Packing woes, "how much winter clothing can I fit into three suitcases" edition

[tenlittlebullets]

Had a lovely weekend out drinking with friends; we went to Wisdom, the bar in DC that looks like an opium den. We got ourselves all gothed up for the occasion (and apparently blended in with the scenery so well that the waiter forgot our existence, grrr). Much fun was had by all.

Sunday I went down to North Carolina to see my brother off to school; I was down with this, even if it was a five-hour drive, but I totally had not signed up for staying there overnight, hanging around all morning, and getting back home at 6:30pm AFTER the FedEx guy had twice tried and twice failed to drop off my repaired computer to an empty house. KL;JASDFSDF I WANT MY COMPUTER BACK. Also lost a day of packing. But at least we got Steak n Shake in Greensboro.

And now I have to remind myself that I am going to spend a year in a city where even in January it hardly ever stays below freezing long enough for any bodies of water to freeze over, and therefore I do not need to pack two wool skirts, a coat, two light jackets, and a heavy shawl. These things are all integral to me surviving winter in Massachusetts, but in Paris they will be overkill unless I decide to spend my winter holidays in, say, Prague. (The wool stockings are probably unnecessary too but they don't take up as much space as the skirts and shawl, so I'll most likely end up packing them.)

Really I think I'm just so tired of swatting mosquitoes and feeling like it's a steam bath outside that I'm having glorious fantasies of ice-skating and snow and huge twirly wool skirts and scarves. I'm sure it will subside as soon as I get away from Washington DC.

Comments

[cosmicautumn.livejournal.com]

After living abroad in France 3 times, I think I can pass on this advice: Buy winter clothes there! H&M is cheaper than overweight luggage practically. Although Paris does get quite cold and wet. So, waterproof boots and a long black coat are all anyone lives in between November and March.

[10littlebullets.livejournal.com]

*g* My problem is volume, not weight. The winter stuff isn't that much heavier than my regular clothing but it takes up a lot of space. Will definitely have to buy waterproof boots once I'm there, though.

[cosmicautumn.livejournal.com]

Then you need vacuum bags! But yeah, you'll be surprised how fast that snow melts and then you just have wet, frozen feet. Oh, and heating is kind of minimal in most Paris apartments.

[10littlebullets.livejournal.com]

that snow melts and then you just have wet, frozen feet.

Heh, sounds a bit like DC in that regard. A few days of glorious snow and then the rest is slush and sleet.

Oh, and heating is kind of minimal in most Paris apartments.

Definitely bringing the shawl then. I think my fingers would've frozen off without it last year--our house isn't very well insulated.

[in-a-greenhouse.livejournal.com]

Having been to England, I think Paris could be- not necessarily cold, but damp. In England I constantly wanted to put on a wool sweater and drink tea. In May!

[10littlebullets.livejournal.com]

Mmmmm, sweaters. And tea. I approve heartily of both these things.

[sophiedegrouchy.livejournal.com]

My Minnesotan self is highly distressed at the thought of having to abandon lovely winter clothing, even if only for a year. You have my support during this trying time. I'm trying to find my favorite peacoat to pack at the moment, and its disappearance has left me...disoriented.

But: Paris! Parisparisparis! *flails*

[10littlebullets.livejournal.com]

I knowwww. Parisparisparis--but--my winter clothing is so much prettier than my summer clothing! All billowy and luxurious and terribly old-fashioned. Which makes it terribly impractical to pack, because my answer to cold is wool and my answer to biting wind is four layers of skirts. Combine these two things and, well, maybe I should just give up and get my mom to ship me my winter clothing sometime in mid-October.

[sophiedegrouchy.livejournal.com]

I hear you, albeit on a smaller scale. My concession to space thus far has been to force myself to bring the (MIA) peacoat and leave my wonderful, Victorian-esque, gray-wool-to-the-shins beast behind.

To console myself on the loss, I stuffed an entire shopping bag of scarves into one of my boxes. As a rule, I put on a scarf mid-October (or earlier) and am not seen without one until mid-May.

And then there is the question of which boots I can bring myself to abandon! Oh, break my heart!

[misatheredpanda.livejournal.com]

Hey, it snowed when I was in Paris in January. :D Albeit feebly (at least to a New Englander.) But DO bring wool stockings! I got a lot of use out of mine this past year, despite the fact that St Andrews too is relatively mild (snowed for the first time in 3 or 4 years) because unlike at home I was always out trudging in the bitter wind... always good to be prepared hm?