Ms. Hen reviews her trip to France

Ms. Hen at the Tour Eiffel

Ms. Hen’s Trip to France

Ms. Hen went to France recently. She had been there previously five years before. This time, she went with a hen friend because she was invited by someone who came into her workplace. He came in during the winter, and told Ms. Hen he has a B&B in Provence. Ms. Hen told him she had been to the South of France, but to a different location, and it was the most beautiful place she had ever been. She thinks her eyes might have glazed over when she said this because the man invited her to stay with him. She initially did not want to go, but her friend at work convinced her. They planned the trip for September, and off they went.

Ms. Hen in Seguret

It took a while for Ms. Hen and her friend to get to Provence, and when they did they were exhausted and famished. Fortunately Gene had dinner planned; he made pasta with shrimp and mussels. They ate on the terrace overlooking the breathtaking view of the valley. Gene’s B&B is located in a village called Seguret, which is considered a “village classe,” which means it is a preserved village and nothing allowed to be modernized on the outside of the buildings. It is a thousand years old, and cars cannot drive through, except in the back, and the buildings are conserved, so they cannot be changed. It is a quaint, charming area, with cobblestone streets and stone buildings.

Ms. Hen in Provence

The second day they were there, Gene took them on a tour of the area. They drove by vineyards and small villages. Gene explained that in France, there are no suburbs, there are city areas, and rural areas. In France the suburbs are considered in-between places, and they don’t like that. He also explained that they keep all the crap in the same place: the ugly stores, the automobile repair places, and the places that nobody wants to look at. That way, people can stay in their neighborhoods and they don’t have to see unsavory things.

They drove to the Cave in the area, the wine cooperative where locals can purchase discount wine. Gene brought a jug which looked like something that is meant for gas when the car breaks down by the side of the road, but he explained that it was for wine. They got a jug full of rose, and Gene said that it was the equivalent of five bottles of wine. It cost fifteen euros, which Ms. Hen calculated to be an excellent deal.

The group had lunch in a village called Goult. Gene said he like the restaurant there, La Poste, but when they got there, they found out it had new owners. Gene said the food was not as good as it used to be. Ms. Hen had lamb, with pommes frites, and they shared a Niçoise salad. Gene did not eat much because he was disappointed in the food, but Ms. Hen and her friend ate. After that they stopped at a village called Lourmarin, where Ms. Hen and her friend walked around, and shopped a little, and enjoyed the art galleries and the atmosphere.

The second night for dinner Gene made roasted chicken with lemon and garlic stuffed inside and it was delicious. Ms. Hen appreciated that he made chicken, because it’s her favorite! They also had Caprese salad. They ate late. The next day Gene drove Ms. Hen and her friend to L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. They walked around the streets and went window shopping, and went out to lunch at an outdoor café called Ile de Beaute. Ms. Hen had salmon Tartare mixed with onions and apples, with crème brûlée for dessert.

Ms. Hen and her friend spent two and a half days in Provence. Gene entertained them with stories about his life, and living in France.  Ms. Hen and her friend enjoyed staying with Gene, and regretted having to leave. Ms. Hen and her friend said goodbye to Gene and took the train to Paris from Avignon.

Ms. Hen drinks wine in Provence

In Paris, Ms. Hen and her friend found their Airbnb and commenced their walking tour of Paris. They stayed right near the top of the Champs Elysees, adjacent to the Arc de Triomphe. A few steps from where they stayed they took pictures of the Arc. They went on a quest for Printemps, the department store which has the best views of Paris. After, they searched for and found the Galleries Lafayette, with the majestic domed ceiling above the cosmetics section.

Ms. Hen eats an omelette in Paris

Ms. Hen and her friend stopped for a late lunch, and then found the Louvre, and wandered through the Tuileries Garden that leads to the Champs Elysees. The browsed in the shops, then took a break and watched the world walk by. Electric scooters are all the rage in Paris right now, and Lime scooters are fashionable: the type that people can rent. People ride up and down the street with these scooters, everyone from business people in suits, to tourists, to young people raising a ruckus.

Ms. Hen at the Louvre

Ms. Hen thinks that people in Boston can be rude, but she thinks the public in Paris might be worse. Everyone walks around with a scowl on their face, and nobody looks strangers in the eye. A woman can walk out of a store on the Champs Elysees, and not bother to look around her to see if she’s getting in anyone else’s path, like she’s walking down the catwalk and expects everyone to stop and get out of her way.

Ms. Hen had different types of experiences with people trying to talk to her. She was looking at perfume in a pharmacy, and a store employee came up to her and asked her if she spoke French, and she said no, and the woman waved her hands around and walked away. Shortly after that, she sat in a café and tried to ask for water in French, and the waiter said, “Try English.” Either way, she couldn’t win.

Ms. Hen drinks espresso in Paris

Ms. Hen and her friend walked an enormous amount while in Paris. On the second day, they promenaded from where they stayed to the Eiffel Tower to the Place Invalides, to the St. Germain district, to the Latin Quarter to Notre Dame, to Las Halles and further. They couldn’t walk all the way back to their place because Ms. Hen was exhausted, so they took the Metro two stops to get right near their place.

Sunset at the Arc de Triomphe

Ms. Hen loved to travel because she loves being in a different place and it forces her to be in the moment. She gets nervous when she’s somewhere that’s not familiar to her, but she likes it. She loves the thrill of not knowing what will happen, or what will be around the next corner. This was a shorter trip than her last trip to France, and it was her first time traveling to a foreign country more than once. She thinks that everyone should travel and see the world, because there is so much to see, and it’s wonderful to get out of your regular habits and mix things up. Ms. Hen says, “Go to France! They love chickens there!” And she loves France.

 

In Paris