Dreaming of France

I’ve been thinking a lot about traveling lately. Right now Grump and I are planning a trip to Fort Meyers. But I’m also dreaming of more grand travels. I’ve made some European friends through my blogging and I think it would fabulous to go over there to visit them and do some site seeing. My heart is really set on France.

When I was in high school I took three years of French lessons. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I’ve forgotten. But last night we were watching a DVD and Grump accidentally put French subcaptions on. I laughed at the translations, because I recognized some words and they certainly didn’t translate to the conversation I heard. At one point a character said "Yes, Ma’am" and the translation read "Bien Sur".  I learned that as "of course", so I chuckled when I read it on screen. Ah, the beauty of language.

Back to my new dream.  Traveling to France.  I would love to go to Paris, of course, for some wining, dining, and fabulous shopping. I checked and there are a lot of hotels in Paris that are really affordable. And they’re really quaint, on top of that. I would love to get one close to the the Champs-Élysées. I just love to say that, and I can imagine the thrill I’d get seeing it. I can see myself strolling past shops like Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, and Christian Dior. I say strolling past because, well… Then I’d spend a couple of days in the Louvre and say a prayer in Notre Dame. I’d spend so much time being the cliché tourist, but I’m not ashamed. I’ve always wanted to go to Paris and just be there.

Then I’d travel to Nice. It’s a popular tourist destination, of course, but it still has a lot of things the average traveler can enjoy. Nice hotels are just as charming and affordable as any other hotels in France. But there’s the added benefit of being on the coast with lots of sunshine and ocean air. I really would love to visit the Cimiez Monastery and Franciscan Museum, which is a monestary that used to be a convent. I think seeing how the monks live would be absolutely fascinating.

Well, hopefully I’ll be able to convince my husband that a trip to France would be worth it, especially since I found some really good deals. If you had a chance, where would you go for your dream vacation?