We began our adventure in Paris, renting out an Airbnb near the area of Clichy. We were both tired by the time we had arrived but had decided to forego sleep and journey out into Paris anyways.

The city was raining that day and it made no exception for us.

We took out the umbrellas and continued on with our day-1 plan. Dana-Kaye and I went all the way to the Sacré-Cœur Basilica before ending that day with a visit to the grocery store.

Looking back, our time in Paris was spent, for the most part, wandering and walking around. I had been to Paris once before, so I remember telling Dana-Kaye that I had wanted to take it easy.

However, we still managed to visit the Eiffel tower, the garden of Luxembourg, the botanic garden, the Louvre and a whole bunch of other landmarks.

Some of the metro signs in Paris were a bit odd. Later, I found out that they were designed by Hector Guimard, who had a very evident appreciation for Art Nouveau in the 1900s. To me, the “Metropolitan” signs reminded me of Harry Potter. Something unknown and magical.

Our walks were detailed also by frequent sitting and people watching.

We even passed by a book market. Dana-Kaye is on her way to becoming French-English bilingual, so she was excited. I, on the other hand, was excited by the postcards at the market.

Sometime in the next few days, we met up with one of Dana-Kaye’s friend, Amelie. We dragged her around with us for a good half a day. I think she had fun.

I wish we were less timid and exchanged more conversation with the Parisians. Oh well, what can you do when you’re fresh out of high school?

After more than 20 km of walking, gazing and eating, we packed up and headed towards Annecy.

It was a 3-4 hour train ride from Paris to Annecy. The pace of this city was slower than France’s capital. In Annecy, I noticed that there were more domestic tourists than foreign ones.

The heart of Annecy stood next to lake Annecy. Medieval designs dominated the architecture of the city.

Moats and canals also divided Annecy’s streets.

Somewhere along the way, Dana-Kaye and I also wandered up to a castle.

We had mostly been grocery shopping and budget eating, but made an exception for some Fondue and Tartiflette. Good meal.

The lake itself was blue and very scenic.

We both rented bicycles and rode on the trail built along the lake. It was a wonderful sight. I’m from Ontario and it’s so very flat here. I loved the mountains.

They made me feel small and without much significance. That’s not something I feel with Ontario’s landscape very much.

Our second Airbnb host owned a house straight out of a fairy-tale. She was the one who told us about the trail and offered us advice on what to do in Annecy.

Every detail within the house give it a unique character. It was a lot of fun bumping into small pots and novelties scattered around the building.

She also owned a cat named Minou who was warm to us only when she wanted food.

Our last 2 days were spent in the town of Chamonix. It’s a small town located at the base of the Mont Blanc. The scenery was dramatic, to say the least. Our hour long bus ride from Annecy to Chamonix was spent mostly in awe of the landscape.

One of the last things we did was go up into the mountains and watch as people para-glided into the distance.

With that, we concluded our trip to France. Hopefully, this won’t be the last time we visit.