France is a country that is near and dear to my heart for so many reasons.
When I think of France, I am reminded of my childhood summer vacations visiting my family, but also of the many fun trips I have taken to explore the different regions throughout my adult life. Speaking French definitely helps and has made traveling in France a bit easier especially in some of the smaller cities where English isn’t as widely spoken. I overall have such a fondness towards their way of life, their “joie de vivre” and really really good wine.
My latest journey to France was a bit of a French tour starting out in Paris & Epernay (Champagne), Beaune in the Burgundy region, Marseille in the south, followed by the French Riviera in Cassis, Cannes, Nice and ending in Monaco.
La Tour Eiffel – one of the most symbolic buildings in the world which represents Paris and all of it’s marvel.
We all love Paris for so many reasons, it’s beautiful Champs-Élysées, timeless cathedrals, history, high fashion and shopping, cabarets, nightlife or just lounging at a cafe enjoying an Eclair and watching the world go by.
There is something for everyone.
Me; I prefer wine, un pain au chocolat, and practicing my French… not necessarily in that order
After 5 days of frolicking around in Parisian restaurants, museums, gardens, shopping, cathedrals and trendy areas such as St. Germain, Montmartre and Le Marais. We decided to take a train 90 minutes outside of Paris to the home of bubbly; Champagne.
Champagne did not disappoint! We did cave tours that ran the entire underground of Epernay and marveled at bottles from the turn of the century.
Our visit included commercialized houses such as Moet & Chandon, De Castellane as well as small production vineyards where we had a gorgeous lunch paired with a variety of vintages. One of my favorite parts was visiting the tombs of the renowned cellar masters; Dom Perignon and Dom Ruinart. Their tombs date back to the 1600’s as shown in the photo above. There is so much history in Champagne and intriguing to understand the winemaking process throughout the centuries.
Champagne as we know it did not exist until Madame Clicquot, otherwise known as Veuve (Widow) Clicquot was the first to introduce the method in which Champagne is made today. Also known as “la methode champenoise”. Veuve is the first to also make Rosé Champagne.
It was an experience of a lifetime to drink the stars in Champagne!
A two hour train ride south of Champagne is Burgundy, home to some of the world’s most exclusive wines with vines dating back centuries. This is the land where terroir is everything and the difference between a hilltop vineyard and a village wine is thousands upon thousands of dollars.
The town to stay in is Beaune which is in the heart of wine country full of amazing wine bars (Comptoirs), restaurants with regional cuisine, and it’s own wonderful charm.
For wine tasting, we rented a private car which took us to Cote de Nuits in the heart of Burgundy. The company I chose is called Burgundy Wine Discovery and it is owned by a British couple who has lived in Beaune for years. The tour included tastings of 20 wines from bottles as well as from the barrel. We tasted red and white Regional Bourgogne, Village, Premier Cru and Grand Cru across a range of vintages. The $200 per person tour also included lunch with pairings and tasting at one of the region’s most exclusive vineyard; Romanee Conti. Their wines are typically $10,000 + from this particular domaine.
I didn’t get anything from there …
Since it was mid-September, the temps had cooled off in Burgundy, so we were ready to explore the south and get back to the sunshine. A 3 hour train took us to Marseille for a quick two days to visit with some family, then rented a car and drove the riviera to Cassis, Cannes, Nice and Monaco.
Some of the highlights was a town called Cassis which was on the way to Cannes. This cute little fishing village is known for pebbly beaches and its calanques, narrow inlets framed by steep, limestone cliffs. The harbor features pastel-colored buildings, sidewalk cafes and restaurants. Local vineyards are known for producing Cassis white wine and floral crisp Provence Rose.
A favorite: Domaine du Paternel -Rose
La Corniche D’Or: Gold Coast pictured above, this is the drive from Cassis to Cannes stopping in St. Rafael for some Moules Frites & Rose!
Cannes itself was pretty touristy but great shopping and fun nightlife. If you are ever in Cannes in the summer check out: Baoli, a beach club that had us dancing until the wee hours of the morning!
One of my favorite parts of the Riviera was staying in Mougins; a small village where there is no access to cars. The town sits on top of the hill overlooking Cannes, is full of art galleries, museums and high end gastronomy. Mougins was once home to great artists such as Picasso and also to Yves Saint Laurent and Winston Churchill.
Don’t expect to find a McDonald’s around these parts…
Nice (Nee-ce), is a gorgeous little city in the heart of La Cote D’Azur! We were there during the Festival de Fleurs (Flower Festival). The 1876 festival featured young men and ladies dressed in their finest with copious florals, parading down the Promenade… singing and pelting each other and the audience with flowers.
It was very French …
MonteCarlo during Yacht week was luxury, expensive cars, and didn’t leave much of an impression on me as did the other cities. It was pretty, pristine, and very posh, but in my opinion lacks some of the character that I enjoyed about other parts of France.
The French Riviera is known for its turquoise beaches all lined with beach clubs and restaurants. I find that the best time to go is in May/June or September to avoid the crowds. The experience going there mid-end of September didn’t include lines, overbooked hotels or delayed transportation. It was pretty smooth sailing down to renting the car, just make sure you can drive a manual as automatic cars are pretty much impossible to find.
The French take great pride in their history, culture, and their beautiful language. Every region has it’s own cuisine, customs, and own way of doing things which makes France so unique.
My recommendation is to pick a few neighboring areas and truly take the time to explore, enjoy the food and understand the difference in regional customs. You’ll find that driving the Riviera and going East means more and more Italian influence found in architecture, food and the people. On the opposite end of the La Cote Bleu, travel through the city of Nimes going West towards Montpellier, and you’ll see a contrasting Spanish influence.
Some may say, the French are snobby but I say, they definitely have enough to be snobby about!
Et Voila!
World Adventures by Fz 