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My Dance with France

Writer's picture: Todd YarringtonTodd Yarrington

Updated: Jul 19, 2024

This will be my first foray into the world of blogging, so I thought it best to start with something easy to share. My wife, Linda, and I recently took a journey that felt almost magical. It was a trip that had been on her bucket list for many years, and it was anything but disappointing. We first flew into Paris and spent a couple of nights taking in just a fragment of what that city had to offer. We visited, of course, The Louvre and the Eiffel Tower, which were all that I expected and more. What I did not anticipate was everything else. There is beauty and detail around every corner. It was a photographer's dream.



Our second day in Paris, we drove about 90 minutes South to Château de Fontainebleau.

We were told it would be much less crowded than the Palace of Versailles and, again, we were not disappointed - we practically had the place to ourselves at 9:30 am. We felt like little kids doing something we shouldn't be doing. Fontainebleau and the surrounding village are both stunning. Again, the history and detail are just mind boggling to my American sensibilities.



We flew into Nice and drove a bit North to the small mountain top village of Saint Paul de Vence where we rented a house for the week. Our view from the house was of the medieval village and I could just begin to imagine the history it has seen. In the early days of Impressionism, it was a popular spot for artists to gather and it is the burial site of Marc Chagall. There are numerous galleries, cafés, art studios and shops. It is a magnificent way to spend a day strolling, eating and admiring.



The next day we headed towards Monaco via Èze - famous for it's mountain top garden.

Beautiful and impressive as it appeared, it was way too crowded and congested for my taste on a vacation and just not a relaxing experience. We headed over to Monaco, just to say we did, and that same vibe was the rule of the day.



Our third day at the house found us wanting to find a quiet place among nature and we headed inland, towards the French Alps, thinking we were going to end up on a mountainside for a picnic. Instead, we found ourselves coming upon a mountainside village straight out of Beauty and the Beast. I half expected someone to shout "Bonjour Belle!" from a third story window at any moment. Tourrettes-sur-Loup was dreamy. Again, it felt like we had the whole village to ourselves. We explored, had lunch and bought a painting from a charming artist, Max Mucret, and took a lot of pictures.



The following day we headed to Cap d'Antibes and took a walk on a two-mile path along the sea. Stunning views met us every step along the way.



By day five at the house, we were not interested in driving far and feeling the need to recharge before we flew back to Paris. We discovered an art museum, Fondation Maeght, just up the road and thought we would take a look. As it turned out, it is a museum & sculpture garden housing works by 20th-century artists like Calder, Miró & Chagall. It also had an amazing little restaurant in the sculpture garden, and we had a lovely lunch. A very relaxing and much needed respite.



The next day took us back to Paris for one more dance around the town. After our flight from Nice and a drive through the Old Town of Paris, Le Marais, we checked into our hotel and the walked to the Arc de Triomphe. The people watching was as captivating as the monument. Linda, a true romantic at heart, had arranged dinner at a most incredible spot, La Cour Jardin. It was a true French dining experience in the most beautiful of environments. The waiter, the wine steward, the maître d' and entire staff were dedicated to our experience.


All in all, we found France to be so much beyond our expectations. The people, the sights and, of course, the food. The only thing stopping me from returning is the fact that there are so many other places I want to visit in this world.