Farewell France! For the foreseeable future.

Well, I knew this day would come.  Three months is up, and it's time to leave France.  I kind of have to.  Tourists traveling without a visa can only stay in the Schengen Area, of which France is a part, for 90 out of 180 days.  So I gotta get out of Dodge, it seems.  And I'm really as unhappy about it as I was expecting to be.  This has been such an amazing experience; I can hardly believe I got to do it!  There were definitely some very French moments that I'm going to miss.

Don't even try to think that this
is the entire cheese section

Chocolate for breakfast, eating slices of butter on top of slices of meat, 3 desserts at a meal.  Let's be honest, they're eating the way we all wish we could.  Many Americans eat their meals with a side of guilt (myself included, sometimes).  There's no such thing as turning down dessert here!  And yet, for the most part, people are pretty fit.  This is a magical land.

I hope you can tell,
these are massive
blocks o' cheese

I like to cook, as does my host mom, so we've been swapping recipes, and I've made a few things for them.  I can't even tell you how pleased I was with myself when I made a lemon tart that was a big hit for a lunch with visiting family.

I also discovered that anything with large amounts of cheese = instant hit.  French people Like. Their. Cheese.  Which, to be fair, is pretty fabulous.  I'm expecting to pay an arm and a leg for anything similar when I get home.

We went to a swim meet for my host family's daughter one time.  As we were going in to the pool, I noticed a stand being set up for snacks and refreshments, coffee, etc. "Oh, well of course", I thought, expecting the usual cookies and rice krispie treats.  Oh no, I think not. I wish I could have taken a picture for you to see.  Croissants, baguettes, little tarts and pizza.  There was also a bbq going, and after the meet was over we got some food.  The "hot dogs" were two sausages nestled in a full half a baguette.  The good kind of baguette, all crusty on the outside and oh so soft inside.  I had a piece of pizza that had a chewy crust, and was lightly sprinkled with cheese, with ham and thyme on top, and was at least as good as any artisanal/specialty/wood fired pizza I've had at any restaurant.

They are not messing around when it comes to their food.

What I don't get is, the rest of the world knows about France.  How is it possible that bad sandwiches and dry cookies are still accepted anywhere?!

Things I learned:

I discovered Speculoos. Have you heard of it? It's like Teddy Grahams in creamy, spreadable form.  Go out to the nearest international market right now and get some.  Right now.  Unless you're, like, on a diet I guess, but who wants to live their life like that?

Note:  I haven't tried Cookie Butter from Trader Joe's, but the internet tells me it's the same thing.

I've found that I love Nutella so so much when I'm in France.  I eat it like a freak, like everyone else here does.  When I got back from my last trip to France, I bought a jar, because I was still on that high.  But I didn't like it and I didn't know why, and it went bad.  Did you know Nutella can go bad?  It just takes a really long time.  Turns out, Nutella has a different recipe in each country, based on what they think people's tastes are.  I did not know this.  So it's not just my imagination, it really IS better in France!

The most delicious
weird-looking cookie
I think I'll ever have

People here don't really walk around when they eat, either.  Meals are meant to be enjoyed. I love buying a pastry as I wander through a market, and munch as I explore, but I think that sets me apart as a tourist more than anything else.  My host mom thinks it's funny that I stand as I eat my breakfast (years of habit have led me to this).

It hasn't all been about food, though.  The climate was different.  Blue skies, 70's and 80's every.  Single.  Day.  Paradise does NOT get old, in case you were wondering.  However, people are people, and, testament to the fact that no one will be satisfied with their weather, ever, there were "bad days" also (which involved wind.  And probably some clouds too).  On days like that, one just does not go to the pool.

I met so many interesting people!  I think of myself as a fairly polite person, but people here are so very considerate that I had to make sure I was staying aware of my manners.  French hospitality: you may have never heard of it, but it's a real thing!  They fill your glass first, they make sure you get as much food as you want (and then some!)  They'll give you the last piece of cake.  They're better people than am.  I met some of the sweetest people ever!  (Maybe it's a southerner thing?)  

I even asked around to see if it's true that French people don't like American tourists.  Apologies to any French people reading this, but that's definitely an impression that Americans have.  After polling many many people, totaling probably about 5, 3 of whom lived in Paris (the most notorious French city for French snobbery), it really sounds to me like it's more a case of city folk/country folk.  People in busy cities are too busy to be polite to anyone, their fellow countrymen included.  Myth: BUSTED!

If it weren't for that whole Schengen Area restriction, it would be really hard getting me to leave.

Provence.  Wine country.

Avignon at night

Orange cow in the lobby of a hotel
in Marseille

Statue in Marseille

Well I'm just cheating now.  Since it's not at all possible to tell you about everything I did while I was here, I'm resorting to posting pictures with captions.

Les Alpilles - hill mountains
around the area I was in
in Provence.  Fun hiking,
great views.

Pont du Gard.  Part of a 31 mile Roman acquduct
from 1st century AD

Palais des Papes, Avignon

Palais des Papes.  Super important, historically.  It's from
like pre-14th century, guys.