I have been to France a few times. The first time was in Paris and the other times were in the South, in rural France in a village near Limoges. My boyfriend’s family relocated from England to France after their retirement and I have had the pleasure of living and exploring France easily since then. In my opinion and experience, France is an amazing place and a gorgeous country, and I wish to soon visit even more of it. The people are chic and well behaved, very polite and direct. They take their time and enjoy good wine and great food, as you should . By now, we know that when I travel, I am always on the hunt for the most authentic and local experience, so for me rural areas and the countryside of France truly have my heart. It’s as if modern technology hasn't made it all the way there just yet, the mentality of people and their way of living is old school, and although I would not live there permanently, I absolutely adored slowing down and enjoying the present moment in France. They value good times, tasty food and lots of wine. They are laid back and easy going, take their time and enjoy long evenings outside.

Explore

Explore

When I visited Paris for the first time I would have been more or less 17 years old so keep in mind that this was my first travel experience (outside of the typical Mexican resorts) so the way I travelled then is very different from the rest of my trips. I wanted to see all of it, enjoy every aspect of it and get lost in the city, wondering about. And that is exactly what I did. I put on some good shoes, downloaded a map of the metro station and started exploring. As I always suggest, before I started my trip I had a selective list of places/monuments/ sites I wanted to visit so that made it easier to plan my days and make sure I did not leave anything out. I literally explored all the historical sites and tourist monuments, sat down at cafes and got drunk on the Champs Elysees.

When I visited the southwest of France, life was very different. Different in the sense that most shops are closed on Sundays, oftentimes also closed for a few hours during the middle of the day. They don’t have a lot of shops and the architecture is very old, obviously. My days there were filled with beers in the pub, walks in nature and live music. I spent about 6 months living there during Covid and my experience was amazing. Everyone knows each other in the village, music and game nights were often organized by the landlords.

As a French Canadian, speaking their language helps a lot. French people are very proud of their language and appreciate anyone who makes an effort. Learning a few words and sentences will go a long way and will overall make your experience more interesting and easier. In my experience, it doesn't go both ways, as the locals are not quick to make an effort to speak English to accommodate tourists. All different parts of France have different slang and some areas also have their own accent. I find it so interesting to go over to France and compare the way they speak and express themselves compared to the French we speak in Quebec.

Explore