“So ask the travelled inhabitant of any nation, ‘In what country on earth would you rather live?’ Certainly in my own, where are all my friends, my relations, and the earliest and sweetest affections and recollections of my life. Which would be your second choice? France.”
— Thomas Jefferson
Château de Chenonceau | Most links in this post point to my own images earlier posts featuring these places. If a link goes out to a general site, it is because my I only have printed photographs from the days before DSLRs and iPhones.
Last month, I started a new feature here on the blog, inspired by The Earful Tower’s 100 Things to Do in Paris . In February, I checked off what I had done on the Earful Tower List, chose things on the list that I would like to do, and added my own to-dos and to-redos to create my own Paris Bucket List. This month, I’ll do the same based on Beyond Paris: Top 50 Things to Do in France. Statistically, I scored a bit better on this list — 16/50 or 32% as opposed to only 17% on the Paris list. Let’s start with what I have already done.
1 — I visited the historic walled Cité de Carcassonne in 2008 as part of a Spring Break trip with students that took us from Paris to Barcelona. Carcassonne was one of the highlights as we weaved our way through the Pyrenees in southern France and northern Spain.
4 — Beach stroll in Nice: Nice is one of my favorite French cities. I love the mix of French and Italian cultures. The old town is vibrant and fragrant. The marketplace is one of the best in France. The cuisine is deliciously simple — What could better than a caprese salad, crusty bread, and glass of rosé or a crisp Chablis…and maybe a scoop of lavender gelato? The Russian Orthodox church and the Matisse museum are fascinating, and the Carnaval/Mardi gras celebrations are colorful and wonderfully over the top. Yet, Nice’s most popular attraction is the beach along the Promenade des Anglais. I have strolled along this stretch of Mediterranean coast many times. I found sea glass and heart-shaped galets (the smooth stones that line the beach instead of sand). I swam in the sea (topless!) and fell asleep in the sun resulting in the worst sunburn of my life. Since then, I wear SPF 50 every single day.
6 — Château de Chenonceau (feature photo of this post): Chenonceau, “The Ladies’ Castle,” is my favorite château in the Loire Valley. The gallery that spans the River Cher and the beautifully manicured gardens are the epitome of French Renaissance design. I have also visited Chambord, the largest château, and Amboise where da Vinci lived when he was painting for the court of François I. Up next: Azay-le-Rideau.
11 — Pont d’Avignon: Yes, like most students of French, I learned the song and yes, I have danced on the famous bridge that only spans half of the Rhône River.
14 — Aix-en-Provence markets: I love visiting this university town with my dear friends live in le pays aixois.
18 — Le Mont Saint-Michel is breathtaking. After winding up the cobbled streets of this charming town on a tidal island and climbing the 350 steps to the top of the abby, you’ve earned a galette and a cup of cider!
19 — I have walked along the ramparts of Saint-Malo (and I may have also wandered through its streets late at night in pink, fuzzy slippers in search of a crêpe). This charming, historical town is high on the my list of places to revisit, especially after having read All The Light We Cannot See.
20 — I actually prefer Marie Antoinette’s hamlet and the trianons over the ostentation of Château de Versailles.
23 — Each time that I have been to Normandy, on my way to the D’Day beaches, I have stopped to see the Bayeux Tapestry. The needlework is certainly impressive and it’s fun to spot King Harold with an arrow in his eye, but I don’t really need to do this again.
24 — I love Monet’s gardens at Giverny. I’ve only been there twice (in 1994 and 1998) because since then, I haven’t been in France during the right season. I had planned to take a day trip during my visit in April 2020, but well, 2020. Next time…
25 — The Roman arena at Nîmes and 2000 year old Roman aqueduct, le Pont du Gard, should be part of any Provençal itinerary.
28 — I visited the Hôtel Dieu in Beaune as part of a lunchtime stop in Burgundy on my way to Switzerland. It was 1994 and I knew nothing about wine. It would be much more interesting now.
31 — I traveled from Paris to Biarritz on the TGV in 2008 and walked along the grande plage. It was the first time that I visited France’s Atlantic coast and the charming Basque town of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, but it won’t be the last.
44 — It seems that I already mentioned le Pont du Gard in my description of #25.
47 — In the late ’90s, I met a French girl at a 4th of July party in Hartland, Wisconsin. Sandrine was spending the summer in Lake Country as an adult liaison for a group of exchange students. I introduced her to my little corner of the world and the following summer, she and her family later invited me to stay with them in their Marseille apartment with a view of Notre-Dame de la Garde. We made several day trips to charming towns along the Mediterranean coast including Cassis, la Ciotat, and the Parc national des calanques. Sandrine and I have been friends for over twenty years now and I have had several opportunities to hike in the calanques, an activity that is breathtaking in every sense of the word.
48 — I have driven through the lavender fields of Provence and marveled at their color and fragrance.
That’s my list of 16 out of 50 things to do in France. Of the remaining thirty-four Earful Tower picks, I would add these to my own bucket list:
7 — Sip Champagne in Champagne: This is an easy day trip from Paris and something I plan to do in the near future.
8 — I was meant to visit the Château de Chantilly while in Paris for a conference in January 2013, but it snowed eight inches that day, rendering the roads impassable. Instead, we took a snowy dinner cruise on the Seine.
I would combine 5 and 16 by visiting Ploumanac’h in Brittany and savoring a kouign-amann.
15 — I have visited several towns in the South of France but not Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. There’s always time for one more.
Eastern France has always eluded me. Annecy (27) is one of those postcard-perfect towns that has long been on my list. I would also love to enjoy a traditional meal in Lyon (21), visit Alsace (38), and stroll through the Christmas markets of Strasbourg (36).
29 — Deauville was one of Gabrielle Chanel’s favorite towns and the location of her first boutique. A town that is famous for fashion and seafood sounds like a town for me.
30 — I am intrigued by the wild horses and flamingos of the Camargue.
41 — Corsica has long been a dream destination.
I would like to visit 42 — the Lascaux caves, but I understand that the real ones are sealed and that tourists actually visit a replica.
49 — Drink wine in Saint-Émilion (one of my favorite French varietals).
OK, now, I’ll add the list with a few of my own must-dos and re-dos:
Èze and Grasse
Chamonix and Mont Blanc
For a country that is roughly the same size as Texas, France is so geographically and culturally diverse. Although my past several trips have not extended beyond Paris, I do hope to explore more of La Belle France when it’s safe to travel again. Until that time, the BBC series Destinations in France is a great virtual getaway.
