Weekends away

Something has recently come to a point of contention between Sylvain and I. We had planned on going to London for my birthday weekend, having lived in London for a few years I was eager to introduce him to friends, show him around, eat curry, drink lager and visit the Tate Modern. He too was eager to go on a few trips, "Come on Babe, we are YOUNG!" he likes to say. But I spent three years in London where I had plenty of time to travel the continent, a few days in Florence, a few days in Amsterdam, a trip around Germany and Austria, several trips to Spain etc etc. I feel like, as far as Europe goes, all you do is visit a big city and drink and eat, but big cities are all the same, and I've ticked all the major museums. I am sad to say this, but a weekend away in a city I've already been to holds about zero interest for me. If it is to visit friends, I can muster up some zeal, but we could just as easily save 300 euro and have a coffee and a meal out in Paris.

In the last few years my Passport has gotten a serious workout and I've been to Africa twice, Europe, Asia and South America on some pretty big trips. I don't know if it's my age, or the fact that as a teacher I've always felt like I worked hard throughout the semester to deserve a week in Istanbul. Im sorry, but leaving friday night and coming back sunday afternoon for what amounts to a lot of travel time and very little time to experience anything but jet lag and travel exhaustion sounds more like a waste of money than fun. If you gave me a weeks vacation, I wouldn't stay in Paris, I'd definitely leave, but call me a debbie downer if you want, I just can't work myself into any desire to leave the country for a weekend.

It isn't just the short duration and excessive travel time that rubs me the wrong way; the cost is a huge deterrent for me. We're going to Lyon next weekend and my ticket alone is 166 euro. If it wasn't for his birthday and my first opportunity to meet his parents I would think this was simply nutty, but this is just a two hour trip, not even leaving the country. Now if we had to pay for a hostel and all our meals out, as well as the cost of participating in any nightlife activities, and I could probably fly home to New York for the weekend. The truth is, after living your life in the hustle and bustle of city, a weekend away is most attractive when its a respite from the noise and activity. Visiting my parent's and my aunt loretta has always offered me this quiet. No plans, no dates, no expectations. You can cook in a big well-equipped kitchen, borrow a canine companion, you can jog on a path that really is nature, not just a park adjacent to the west side highway, you can sit out on the porch and simply sit back and enjoy. One of our reasons for staying in Europe was how easy it would be to travel abroad, but what I really want now, isn't a weekend in Berlin, it's a weekend in a familiar bed in a quiet town with a well-stocked kitchen.