Around the south of France in 80 days

It’s great to be back in Manila. It’s taken me nearly four months to settle in and finish an incredibly, unbelievably stressful semester, but I’ve finally gotten my two feet planted firmly on Philippine soil. Our balikbayan boxes crammed with all our things from France (in our desperate attempt to avoid paying any overweight charges) have finally arrived. The new batch of exchange students to several different countries is starting their new semester and preparing for their own junior term abroad. My summer semester has started, and I’ve been getting my summer tan from walking from building to building under the crisp summer heat, wishing I could be getting it from a beach.

I still miss living and studying in Lille. I miss France. When I watch an episode of Pinoy Big Brother, I remember living abroad with my eight friends, cut off from our regular lives but having the time of our lives and making true-blue friendships. When last semester got too tough (and it did quite often), I would grit my teeth and look at all the pictures that I took. Now that I can’t take a vacation because of my summer semester, I just look back at my pictures and travel back to France – not just to the beautiful and romantic city that most people imagine, but the France that I discovered by traveling.

When people think of France, they always think of going up the Eiffel Tower, perusing the Mona Lisa in the Louvre, looking at the majestic Arc de Triomphe, taking the funicular to Sacre Coeur. They think of high fashion, sidewalk cafés, artists, wine, and berets. In other words, they think of Paris.

True, the city of lights is a charming, enchanting place, but France is definitely more than just the Eiffel Tower. I cannot tell you how many people have asked me to bring home the Eiffel Tower in my suitcase. But if I actually had a suitcase that I could fit the Eiffel in, I would definitely stuff more than that. I’ve been in France long enough to know that there are so many more things to discover about the country than Paris. If only I can bring home the warmth of Nice, all the bling-bling cars in Monaco, the island of Chateau d’If from Marseilles (where The Count of Monte Cristo supposedly got imprisoned for 14 years – definitely one of my favorite sights!), the perfumes in Grasse, celebrity handprints in Cannes, and the spaceships in Toulouse, I would show everyone how rich and diverse France is in itself.

Some of my friends and I traveled to the south of France last month during our school break, and it was a wonderful vacation from work and the low temperatures of Lille. (Now, we’re actually happy when the temperature is around eight degrees –"Hey, it’s going to be warm today!") We went to Nice, Monaco, Grasse, Cannes, Marseilles, Avignon, and Toulouse, which are all so different from Paris yet still incredibly beautiful. I got to discover a lot of other facets of French culture, from eating mussels and fries to discovering olive oil soap.

Nice, Cannes, and Marseilles are all about the lazy and warm Southern vibe. Maybe it is true that the weather in a place affects the disposition of the people. It’s a lot hotter in the south than Lille or Paris, and people are generally more relaxed and laid-back. The heat feels absolutely wonderful on your skin (as long as you put sunblock on before, of course!). Instead of running all over the cities to catch the sights, you find yourself taking your time and just soaking in each place that you go to, whether it’s a beach or an old fortress.

Monaco (which is not exactly in France, but very closely linked with the country) is a beautiful and very rich principality, with all its casinos and the expensive cars whizzing by the streets. My jaw was scraping the ground the entire time, from looking at the Prince’s extensive car collection, the gorgeous view from the terrace of the Oceanographic Musuem, the starting line of the Formula One race, and the façade of the Casino Monte-Carlo.

Grasse, on the other hand, is a small city (with an infuriating map system) that is famous for its perfumeries. It’s worth going through all the infuriation because we got to discover the intricacies of making perfume and eau de toilettes the traditional way. Of course, we got to try all the wonderful and beautiful scents until we were dizzy and confused from the 15 different smells on each of our arms. Avignon is another small city with that small town vibe with two very big historical landmarks – the Pope’s Palace, where the popes stayed during the schism many centuries ago, and the St. Benezet Bridge, a bridge which, according to legend, God asked St. Benezet to build.

Finally, besides its nice bridges and buildings, Toulouse is famous for its being avant-garde in technology. Not only can you find the factory of the Airbus in Toulouse, but there is an awesome park called Cite de l’Espace (Space City), which is an educational, incredible, and interesting place about the earth, space, and even beyond.

Yes, France definitely has so much more to offer than romantic trips up the Eiffel Tower or high-class shopping at the Champs Elysees. It has gorgeous beaches, unique perfumes, castles and fortresses, vintage posters, old villages with cobblestone streets, and even parts of spaceships. No matter where you go, this country will give you a feast for your eyes, your minds, your tastebuds, your noses, and your imagination. And four months later, I’m still celebrating that unforgettable feast that was France.