What Inspired Me to Fall in Love with France + the Culture

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France, and the whole of Europe, have a great culture and an amazing history. Most important thing, though, is that people there know how to live!

Johnny Depp

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All little girls have dreams. Some girls dream of growing up, getting married, having kids, getting the job they’ve always wanted, or traveling the world.

They are all wonderful and beautiful dreams, and it’s amazing when they get to come true. We all work so hard to make our dreams come true as we get older!

My dream as a little girl was always about my first time visiting France.

I would dream about the city of love… seeing the Eiffel Tower and the Seine River, eating fresh pastries and drinking coffee in a small café… From Paris to the South of France.. I wanted to see it all and immerse myself into the beautiful culture and the daily life of the French people.

It may be a silly story as to why I fell in love with France at such a young age, but it became my dream to visit the country! I am still in love with the country, the culture, and the beauty the country has to offer. 

Grab your café au lait or your favorite beverage, and keep reading for some inspiration!

What inspired me to fall in love with France at such a young age?

Every kid loves to get a kids meal, right? Those toys are everything and so much fun for the kiddos! Educational toys can be even more fun. 

As a little girl, about seven or eight (I don’t want to talk about how long ago that was!), my mom and I went to eat at Chick-Fil-A. In the kid’s meal, they were giving out CD’s to teach languages. It just so happened that I received a CD that taught the French language.

I remember being so excited! I wanted to get home right away to listen to it. And let me tell you, I listened to that CD all the time!

I love learning new things! Learning a new language is something I knew I would enjoy. The French language is so beautiful and romantic. Listening to the CD made me dream of what it was like to live in another country.

It made me dream of getting to visit France one day and hear and use what I was learning in real-life situations. This also inspired me to want to learn more about France and the French culture.

Related Post: Simple Living the French Way

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I quickly learned that the country of France is rich in culture and steeped in history.

That CD was the beginning of me falling in love with France. I fell in love with not only their language but the food, art, music, fashion, history, and the love and romanticism that is portrayed in movies and songs. The French have a much different culture than the American culture, and I really love that. 

My soul longed to see the beauty of France and to get wrapped up in the romanticism. To sit in a cute coffee shop, eat macarons, stroll the streets of Paris, enjoy French cuisine, and take in the atmosphere all around.

As a little girl, I would watch movies, read books, and learn about the history and culture of France. I would dream of the day that I would get to visit! 

Since then, I have worked on my French language skills alot. It is such a beautiful language that I enjoy practicing and learning more about. I have spent time learning more about French history and their customs. 

A few years later, in 2019, my dream came true! I visited France for the first time with my husband, and it was everything I imagined it would be!

I finally got to see the beautiful country I dreamed of for years! I got to fall in love all over again with the beautiful city of Paris and as well as the other cities in France we visited.

I got to see the art, the history, the cafés, the beautiful architecture, and learn so much important history! Traveling to France was wonderful. My husband loved it just as much as I did! 

Related Post: 10 English Movies Set in France

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Since 2019, we have been back once again in 2022. Visiting France for a second time was even more of a dream come true! I plan to go back as many times as I can throughout my life.

I really enjoyed the second time we visited Paris, because we were able to be more laid back with our time there. We enjoyed several fabulous meals, a leisurely stroll in the evenings through the city, sitting in parks to enjoy people watching and the beautiful gardens.

There are so many amazing things to see that we plan to visit several more times when we get the chance!

“This was what Paris was about. Decadent food, a beautiful woman, delicious wine, all in a centuries-old setting. The room echoed with my joy.”

Joe Bunting

The Food

Luckily, my husband and I are foodies. Good food is something we bond over, and we love to try new food! We enjoy visiting new restaurants and finding things on the menu that we’ve never had before. It’s one of our favorite parts of visiting new countries.

I believe that the best way to immerse yourself into the culture is to try the food. More than likely, you will fall in love! 

Of coure, French cuisine has never disappointed us. We had a blast and fell in love with escargot, crêpes, and all the other local food! It was fun trying to figure out where to eat for lunch and dinner and trying something new almost every day! The french delicacies are to die for, and trying new macaron flavors will never get old!

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We usually just stroll along until we find a place we want to stop at and eat, or we find somewhere on the map that sounds good and walk there. We have never been disappointed in the food or the quality! True French cuisine is wonderful. 

I have purchased a few French cuisine cookbooks and tried to bring a little bit of France back home with us!

The Cathedrals + The Architecture

Just about any city you travel to, whether it’s big or small, is going to have beautiful architecture and some kind of cathedral. We have seen so many gorgeous places!

The beauty is more than I ever imagined! 

I am sad to say that the fire of Notre Dame happened five months before we visited in 2019. It was a tragedy to see what happened and even more tragic to see it in person.

When we retured to Paris in 2023, they were still renovating and restoring, but making a lot of progress to have the cathedral opened again before the 2024 olympics.

We hope to return again some day to see the iconic cathedral and all the restorations they made to it! If you would like to learn more about the restoration progress check out their website here.

There are so many other cathedrals in Paris and other cities that are worth seeing and will take your breath away. Even the architecture of other buildings are gorgeous. The detail in them, stained glass, and history behind them are amazing!

La Saint Chapelle, Paris.

One of my favorite memories from our first trip was visiting a small cafe off the beaten path in Rouen.

One evening, we were strolling through Rouen, France, and found this beautiful cathedral tucked away in one of the side streets. There was a small cafe off to the side of the cathedral.

We spent a while just sitting at the cafe outside, drinking a glass of wine, and taking in the sight of this beautiful cathedral. It was no more than five hundred yards away from us! It was a wonderful evening spent with my husband in this beautiful small town!

Related Post: My Good Life in France: In Pursuit of the Rural Dream Book Review

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The History

France is full of history! From Ernest Hemingway walking the streets of Paris, the Louvre housing the Mona Lisa, wars throughout the years, the Palace of Versailles, and so much more.

You can learn so much about the history of France by visiting museums throughout the country, walking the streets, and visiting famous landmarks. 

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A personal favorite of my husband’s was a tour we did to learn more about WWII and D-Day in Normandy. We were both in awe to learn about the facts and hardships that people were faced with during that time.

It was a special time for us to honor those who gave their lives while visiting the site where the Americans stormed the shore and the American cemetary. It was a truly humbling experience.

Going to France was more than I could have ever imagined. The food was amazing. The cafés were quaint and relaxing. The history was intriguing.

France will always be my love at first sight and a true love of mine.

Everything I dreamed about as a little girl was there. From the cobblestone streets to the Macarons! It made me feel alive. It was also special to share this experience with my best friend!

It was the perfect place for us to have our first international trip together. 

There is so much that made me fall in love with France, and there is so much that continues to make me love it!

I would love to know about a place you have always dreamed of traveling to. 

Until next time,

Catherine