FRANCE: FROM PARIS TO THE RIVIERA

Introduction:

Two years after getting married my wife and I finally found time to go on a proper honeymoon! The decision to choose France as our honeymoon destination came naturally as France offered everything we would appreciate in an adventure: Legendary cuisine, excellent variety of photographic opportunities, and of course being the romance capital of the world (I know it’s a cliché, but why not go for the gold?).

On our 16-day adventure we wanted to spend at least a week in Paris since this was our first time visiting France, and spend the rest of our time “sampling” different parts of France at a relatively leisure pace (we wanted to smell the roses too!). Cote d’Azur (French Riviera) emerged as an ideal second destination because it combined relaxation with an excellent public transport system. Upon departure our itinerary looked like this: Paris (7 days) -> Avignon area (2.5 days) -> Nice (5 days) -> return to Paris for our flight home (we did not have a daily itinerary because getting lost had led to many amazing surprises throughout our travels in the past).  Unlike our trip to China, my wife's semi-fluent French turned out to be an extremely important asset.

AND… For the first time ever instead of staying at hotels we rented private apartments for both Paris and Nice… as for Provence… we opted to let fate decide our fortunes.

Itinerary: (what ended up happening)

DAY 1: (fly in) Vancouver to Paris
DAY 2: Paris
DAY 3: Paris
DAY 4: Versailles
DAY 5: Paris
DAY 6: Paris
DAY 7: Paris
DAY 8: Paris -> Avignon
DAY 9: Avignon -> Pont du Gard -> Uzès -> Avignon
DAY10: Avignon -> Arles -> Nice (via Avignon)
DAY11: Nice
DAY12: Nice -> Cannes -> Antibes -> Nice
DAY13: Nice -> Eze Village -> Nice
DAY14: Nice -> Monaco (via Cap D'ail) -> Villefranche -> Nice
DAY15: Nice -> Paris
DAY16: Paris -> Vancouver

 

Paris has long been considered the romance capital of the world... so what better place to kick off our honeymoon?

Due to the amount of pictures/words this entry is posted in 2 parts
 
Part 1: Day 1-4: Click here!


Part 2: Day 5-7: Click here!

DAY 8-10: PROVENCE: THE RELAXING COUNTRYSIDE

September 5-7, 2013

  

We kicked off our honeymoon in the romance capital of the world (Paris), we then traveled to the middle of France and found ourselves immersed in a completely different atmosphere...

Day 8-10: Click here! 

DAY 10-15: SUNNY GLITZY COTE D'AZUR

September 7-12, 2013

      

After we spent a few days in the relaxing Provence countryside, our last portion of our honeymoon took us by the Mediterranean Sea: Côte d'Azur aka the French Riviera.


Due to the amount of pictures/words this entry is posted in 2 parts

Part 1: Day 10-12: Click here!

Part 2: Day 13-15: Click here!

Conclusion

Our honeymoon took us from the French capital all the way south to the French Riviera.  Despite my frequent complaints about France's scorching heat it was only a minor nuisance during an otherwise perfect honeymoon.  From Paris' hypnotizing night lights and Provence's rustic country allure, to Cote d'Azur's lively atmosphere... combined together to form an once in a lifetime experience.  In addition, the legendary cuisine and limitless photography opportunities helped strengthen my favorable impression of France.

From our travel we brought home several souvenirs including wine and Pastis, but little did we know we returned to Canada with the most precious souvenir anyone can imagine: I am going to be a daddy!


 

About the Author

...Armed with a camera, I am able to document my hobbies and passions in life as I strive to complete my bucket list.

...Armed with a digital pen (aka keyboard), I am hoping to inject narratives into these pictures to describe experiences.

...Armed with this blog, I am able to share these wonderful experiences and adventures with YOU!

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