paris je t'aime

paris never ceases to take my breath away.  i'm reminded of the quote about life not being measured by the number we take but by how many moments take our breath away. 

it happened two nights ago as we drove by the seine in the twilight past the beautifully lit hausmannien architecture and monuments on the river bank.  we had been to the shangri la for dinner with the little miss as a sweet treat to celebrate spontaneity over routine. it was our first family dinner out together as 2+1 since her arrival in june. 

i had not travelled leisurely on my bike since 3 months into my pregnancy in november and so had not in turn had the opportunity to by charmed by the city as i so magically and often was on a daily basis.  i seldom felt alone in paris all these years because I've always had such a strong connection with the city.

more recently i've been preoccupied with the idea of touring with the little miss to hong kong to meet our family and friends.  i asked myself what the appeal of hong kong is to me today, the city which i also call home. and for a few moments struggled to remember why i left the comfort of its familiar embrace and day to day access. 

for me, home is where the heart is and i've always been navigated by mine in the confidence of finding it wherever i go.  i've known for some time now that i would always have 3 homes, each holding a piece of my heart. my desire to expose the little one to each of them is overwhelming, even at this young ripe age, so that she may feel how it beats within them and eventually discover why. 

with hong kong being my birthplace, my connection with the city is strong. reconnecting with paris in this moment instantaneously reminds me of why i chose her and how she came to be the birthplace of our first.

i look forward to exploring the city on our bikes in around a year or so with the little miss so that she too may discover how her own heart beats to its tune and rhythm.  with little o already on his own bike riding alongside his mama and papa, the 2 family biking brigade have many more adventures to look forward to +2.