Little and Large: On an Adventure!

So I'm going to start this post off by saying I missed about 75% of the day due to being rather ill so my day actually started around 6pm.

We decided to have a rather cliche evening and have a picnic next to the Eiffel Tower but as I wasn't feeling up to eating I was rather grateful.

After hitting the supermarket and hopping on a train I finally got a glimpse of it in the distance and it was magnificent! I saw it for the first time when I was 5 on a trip with my family but even after 20 years it still looked huge!!

After lounging in the sun, and dining on French bread, cheese, ham and olives we decided to do some more site seeing before heading back to the hotel.

Even as we left, I couldn't resist taking photos as the entire area is so picturesque!

The last place we went to before heading back was the Arc de Triomphe which was also quite grand with five lanes of traffic circling it! Unfortunately we didn't go inside but we did get to see a bit of the Champs-Élysées (my favourite thing to be said in a French accent!) which looked like it could go on forever!

So first things first, Paris was AMAZING! Well.. The parts I was able to attend anyway.

We arrived at the Charles De Gaule airport at 9am where we were picked up by a friend we had met during our time in China, and after a quick bite to eat our first task was finding the Zenith Arena to watch the Fnatic vs RNG game (League of Legends).

It was my third League of Legends tournament and the atmosphere was still as incredible as I'd remembered! Fans going crazy for their team to win. Cheering, screaming, chanting.. You just soak it all up and really get into it!

Unfortunately for us, our team lost all 3 games but they were still amazing to watch.

After the games, we headed back to our hotel for a quick nap before heading back out into the city for dinner.

I decided to embrace the culture and try some French cuisine so we shared some escargot (snails) and I tried my first Steak Tartare. It was delicious and super filling! I never thought raw meat and snails could taste so good!

After dinner we went to do some site seeing. We saw Notre Dame, walked along the river watching the sun set and enjoyed the French architecture around the city. Every building is beautiful in its own way.

Been a little while since I last posted but I haven't done a huge amount since I got back to the UK other than finding a job and working a ton of hours to get money rolling in again.

However, I will be heading to France in May for Joe's birthday for a little weekend away! I haven't been there since 2004 so I'm super hyped!

I'll most likely do some posts for the places we visited in Asia before I got this account until I get to hop on a plane somewhere!

So my last post was from Pudong airport in Shanghai and a lot has changed since then..

We're now back in the UK for good! Never thought I'd be saying that before the end of 2018 but its happened, not for the worst though. Being home means I can see family and old friends again, I can go to my cousins wedding in Italy in a few months, and when Lulu is ready to come home (long story), I will be heading to Shanghai Disneyland (fingers crossed) and exploring Beijing with my Bean!

2018 is going to be an odd one but bring it on!

Second time I've been sat around in Pudong airport this year and its only February!

In 9 days I'll be heading back to the UK for what could either be a couple of weeks or for good.

I wonder what the future has in store for me..

This time last year we had just arrived in Narita, Japan and were on our way to see the gorgeous Mt. Fuji and to ride some record breaking rollercoasters! I hope we return there soon!

So a few days ago we had to look seriously into what our plans would be over the next couple of months.

We'd travelled to Hong Kong to renew our long term visas and were declined so had to apply for a short term one with only a 50/50 chance of getting it. Being declined a second time would mean getting a loan to fly back to the UK, leaving all of our belongings in China and worst of all hoping to God someone could look after Lulu until she is ready to fly to the UK to join us and even then it would take 4-5 months.

Fortunately our second application was accepted and we were able to journey home to Yantai (a train, a flight and a 4 hour coach ride!).

Now the question is, what do we do now? Do we stay in China for the duration and roll the dice again when time runs out or do we pack it all up and head home? Heading home would mean leaving Lulu behind with a friend until she is ready and then flying back later to collect her whereas staying would mean I could do the whole proccess myself however that would mean risking being declined again.

Both options have their pros and cons and right now I just don't know what that decision will be.

For now we will get prepared for any and all situations.