|
|
Travel to France
Author: Robin Darch
In writing a series of articles on worldwide travel, I have come
to learn a lot about other cultures and about people in general.
I strongly urge you to travel the world and experience some of
these cultures for yourself. It will enrich your own life in so
many ways.
Also the sights you will see in other countries are breathtaking
and beautiful. There is so much history out there that you
cannot fully appreciate it from books. Seeing these actual
historical sights is the only way to create real memories of
things past.
In this article, I will tell you a few things about a wonderful
place to visit . . . France. France is actually a Republic that
is located in Western Europe, but also includes islands and
territories on other continents. Three bodies of water border
metropolitan France. They are the Mediterranean Sea, the English
Channel and the North Sea.
The mainland borders nine countries, making it easy to commute
to them as well. It borders England due to landmass within the
English Channel. The other countries bordering France are Spain,
Belgium, Andorra, Luxembourg, Monaco, Germany, Italy, and
Switzerland. For the purposes of this article on worldwide
travel, we will be concentrating on Metropolitan France, only.
Let's begin with the geography of France. The top ten cities in
France, population-wise are Paris, Nice, Strasbourg, Lyon,
Versailles. Marseille, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Grenoble, and
Aix-en-Provence.
Southern France is bordered by two sets of beautiful mountains,
The French Alps on the east and the Pyranees on the west. The
highest mountain in all of Europe is Mont Blanc and is located
in the French Alps.
Northern France and Western France are mostly coastal plains
that end in beautiful beaches frequented by world travelers.
It's beaches are one of the attractions that France is best
known for, especially for those beaches on the Mediterranean Sea.
Some major rivers of note are The Rhone, the Garonne, the Loire,
and the Seine. Cruises down these rivers are another item you
can add to your itinerary if you want to see France from that
perspective. The beauty of the surrounding countryside is
absolutely breathtaking.
France is a very old country and has drawn many people from many
cultures to migrate here over the centuries. Celts, Roman
Latins, Aquitanians, Franks, Burgundians, Vikings, and Visigoths
have all came to this majestic land to create the culture we now
call French culture.
In more recent years, the population of France has grown even
more diverse as Jews from Eastern Europe, Arabs, Berbers,
Africans, Chinese, Armenians, Belgians, Poles, Spaniards,
Italians, and Portuguese people, to name a few, have also
migrated to France.
If you want to brush up on your languages, France is a great
place to go. French is the primary language there of course, but
many other languages are also spoken there due to France's
diverse population and culture. Different dialects or Patois are
spoken in different regions, such as Picard, Alsation, Occitan,
Basque, Norman, Breton, Lorraine (a German Dialect), Caribbean
Creole, Gascon, Catalan, Franco-Provencal Dialects, Corsican,
and Flemish. Of course due to immigration, there are many other
languages spoken there as well, such as Arabic, Portuguese,
Berber languages, Turkish, Vietnamese, Khmer, several African
languages, and many Chinese dialects.
Diversity is abundant in France with all of the cultures and
languages mentioned in this article and more. The part of France
you will be traveling through, will determine what languages,
dialects, and patois you might encounter. The culture and
customs of the people of France are just as diverse as the
languages that are spoken. Traveling through this great country
is almost world travel without leaving its borders.
Okay, enough about France's history and culture, what are some
of the attractions we will want to visit during our trip? Glad
you asked!
If you like art, you will have plenty to do while traveling in
France. There is a very rich history of art in France from
prehistoric times all the way to this century. You will find
displays of Prehistoric, Medieval, Renaissance & Mannerism,
Baroque & Classicism, Rococo & Neoclassicism, 19th
Century, 20th
Century Contemporary French art, and even current art on display
at a wide variety of places in France.
In Paris, alone there are around 28 museums and probably 5000
art galleries. We also don't want to leave out the architectural
delights to be found in France. The cathedrals and Churches of
Chartres, a town located about 90 kilometers southwest of Paris
in central France are an attraction you won't want to miss if
you enjoy architectural sights. And of course there is the
Eiffel Tower as well as a lot of Gothic Architecture to explore
all over France.
What about the food? Well, we all know food is one of the
reasons to visit France. There are many types of cuisine to be
tasted while you travel through France. Both Provincial and
Haute Cuisine are to be experienced to be believed. Traveling to
France for that experience is so much better than just going to
your local French restaurant, even though most of the chefs that
graduate any culinary school were taught French Cuisine, which
is considered to have influenced all western cooking.
French breads, Soufflé, Blanquette de veau, Steak au poivre,
Boeuf a la mode, Pot-au-feu, Coq au Vin, Raw Oysters, Lamb
Navarin, Cheeses, and more await you at outdoor café's and
restaurants all over France, so you will never go hungry in your
travels here.
And last but definitely not least, no trip to France is complete
without wine tasting! Once you are in France you will find an
abundance of wine tasting tours, walks, and other opportunities
or you can even book your entire trip around wine tasting tours.
Do a quick search on your favorite search engine for wine tours
in France and you'll find all the opportunities you could ever
hope for.
We hope we have added some useful information and ideas for your
trip to France.
About the author:
Robin Darch, has a website, worlwide travel to
help you find all the information you need about world travel
related topics such as choosing a good travel agency, how to get
good rates on airline travel, cruise line deals.
 |
 |
|
