The second part of my trip to France was in Southern France, specifically, Aix-en-Provence. We stayed in a beautiful bed and breakfast called the Pavillion de la Torse, a charming and beautiful 18th century home that has been restored to include modern comforts, but does not take away from the charm of the home. The owners, Marie and Francois, are very hospitable, and speak English very well for those of us whose French is shabby at best.

The rooms were very large, especially compared with where we stayed in Paris. We stayed in the “smallest” room, however, it was very large with an oversized bathroom. It was wonderful! I was so comfortable, and the breakfasts were fabulous. You can choose from French or American breakfast, and I always chose the French breakfast. You can’t beat the pain au chocolat (croissant with chocolate inside) and fresh fruit with the fabulous french yogurt. Oh, and the baguettes with the French butter. I don’t know why - perhaps the secret is in the pasteurization process, but the dairy products are much better in France than they are in the States.

Aix is a charming town with great shopping, especially at the markets. (They’re on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, I believe.) The people are all very friendly, and it was great fun spending time there. There are so many stores to choose from, and everything seems to be so unique there, at least compared with the US.

We also went to Moustiers, which is a beautiful town located in the mountains of Provence. They’re known for their china/pottery, which is handmade in that town. The designs are beautiful, however, much of it is expensive since it is all made by hand. We had the chance to meet some of the artists, as they were working in the same shops where they sold their wares.

After our stay in Provence, we took the TGV back to Paris for our flight to New York. The TGV is great, however, I would warn to pack as little luggage as possible, as it was very hard trying to load all of our luggage on the train. We did it, but I think I had way too much stuff. (Although now that I’m back in the US, I’m so glad I bought everything I did, including the French chocolate!)

For anyone looking for a place to stay in Aix-en-Provence, I would highly recommend Pavillion de la Torse. It was beautiful, the rooms are large and comfortable, and everything was absolutely perfect for me.

I have spent the past week and a half vacationing in France with my mom, and it has been a wonderful trip. We started out in Paris, and visited the typical sites such as the Eiffel Tower, the Musee D’Orsay, Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame, and Versailles, and then we visited the Chateau de Chantilly - the best part of visiting Northern France. Because we were here over Easter, it’s been very croweded, with masses of people everywhere (except in Chantilly).

We stayed in the Best Western Hotel Jardin De Cluny, and although it was quite small, the staff was very friendly, and everyone spoke excellent English. My French is quite broken, but I think they appreciated my poor attempts to speak French. The hotel was clean, and I thought it was a very reasonable place to stay.

The Eiffel Tower was cool. We didn’t go up - the line was about an hour wait, and we just wanted to take pictures. I’ve been there before, but it was fun to see again.

Musee D’Orsay was a complete waste of time - none of the famous pieces of art were there. It was a big disappointment. There was no Van Gogh, and only a few Monet’s - none of his famous Water Lilly series. It was very disappointing.

We went to Notre Dame the Thursday before Easter - they had a choir singing, and many, many people there. It was fun to see. The music was beautiful, and the architecture is amazing. I had studied the architecture during some of my college courses, so it was fun to see it in person.

Sacre Coeur - I could do without. I think it’s because I had just gone to Notre Dame, so it just seemed like another Cathedral, which it was. It was extremely crowded, and the view wasn’t too great because of the pollution. One interesting thing about it was it had been hit by bombs during World War II, but had survived.

Chateau de Chantilly - This was the most interesting and definitely my favorite part of Northern France. Chateau de Chantilly is an incredible castle that has been preserved to be exactly the same as it was hundreds of years ago. There is even a stable that holds around 240 horses. (My favorite part, of course!) There are still horses there, and you can see horse shows still! The horses are mostly Portuguese and Spanish, and they are gorgeous. You can see people riding everywhere, and it’s wonderful.

Inside the Chateau, the art is hung exactly where it was left. The former owner requested everything be left the same. The art is worth millions upon millions - I can’t even imagine how much! There are original Raphael paintings there - it blew my mind! Unfortunately, there is not enough money to properly take care of the building, so it is starting to fall apart. It is just gorgeous, though.

Versailles was another very interesting place to visit. We went there on Easter, which, as it turns out, is the very busiest day of the year. We had to wait in one line to buy tickets for 2 1/2 hours, and then another line to get in for an hour and a half. It was very long, and I wanted to go back to the hotel. It turned out fine, though, and Versailles is amazing. I loved it, and it was cool seeing Marie Antoinette’s bed and bedroom. They had fireplaces with trees for logs they were so big!

It was interesting to think that while the palace was being built, the people of France were starving. It’s so extravagent, but it was fun imagining the royalty walking around there. It was beautiful.

Well, this sums up my Northern France leg of the trip - I’ll post about the Souther France part next. So far, the trip has been a success, and I’ve enjoyed it quite a bit.