France, april 2017

My friend Kristen and I flew into CDG, and immediately jumped into a rental car and drove south-east out of Paris toward Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. We stopped in Rempart De Provins, a small town surrounded by fortified walls built between the 11th and 13th centuries, before heading further south to explore Beune, Dijon, and the wine region surrounding the two towns. I cannot get enough of the French countryside. The winding roads that go right through the middle of centuries-old villages, the hotels hiding in castles, the farmers markets that are buzzing with life early in the morning, and the slow pace of travel when all that’s on your agenda is wandering and eating and drinking and taking it all in.

We then visited Lyon without any expectations, and fell head-over-heels in love with it. It’s everything I love about Paris, without the crowds. We drove into the city late one evening, and enjoyed a few too many glasses of wine on our balcony while gushing over the views. The next morning, we were up before the sun to pick up bread and cheese and wine and chicken-fat potatoes from the local farmers market. We trekked up countless flights of stairs to Odéon, the ancient roman amphitheater that sits on a hill overlooking the city below, and enjoyed one of the best meals of my life while the city was still waking up around us. Lyon, I’ll be back.

And of course I cannot go to France without spending time in Paris. This was my third time in the city of lights, and I spent a few days meandering through the city, hanging out in the Jardin de Luxembourg, eating too much cheese, seeing my favorite show at Crazy Horse Paris (again), and drinking wine by the Seine. Paris, je t’aime.