Vive La France
© Photos from the Album of Linda Young
Some of my favorite things to do there:
My love affair with France began in my high school classroom, as the beautiful language was introduced to me by my favorite language teacher, and she offered us the opportunity to experience France vicariously. In college, my Sorbonne-educated professor recounted her tales of life in Paris, and impressed upon us the important place that Gaul became in the time of Alexander the Great, and Julius Caesar. I was enchanted by the romantic chateaux, and the wealth of their kings, and the construction of the most magnificent palace in the world, Versailles, that became the model for the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, and many, many other grandiose dwellings throughout the world. I made my first journey there soon after receiving my bachelor of arts degree, and slowly became immersed in the culture, the food and wine, the gardens, and the architecture. Over the years, I have made countless trips to this most beautiful country, each trip to some new areas, and returning to favorite haunts, as well. I have explored the vineyards in Bordeaux, Provence, the Luberon, and Burgundy, studying viticulture in these areas, even with a comtesse in her home, who was the first woman in France to obtain a degree in ornithology.
I have explored numerous chateaux and their formal gardens in the Loire Valley and in other areas, followed the life of Van Gogh from Arles to St. Remy to Auvers, thoroughly explored the Basque area with its delightful seaside towns of Biarritz, St. Jean de Luz, and the city of Bayonne which dates back in time to ancient Gaul, and was a favorite town of Alexander. The French Riviera cannot help but enchant even the most experienced travelers, but the medieval towns in the hills above, especially St. Paul de Vence, are equally as charming, boasting of walled villages and massive fortresses. I have explored the River Seine from the Atlantic to Paris and the Garonne to Bordeaux by small cruise ship, and the Mediterranean ports of Nice, Antibes, St. Tropez, St. Juan des Pins, and Cannes, in addition to many of the Atlantic ports.
And what American or Englishman or Frenchman could help but be awed as he strolls the beaches of Normandy, and the magnificent cemetery owned by the United States where our soldiers were buried after the battles fought there in 1945, when the French were liberated from the Germans? Normandy is also the scene of the Viking landings, as migration occurred from the Norse lands, bringing the ancestors of William the Conqueror. The Age of Chivalry had its beginning here, and the Crusades' origins, also, as the French and the English fought their battles over possession of these lands. William the Conqueror had his home here before he quite successfully invaded England, and you can see the magnificent tapestry depicting the legend in Bayeux.
France is enchanting. Do not waste any more time waiting to explore it.
