Francophile in the West

Our ten days in France continues... Ahhh, Paris! One of my favorite places in the world. It is always such a pleasure to visit the City of Light, and this trip was no exception. There's something about Paris in the Spring that just can't be beat.  Owen and I arrived in Paris on the Thursday afternoon of our trip, and we braved colder temperatures and a light rain to check out Nôtre Dame and a bit of the Left Bank before the evening set in. Great staircase in Shakespeare & Company Bookstore The Louvre and the Palais Royale Friday morning saw us off bright and early to check out the Louvre. I had been to the Louvre on a couple of previous visits, but this was a top to-do for Owen for his first time in Paris (and rightly so!), so we made a morning of it. Owen was impressed by the size of the Louvre (huge!) and the variety of art (paintings, Greek sculpture, Roman glasswork, ancient Egyptian artifacts, Middle Eastern tile work, and moooore!)  It was a great ...

We recently returned from an absolutely lovely vacation of ten days in France. I really think the trip could hardly have gone better! The weather was beautiful, except for one overcast and slightly rainy day, and it was a treat to be able to introduce Owen to my favorite country (I think he liked it, too :) ). Here are loads of photos and some stories from the first half of our trip, spent in the South of France.  Marseille I had never been to Marseille before, and had had the city in mind as a place to explore since I first lived in France years ago. I'm happy that we decided to make the trip there! Marseille is rough-around-the-edges, gritty, filled with history, and quite beautiful in being enveloped by all of that. When walking around the Vieux Port, you can almost see and hear the chaos of the port 150 years ago - sailors, fishermen, big sailing ships, small boats, merchants, and travelers from near and far. Seeing as Marseille plays a major role in one of my favorite...