Category Archives: Western Europe Montpellier has been voted the number-two French city by French people. I recently spent a week in Montpellier trying to understand why. Between pleasant visits to the old historic town, the multicultural flea market, and the city zoo, though, I experienced things that made me wonder what, exactly, the French love so much about this town?  After thirty days, 3,300km, and eight border crossings, our arrival in France marks the end of our overland transit from Turkey. Exhausted yet with hearts and minds full of experiences, we reconnected with family across the country – and celebrated a very, VERY exciting event.  We were ahead of schedule on our overland transit to France – a detour to Switzerland was in order! This post describes our visit to a cheese factory, a medieval hilltop town, and a chocolate factory; our drive through the Alps, along Lac Lémont, and our view of Mont Blanc. Not bad for 55 hours in Switzerland, and not a bad way to celebrate a birthday!  To walk in rural France is to step back into an era where babies were bathed in basins in cobblestone streets, women set laundry on second story lines draped above narrow alleyways, and men spent evenings sat on benches in rows facing the street, perfectly placed to watch the world slowly go by.  The French attitude toward food had me saying Oui! Oui! to France from the get-go. The meals served as individual courses, paired with wines, and sprinkled with conversation and laughter – food in France exists to be enjoyed and shared, and is a centerfold of the day, just the way I like it. |
|
