Perpignan 2006, the return

I'm so excited! I mentioned this a week or so back, but it's booked, I'm definitely going to France in February. Kind of.

I went to Perpignan for a rugby match in 2002. (I didn't realise it was so long ago! Nearly 4 years!) It was the first game I'd watched outside the UK, and I absolutely loved every second of it. The French have a fantastic passion for the game, and a fantastic passion for red wine and cakes. And crepes, waffles, churros, red wine (did I mention that?). It was the first of my "lunatic trekking round Europe for 24 hours" weekend, and it set me off on a pattern that's never quite gone away.

I've been to other matches in France since, Limoux in 2004, but now it's time for the return to Perpignan. The Catalan Dragons are coming into Super League, and their first game is against Wigan, so guess who just had to be there! (And who booked the flights the day before the fixtures are officially released...) I can't wait, I'm already plotting the weekend.

It's a YP special. No days off work, but maximum enjoyment. 2 countries, 2 days, no problem. So I finish work on Friday night. I sleep for a couple of hours (hopefully) and leave the house at midnight. I get to the airport for a 4am checkin (yes, there are airports much closer to home, but not with such conveniently timed flights). I fly to Girona, in Spain (yes, flying to the wrong country is deliberate!), arriving at about 9am.

I pick up a hire car. The last time I did this, for the Limoux trip, I got some strange looks. They can just about understand me jetting off round Europe on my own, even though they wouldn't do it themselves (and this time I'm exceling myself, going on holiday alone on valentines weekend!), but for some reason the concept of hiring a car and driving round nasty foreign places on my own got them far too confused. The car gets me where I need to be more easily and cheaply than flying to a marginally closer airport).

So I meander to Perpignan (about an hour away on the direct road) by the long road, up the coast and over the border. By 4pm or so I'll be in Perpignan having a pre-match drink or two, going to the Saturday night game and collapsing at the hotel (which is where I stayed in 2002, so I know it's nice). Sunday I meander back again, plenty of time to get back to Girona for a 10pm flight, fly home, get home at roughly 3am on Monday morning, have a couple of hours sleep and go to work.

Just the way I like it!

(And seriously, I've arranged all this for about £100 less than the "official" day trip to the game which includes flights, transfers etc. I've got my own car so I can see what I want to see, when I want to see it, including, if necessary, carting large amounts of wine back to the airport. For the sake of a bit of driving and a few hours less than normal in bed, I think I've got a fantastic deal here)

So, the payback for arranging myself a fab weekend away is that I'd love to be at goal for the trip. It's possible, unless I run into the plateau from hell between now and then. At the most, I'm hoping that I'll be a "healthy" weight (which would mean losing 8 of the 16lb between me and goal). I really like having something to aim at, a reason why I want to lose weight by a certain date, rather than just using something arbitrary.

It won't affect the trip. Whatever my weight I'll have a great time, and I'll probably eat a few local delicacies. But the feeling of reward would be so much better if I can do it. So, I've got a target now, I just need to do it!