On the Road

30.7.17

On the Road

Paris, France Hey there,

Let's just acknowledge the fact that yes I have been missing here for awhile now. I took a long break from this blog because, to be honest, I didn't have anything to say. I didn't have any stories to tell, I didn't have any creative ideas to turn into articles for the blog, so I took a step back. But I am officially back, for God knows how long, and this time my creativity is back with me. Let's just hope that my ideas don't run away and stick with me while I take my time creating content.

If you follow me on Instagram, you'll know that I took a 3 weeks vacation to travel and do a road trip in California, with my boyfriend. 3 weeks on the road, that actually turned into a 3 months vacation if you count in social media time, because I am still posting. Why not though? My heart is still on vacation, my brain as well (you know... jet lag?) even if my body is back, but not ready to go back to work, just yet.

Our itinerary was simply a triangle; we'd leave Paris for a direct flight to Los Angeles, where we will stay in for 6 days, before driving for 4:30 hours to Las Vegas, which will be our home for 4 days, which one of those days would be spent in Grand Canyon. After those 3 nights in Fabulous Las Vegas, we would get back on the road for 3:30 hours to Three Rivers, which will be hosting us for a night. The next day, we would visit Sequoia National Park for 2 hours, before making our way to San Francisco. After a 4:30 hours drive we will arrive at Oakland for 7 days visiting San Francisco, Berkeley and Yosemite. Those 7 days passed, we'd drive back to Los Angeles, stoping at San Jose, Santa Cruz, Monterey and Big Sur on the road. For our final days in Los Angeles, we would spent a full day in Malibu before getting back on a plane to Paris CDG.

We planned this trip quite awhile ago, without even knowing we will actually do it. What started with "what ifs" ended up with "let's do it, let's go to California and leave for three weeks". In fact, when you talk so much about something you begin to actually want it. When you start planning a whole trip, it goes worse; you put ideas into your head, and what was planned for "when we're older" or "when we are settled in life" becomes "this summer". Because, who cares if we're young, still figuring things out, we have the time, and the energy, and at least some savings. As my father says "you don't take your money wherever you're going when you're dead, so better use it for something".

Yes, planning this whole trip was time consuming, and quickly got very expensive, which was unexpected for two young adults with no clue on how to plan a 3 weeks road trip in three different states. There were times when we wanted, well at least I did, to get out of this whole organisation. Witnessing that much money spent on a rental car, Airbnbs and activities, was scary. There was even a brief moment when I just stopped the organisation. I wanted out of it. The anxiety coming with this road trip was too much to handle. So I pressed pause and I thought "a little spontaneity has never killed anyone". Once we had our flight, hotels and car booked, there was obviously no turning back, so there was space for breathing and leave this trip alone for awhile. 

I did regret this decision once we stepped into the US territory. We were left in the unknown, not knowing what was there to be seen or visited. I did plan our first week in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, but for the rest, it was blank space.

We bought book guides, which were relatively helpful, to some extents... They'll take you to the most crowded places, the most touristic streets, to take pictures that will be the same ones as this asian man travelling with his wife and kids. So sometimes, going with the flow is just as fun as waiting 15 minutes for your turn to take a picture under the Las Vegas sign.

What I like the most about this trip was to wander around empty streets, with no particular attraction. The street in itself was the attraction. I cherish the moments when we got lost in places, where there were no tourists to be seen within the next 5 miles (Yes, I do speak in miles and pounds now, and I did left with a bit of a Californian accent). Jokes aside, travelling is the best when walking turns into wandering.

Discovering a city for the first time is like dating someone. It's exciting and fun but it can be scary or disappointing. Well, I guess travelling is like that in general, isn't it? It was a wonderful adventure, which we left with memories that we will be forever thankful for. We are fully aware of the chance we have and will never take it for granted.

The trip was both damaging to our bank accounts and bodies, and rewarding to our minds and relationship. Although there were some things I wish would have been different, I wouldn't change anything. We spent lots of money, but it was mostly well spent, because we will definitely wear those 10 tee-shirts we bought in every cities we visited. We gained quite some weight, but let's be honest, America makes the best food, sometimes, at least the burgers and the donuts! But we saw so many landscapes, discovered so many things, and drove on roads we've never wished we will drive on one day. It was definitely worth it, it was the trip of a lifetime, one of them at least.

We learn from the missing acts and mistakes, we take notes for the next time, because when we'll have recovered from this trip both financially and emotionally, we'll rewind and repeat. Not exactly actually, because the next time we'll come back, things will be different and it will be different but it will be good, enjoyable and mesmerizing. I promise us it would be better. We will be older, maybe much older, maybe not; maybe we will have a different vision of things, a different situation or life, but we'll come back. Maybe we'll take the same roads, visit the same cities, have the same photographs to share, walk the same streets and eat at the same places. But we'll enjoy every seconds of every moments.

So get ready for a good month of content from California, hopefully I can keep up with this creation process. It might take time, because you know... life. But I'll get there eventually, and every bit of photographs from this trip will be uploaded! Even if they go up on Christmas, they will be online for all of you to enjoy pictures of me in a bikini! Just kidding. 

Talk to you soon,

Love.

Elsa

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DRESS: L'EXCEPTION

SANDALS: STEVE MADDEN

SUNGLASSES: MARC BY MARC JACOBS