After 6 wonderful weeks in Turkey, it was time to say that word again “goodbye”. This time it was harder than usual. Leaving my family behind without knowing when I will see them again was difficult but had to be done to embrace the wonders of the world.
Our flight left from
Antalya to Paris. Alex and my in-laws, Jacqueline and Christian, helped me to deal with the melancholy of the situation. Antoine, a family friend, picked us up from the airport after a 3 hour flight. Being in Paris in summer was intriguing but the
weather didn't look very promising with all the rain and cold at the time.
The first couple of days were spent to catch up with Alex's relatives and friends. Jacqueline and Christian hosted a couple of fantastic garden parties which provided a wonderful
opportunity to reconnect with the extended family and friends. We were fortunate to taste different home-made French dishes accompanied with refined wines carefully picked by my father-in-law. Christian loves his wine and built a small wine cellar at home. We were wined and dined exquisitely. A big thank you to Jacqueline and Christian for their hospitality and love.
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| La Seine |
opportunity to reconnect with the extended family and friends. We were fortunate to taste different home-made French dishes accompanied with refined wines carefully picked by my father-in-law. Christian loves his wine and built a small wine cellar at home. We were wined and dined exquisitely. A big thank you to Jacqueline and Christian for their hospitality and love.
A week after our arrival, my brother-in-law and his
wife, Charly and Damaida, left for Cuba to continue their adventure.
After lots of struggle in France, they moved to Cuba, where Damaida comes from,
two years ago to start their own business. It has been challenging for them at
the beginning but they seem to be happier with the Cuban lifestyle now.
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| Lunch with the family |
In Paris, we had to deal with annoying formalities
of travelling such as organising flights, booking tours in Peru, and getting
yellow fever shots. If you are planning to do the Inca trail which is a 4 day
hike that ends in magnificent Machu Picchu, you need to reserve your spot 4
to 6 months in advance due its popularity. Dealing with such formalities
is not fun but necessary to get the best deals in transport and organised
tours. Thankfully, my wife is a graphic designer and is very efficient in online
research as I am more of a go with the flow guy.
Of course, we spent some time visiting amazing treasures of the city of romance. Going to centre of Paris is always an
adventure. Alex's parents live about 20 minutes away from the centre by train.
The Parisian metro system is one of the oldest in the world and is always full.
We experienced some unusual (mostly unpleasant) odours during our travels with
the subway. Moreover, people, apart from the tourists, seem to be irritable and
unhappy. They live in a beautiful but highly stressful environment. Parisians
love to complain about everything including dramas in their lives, politics,
traffic, love affairs etc. I felt like being in a soap opera when listening
some of the conversations. Nevertheless, Paris is an incredible city that
offers a vast variety of intriguing attractions to any
tourists.
Personally, I like Montmartre which is an area full
of street artists and musicians. St. Michel has also lots of nice cafes and is
a quite popular spot among locals and tourists. Of course, there is the Notre
Dame, the Eiffel Tower, Versailles Palace and the Louvre that can’t be missed
in this charming city of love. The romantic walks along the Seine River on a
sunny day made me feel in a magical movie. Visiting the forest of Fontainebleau
and the town of Barbizon, helped us to relax and get away from the hustle
bustle of Paris for a while.
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| Streets of Montmartre |
As you already know French cuisine is very refined.
On top of eating great food at home, we ate out a couple of times. Make sure to
check the menu first to avoid unpleasant surprises as
some restaurants can be extremely pricey. My
favourite restaurant in Paris is called Chez Maurice on
the Rue des Vinaigriers. It is a restaurant from the Bourgogne region where the
food is extraordinary. Baguette, cheese and
wine are also a good option if you are travelling on a limited budget. I think
France produces the best cheese in the world (more than 365 varieties of
cheese!). Don’t hesitate to try some of the stinky ones when you are there.
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| Incredible Mont St.Michel |
One of the highlights of our visit to France was a
2 day trip to Normandy and Brittany. We started with the outstanding Mont
Saint-Michel which is an island commune in Normandy. It consists of a small
village around a Gothic-style Benedictine abbey dedicated to the archangel St.
Michael which was built between 11th and 16th centuries.
Every 12 hours during low tide, you can enjoy a walk across the mud flats. I
never thought walking in the mud would be that much fun! In high tide, the sea
emerges at the speed of a galloping horse which is spectacular to watch.
Here is a link to
some pictures of this incredible place.
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| Mud walk |
We continued our trip toward Saint Malo, a small walled
port city in Brittany. It is a major tourist attraction with impressive French
architecture. This region is also famous for its ciders and crepes which which
we enjoyed for dinner. It is a magical town with typical French flair.
Quiche, cider and traditional Normandy biscuits were on the lunch menu. Our trip on the countryside continued with Honfleur and Deauville villages before we reached Villers Sur Mere. Christian was happy to show us around which seemed to bring back some of his childhood memories. If you ever get a chance to drive around the countryside of France, do not hesitate. It is absolutely stunning.
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| A typical house in Beuvron En Auge |
Amazing!
ReplyDeleteThank you, I am glad you are enjoying it!
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