From bustling Paris to the quiet towns of France.

On February 6th Savannah and I headed downward to Paris from London on the wonderful Eurostar train. I loved that! Fast, easy and comfortable. I was excited for Paris because hello! It's Paris but I have to admit I was nervous about it too because of all the warnings I got about pit-pocketers and creepy men but that didn't stop us from diving right in. First thing we did after getting off the train was hop on the metro. Money belt on, other valuables tucked tightly away and we were good to go! We stayed at a super sweet lady's apartment who I know through a couple I met at Capernwray and it we had a great time with her and were so thankful to have a safe and comfortable place to stay right in Paris! The first day was beautiful so we grabbed our cameras and walked all over Paris. From the Notre Dame, to the Arc De Triumph and over to of course, the Eiffel Tour. We were planning to go up right then and there but then realized the very top was closed for construction or something so we thought, 'Go big or go home.' So we went home and planned to go big the next day. That night we check out the website and apparently the top closed that very same day and opened again the day after we left. Perfect. So the next day we still went, I mean even if it's only half way, this could have very well been the only time in our lives we would be in Paris, so we had to go as far as we could! It was worth it. We had lots of crepes and lots of croissants while in Paris too and well, that continued on into the rest of France too. It's all part of the experience. The last day we did The Louvre which is highly recommended but boy were we tired afterwards. Too much standing and staring but worth it.
After Paris we took the train to a little place called Pontorson and then about a 10 minute drive from the train station is an even smaller town that I forget the name of but it is the home of the second most visited place in France after the Eiffel Tower, Mont. St. Michel. You may recall my "Top 10 Sights to See" way back in the summer. Well, I made it and it was one of my most exciting days. It felt like such an accomplishment to actually make it there. It was cloudy and a bit rainy but I didn't care, it was still stunning. We walked around all the little shops, mostly tourist shops and toured the Monastery right at the top. The only disappointment was the nasty crepes we had afterwards. This was one thing I really wanted to experience there but we ended up at this crepery with already made crepes that were re-heated and then sat down to a table with bird crap on it. Yes, it's true, there were birds flying around the crepery - inside!! I have a fear of flying birds indoors so this was very brave for me to actually sit there and eat my crepe. We made the most of it, though and got some funny videos.
The next day I was really, really, like really hoping to make it to the Dday beaches since we were in Normandy but I failed to do my research accurately and we were farther away than I thought and when you don't have a car and have to rely on a train and a bus that hopefully coordinate for connection times and also don't run regularely because it's the off season it makes things very difficult. So that was a big dream I had to let go of. We still had an enjoyable day doing some major relaxing but if there is one thing I regret from this trip it might be that I didn't make it to the beaches but life goes on.
On the 12th we headed to Nantes which isn't a very small town at all but isn't quite Paris either. We stayed with a french family who I also knew through the same couple from Capernwray and this was a relaxing time too. We went to a french church one day and to an old very french looking town called Clisson and also walked around the city of Nantes. We mostly enjoyed just spending time with this family. It enriches things so much when you actually get to be in the home of someone from the country. And they were great.
Three days later after we arrived in Nantes we headed south on a six and a half hour train ride to Montpellier and then a two and a half hour bus ride to Millau where we were picked up by a french lady who used to live in Parksville with her family and who I know through my piano teacher. We then drove about 40 minutes (long travel day, I know) to their adorable town, St. Paul de Fonts. Only 80 people live here and I think almost 200 in the summer. We arrived in the evening so we didn't see much of the town but when I woke up in the morning and looked outside I couldn't believe my eyes. They look out to the most gorgeous cliffs and the sky was a stunning baby blue. It was decided, we would go for a hike that day. These are some of my favourite days, being outdoors, just walking along in creation. The dad and one of their sons took us up to the top and oh, you will just have to wait for photos, it's not worth describing it. The town is so great and so french, we loved it! On the way back from the hike an old french man popped out of a second storey window airing out his blanket and started chatting away with us. Try to picture this. So great. The next day we went on a cheese factory tour which was so cool being a big fan of food. Ever heard of Roquefort cheese? I've seen it in grocery stores before but never gave it a second glance because it looked like blue cheese. This family lives very close to the town of Roquefort and actually both husband and wife work in these factories. Roquefort is the only place in the world where this cheese is allowed to be made and it is made in caves where they have the perfect and consistent temperature they need for the mould to grow. Apparently it's fairly common to make cheese in caves but I'd never heard of this before so I was super intrigued. We got to taste some cheese afterwards as well which wasn't my highlight but still part of the fun experience!
We are currently in Nice right on the Mediterranean and I am super excited to be here and see the beach! I would come to France just for the train ride from Montpellier to Nice. Oh my! It isn't super warm but warm enough. I'm debating whether to pull out the shorts tomorrow or not. We are going to take a bus to Monaco tomorrow and see Monte Carlo and then the next day we will probably enjoy the beach and the city of Nice. And then off to Austria! Time is flying by, that's for sure.