I’m now about five weeks through my six-week sabbatical. I wish the sabbatical were longer. We have had lots of fun: Ireland, Paris, plus lots of local adventures: Sonoma, Napa, Healdsburg, Point Reyes, hiking, drinking, eating. Living life fully doing something fun every day. Random things that I have learned during my sabbatical:
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- It’s OK to take time off from work. Everyone does it.
- My wife is fun to hang with (I already knew this).
- Irish food is surprisingly good.
- It’s possible to make champaign from honey.
- Judging by headcount, Americans are keeping the European tourist industry (and perhaps the whole European economy) afloat.
- Sometimes, it takes an effort to walk a minimum number of steps each day when one is on vacation.
- 35 degrees Celsius is pretty hot.
- It’s ten times easier to travel without children.
- There are breweries (multiple), portworks, and distilleries right here in my home town.
- Paris is probably the most beautiful city I have ever seen.
- I prefer Murphy’s stout to Guinness.
- It’s challenging to keep a determined dog out of a vegetable garden.
- Don’t walk ten miles in new shoes.
- Euro bills and coins are way more intuitive than US equivalents.
- It is possible to do something fun every day — even if it’s just for a few hours.
- Paris is, in fact, not filled with mimes.
- My wife is quite competent at driving on the left side of the road.
- We can walk with the dog from our house to Lagunitas brewery and back.
- I prefer barbecued oysters to raw.
- The Louvre is overwhelming. I’m glad I visited it. I hope I never go back.
- I live in a great part of the country/state/bay. There is a lot of great stuff to do that is quite close — since we are within easy striking distance of wine country, San Francisco, and the coast.
- When you and your wife share a bottle of alcohol, whatever she didn’t drink, you did.
- US western/cowboy music stems from UK folk music.
- The hiking trails in Muir Woods are poorly marked, and it is possible to get (temporarily) lost.
- The Lagunitas brewery tour is a blast. Highly recommended.