" Sharing magic around the world is my passion..."
Joining me on this journey was my son Jon-Paul. For a 13-year-old this was quite an adventure, and I felt taking him out of school he would learn more with me during this period than sitting behind a desk. It was a remarkable education for him and while he might not fully appreciate it now, I know when he is an adult he will look back on this trip as a highlight of his life.
We chose to do the tour by train, perhaps not the most profitable at the end of the day as often the cost of the train was more than the lecture, but overall, I think it was the right choice as some days we wouldn’ t get into the hotel until 1am and be up again ready to travel at 8am. To do this by car I would have needed another person to drive, and I’ m not sure the French would appreciate a 13-year-old driving around their country. Pascal gave me the train schedule and I was able to book these online via Trainline app. Traveling by train had its drawbacks that’ s for sure. We had a large suitcase each and when trains were busy, you’ d find yourself cramped up almost on top of your case standing for a two-hour journey. I was very aware of not leaving our luggage alone so chose to stay close. As it turned out JP had his backpack stolen and I had my money pouch stolen nearer the end of the trip. Thankfully I only had one credit card in there and about $ 60 in cash enough for the journey for the day. After 20 lectures in 25 days, we were extremely tired by the end of it, and I know our guards were down making it easy to take something from us. We were always vigilant, however, when you are surrounded by hundreds of people it can be difficult.
One thing I will share with you, should you decide to travel around Europe with a suitcase, get one with good wheels. At about day 13 of the tour – unlucky for some – the wheels on my case fell off. It never occurred to me, but a lot of Europe has cobbled stone streets so when you are walking 15 minutes from the train to your hotel with your case, bumping along the roads, up and down stairs a lot – be prepared for the worst. Thankfully our host for the night was able to take us to a store and I bought a new case with excellent wheels. A valuable lesson when heading overseas in countries with a long and rich history.
The tour was filled with fantastic adventures and wonderful friendships, however, one thing my son and I took away was the incredible array of food. It seemed all our photos on social media were based around the food. If there’ s one country in the world that knows how to cook it’ s the French. Not only are the ingredients fresh and not processed like most things in North America, but
8 JUNE | 2025