Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Loving France? Still Waiting #3

...continued .... This post is a continuation of  the Loving France?  thread that tells how I became a card-carrying Francophile.  You can read earlier posts and read them in numerical order, if you wish.
Just check out the archives.  

When I last left you in this thread (in #2) we were on vacation in a tent having a gin and tonic.  We were not in France.  Not even close.
  
Our life changed over time.  In the words of the inimitable Sonny and Cher, "The Beat Goes On."
We find new jobs in new cites.
We move past the tent. (We still kind of miss it, and we still use a tent for weekend trips to state parks)
We plan our first trip "across the pond."

If you are someone who uses "summer" as a verb -- as in "Last year I summered in Nantucket" -- I am sure that it comes as a shock to you that someone could be this far along in life without making this journey.

Oh, you who had ski trips to Saint Moritz in middle school and high school spring breaks in Prague!
Not everyone had the opportunities that you took for granted as a kid.  We are just thankful to be able to do so now.

So it it time to make our first trip overseas.  And we chose .... not France.
We went to England.  I think many Americans choose England for their first big trip.
We are embarrassed and nervous that we are not able to speck another language.
We think that (at least theoretically) we can speak and be understood in the UK.

So we took several trips to England


and then to Scotland


 

and also to Wales





It was wonderful, as you can see.  We loved every single minute of our trips in the UK -- from Cornwall and Devon to Yorkshire and the Lake District in England to Aberdeen and the Isle of Skye in Scotland to Betws-y-Coed and Snowdonia in Wales. 

Then my dear dad took me on a trip to Italy.


Fantastic.  What a beautiful country!  The food!  The art!  The wonderful people!

But not France.

You are probably wondering, "When does France come into the picture?"  And what is it about that place that gets under your skin?

Stay tuned.

5 comments:

Sara Louise said...

I love the Lake District! Great holiday spot

Sheila Campbell said...

I love reading about how you've discovered France. I do love England -- I've done lots of walking in the Lake District -- and Italy (also lots of hiking), but France has a special place in my heart.

Annette (Liquid French blog) said...

Thanks so much for your comments. It is wonderful to find people who love the same things I do.

French Shelter said...

As a welsh woman living in France who has also lived in Florence I will say that you chose the best continental country to visit at first...

when you do come to France, go to Bayonne!!!! skip Biaritz, go to Bayonne!!

XuXu

Karin B (Looking for Ballast) said...

I'm looking forward to the rest of the story!

What wonderful travels you've had. :)