you wrote me a text to read when I landed, a thoughtful & genuine blog comment, an email, FB message, or straight up picked up the phone and called (you know who you are), you all made coming home that much sweeter, and I have big love for each and every one of you!
Thank you all for being here with me!
Looking forward to all that is to come – and next I’ll get to those top foods – I promise
Got any tips to add to this from your travels?
If you could travel anywhere tomorrow where would it be?
I’d love to add any wisdom from all you fine readers out there – and let us know your thoughts and whatever might be on your travel wish list!
Welcome! What is In Pursuit Of More? The blog about living with (just a little) less. By going without, we can gain - by giving to those who have less. Want to make a change in your eating habits for the better? Imagine how you can turn that into something positive for those who would otherwise go hungry. Go without so others don't have to. That's living with (just a little) less.
I hope you’ll all stick around to see what we’ve got up our sleeves!
