Au Revoir France, Bonjour Belgium

I'm all over the place. Quite literally.
Seen so much, experienced so much...and it's only been 6 days... or rather, has it only been 6 days?!
When I collapse into bed at night images flash by like the landscapes I've seen from so many planes and trains. I wake up dizzy and travel weary.
Leaving Afghanistan was interesting. Thanks to a 30 year old South African woman (hmmm, my alter ego?) who was arrested trying to depart with a sizeable stash of heroin, my bag was throroughly unpacked, my cosmetics sampled and my incense from India 'appropriated' by too many grubby hands in and around Kabul airport. Eventually we boarded Indian Airlines and ate yummy spicy tofu.
8 hours of sitting around Delhi Airport was not the most fun I've ever had, but we did get to meet a neurotic German journalist who had been screening a documentary on the Bamiyan Buddhas, famously dynamited by the Taliban, to the Hazaras who live in that region.
Passed out on our overnight flight to Paris.
Arrived at 6am in the cold grey city of lurve and hit the streets. In 3 days I managed to drag a still slightly green J up and down quite a few of the oh so beautiful boulevards, cathedrals, monuments and parks of the loveliest city of many lovely European cities.
Some Parisian highlights:
*The Hotel Eldorado, on the scruffy edge of Montmartre, but thoroughly charming and delightfully reasonable. Highly recommended.
*Climbing the Notre Dame towers and hanging out with the gargoyles while Sunday morning bells rang out with a view that quite frankly had me drizzling tears like a little old lady.
*Canoodling on the Bateaux Mouche with J.
*Pain au chocolat, escargots, cheese fondues and everything else that passed my lips.

J then headed to Brussels while I spent two dreamy days in Grenoble with dear friends and had the pleasure of walking in the Alps, which are just so darn pretty, as well as some much needed girl-talk and tons o' love. Fine home cooking in a dream of French countryside living.

Now I find myself in a very grey & chilly (this is summer?!?!?) Brussels surrounded by my wonderful colleagues. I feel like I'm 'home' in the sense that at least for today I don't have to worry about fending for myself in the big bad French speaking world ;)

I've posted beaucoup photos
Enjoy!