In October of last year, I took a 3 week vacation to visit Yann in France. This would be the longest time I’d spent in France and I was super excited.

I didn’t know what the complete itinerary looked like, but then again, a lot of our vacations are made up on the go.

We knew, however, that this time around we wanted to stay in France, plus Yann had already  booked a few surprises.

Now let me tell you, we drove ALL over France.

The higher regions of France

We started in Paris, as that’s where I flew into, then drove 2 hours North to his home and took a short tour around Lille, followed by a drive east to Étretat in Normandy.

It was my very first time seeing Les Falaises and they were breathtaking, I seriously felt like I was in a movie.

After Étretat, we visited Mont St. Michel, which again was Ah-mazing! It was like walking around in a fairy tale castle. 

After spending two enchanting days in Normandy, Yann and I drove back towards Paris and made a stop in Versailles.

We’d been to Versailles the previous year in the summer, but visiting in the fall was a completely different experience.

The colder temperatures didn’t dampen the experience at all, the crowds were less, which was Fan-tastic, and the trees were just as green and were starting to change colours.

We opted not to go into the castle as we’d done that our first visit, but decided just to take a tour of the gardens.

After a few hours in Versailles, it was on to Paris.

Paris

I love Paris!

I can never get enough of it.

There is just something so magical about the city, from the blue topped buildings and black iron balconies, to the amazing structure of the Louvre and the pyramids.

The super intimate and yet crowded restaurants and the twinkling lights that light up the eiffel tower every night when the sun goes down is simply enchanting.

I just love walking around the streets, taking in the sights and the sounds of the city.

We stayed in Paris for 2 nights and then made our way back to Annoeullin where Yann lives.

Exploring the North

The next day, we drove half an hour to visit Vimy Ridge Memorial.

I hadn’t known about Vimy before my visit, which is pretty sad on my part, especially considering that it’s a Canadian war memorial.

*Covers my face in shame*

You can read about my experience here.

After soaking in the history walking around Vimy Ridge, we drove over to the Town of Arras and enjoyed a nice cold beer and chocolate crêpe to close out the day. 

We took the next day to relax before setting off for the South of France.

Yes, you read that correct.

After all the exploring we already did, we were driving down to the South of France.

I was so freakin’ excited!

I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, our vacations are always jam packed and pretty crazy as we only have a short time together.

We try to do and see as much as we can in the short amount of time that we have.

The South of France

A nine hour drive away, our first destination awaited us in Montélimar.

Yann’s good friend, Vincent lived there and had a spare room for us, which we gladly took advantage of for 2 days.

He showed us around taking us to some beautiful spots.

Luckily for us as it was fall and the off season, there weren’t as many tourists around but we were still blessed with beautiful weather.

In Montélimar, we visited the caves of Saint Marcel d’Ardeche and the Vallon Pont d’Arc and were treated to some of the most incredible views I’d had yet to experience!

Charming villages

After thanking and saying goodbye to Vincent, we hopped back in the car venturing further south to the small town of Uzès.

 Again we pretty much had the streets to ourselves, which was phenomenal.

We spent a few hours exploring the charming town before once again hopping back into our transport for a short drive to the Pont du Gard.

This amazing historical bridge is a UNESCO world heritage site and one that you can take the liberty of walking across. 

From the Pont du Gard, we drove over to Avignon to explore the city and see the bridge d’Avignon.

I gotta say, after hearing a bit of the hype, seeing the bridge was a bit of a letdown, especially after visiting the massive ancient Pont du Gard.

I definitely wouldn’t recommend going to Avignon just to see the bridge like some people do, but I do suggest going to tour the city.

There is a lot of interesting history there to be learned. 

Scary drives

As night was descending, we drove over to La Cadière-d’Azur for our one night stay in an airbnb.

Let me tell you, that drive was SCARY.

We drove in complete darkness except for the headlights of the car lighting the road ahead of us.

If you didn’t already know, the roads in the South of France are small, windy, and you often find yourself driving on the edge of a cliff that doesn’t have a proper barrier.

I am afraid of heights.

So naturally, as we’re driving in the darkness at an incline for the bulk of the time, I was doing my best not to freak out and to keep my cool.

I definitely did not succeed there.

Thankfully, we arrived at our Airbnb safe and sound and we woke up to some awesome views in the morning.

Our host was very hospitable and after talking with him for a little in the morning, he suggested we take a scenic road called La Route des Crêtes.

The road leads between La Ciotat and the colorful town of Cassis and is one of the scariest most exhilarating drives I’ve ever taken.

You can read about my experience here.

Just before the scary but beautifully scenic drive, we roamed around the beachfront town Bandol before setting off on our journey to Cagnes-sur-mer.

We decided to make our home base there for the next 3 days where we would be visiting the surrounding cities of Cannes, Nice, and monaco with a stop in Villefranche-sur-mer.

I couldn’t believe I was actually there, I had a hard time wrapping my head around all we’d done so far and then the fact that we were now in the amazing south of France.

We were visiting places I’d only dreamed of going, places I’d only seen on tv or in movies and it was so surreal.

Everyday was jammed packed filled with a hell of a lot of walking.

We were super tired but we were also super happy that we got to do and see as much as we did.

The South of France was wonderful.

All good things must come to an end

Our tour of the south ended with a dreadful 9 and a half hour drive back to Annoeullin.

We re-grouped in Yann’s home for the night and I reorganized my suitcase, shuffling around all my newly acquired souvenirs to fit inside.

No rest for the wicked though.

The following day, we drove 2 hours to the airport in Paris where I caught my flight back to Toronto.

There was A LOT of driving involved in these 3 weeks, but it was totally worth it.

We did and we saw SO MUCH and I wouldn’t trade the crazy trips we do for the world.

I feel so happy and blessed to be able to travel in general and visit some incredible places and I get to do it with someone who loves those things too!

I really don’t take it for granted, it really is amazing.

Until next time, stay blessed ♡

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We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.

– Jawaharial Nehru

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