This post contains affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure page for more details.
Categories: French History, Off the Beaten Track in France
Why I went to France-again and again I studied French for the 6 years of high school, and was determined to visit once our teacher held up a poster of a chateau. (the inspirational power of teachers!) During my first trip, I fell in love with the cheeses, the culture, the architecture , with the history, the cuisine, the pride of its citizens in the country. Subsequent visits have only deepened this love-to the point that I have asked that half my ashes be spread in France (!).
Learning French: As noted above, I studied French for 6 years at school . 40 years later, with no practice over the years, I decided to attend a live-in week-long immersion school (CREA -Langues,now closed) near Ste Marie de Moustiers-on the assumption my schoolgirl French would come flooding back. Have I mentioned that I am an optimist! Took another week course a couple of years later with no practice in between (not recommended!). After that, took weekly courses at Alliance Française until finally, to prepare for my 4 -month odyssey, I took private lessons and really progressed. By this stage, I was competent but somewhat stilted in speaking. It was good enough to have a conversation 1:1 with various hostesses, but not to join a conversation with a number of locals.
Dates of my Trips:
7+ trips to France: 2004,2014,2016, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024
*2004-Paris, Loire,Nice, Marseille, Eze -1 week
*2016: Corsica. Lyon, Dijon, Amiens and battlefields-2 + weeks
1 week Immersion course near Ste Marie de Moustières
I did actually rent a car this trip in order to get to the battlefields of WW1. However, as navigator and driver, I ended up driving along cliffside roads beside the rivers I had wanted to avoid, and drove through a pedestrian mall in Amiens -and ended up with a migraine. This was pre-GPS. Loved the war museum at Albert and the Canadian cemetery with the weeping woman. Also paid my respects to the Australians at Villers-Bretonneux & visited the museum in the school there (fabulous war photography).
*2019: 4 months in total. A couple of different girlfriends accompanied me for weeks at a time. Travelled solo for 2 months.
Cairns-Bordeaux via Brisbane & Paris. A thirty-six hour journey! That’s why we Aussies have no sympathy for 8 hours being regarded as a long trip!
I travelled with 3 Aussie girlfriends for 10 days from Bordeaux to Sarlat and on to Paris. We hired a car in Bordeaux just for this part.
-Sarlat. Dordogne (including Lascaux)
– Paris. Cooking class-choux pastry. Fashion stylist experience.
-*Puy du Fou via Nantes. (* Accom… Chambre d’hôte at Les Épesses)
-Tours -alone from 3/5-Loire chateaux
-Paris-Met up with another friend and travelled for 3 weeks east and southeast to Reims,Strasbourg, staying at a farm-auberge in the Jura, Colmar & Route de Vin,
-Besançon, Lyon, Annecy ,Chamonix and then I went on alone to
-Cassis,Avignon, L’Isle- sur-la-Sorgue. (27/6/19)
-Arles -Cocarde d’Or. (36 Euro)->
-Lavoute-sur-Loire (stayed for a week with a French friend met in Aus) -at the time she was ajointe-maire (near Le Puy-en-Velay. ) (5/7-11/7)
-Versailles
-Paris -One of my worst ever travel days. My wallet was stolen with all my bank cards as I was struggling thru the turnstiles . Another consequence of travelling with heavy luggage, as I was preoccupied with manoevring a large suitcase ,plus a heavy backpack as well as my full handbag .Luckily I had 300 euro in suitcase. Cried+++ on arriving at my (cheap) hotel near the Gare du Nord. The hotel managers were helpful and supportive ,providing me with a phone to call my bank. Bank sent a new card to Montpellier, and wired cash, so within 4 days I was again solvent. On another note, the hotel staff advised me “not to go left”,leaving me rather anxious about walking around the area.
-Montpellier-met a young couple who helped me keep my place getting on a bus-we spent the next few dinners and a day at beach together.
-Travelled to Nîmes to watch Tour de France at Pont du Gard.
-Dinan-another of my worst days. Went for a hike along coast, started to pour, no raincoat or umbrella or woollen jumper… Motorists drove past, I was soaked . Finally arrived at lighthouse….phone battery flat… Begged the parking guys for a lift to the next town. Mairie helped me charge phone to call bus driver (which one had to do to alert her to pick me up).
-St Malo. (1/8)
-Mont Michel & back to Paris
11/7-3/9/22
-Paris. (Hotel Diana near Sorbonne, 5th Arr)
-Lavoute-sur-Loire. Watched the Tour de France race from the local road-best part was the cavalcade of sponsors and the freebies they throw out to the crowd; village put on a outdoor dance in honour of potatoes (17/7)
-Marseille
-Cassis
-Narbonne-hostess took me to beach of Gruissan for the day) spoke of love affairs
-Dax- Peyrehorade market ,Bidache
-Toulouse-loved the architecture, the beautiful rose stone, the historic performances at Jacobins.
-Bretagne d’Armagnac -wedding of friend’s nephew-14/8/22
-La Rochelle
-Biarritz & Basque country
7-13/10/23
Biarritz
Paris
2-11/10/24
Lisieux
Honfleur
Rouen
Paris
Exceptional memories:
-the wedding in Bretagne d’Armagnac. So different from anything in Australia, with the civil and the religious/familial ceremonies. It went for two days, with those two ceremonies, followed by nibbles and a band, followed eventually by a wedding dinner. The enxt morning, we did it all again , with a breakfast followed by a barbeque!
– Basque villages & the spectacle at Bidache
-Lavoute-sur-Loire: Potato ball, “Clean rivers” festival-joining in everyday life via my friend, Nadège.
-spending time with locals and being taken to places with hosts eg beach near Narbonne, music evening near La Rochelle, daily meals with family of landlord in Cassis. Some of these people I am still in contact with.
-meeting young couple on bus at Montpellier
-Puy du Fou
-Cocarde /Bullfight at Arles-appreciating the skill of the “raseteurs “ as they try to remove the ribbon from the bull. Note that this is part of a big festival and NO blood is spilled.
Cassis: my favourite little hideaway. I had an apartment overlooking the port. I returned there for a second time,and met the landlord and ended up spending part of every day with him and his family.
-Hearing the nuns sing at dusk at Notre Dame
-immersion courses
-Montpellier -Musée et Conservatoire d’anatomie,the beach, the pretty car-free town centre,festival of music.
-the beauty of the villages, of the architecture , of the fashion, of the language EVERYWHERE
-Quatorze juillet in Paris-the pride in culture, army ,country. I do not go to the parade but to Champ de Mars to see all the defence units and their performances.
-Gorges de Verdon
-little train trip in Provence -Train aux Pignes
-Biarritz: I love the classiness of this town,and the fact that there are three beaches for all levels of swimmer. I think the time I was there, there were over 20 rescues from the main beach.
ACCOMMODATIONS
I have used a combination of hotels, Air BnB and VRBO. I ALWAYS choose something that is in the centre of the old town and as authentically historic & atmospheric as possible, as this is so different from what we have in Australia. I have had some fantastic VRBO accommodations, as well as some excellent AirBnBs. Only three times have I had problems with AirBnB hosts, with unfounded complaints about cleanliness. Strangely, this has only happened to me in France. I have purposely chosen Air BnB when travelling alone, in the hope of meeting and conversing with French locals. Only once have I been very disappointed, in Avignon, when the hostess seemed annoyed at having me stay (despite her excellent reviews ). I spent 5 very lonely days there, feeling unwelcome. I have returned to some hosts and visited them on subsequent visits and some I am still friends with on FB. Hotels I generally book through Booking.com, though occasionally I will call direct to receive a cheaper price.
Paris: Hotel La Manufacture Paris 75013
Hotel Diana , near Sorbonne
Jura:
La Ferme -Auberge Lindenhof
11 Route du Kreuzweg,
Le Hohwald
Puy du Fou:
La Maison du Parc, Les épesses, 39 rue Mal de Lattres de Tassigny ( abou 1.5 kms from Puy du Fou). Fabulous meals, décor,hospitable and warm hostess. Chambre d’hôte. 65 E /night in 2019
Montpellier
8 rue Achille Bégé. 65 E /night in 2019
Sarlat:
La Maison du Notaire Royal, Chambres d’Hôtes, Sarlat
4 rue Magnanat, 10 bis Bld Nessmann, Sarlat $175/night
Tours:
12 rue de la rotisserie
59 E /night for single bed
Cassis
A great apartment overlooking the port in rue Therese Rastit,thru VRBO.
RESTAURANTS
Paris:
-Au Père Louis. 6th Arr. 38 rue Monsieur le Prince
-Au Bourguignon du Marais
Lyon
-Les Retrouvailles ,rue du boeuf. Now closed but fantastic with round older owner-chef with handlebar whiskers.
Cassis
-Chez Gilbert
-Chez Nino
L’Isle sur La Sorgue
Ablette
Reims
La Table Anna
Lisieux
Les Soeurs Pinard-cosy,interesting
Honfleur
L’Alcyone
La Grenouille
Favourite foods:
All manner of cheeses-the first time I came to France, I had thought that Australia had a good variety of cheeses-until I walked into a speciality cheese shop in Paris and saw the 200 + varieties!!; Specialty chocolate. I am not a big meat eater which is not ideal in France but has got easier. I love their sauces and creams. My friend reports that on our first trip to France, I lived solely on cheese and chocolate.
The food is almost always of a high quality. I try to adopt the tradition of eating the main meal at lunch-time,and ordering the cheaper prix fixé menu.
One thing I did not like was quenelles at Lyon. I can’t say more than that they seemed flavourless and creamy and not a great texture or look.
Transportation:
As noted in our discussions, I normally get around by train. Love them. They are fast and comfortable. The worst is wrangling a big suitcase -and remember I have come for 2 and 4 months- up and down metro stairs. Sometimes, I deliberately attempt to look pathetic-as well as genuinely needing help. Yes, am comfortable using the metro around Paris. Google Maps etc have been game changers for travellers. You just have to make sure that you are travelling in the right direction for your stop!
Actually, the worst thing is that the required platform is only published on the board about 10 minutes prior to its arrival. Hence, one has to a) find where that platform might be and b) wrangle one’s (big) suitcase quickly up and down any stairs. I do like the idea of knowing where to stand for your carriage, according to the delineated sections on the platform.
I now use “SNCF Connect “app-buy online, have my tickets online. When I travelled for some months,I bought a senior advantage card which was quite a saving.
Actually, my third most stressful episode was at the end of my last trip when I was going to the airport. My Parisian friend had advised me how to get from her home in Pantin to CDG via metro. Only thing was, on arriving in the city centre THERE WERE NO TRAINS SCHEDULED for CDG. No explanations on the boards, no staff to ask. (Where had they escaped to??!) All these tourists milling around asking each other if they knew anything…Eventually, on the advice of a French woman, a few of us took a train to the furthest destination ,some suburb en route… in the middle of nowhere. It was pouring rain too. So, then we had this pathetic cavalcade of tourists at night, in the pouring rain, in an unfamiliar suburb, trying to figure out where the buses arrived and after some time elapsed without said bus, if we could get an Uber. Looking towards a 20 hour + journey, this was soooo stressful. To this day, I do not know what caused the lack of trains. I tried to email a complaint to SNCF but could not find an address to do so.
As French people, as well as Americans, drive on the “wrong” side of the road, I generally am too scared to rent a car, apart from the 3 days around the battlefields, which was incredibly stressful.
What have I learned about France on subsequent trips:
It is indeed a culture with a great history, one of which to be proud. It has given the world so much, in terms of human rights, literature, cuisine, fashion and language.
French people are very friendly, as long as one obeys basic courtesy such as saying ‘Bonjour” on entering a shop and “Merci” They love it if you try to speak French and even more if you tell them to desist from speaking English in order for you to practise your French. With me, I think they recognise that I have a French soul!
I love the socialist social system, with excellent health care, good pensions and the right to strike at a moment’s notice. Even with transport strikes, part of me is applauding the workers.(Yes, I am a union member and believer in collective action)
Mistakes:
- Packing heavy -but I did go from April to August ie several seasons
- Carrying all my bank cards in my handbag and not separating them
- Not bringing a phone charger
- Not dressing for the weather (see hike along Brittany coast)
- Relying too much on my optimism (“She’ll be right!” see above notes)
Something I did not like:
Actually,in 2016, I took a day trip in an inflatable along the west coast of Corsica , advertised to be in English as well, to see the Scandola National Park there and bird and sea life. The captain spoke NO English, and there really was almost nothing to see,apart from a few rock formations and a couple of sea birds. Ripped off!
Tips for other visitors:
-ALWAYS say “Bonjour”.
– approach people with a friendly attitude with politeness and curiosity but not talking loudly or too much.
-do lots of research before you come to see what gems the area holds eg Annie’s podcast,
You Tube. There may be festivals on at the time you are visiting.
-trains are great-you just have to get used to the system.
-Google translate is a life-saver
– enrol in a French language course before you go, even just for the basics.
-limit your luggage (Note to self!)
Overall : my trips have been perfect. Whenever I arrive in France, I breathe a sigh as “I’m home”. Being lucky enough to have lots of Long Service Leave or Rec Leave , means that I can wander around France at leisure. (lucky Australians!!)
Podcast & trip preparation: I have been listening to your podcast since its beginning , and have found it invaluable in choosing destinations and things to do. I am returning with friends for a month in September, and already, we have added the Lot department to our itinerary due to your episode with Elyse.
Further questions asked by Annie:
- Why months in France? From previous trips, I knew that I loved France and taking all my long Service Leave was a great opportunity to explore all sorts of areas.
- Travelling solo provided the opportunity to develop relationships -even if fleeting- with locals that I met, whether on the bus or train or as my host. It meant that I could practise and improve my French . However, it was good that solo periods were interspersed with travel with friends.
- When I stayed near the Basque region in 2022, there were a number of festival days. Apparently, the Peyrehorade market on a Wednesday has been thriving since 1358 and normally has over 100 stalls. The fête locale on the day I went in early August, people were dressed in traditional costume, everybody seemed to be wearing green scarves and there were roving musicians with very traditional instruments that I had never before seen. There were some extremely busy open-air traditional restaurants,with long trestle tables for the day. I picked up a flier there for a spectacle at a nearby town ,Bidache, and was delighted to watch it some days later. For a village of 1353, it was a remarkable effort. It told the story of France and this region through dramatized scenes, narration & dance. I still don’t know how they managed to get hold of the costumes-not to mention all the performers!
- What surprised me most about Puy du Fou was the extent of the scenes. It was a massive theme park and it entertained me for 2.5 days. It made history come alive. The only downside was that the translation equipment was not working well, and our French was not good enough to understand the complete stories.
- Historical bias? I just go with it. For example, at Puy du Fou, given that I am French in my soul(!), I simply enjoy the pride in the history and superiority of France.
- Best advice for train travel: i. luggage that is only medium weight and easily carried up and down metro stairs. ii. Use SNCF Connect app. Arrive early so you can orient to the platforms, the arrivals boards, so you can be ready to run for your platform when it is -finally-announced. iv. Avoid public holidays/return to school etc etc .I might add that I continue to make these mistakes.
- What went wrong at the tiny rural train station? Assuming that there would be a station master and taxis waiting. …I think we did eventually call a taxi.
- Speaking French shows locals that you are respectful enough to make the effort, and everybody appreciates that. It allows you to extend basic courtesy, which is a must in France. As you improve, it allows you to engage -even haltingly-in conversations with people. Eg “where is the Champs Elysées?” (yes, my last trip when my phone died again). People feel comfortable to invite you along for trips to the beach or to a village musical or just for a walk . It allows you to travel more comfortably, confident that you can ask when the train goes, where the “la gare” is (not “la guerre” as I once asked).
- Travelling beyond Paris: you have to do it! France is so much more than Paris. The regional differences are fascinating, and around “chaque coin de la rue” there is something new and beautiful. You should do your research, which is easy these days with Annie’s podcast, You Tube, Google-to find out local sites of interest, festivals, etc Of course, the local Tourist Information Bureaux are most helpful too.
Was there a moment that France felt familiar? Certainly during my 4 months wandering around France, I developed a comfort that has continued . As a result, my confidence just continues to grow, as I am capable of explaining myself or asking for assistance should I need it.
Subscribe to the Podcast
Apple YouTube Spotify RSSSupport the Show
Tip Your Guides Extras Patreon Audio ToursRead more about this guest-notes
Episode Page TranscriptCategories: French History, Off the Beaten Track in France