Often Times The Best Laid Plans…
Oh, the drama. Mike and I leave for Paris in two days. Throughout the planning process there were concerns whether he weould be attending Oxford this summer (because of some work issues on his end). For example, despite discussing this trip as far back as February, we never ordered plane tickets until a month before the trip.
Even since then, it seems that one week he’s going to Oxford, the next week he’s not. Under either condition, we agreed that we’d go to Paris as a vacation no matter what. As of yesterday, the plan seemed final: We go to Paris on Saturday and stay for a week. He’d go to Oxford and I’d stay in Paris a few extra days then meet him in England. After a few days in Oxford, I’d spend the rest of my trip with him in London. I’d fly home and he’d take the train to Oxford and continue his studies. At other times in the planning process we considered incorporating Amsterdam into the mix. But things finally seemed, well, final.
Then…last night at nearly 10:30PM I heard from Mike. His boss offered him a substantial amount of money (on top of his normal salary) to NOT go to Oxford for the summer. Basically, Mike would change his flight and return with me at the end of the 2.5 weeks and work the rest of the summer. He could then go to Oxford again next summer to study. In the meantime, he could take a class at Harvard that would count toward his credits.
Now he’s got a day to decide what to do (go to Oxford or take the lump-sum money). It’s like Deal or No Deal without the sexy babes with briefcases. Where’s Howie Mandell?
Now I’m concerned about what this will mean for our trip. As it was originally planned, we had places to stay in Paris and Oxford. Without the Oxford dormitory, we’ll need to stay in a hotel for a minimum of 7 nights. EEK! That was an expense I’d not planned on…and an expense that will alter this trip substantially. I suspect that Mike and I will be working desperately this evening to come up with a plan (if he accepts the monetary offer).
Perhaps we’d rent a car and go to the south of France? Cannes? Nice? Aix-en-Provence? Or maybe take the train to Amsterdam? Since London is so expensive, maybe we should avoid it altogether? OI VEY! – I’ve never been a good one with stress. I always plan things with such detail; similar to my spreadsheet of previous sexual experiences, I create them for vacations, too. At this rate, this spreadsheet is going to contain dozens of workbooks for all the different scenarios that have played out since planning began! Now we’ve got less than 48 hours to sort things out before we leave.
Oh, and to top it all off, I got jury duty notification yesterday. Super. And instead of the courthouses within walking distance of my apartment, they’re sending me to freaking Roxbury District Court. I have really bad luck with jury duty. Not only do I get called every three years like clock-work, I was called into a murder trial once (a horrible 2 weeks).
I’m trying to be zen right now…but it’s a bit difficult.
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Fuck London. Aix, the South, Amsterdam (and perhaps Barcelona. . .) should go on your list.
for cost-effective issues, id say do a short london visit, but spend the majority of your trip en france. and yes, the south of france is SOOOOOO worth it. google “rocamadour” in the quercy region and of course “saint cirque la popie” ie the most picturesque village in france (it has an award). then work your way down to aix or marseille and cassis on the coast. aix has a hot spring too, so dont miss that! i expect postcards!
If you want to save some $$ spend a little time in the south of France. I stayed in a great little town called Menton. Great food, nice beach, good scenery, and the people were not that bad too. Menton is right on whatever rail line it is that runs along the south coast so it’s easy to get there. Have fun wherever you end up.
Karl, Aix is wonderful. The Cours Mirabeau runs down the center of town with splashing fountains and a dense canopy of tall trees. Sitting at the sidewalk cafes in the afternoon is a joy. You can visit Matisse’s studio and go down to La Ciotat for a swim in the Mediterranean. Heaven.
These days you can change the dates and even the place where you perform your jury duty. I can tell you’re stressed right now but you don’t have to be about that.
I hope you two have a great trip!
Aix, Menerbes, Arles, St. Remy – the south of France baby!
Although it is easy to make a good argument for visiting the UK in June as well.
It may be vulgar to suggest this, but what the hell – if Mike is getting a substantial monetary bonus, could that not adequately offset the cost of a London hotel stay?
Breathe in, breathe out. If this is the worst thing that happens to you then you’re in good shape. 🙂
Can you blog from Europe?
Don’t skip London. It’s one of the great cities. I’ve been to most of the cities in France and before you start exploring the smaller cities, make sure you hit the bigger ones. When I lived in Europe, I did lots and lots of traveling and realized that one of the best ways to see Europe is to hit all the big cities and then start in on the little ones. Basically, if you skip London and just see Paris and then smaller cities in France . . . it would be like visiting the U.S. and seeing New York and instead of visiting Boston or D.C., you’d visit Ithaca and Albany. Not that there’s anything wrong with the latter, but . . . . . . Here’s hoping whatever happens you work it out to your satisfaction.
Zen is: feeling whatever you’re feeling.