So I turned 40 last Sunday.  Seems very odd really.  Where did the time go and what have I really accomplished?  Good thing I don't get hung up on that sort of stuff.  I am really glad I try to pause and travel a bunch where I can feel like I am achieving something.  There was a lot of travel and a lot of good times between 30 and 40.  A few bumps in the road also, but I survived and at 40, I can say I am mostly satisfied. 

 

To the fun part, I realized with me taking the Japan trip as my 40th present, going out with friends in the weeks leading up to the actual day, and spending the weekend before with family; I didn't really have any plans for that actual day anymore.  I have several theories and ideas about travel floating around in my head.  One of those has always been could I take a trip to Europe over a weekend.  After looking at my air miles, I realized it was the same price ($85) to go anywhere in the world as it would be to go to somewhere Stateside.  Put this in that category as one of those things I shouldn't realize.  I made 2 parameters, had to be a direct flight and had to be a city I had been to where I wouldn't have to do a lot of getting use to a city.  After a quick Airbnb search ($160 for 2 nights), I realize Paris was it.  I booked it all one week before I left.  I was going to spend my birthday in Paris, ha.  Silly me.