My First Impressions of France

Things are much smaller here. But small is not the word I would use to describe them. Things are humble. The houses and buildings are no taller than the trees that surround them, and the only thing that blocks your skyline is more earth.

The air is much heavier as well. And warm. I remember this kind of heat from Arizona, but the air here is more stale. If I step into the shadow if a tree, the air tastes fresh.

It's been very, very clear and warm. But just yesterday it rained. And it rained like it's supposed to rain. The rain was large and swift. It only rained for ten minutes, but the amount of water that fell was equal to an average 4 hours in Seattle. It's the good kind of rain. The movie rain. The kind of rain where you need to be standing in the middle of a road with a beautiful girl in your arms, kissing on her face as the camera does a spiral around your faces. It's good rain.

The landscape is unexpectedly lush. There are many more trees than I anticipated. At the highest point, I can turn around a full 360 degrees and see nothing but mountains, trees, rivers, and a very large sea. All the homes and towns and cities are dotted across the landscape, never overpowering, always complimenting. I went to Old Nice a few nights ago and through the buildings you could see backlit trees and a waterfall up on a mountain in the distance. It was beautiful, I'm going to try to take a photo soon.

People are on the beaches here! And the water is not as if it's about to turn to ice, it's a refreshing cold. And it's refreshingly blue. Some beaches have pebbles, other beaches have sand. Old ladies don't like to wear tops very often.

People are very jovial and there is an overwhelming sense of community. People actually talk to each other here, and look at each other in the eyes when they are talking. The street is littered with children playing, old ladies talking, and young men laughing. Cafe's and restaurants have open patios full of tables, and almost always full of people. I've already met many incredible people.

There are a lot of people that are very curious about my language. I've been invited to dinner by small boys who are entirely fascinated that I come from the US. Older people don't speak English at all, generally speaking, but the younger ones usually know a few words at least, and try really hard to communicate with me. I really appreciate that, and I dare say, it's not quite like that at home.

Things are much more expensive.

Food tastes like food. Everything has a lush flavor. I've eaten very, very well since I arrived. Many local and national specialty dishes. Fruit is sweet and flavorful. Soda is sweeter, but doesn't taste as sugary (read: high fructose corn syrup is nowhere to be found). I've tried four different beers and have found them all agreeable, my favorite thus far being Bavaria which is a blonde ale. I had incredible wine last night, the best I've ever had in my life, I'm sure. When I can remember the name I will say so. I also tried for the first time a liquor called limoncello which is made from lemon peels. It tastes very much like lemon, but not at all sour because it contains no lemon juice. I ate raw meat last night at a restaurant looking out at St. Paul de Vence. The meat looked like raw ground beef infused with an assortment of spices. I was later told that there was also a number of sauces in it too. It was one of the most delicious things I've ever had in my life. It's called Tartare. I also had some ice cream in Old Nice. Two flavors: Avacado and Tomato & Basil. Delicious.

People drive fast. Really fast. And there are not many stops at all. Round-a-bouts. Awesome.

Paris! Paris! On t'encule!

Perhaps the most fascinating thing for me thus far is the age of everything. I can't get over the beauty of the buildings. Everything I step on or walk through is an artifact. Today I went hiking on a nearby mountain, I walked on a fairly preserved Roman road. It was 2000 years old. I think I'm going to explore this idea more in coming posts.