Paris. It was a city I’d dreamt of visiting my entire life, and as I stepped of the TGV onto the platform of Gare du Nord, I felt a shiver of excitement. I was here at last. Dad rounded everyone up,…
Saying Goodbye To Chaumont
Our two and a half weeks visiting family in the French village of Chaumont flew by, and suddenly it was time to move on. Excited as I was to see Paris at last, I was not ready to say goodbye…
Roaming in Beaune
Beaune is revered as the wine capital of France’s burgundy region. Like Langres, the city has existed since Roman times, and saw changes brought about during the Middle Ages, and later the Renaissance. As you can imagine, the city’s economy…
The Fortified City of Langres
About 40 miles north of Dijon lies the ancient city of Langres. Historians speculate that the city has existed since the 3rd century, and was fortified in the following centuries to protect against invading troops. Today, it is a historical…
Parc Nigloland
One of the sillier things I was looking forward to on this vacation was a day trip to Parc Nigloland, an amusement park located in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France. Visiting the park is one of my fondest memories from…
Downtown Chaumont – Part II
This is the second part of a post detailing my afternoon in the downtown area, or “centre-ville,” of Chaumont, France. To read part one, click here. After a deliciously French lunch break, our group split in two, leaving the older…
Downtown Chaumont – Part I
On our first full day in France, we walked three miles from our hotel in Chamarandes-Choignes to the city center in Chaumont. It felt wonderful to stretch our legs after so many hours of being sedentary, and I was delighted…
Our Home in Chamarandes-Choignes
When telling friends and coworkers about my upcoming family vacation to France, the reaction was invariably the same: Three weeks in Paris? You are so lucky! I’d dreamt of visiting Paris, strolling along the Seine and stopping for a leisurely…
The Beginning of a New Adventure
I never traveled much internationally as a child. My mother’s parents both still live in France, but I can only remember visiting twice when I was younger. For the most part, my grandparents made the long trip to visit us…