France conjures a series of idyllic postcard images: lavish chateaux, lavender fields, medieval streets, and sidewalk cafés. In the same way, the country’s long history fills the pages of innumerable history books with tales of revolutions, conquests, intrigues, and, well, more revolutions. Because of its undeniable beauty and storied past, France is best encountered not through still images and textbook narratives, but through firsthand experience. From its pungent cheeses to its refined fashion, France has the original je ne sais quoi. It’s what makes the country’s pastries impossibly intricate, its perfumes inventive, its philosophy profound, and its wines divine. Maybe you’ll first experience the French spirit as you watch a fierce game of boules in a provençal village or as you eavesdrop on the low-toned conversation of the elegant Parisians beside you at a café. Maybe you’ll taste it in a warm croissant eaten at dawn after a night of clubbing in Lille or in a Moroccan pastry purchased at a street market in Marseille. Maybe you’ll hear it in the musical French of a waiter asking you what you’d like to order and wonder how such an ordinary question can sound so beautiful.
France’s rich diversity escapes every cliché. The countryside ranges from the misty islands off the coast of Brittany, to the sparkling turquoise waters of the Riviera, to the giant lava needles of the Auvergne. Throughout the landscape, centuries-old farmhouses and churches jostle with inventive and often stunning modern architecture. In cities and towns, street posters advertise Baroque concerts and techno dance parties, and Arabic, Basque, Breton, and Vietnamese are spoken in the streets. France has something for the most urbane sophisticate and the most adventurous outdoor enthusiast. Look beyond its tourist icons, and France will never fail to surprise you.
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