A Trip to France

 November 2019

Before we knew it, November had hit, and it was time for us to bid Cardiff goodbye. It had been a wonderful experience and we would miss the city terribly (although towards the end the incessant rain had gotten us down a tad).

 We were off for some family visits before we would finally be heading back to New Zealand. We had no idea how long we would stay, just that we were ready for a change. 

First stop was a quick visit to see dad in France, where we were picked up from the airport and driven through the Gorges du Verdon, which have absolutely stunning scenery. 

We popped into Frejús for lunch, a port town on the Côte d'Azur where I very excitedly ordered Moules frites, something I hadn't had in years. Mopping up the sauce with crusty bread was exactly as delicious as I remembered, and Ben was a quick convert too. I do love France!

We popped to Aix-en-Provence the next day, which was awesome as I hadn't been there before. Playing tourists with family was fun, especially when we stopped for beer and fries!

Ben was heading back to the UK a week before me to spend some quality time with his family in Bristol before we headed to New Zealand, so we dropped him off at the airport, and said our goodbyes. Our next stop was Marseille!

I can never decide if I like Marseille, it's a far cry from my favourite type of French town, which lies more along the lines of Toulouse or Aix-en-Provence. 

Marseille has grit, and maybe a bit too much of it for me. 

The Notre-Dame de la Garde is worth a visit however!

The days had gone far too quickly as always, and I was soon headed for the train station, with a ticket to Annecy. I had decided since I was so close, I might as well spend a few days in my old town, especially as I still had friends living there who had kindly offered to put me up. 

We ran into a spot of bother as the train was delayed hours due to snowfall, but it eventually arrived, and dad waved me off. I was very sad to be leaving (thanks for the lovely holiday dad!) But also excited to see my friends, it had been years!