Voyage au Monde: La France

September 30, 2010 – October 7, 2010

Marjorie and I just had a wonderful little vacation in France. We went to Toulouse to visit friends I studied with in high school and to take a little break from Morocco. I was expecting to see two friends and two others came down to surprise me! I couldn’t believe it. It had been 5 years since I had seen them and we picked up right where we left off. They also invited some friends over that added to all the fun. We spent the evening enjoying “grape juice,” cheese, foie gras, and other snacks and catching up on everything we’d missed over the years. Everyone knew a little English and Marjorie knows a little French so everyone felt included and had a good time. It was all I could have asked for and more. After seeing my friends for just a few short days Marjorie and I went to Marseille to continue our lovely vacation.

In Marseille we stayed near the old port. We enjoyed all of my must have meals each time I go to France: Mussels, Frites and a cold brew, Crepes and cider, steak and “grape juice,” and lots and lots of cheese and more “grape juice.”

We visited the Basilica Notre-Dame de la Gard and the Cathedral de la Major. Both are beautiful buildings with an interesting pattern of lighter stone and darker stone. They both had tiled floors and the Cathedral de la Major had different colored marble swirling through the building at different points. The Basilica had a large gold plated statue of Mary holding Baby Jesus posed at the top. It was nice to be in a familiar, religious setting again, even if just familiar from all of the churches I’ve visited in past trips to Europe. I’m always inclined to light a candle for loved ones and think about what a wonderful life I’ve been blessed with.

Another wonderful part of our stay in Marseille was a boat trip to the Calanques. These are cliffs that border the Mediterranean Sea and are really quite stunning. It was nice to relax on a boat and still be able to explore.

We ended our trip sitting in the airport in front of a wall size photo of a field of lavender eating pork sausage, cheese, crackers and chocolate. The trip felt like it lasted a couple weeks (in a good way) despite the fact that it was only seven days. We came back feeling rested and I was even excited to be back in Morocco a feeling I was slightly worried may be absent upon our return. The trip also reminded me once again how much I love France and that I hope to spend another period of my life there at some point.