A visit for the books. I LEFT MY HEART IN FRANCE.
At last, it was now my time to visit my boyfriend in his home country. If this is your first time on this blog, here’s my visa application saga with my beloved (ehem?) Philippine passport that is four months in the making (including waiting for the Affidavit of Support coming from the Philippine Embassy).
Lengthy post — are you ready to spend some time with me?
Two-week itinerary for France:
Some notes:
*To identify with the itinerary better, attached is a Google map link to “track” the locations/sites. This is pretty much all the things we visited. To make it more fun, I incorporated my comments, too. I encourage that you check this out.
*If you want more photos of the places we visited, please feel free to check this link. Of course, we had 1000+ photos but I guess, 100+ will do for this entry.
*Speaking of which, all photos here are taken by my boyfriend (merci, bébé!) I mean, of course, he takes better photos than I do by leaps and bounds not factoring in he has long limbs, too!
*Obviously, the itinerary was written by a Frenchman who…
*Lives in the region of Normandie so the trip to “nearby” Loire Valley makes sense and of course, the capital city of Paris is a must especially for a first-time visitor like me because — oui.
*We were not able to track some tickets bought hence, missing the “Ok” mark in some destinations (e.g. Conciergerie and Saint-Chapelle).
*The time is not really followed 100% (we are not robots, LOL) but you pretty much get the point.
So? Shall we start talking about this trip?
Cathédrale Notre-Dame d’Évreux. A feat of Gothic architecture, this structure stands in the middle of Évreux’s city center. My boyfriend said that this cathedral has braved some of the bullets fired during WWII. In awe!
ChâteaudeVersailles. Also known as the Palace of Versailles, Louis XIV decided to move his government here being his favorite residence. To be honest, when I set foot in this palace, I thought how inevitable the revolution will be as it is just so affluent! On the photo is the Hall of Mirrors, a true testament to the power of the sun king!
Château de Chambord. Well? You are not dreaming. This photo did not even give justice to a marvelous castle like Chambord in the Loire Valley. I felt like I was lost in a storybook (with my prince charming, of course).
CathédraleSaint-Louisde Blois and the Royal Château de Blois. A charming town facing the mighty River Loire, Blois is where we stayed for two nights as we explore the area’s rich history and architecture. The cathedral is uphill as seen on the photo, and we went to see the lights show at 10:30 PM on our last full night there. To my surprise, not a single yawn from me! The narration is in French but I was given earphones and a radio (?) for the English version.
ChâteaudeChenonceau. A castle that the queens of the court have refined. Housing at least 2,000 wounded soldiers during WWI, this castle built on the banks of the River Cher is truly captivating! There’s also a small maze there and a tiny farm with donkeys, ducks, chickens and birds, too.
Châteaud’Amboise and Château du Clos Lucé. Now this is where the fun starts. Since we had time to spare, the “project manager” decided to check out the town of Amboise. As soon as the car entered the city center, I held my breath in awe for what surprised me was the fortification of the castle that, I dare say, is ahead of its time. Who does such when there are no machineries and heavy equipment to make the castle’s construction possible? A massive structure overlooking the Loire! Wait, there’s more! We did not know that the one and only Leonardo da Vinci was interred here! My heart, be still! With this remarkable information, we decided to go to Clos Lucé, roughly two kilometers away from the chateau (or I guess depending on what route you take? Maybe, there are shortcuts to get from one point to another?). This is where the great LdV spent his last three years working on his project of a utopian Amboise as requested by King Francis I.
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres. The charming town of Chartres is home to this architectural feat. Why does France have the most awe-inspiring churches?! Why? Anyway, going back, we would like to have a tour of the cathedral, but the rain was pouring so we decided to just take a photo of the exterior, interior, grab a quick lunch and drive back home to Évreux.
Tour Eiffel. Despite the gloomy weather, let me say that she is so stunning. She is so commanding. She is more than a stack of metal towering over a historical city. She is one, if not the most recognizable structure humankind has known. She is a symbol of a proud nation of artists, thinkers, scientists and icons. Ladies and gentlemen, the “Iron Lady”… Eiffel Tower!
River Seine. With the Olympics underway, Seine serves a backdrop to anything and everything Parisian. Interested to see Paris by this waterway? Feel free to book here, the river cruise we availed. Better boats than the competitor (ooopppsss!). No sharks.
Arc de Triomphe. Whilst the French are pretty obsessed with their roundabouts big and small, nothing compares to the most popular of them all, Place de l’Etoile, where the Arc de Triomphe is. Commissioned by the one and only Napoleon Bonaparte to commemorate his triumphs particularly that of Austerlitz, this structure truly strikes in the feels — even in the middle of the street in a gloomy Parisian Friday like that.
La Conciergerie and Sainte-Chapelle. When you are named after the fallen queen of France, I reckon, it should be a must to visit the prison where she spent the last 76 days of her life (photographed is the chair she used whilst in prison). After the Conciergie, we went to Sainte-Chapelle and marveled at its breath-taking stained-glass interior. Another sight to behold.
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris. The “cherry” on top of the “cake” that is Île de la Cité is the Notre Dame. A bit of a letdown that she will not be ready in July for the summer Olympics, she makes her comeback on the last few days of autumn, to be exact, December 8th, 2024.
Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre. The sweetest, thoughtful, most intentional man booked an English guided tour in artsy Montmarte and all that, on a spring Saturday that felt like the tail end of winter. Who am I to complain when the tour guide himself named Jean-Baptiste was thoroughly energetic and informative throughout the two and half hours of walking? Anyway, nothing screams Montmarte than the Sacred Heart, towering over the hills of the 18th arrondisem*nt. The founding of the basilica is a response by the Parisians, a “return” to Christianity, to two tumultuous events (perhaps among others?) that grappled their beloved city — first, the revolution in the late 1700s and second, the four-month long Siege of Paris (1870) that resulted to the Germans cutting off supplies to the city, therefore, a gastronomical experience like no other for the Parisians (think of eating animals like horse, elephant, cat and rat among others).
La Joconde, Musée du Louvre. The grueling Paris itinerary amidst the ugly weather that sent us to bed past midnight only to wake up at an early call time of 10:30 AM for the Louvre is priceless. See? We were not supposed to be here anymore as we already ran out of “later” tickets. The only ones left are “early bird” ones. “No, you must see the Louvre — you must see her.” Humbled. Too humbled to stand in front one of the greatest works of the Renaissance — a painting that echoed the humanity of a woman as time transitions from dogmatic to that of reason and science. I am humbled because I only see her on TV, in books and on the Internet and make honest money out of talking about her to my students. I am humbled because La Joconde (or Mona Lisa) wraps up this memorable 2.5 days in the French capital. I am humbled because never have I imagined that in my lifetime, someone could and would made this happen and for that, I am forever grateful.
Omaha Beach and the Cimetière américain de Colleville-sur-Mer. Three days before the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in France, we passed by Omaha Beach (yes, Saving Private Ryan’s (in)famous opening scene) and the American Cemetery in Normandy. I have nothing but a very strong feeling of empathy for the brave soldiers who lost their lives and pride and gratitude to those soldiers who still live to tell the story of how they helped liberate a continent from the claws of a pointless ideology. Beyond the mixed emotions I had in Omaha Beach, I recalled that a similar one is fought on this side of the planet, the Pacific frontier but I have come to think, what is there to, at some extent romanticize when ours here is a story of two bombs that wiped out a population of innocent people in order to liberate a continent from blind obedience? Is the creation of a monster the answer or are we all living in the closing credits of a film where tyrants can remain tyrants because they keep arms that can annihilate their enemies in one go? A tale of two liberations, indeed.
Saint-Vaast-la-Houge. This is a quaint and very lovely coastal town in the region of Normandy. Ahh, the fresh sea breeze and the warmth of the people! This holds a special place in this short 14-day vacation not just because I walked on the sea at low-tide and had to take off my shoes and feel the surge of cooooooooold water on my feet, but this is where my boyfriend’s parents live — the cutest and cleanest house with the nicest tiny garden that screams “summer-ready”. His stepfather read quite a lot about my country and asked me interesting questions that I answered with enthusiasm (e.g. where do you suggest that tourist take a vacation for a “different cultural experience”?). Well, my boyfriend is a great host, no doubt but his (very lovely) mother? Even better! Yes, with an exclamation point.
There it goes! I hope this post gives you an inspiration and/or an idea of what to do or where to visit in France. For questions? Do let me know!
