La rentrée

Ahhhhh... the summer is now over and so with it, the return of most Parisians from their vacations in August. I had forgotten about this magical time in Paris during the month of August until I was walking home from an appointment at the beginning of the month and I suddenly realized how quiet and more empty the streets were. During the month of August, most Parisiens, and other French people as well, take a big vacation for 2-4 weeks. Many shops, restaurants and even doctor's offices and other facilities will close at some point during the month, leaving Paris with a bit of a ghostly feel. I actually really enjoy it, however, since Paris is typically jammed packed with people and having a bit of a "repose" or rest from this is welcomed.

As a true Parisian now, I also left Paris during most of August and headed south to find the long-lost sun and to swim in the warm Mediterranean ocean. Having traveled to the south of France before, I was excited to have a change of pace from the hectic Parisian life. So, we ventured out by train to see family and friends in Toulouse, Nice and St. Ceré. While in Nice, we swam in the beautiful ocean, had picnics by the sea, visited small nearby villages, saw a castle and took a day-trip to Monaco. I wouldn't recommend Monaco since it is mainly tall buildings and expensive yachts with not much else to see, but I would definitely recommend Nice with all it's charming buildings and being surrounded by nature with the ocean and mountains. It actually reminds me a lot of southern California with the beautiful weather, ocean, mountains, tan, beautiful people and more relaxed life-style. Toulouse is also another favorite city of mine in France and one I would definitely consider moving to in the future. Toulouse is a medium sized city with the benefits of plenty of things to do, a beautiful city surrouded by lots of nature, much less pollution and noise, a less expensive cost of living, and a calmer pace. For nature lovers and sport enthusiasts, the south of France is great. And best of all... there is a lot more sun! Having spent pretty much the whole year in Paris under a gray sky, it felt really good to feel some sun again.

     

(Nice)

Another exciting and fun part of my vacation was also getting the chance to drive again! Oh mon dieu! My sister-in-law has the tiniest little car I've ever seen with a lawn-mower engine (I could be exaggerating), but it was an automatic so I didn't care. I happily drove around Toulouse when I had the opportunity, feeling as if I was driving a car from one of the rides at Disneyland! Weeeeeeeeee! Of course, I broke a few laws not knowing that in France you can't make a right turn at a red light even if you make a stop first, and others I probably wasn't even aware of, but it felt really good to drive again!!

We also got to help plant some vegetables in my sister-in-law's vegetable garden which was a lot of fun. I saw some of the largest zuchini and bell peppers I have ever seen in that garden! I quite appreciate that many French families living in the suburbs and the countryside grow some of their own fruits and vegetables. It almost seems like a bit of a sport and a sense of friendly competition between neighbors but I really enjoy this aspect of French life.

            

So, it was with a bit of a sad heart after spending a month in the south that we headed back to Paris. Having now lived in Paris for a year and having traveled throughout France, I can definitely say that I prefer the south. Paris is a wonderful place to visit and to live for a short period of time, in my opinion, but for us nature-lovers the south provides lots of beauty, sun and tranquility.