My small addiction...

Ok, I admit it... I have a problem. I'm now at 9 guidebooks for the upcoming trip - I couldn't resist buying yet another one today.

But it was so compact... and I really liked the way the maps folded out... and it would fit so well in my purse while we're tromping our way around Paris... and it was less than $12... and so I talked myself into it. My friends will now nod knowingly...they have heard me talking myself into much, much more!

Now, there are many flavors of guidebooks (this is how I'm justifying it) - ones that talk about good activities for kids, ones that are compact and good for taking with you on daily outings, ones that are pretty and are great for preparing for the trip, ones that detail scenic drives etc. My only concession is that buying not one, but two books on the markets of Provence alone may constitute something verging on obsession.

Let's make it clear that I'm not even counting the books on France that I bought for my kids, the art books to introduce them to Cezanne and Van Gogh, the French language refresher books and of course, lovely little travel essay books about the region (Peter Mayle, anyone?!)

Don't worry, I'm not planning on lugging them all there though!

4 weeks away!

Welcome to my blog. My family and I are getting ready to head to Europe for our annual summer vacation in about 4 weeks. We will be spending the majority of the time in a lovely villa, Le Mas de Gancel, near Lambesc, between Aix-en-Provence and Avignon. Plus a night in Marseille on the front end and 5 days in Paris on the back end, in a 17th century apartment in the Marais.

The family consists of my husband, our two daughters (ages 9 and 7) and myself - we live in Menlo Park, CA for most of the year - but try to head out of the country for as much of the summer as we can.