Packing for Travel

Packing is my least favorite part of travel. There never seems to be enough room in my suitcase for shoes. I know that I'm going to need more than one pair but not in this suitcase. If I take a bigger bag, I'll have to check it and that means the possibility of lost luggage. No, no, no, no, no. Not this time!

I'm leaving Monday afternoon, connecting in Chicago and flying into CDG, Paris. I've got my Euros, my passport and my eager taste buds. I've ordered gluten free meals along the way and hope they contain some flavor. Well, you will hear more about this after I've sampled. This is the first time I've tried to travel on a diet. My friend, Amanda, and I gave up sugar for lent and I also decided to give up gluten. I'm twenty-five pounds lighter and think it must be the combination.

The reason for this trip is to rest while shopping for the tea parlor. It seems everything French sells immediately. I've raided all of my personal nick-knacks and its time to buy. It's also time to revive. We opened the tea parlor in October last year and I feel like a whirling Dervish. I find it impossible to relax. The business is always there, whether it's updating the web ads or creating a new event. The ideas keep tumbling out as my fingers fly across my laptop keyboard.

I can't get out of the creative mode. Even during my husband's pacemaker operation and stay in the hospital, I created two lines of note cards to sell in the tea parlor. I used photos of my favorite Shelley tea cups and painted backgrounds. Then, I started on Herend. I love Herend, but alas, Budapest is not on my itinerary. Who can afford Herend anyway? Most of my customers only spend about $15 on a vintage cup and saucer. I keep my delicate Herend cup in the back room within my reach atop the piano.

I sip Lapsang Souchong from its depths where tiny insects are painted. Each tilt of the cup revealing a wing or antenna. There's no room in my luggage for my fragile cup either. I will have to photograph cups along the way. Perhaps, I will create another line of note cards, "Travels and Tea Cups." Another blog, another time.