Vive Le France

Ever since I first visited France when I was 19, I have loved it. While I studied abroad in Madrid and speak close to fluent Spanish, something about France felt like home.

I was fortunate that my grandmother was traveling in Europe and treated me to a long weekend in Paris for my birthday. I walked everywhere and I mean everywhere. I kept track of where I walked on a paper map drawing in pen each day.

Flash forward to my 30th birthday, D and I visited Paris together for the first time. That visit was not quite as spectacular as I wanted to introduce him to all my favorite things and quite simply we overdid it.

Last summer, our cruise visited Corse and we were in heaven. Apparently the French beaches agreed with both of us.

When we got to planning our 10th anniversary trip, we thought French beaches would be fun. And, here we are. Cannes is 15 min from Juan Les Pins, but worlds away in terms of ambiance. We spent the entire day at the beach – sun, fun, repeat.

Something about Coca-Cola on the beach just tastes better.

A pizza on the beach was perfect lunch.

We strolled along the Rue d’Antibes after lunch where we went into several shops, but only purchased macarons at Laduree and Jean Luc Pelé. The most exciting flavor was foie gras figue.

I finally made it back to Galléries Laffayette, but the selection was not nearly as good as Paris.

The good news (for me) is that the arrival of our new credit cards means my smart chip finally works, D may be a little nervous that my credit card now works.

We finally discovered some more reasonable restaurants. We enjoyed Mediterranean food with a Lebanese influence at Yo’Mo Lounge last night. The food was fresh and clean. We enjoyed hummus, a mango salad with a special chili powder, and D had lamb skewers.

I really liked the décor, including these pieces:

Amongst our favorite things about France:
1 – Bathroom design. France is nothing, but efficient when it comes to bathroom design. After working for a homebuilder, I have a new appreciation for maximizing space as the bathrooms here have been far more efficient. Who needs a large shower, but a large soaking tub? Yes please!
2 – Pocket doors. Why mess with door swing when space is tight, pocket doors are genius.
3 – Manners. The greetings here just feel more polite. Bonjour, Madame. Bonsoir, Monsieur.
4 – Late nights. The weather is warm, it is light out and people just stay out later. I cannot remember the last time D and I stayed out until 1am at home, but here we have stayed out that late multiple times.
5 – Kids at dinner. Families just seem to dine together. Kids young and older accompany their parents for late night dinners.
6 – Yogurt. Quite simply, it is just better.
7 – Credit card machines. After having to change our credit cards one too many times due to card numbers being taken, it is great to have the servers bring the credit card machine to you.
8 – Bread and pastries. D doesn’t love bread, but even he enjoys bread in France.
9 – Macarons. Tasty little delightful cookies, yes they can be found in US, but the flavor are more bountiful and interesting here.
10 – Walkways along the water. In both beach cities, we have found great walkways for running and walking right along the water.
11 – Private beaches. The food is better, fresh salads, pizza, just about anything. The best part of the private beach is the lounge chairs!

Although in fairness, there are a few things that are not desirable – the smoking is not our fave plus there are several times where service could have been quicker, but patience is a good quality.