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A room with a view. Magnifique!
So far in my travels throughout France (this trip and the other two) there are definite differences in culture, people and scenery in France. Thanks to the TGV (the high speed train) a person can travel from Paris to Avignon in about 2.5 hours and then to Nice in another hour or so, which is great since France is about the same size of Texas. Those short hours though bring huge culture changes.
Provence is definitely not like Paris. Paris is a sophisticated, elegant city with it's own savvy culture and magnificent monuments. The pace is all its own and people carry themselves in such a "French Way."
Avignon and Provence are definitely the country. The landscape reminds me of parts of Colorado like Loveland and the foothills before my mountains in Estes. The cities are purely medieval--charming stone buildings and homes with shutters on the windows and beautiful welcoming wooden doorways. Definitely straight from the storybooks. The people pleasant and nice--surely French but more casual than the Parisians. Things closers to Provence definitely begin to look more Italian-a lot if Roman influence here over the years. men seem to out number women here 2 to 1. At night you will always find men gathered in groups on the street or in from of the train stations-- just hanging out. Businesses close early during the week and meal time is definitely set from 11am-2pm and 7-10pm with a happy hour in between. Typical French--enjoying life and their alcohol.
Lastly, the Riviera. Definitely not Paris or Provence. It's a country of it's own. People are dressed to the nines--men out number women 3-1 and they definitely know fashion! Man bags are popular and the black blazer works wonders for these savvy dressed Riviarians.
Here the French culture seems to blend more into Italian. The people here look Italian and I want to speak it while I'm here. It doesn't feel French at all.
Nice is busier than I imagined but still pretty in it's own right. Old town is very neat and a hot spot among the locals. The trip down the coast was spectacular and reminded me so much of driving down Highway 1 in California.
I'm anxious to see more of the French Riviera.
Which is my favorite so far? Paris always has my heart but the Riviera is a close second.
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