Since I am admittedly obsessed with France and all things French, I have a lot of friends, readers, and students coming to me for travel recommendations when they’re leaving for their next French voyage. Paris is, of course, the obvious destination for many travelers, but recently I had a reader ask me where she should go beyond the walls of our lovely Paris. Une bonne question! So, without further ado, here are a few of my France favorites for you…
Annecy
I always describe Annecy as a “fairy tale town nestled in the French Alps” because I really feel as if I’ve stepped into a fairy tale every time I’m there. Annecy is about four hours from Paris by train, and two hours from Lyon. It is absolutely breathtaking, but I will let the pictures do the talking…
Giverny
Giverny is a little village almost an hour north of Paris, and this little gem was the home of the famous impressionist painter Claude Monet. The opening scene of Woody Allen’s film “Midnight in Paris” was filmed here, and when you walk across that same bridge beneath the willow trees and over the lily pad pond, you really will feel like you stepped into one of Monet’s paintings.
Cassis
My musician friends Marie So and Christophe have taken me to Cassis twice on my trips to visit them in the South of France, and the last time I was there, I thought, “Yeah, I could live here.” I mean, this little coastal paradise is just ridiculously gorgeous, charming, stunning, and magical! Oh, and the ice cream is delicious too!
St. Tropez
I’ve written about the delights of St. Tropez in my memoir, Meet Me in Paris, but I will reiterate here: You must go to St. Tropez, and while you are there, you must eat la Tropézienne! La Tropézienne is a delicious cream-filled cake with fluffy brioche and big sugar grains on top. As you can see, I am one happy woman devouring my own Tropézienne…
Lyon
Last, but definitely not least, is my most treasured city of Lyon. Anyone who knows me, has read my work, or has even spoken to me for two minutes has most likely heard me raving about Lyon. The food is orgasmic! The city is vibrant and beautiful and so full of life! My friends there are the sweetest. I will do a whole post on Lyon later because I have so much to say about this amazing city, and I am actually MOVING to Lyon this fall (more on that later too!) but for now…
So…what are you waiting for? Stop whatever you’re doing and book your plane ticket to France already. You won’t regret it! And after you book your ticket…I would love to know what some of your favorite French towns are! I still have quite a bit of exploring to do in France…
During my years as a French professor and tutor, I’ve made it a priority to share French films with my students on a regular basis. Not only because it is a welcome break from drilling the passé composé and the subjunctif, but also because I believe watching films in the target language is one of the best ways to learn how people actually speak in that language. Yes, you’ve got your textbooks, and you’ve learned all of the correct ways to ask questions and to talk about yourself, your family, and what you’re doing with your life. But what happens when you travel to Paris and someone uses slang with you? Or when they omit the “ne” in “ne…pas” almost every time? Or when they use sounds like “ben” (which actually sounds like “bah”) the way we might use “um”? Or when they speak so quickly that a whole sentence sounds like one long jumbled, but very beautiful, word? Will you understand what they’re saying? Perhaps…but perhaps not.
Lessons with Juliette 