Just Go: Planning a fall trip to France

Vintage Travel Poster  Source: Wikimedia

You might notice that the image at the beginning of this post is a cool vintage poster of Paris, and not my own photograph. That is because I haven't been there yet. I studied French in high school and college, and always intended to make that trip to France, preferably sooner rather than later. But later is good too. So when a September girls' getaway trip to New York fell through, I started researching fares to places in Europe and ended up booking a flight to Paris on Icelandair, just for me.

Three weeks from right now, I'll be in the middle of my first day in Paris. Probably jet-lagged, sated with crepes, and almost definitely lost. I plan to walk as much as possible, as I like to do when visiting cities, take the metro or buses as needed, and in a pinch—heavy rain, daunting distance, or when I've just given up getting my bearings —taking a taxi or Uber back "home" to the apartment I have booked in the 11th Arrondisment near the Pere Lachaise Cemetery, through Airbnb.

After four full days in Paris, I thought I'd get away to the Normandy coast, to the picturesque town of Honfleur. I envision this as a calm interlude with walks on the beach, but as I have booked two nights there in a little apartment or guest flat, also through Airbnb, I could take a day trip to Bayeux to view the famous tapestry.

I am really excited to continue my journey into the Loire Valley, where I will stay in a family home in Amboise (yep, Airbnb) and visit the impressive early Renaissance chateaux the area is famous for.

On my list:

Chateau d"Avignon                     Source: Wikimedia

Chenonceau                             Source: Wikimedia

I'll spend two nights in Amboise, and that leaves five nights as yet unaccounted for. Where shall I go? Certainly, I want to include Provence, especially to pay homage to van Gogh, visiting Arles and going to sites of where some of his paintings were created. A nice home base in Provence, might be Avignon, home of the Palace of the Popes, where many popes lived and reigned instead of Rome, in an interesting period in the history of the Catholic Church. I love the sea, so the far southern coast is appealing, but I think I'll avoid Nice and save the busy port city of Marseilles for another time. (My options will be limited by the fact that I am not planning to rent a car this trip, so will be dependent on train and bus schedules.)

Some ideas: Martigues, known as the Venice of Provence—intriguing, and Isle sur Sorgue, also called the Venice of Provence, the culinary destination and busy city of Lyon, or the fairy tale village Beaune. I have the feeling that I will finish up this trip with even more places on my French wish list.

If you have any suggestions for me, please comment. In the meantime, I will be brushing up on my classroom French and figuring out how to pack for this trip in my backpack.