Crossing the Atlantic

As a little girl I dreamed of Paris because Sabrina went to Paris. And because of La Vie en Rose. And as a teenager in Señora Slate's class I dreamed of Madrid because of Pedro Almodovar, horchatas in the morning, and flamenco at dusk. And London because of my dad, C.S. Lewis, and Tolkien.

My friend Kate asked what I most look forward to on this European adventure. I have such strongly resonant images and feelings about each city even though we've only been introduced via literature and film. I look forward to being wrong. Or validated. Will eating a croissant at a Parisian café amid city bustling feel and taste exactly as I imagined it?

But enough philosophical conjecture. I really look forward to food and wine. A lot of it. !Ole¡

So here's where you'll be joining me as I travel-log: London, Paris, Madrid, two days back in Hawaii, then Bangkok (for work; I was asked to speak at a Trafficking in Persons conference). I'm honestly really proud that I surpassed my new year's resolution of two countries a year, or more accurately, I'm really blessed. And who knows? Perhaps like Sabrina, I'll come back an Audrey Hepburn with a Humphrey Bogart on my arm.