The Sun Inside 🌞

Hello Dear Reader,

It's been some time since we last spoke. How are you? What sounds do hear around you? How has the sunlight felt on your skin these past days? ☀️ 

September was a long and eventful month. The days in Paris, Venice and Northern Ireland feel like a lifetime ago. 

Paris was wonderful, as it always is. A place you love or hate. And I made sure the people I was with loved every second. 

We visited the familiar creperies, gazed upon the mesmorizing stained glass of La Saint Chapelle and were treated to some much needed sunshine, in what was of course supposed to be Summer... 

And as you would expect, I made sure to indulge in one of the best pastries in the world, the infamous Escargot Chocolat Pistache 💚 🤎 well worth the 20 minute wait for the fresh batch...

And of course, we made sure to experience the night life, seeing the beautiful Parisien Skyline in the best way. Along with more great food.

And I got to catch up with my wonderful Basque friend, and as per tradition, I forgot to take a photo. 

She's a lady who has seen me the past two years around the same point in summer, but in every way different, year upon year. And I hope that her new adventure will also continue to blossom 🌸 

After spending time the glorious Buttes Chaumont and Jardins de Luxembourg, I felt refreshed, despite it being a very different playground this time round 🌳

But I knew that the new adventure would be a dream come true. After two of my closest had gone and left me behind, I was ready to see this infamous city, and to do it with romance, well that was a true bonus 💕

There was copious amounts of gelato consumed: pear, cheese, melon and of pistachio. Reminding me of why Italy is just so darn fabulous 🍨 

And of course, when you're forced to choose a birthday present, being in Italy is the best place to find anything leather, anything chic and unique 😍

And it's the perfect place to wear your best 🤍 

The trip was filled with a respectable amount of Aperol Spritz, a healthy portion of pizza and pasta and many steps to work it all off. 

It was an adorable little place and honestly not as touristy as I'd been led to believe. It has gained a negative reputation in recent years for being overcrowded, but I have to say that its charm won me over. 

The gondolas were far too expensive, but seeing them bobbing in the water, awaiting a wealthy tourist enamoured enough to splurge, indeed make for a lovely picture of serene romance. 

I was so happy to have visited, finally. And a little sad to leave, and to no longer have the opportunity to speak Italian, which I love to do so much 🇮🇹

Getting to Northern Ireland was long and arduous, involving a stop in Edinburgh airport, which felt like going back in time 40 years. Where agressive staff dissuaded me and my fellow travellers from ever revisiting. 

Arriving home in a taxi full of Mauritians messed with my head. 

Do you know what it feels like when all of your friends come from different parts of the world and different chapters of your existence? Then they overlap and you feel like you're entering the twilight zone. 

The extra people benefitted my parents wonderfully. Treating them to traditional creole cuisine, having so much laughter and helpers around. 

And then a reunion with my best friend and her beautiful family 💜

What's more, we got to celebrate my parents' anniversary, which I never really get to do. 

It was great to be back. And as usual, I didn't want to leave. The longer and the further I'm away, the more I want to be there, the more I feel nostalgia and miss 'home". Even though it never really felt like that when I was there. Maybe it's just the people ☺️

So as I look back on the adventures, I smile. At how much I learned. 

That I truly am a free spirit and no matter how much I love being around people, I will always need alone time for the soul 🪷 

That I often carry too much, that in spite of the yoga, the good practices and the appearance of being calm and mellow, I don't always reflect those qualities, and I often forget to just be. 

Lastly, that I am vulnerable. I am human and I know pain. And that may never leave. 

But maybe, just maybe, if I keep allowing the Universe to fill my heart with all the positive things out there, there will no longer be room to feel those sad things. 

Here's to the reminders of what's important. Whenever and wherever you least expect it. And from the people you never knew could be so special 🫂