France OohLaLa
Paris, Marseille, Ventabren, Aix-en-Provence, Arles, Nimes
My recent trip to France was one of the most spontaneous trips I’ve taken. I didn’t even know I was going until 2 months prior. My boyfriend and I made the decision to go almost instantly one morning in early October, while my boyfriend was checking his email and came across an offer too good to pass up. It was an incredible travel deal from Scott’s Cheap Flights. If you’ve never heard of Scott’s Cheap Flights, it’s an email service that sends daily emails on cheap travel deals that you wouldn’t know of otherwise. (So if you like traveling and have the flexibility to travel on short notice, this is the site for you.)
We’ve both had subscriptions for quite some time and have entertained the idea of many trip offers before. After months of receiving daily flight deals, we finally found one we couldn’t ignore: Round-trip tickets to Paris for a week in December for only $250! It would’ve cost me the same, if not more, to fly back home to NY. So we called up our jobs and let them know that we were going to Paris in December.
This was my second time to Paris, but my first trip to southern France. My experience was different this time in many ways, including the seasonal change and the fact that my first trip was solo. Adventuring solo is wonderful, but so is experiencing a place with a partner, both in their own ways. Both trips were unique, but that is part of what makes traveling to the same place multiple times worthwhile.
We spent our time walking the streets before sunrise, watching the city wake up. We ate plenty of pastries and baguettes accompanied with espresso and cappuccino. We ate French and Italian food and drank lots of inexpensive wine. We walked along rivers and ports and cobblestone streets. We walked through Christmas markets in every town. We witnessed history in the making with les Gilets Jaunes protests. It was fascinating. There’s nothing like walking around a commuter city such as Paris or Marseille. Being outside, being around people, immersed in the culture really helps you develop a deeper connection with the city.
Reflecting back to a month ago: When faced with the question “What was your favorite part?”, I don’t think there was one place or one thing, except perhaps our day in Ventabren. But my favorite thing was witnessing another person experience the beauty and culture of Paris, and the rest of France, for the first time.