France Vacation

I have long come to realize that trying to explain and France to those that have never experienced it is literally impossible. I could fill entire volumes of text and photography of its many diverse sights but how does one accurately capture all the sounds the smells and the feel on one’s skin that varies from one day to the next, from one season to another and from one place to its neighbor? It is impossible in writing no matter how many pages one uses up. And what about the complexity of combining it all into the complete package that is France? Again, impossible! One must encounter France with one’s own senses.

Having made the claim of the impossible task of trying to understand and appreciate France from written scriptures, I shall attempt to do so nonetheless. However, I will only address my own favorite places and speak of each in a mere sentence or two. The rest is up to you, dear reader—take a France vacation. It would be the one deed you could not possibly ever regret.
Paris, The City of Light, is an alluring spectacle as it glitters at night especially when viewed from the Eiffel Tower from 377 feet above it. Very few cities around the globe thrill visitors with so much charm and personality as Paris does.

The Versailles Chateau possesses high visibility and distinctive aura with its elegantly manicured gardens, fountains, and waterways. And its interior is steeped in lavish opulence that is awe inspiring.

Nantes is a chic city on the Atlantic Coast of France that has made a series of architectural, conceptual and cosmetic changes that have converted industrial neighborhoods into magnets for locals and tourists alike.

Nancy is a single day’s drive from Paris and is the artistic and intellectual capital of Lorraine.
Le Perché may be the last terroir in France and is part of lower Normandy. It is one of the most pastoral regions with medieval farmsteads and avid artists.

Strasbourg is a city of northeast France near the German border and with the arrival of a high-speed train, this Alsatian city has become a weekend destination for party-goers.

Lyon is the second-largest metropolitan area in France and is older than Paris, has more Roman ruins that are better preserved and, as the locals will proudly declare, has better food.

Thanks to a newly found communal pride and self- respect, the magnificent monuments in Bordeaux have been polished back to their original brilliance.

Nice offers the culinary pleasures of Provence in the most fabulous surroundings.

Chamonix in the French Alps attracts adventure hunters to its wide-open slopes and fun seekers to its crowded bars that are no less of an adventure.

During the 1930’s and amid the danger of war, Sanary-sur-Mer, a small fishing port in the South of France, became the refuge and the capital of German literature in exile.

Marseille is an easy-going, working-class city that successfully maneuvered its way into a quaint street culture with a new, multiethnic generation of graffiti artists and musicians.

Côte d’Azur is a region along the Mediterranean Sea in southeastern France that encompasses the French Riviera between Menton and Cannes. It is a major tourist center famous for its scenery.

Picardy is where dense woods, great forests, green pastures and quiet ponds blend with the peaceful, simple lifestyle of its rural folks.
Yes, I realize that I have given you but the tiniest of glimpses of France. But as I have mentioned already, France in all its glory defies words.

So, take a France vacation and witness it all for yourself.

Posted in France Vacation Guide