FRANCE is said to be the most romantic place on the planet. That has been immortalized as so not just in pop culture but also in classic literature as well. Maybe the basis of that is because the French people are the most intellectual people on the planet. Their discussions center on everything under the sun. And it’s nice to see someone who talks everything with sense and to me, that is romantic. It’s not just in literature and in popular culture though that the French are portrayed as romantic. Foreigners who troop to France are impressed by their upbringing here. They easily fall in love with French people.
Personally, I come from Spain and have never been to France for my whole life. It’s only when Universidad de Madrid had this student exchange program to Paris in Christmas of 2006 that I was able to be short-listed. I was in my senior then as a student in international relations here in the Universidad de Madrid. Upon arriving here in Paris, the plane landed at Charles de Gaulle International Airport and I was lost in translation there for an instant. It was like a Babel-like world where everybody with the same facial features and complexion as me were speaking in French. Of course, I understand French because they teach them back home at the Universidad de Madrid. But never was I overwhelmed in a flock of French-speaking people at the airport terminal. I was also awe-struck because the terminal at Charles de Gaulle was the same terminal that the movie The Terminal was patterned. It talked about a man living in the terminal for two decades before being whisked off by the French Red Cross at an undisclosed location here in France. The movie is based on a true story by the way and it was really haunting me at the airport where I was probably walking on the same paths that person with citizenship limbo is walking.
Charles de Gaulle was a busy airport but I was whisked off by my French handler (sort of the university butler for student exchange students). I took a shower at one of the apartments in the middle of a Parisian suburb where I was billeted. It’s much more cramped in here than what I used to stay in Madrid but the amenities are okay. There’s a heater, an air conditioning unit for summer, cable television with LCD screen and subwoofer system as well as highspeed Internet connection, both wired and wireless. Then I went to the university. It was still the first week of December and student vacations for the holidays are still two weeks away. It was there that I met a lovely classmate named Marie Antoinette. And she is the epitome of what I said earlier – that the French are really romantic. She toured me around Paris – at the Eiffel Tower, at Champs Elysees, at the Louvre. I can’t wait to be with her in Paris again.
WHAT exactly is a French kiss? Well, if you are a singleton looking for a romantic other this Christmas in France and you ultimately kiss, then that’s a French kiss? Sounds more like a dry joke? But seriously, French kissing in France this Christmas season is one of the most compelling experiences that you can have in your life. Come on, the French (male or female) are known to be the most intellectual, the most shy and the most romantically compassionate persons in the world. The combination of these three qualities can lead you to the most beautiful homme fatale or femme fatale in the world. So wrap up your luggage now and go to France this season.
But wait a minute, if you haven’t reserved your flight here, then wait till summer for that French kiss. For lots of travelers of the entire world flock to France during the Christmas season. First of all, the weather here is very temperate and you can surely have a gay time enjoying the holiday all season long because there are no unpredictable storms here as you experience in the Isle of Man or in the Isle of Great Britain. But if you’re coming in via Spain, then you can surely come here without doubt. Just simply grab a friend and together, you can have girlfriend hunting on Christmas here in France just by riding in your SUV for miles and miles of journey. Just make sure that you don’t get sleepy behind the wheel; otherwise, you’ll be treading on dangerous water. A road trip is really fun if you drop by tourist spots once in a while and eat French food at roadside eateries.
Actually, if you’re diligent enough, you can drop by creperies or bistros which do not have high prices of food like they do in high-end five-star restaurants. This is the authentic French food for me. Anyway, they offer the same quality in terms of originality, taste and nutrition. And what better way to celebrate Christmas season than having tasted yummy and authentic French food en route to your romantic binge here in France.
Go directly to Paris because they have lots of motels there intended for road trippers all year round. You don’t need to go to Expedia or Travelocity for a reservation in one. And while at it, you can now savor what’s it like to be in the City of Lights at night. The Eiffel Tower is lit like a giant Christmas tree. Other structures lit up at night the entire Christmas season include but are not limited to the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Champs Elysee, the Louvre, among others. Or if the religious gastronomy in you want to be refreshed, then go to a smaller and serene chapel – the Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal for some unadulterated reflection alone commemorating the birth of Christ. You may even want to have confession here. Have a fulfilling Christmas!
FRANCE is a country of contrasts when it comes to the lifestyle of its peoples. On one hand, some are conservative with very tight Catholic upbringing. Remember Joan of Arc of old? On the other hand, one of the most liberated countries in Europe is France. Remember the naked city of Cap d’Agde?
Halloween here is therefore a mixture of the conservative and the liberated. Being a predominantly Catholic country, the people here celebrate All Saints Day or a day after Halloween on November 1. They go to the cemeteries to pray for their dead loved ones and to offer the favorite food of their dead relatives and friends at the foot of their respective tombs. It simply means that if your grandfather’s favorite food was bouillabaisse, then you have to put bouillabaisse at the foot of his tomb.
Other Halloween rituals which have less spiritual meaning include the treat-or-trick. Some French historians argue that most Halloween celebrations typical in the United States across the Atlantic today are French in origin. Don’t argue with Frenchmen. They are said to be the most intellectual of the entire world. That is true because in the end, what matters most in tourism is the people of a particular country. Although they are perceived to be close-knit with themselves, the French folks are very particular in their tourism.
During Halloween, they exhort foreigners to join in their celebrations. Many of the foreigners by the way have come here to spend the rest of their lives in this country. They are mostly expatriates from other countries who have already retired from their lifetimes of work and they come here joined in by their respective spouses.
At this time of the year, there is the annual Witch Festival held at Chalindrey. It is held every October 29 and 30 each year or right about today as this article is uploaded. So you can definitely not catch anymore the Witch Festival this year but if you’re interested to see it next year, here are the basics: this is a rather adult festival because it does not involve any treat-or-trick tactics. It’s more of a Woodstock gathering of all supernatural enthusiasts who go to Chalindrey to have a party till the wee hours of dawn including what they call as the haunting dance. There’s also screening of the scariest movies ever made as well as face painting exhibits, photography shows themed on the horror side and everything else in between. There’s even a fashion show of the scariest costumes and winners are awarded novelty prizes.
But since you can’t be around this year anymore for the fest, how about trying to go to France for tomb visitations. But don’t do a Lara Croft and dig in tombs. Otherwise, you’ll be run after by the relatives of the dead who have come to pay respect to their deceased loved ones. One last note: you can’t catch a flight anymore to Paris’s Charles de Gaulle International Airport just in time for Halloween because all the flights are booked already. Just travel by your own car.
