RESEARCH

My friend Vanessa and I quickly discovered that our French vacation was turning into what could have been the best honeymoon ever. Unfortunately for us, our relationship doesn't fall in that category, so we decided to classify it as research instead. We'll each just have to return someday and share it with that lucky person.

The highlight of the trip for me was definitely the town of St. Jean-de-Luz. It's a small village on the Atlantic coast, just off the Spanish border, and it literally exudes romance. You're surrounded by happy couples of all ages and it's hard not to picture yourself walking along the beach at sunset with that special someone.

We'd never heard of the city before and only stopped by based on a recommendation from our couchsurfing friend. It was obvious that it's not a well known destination for Americans. The majority of other tourists were definitely French & Spanish citizens and I get the feeling they'd love to keep this fantastic secret to themselves. I've been to quite a few towns along the Mediterranean coast, but this surpassed them all by far.

It's part of a grouping of 4 villages tucked very closely together with a coastal trail connecting all of them- somewhat similar to Cinque Terre, in Italy. The views along the path are breathtaking and vary widely between sandy beaches, rocky cliffs, and crystal clear waters. Around each bend there's yet another perfect spot for a picnic, a private swim, an impromptu photo shoot, or whatever suits your fancy.

St. Jean-de-Luz falls within the region called the Pays Basque which, among other things, is known for its amazing food. We definitely took advantage of that during our stay. There's a farmer's market every day where you can try their famous Ossau Iraty cheese, (We really should have smuggled some home. I discovered that it costs up to $60/lb. here in the US!) black cherry jam, peppers, and the fantastic hake fish. By accident, we stumbled across Piper Beltz restaurant and enjoyed what we both considered to be our favorite meal in France (EVER!). We decided to try all the local specialities and they blew us away- Gambas Roti (grilled shrimp), Merlu (hake fish), and Tarte Tatins to top the whole thing off. I rarely clean my plate completely and despite how full I was, I practically licked the crumbs off the dish.

It's not a bad way to spend your days- a nice hike in the morning, a swim in the ocean to cool off, picnic with food fresh from the farmer's market, sketching and napping on the beach, a fantastic dinner, and then finishing the day off by listening to the waves crash in as the sun sets. It's the sort of life I could get used to.

We only got to spend 2 days there and it wasn't nearly enough time. I suppose it's better that way if this was a research trip, though. There are plenty of things still left to discover next time.

VAMOS A LA PYLA

The Dune du Pyla is the largest sand dune in Europe. It's about 117m high at the peak and then drops off into the pine forest beyond. We HAD to see it. In fact, we had to see it so bad, that even after discovering that there were no buses going there (since it was Sunday), we still decided to walk.

The nearest major town is Arcachon. We took the train from Bordeaux and then started walking. Fortunately, a good portion of the way runs along the beach boardwalk, then through the city park where we were able to stop off for a panini and Orangina break. About 3 hours later, we finally ended up at the Dune. That's a long way to go on foot, but it was soooo worth it! We walked along the coast, turned the corner around the forest and the Dune seemed to rise out of nowhere. It's hard to really grasp the scale of it until you realize the little dots across the face are actually people!

We took a well deserved dip in the ocean and relaxed on the beach for awhile before attempting the climb. Even then, we only got about half way up before we felt a break was necessary. Perfect timing for a jumping photo shoot...

We finally made it pretty close to the top. We knew we still had to walk the whole way back to the train station and felt like the view was already pretty amazing from where were standing. The ocean on one side, the forest on the other, and the Pyrenees looming in the background on a clear day. Absolutely worth the tired feet.

TOUR DE VIN

Since moving to San Francisco, I've discovered a profound love of wine (something I somehow missed out on while living in France) and I've been dying to get back there and go tasting ever since. So, we made it a point to set aside a day trip to the small town of St. Emilion on this vacation. Perched on the hill and surrounded by vineyards, the village is absolutely picturesque. Many of the buildings are even carved out of the limestone hill, contributing to its UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

There were only 2 trains leaving from Bordeaux in the morning, one at 7am and one at 10:30. We wanted to make the most of our day, so we opted for the earlier train. Inevitably we missed the tram from the house and ended up walking/running 45 min. to the train station. It honestly felt like an episode of The Amazing Race. My friend Vanessa was softly humming the Speed theme music as we jogged through the deserted streets. We managed to hop on the train with moments to spare. I should have expected as much, it seems to be a common theme in my European travels, but at least it makes for a more interesting story in the end...

We arrived in St. Emilion at the "crack of dawn" (as my family loves to say). There wasn't a soul in sight, but the light across the vineyards was breathtaking- well worth our early morning exercise. We wandered the village, checking out the deserted alleys, the cathedral cloisters, etc. until the tourist office finally opened at 10:30. There, we were able to rent bikes and embark on our self-guided tour. We tried using the maps they provided for about 5 minutes, but with directions like, "turn left at the mail box, go down past the row of trees and then right when you see the rose bush", we obviously didn't make it very far.

Unfortunately, every winery we stopped at was closed- because it was the weekend, because they were at lunch, because they wanted to take a nap...there were a million reasons. The French just aren't very concerned with making money. We did finally find a couple places that let us taste. Fortunately for us, we stumbled into one of the Premiere Grand Cru vineyards (that means the best of the best) and got a full tour of their facilities after which they almost convinced me to drop 60 euros on a bottle of wine. It was sooooo good! It should peak in about 20-25 years- what a lesson in patience!

Despite the fact that we were unable to drink copious amounts of wine like we'd intended, the day turned out to be amazing. The bikes were a perfect way to see the countryside, the weather was beautiful, and we capped it all off with a nice nap in the park.

GETTING MY FIX

It's official! I'm headed back to France for a couple of weeks in September. It's been 5 years since I was there last and my craving has been steadily growing to an obnoxious level. Now, I will finally be able get my fix. I can't wait! Let the planning begin...

LES AMIES

It's strange how some people come in and out of your life so quickly and then there are others that you're lucky enough to stay in contact with your whole life. I'm happy to say that my friend Gaelle falls in the second category. She and I met 10 years ago during a high school foreign exchange program. It was my first trip outside the United States and my first trip on my own. I stayed with her family in St.Etienne and you can probably credit their kindness with creating this lifelong obsession that I have with both France and traveling in general. Afterwards, she came to stay with me and my family in Kansas City for a little while and amazingly we've managed to meet up every few years since. I vacationed with them at their beach house on the Mediterranean, visited St.Etienne again during my time studying abroad in college, and now she's made it back to visit me in the US.

We couldn't communicate very easily that first trip and rarely went anywhere without a dictionary in hand, but that frustration certainly motivated me to work harder at learning French. Fortunately, we can communicate fairly easily now. That's not to say that I don't make plenty of mistakes, but it makes me happy to be speaking anyways.

I'm already looking forward to many more visits to come.

THE PICNIC

I credit the French with teaching me the art of the picnic. It is the absolute best, low-budget way to enjoy good food, good wine, & great company with friends.

I vividly remember my first picnic experience in France. It was the first warm day of the year and there was a literally mass exodus to the park. It wasn't just us skipping class, but our professors too. It's as if everyone was given a free pass for the day, no matter your profession. I had arrived in the dead of winter and never seen this many people in one place before. It's as if they had all awoken from hibernation. All summer, every park was covered with picnic blankets, impromptu soccer games, and copious public displays of affection by couples of all ages. It was not unheard of to spend the entire day picnicking. We'd pick up a baguette from the local boulangerie, some Camembert and ripe tomatoes from the market, and a nice bottle of rosé from the Loire Valley, and head to the parc de la pepiniere. Everyone gathered together in a way I'd never been exposed to growing up in the United States and I loved it!

It's not so different here in San Francisco. The tradition definitely continues on. On warm days, we pick up some cheese and bread from the farmer's market and a bottle of wine from the Russian River Valley and head to Washington Square or one of the many other parks there are to choose from. It's one of the best afternoons I can imagine for well under $10/person.

_Inspired by Matt Gross's recent article for the NY Times, "Frugal Paris" and this weekend's beautiful, warm weather in San Francisco.

WISHING I WERE HERE...

Perhaps over Labor Day???