At this time next week, we will be flying Swiss Air on our way to France.  After all the planning, it’s hard to believe that we’ll finally be packing our bags this weekend.  I cannot wait to be in Europe again – after a five-year hiatus, I feel a little like I’m returning home.

I’m particularly excited for our pilgrimage to Annecy and to show the girls all the sites that I grew to love when I lived there 20 (!!!!) years ago.  That region holds a lot of memories for my husband and me, and I’m eager to share those memories with Chloe and Sophie.

I’ve planned a lot of fun things for us to do during our trip (I really should seriously consider a new career as a travel planner for families).   A lot of unique, cool, typically French things.  In Paris, the catacombs (creepy skulls underground!); a backstage tour of the country’s most famous movie theater – Le Grand Rex; and Parc Asterix – the country’s most famous amusement park, aside from the amusement park that shall remain nameless because let’s face it, it’s really American.  In Annecy, a visit to the Tufts University European Center in Talloires, where my husband and I first met, and where I worked during the 1992 Winter Olympics just after graduating from college; and a glacier on Mont Blanc.  And with a little bit of luck, we’ll visit a couple of France’s neighbors – Lausanne and the Chateau de Chillon in Switzerland and the Gran Paradiso National Park in Italy.

The trip of a lifetime.  I cannot wait.