A Trip to France:

Jun 24, 2023 | Personal

I’m 37 years old and this is the first time I’ve ever left the country. This is true for a combination of reasons, such as only recently learning how to really want things and aspire to make them manifest. Seriously. Goals are new to me. There was also money stuff and time stuff, but that first bit can really make the difference.

Last year, a dear friend of mine (Sera) moved to France. She heeded the call of her own aspirations and did this fantastic, impressive thing. And because she did, I suddenly had a reason to visit a country that’s never been high on my list of places of interest. And because she invited me, I said yes. It took a little work (and mutually sharing the load) but we made it happen.

I took a trip to France to visit my friend!

Here’s how it went:

Long flights suck, I don’t like ’em.
Being exhausted from jet lag also sucks, I don’t like it.
Seeing Sera was wonderful. It took a little time to find a groove, but once we did it was really really good.
Spent most of a week in Marseille, where she lives. We walked every morning to a place up the street to get pastries. We walked around her neighbourhoods. We walked to good food and ate PLENTY. I also discovered that I really like pastis (an anise-flavoured liquor) when Sera made these really great drinks – which was ALSO really nice because it was the first time we ever had a drink together. We also saw a few local sights, visited a museum, and swam in the Mediterranean (which was FREEZING but we DID IT). Also watched some Dimension 20 haha!
After Marseille we took the train to Versaille and spent half a day there. Seeing the grounds was incredible. I’ve never before been somewhere so incredibly large and also lavish that also has so, so much history. For things like this, Sera as a host was really a treat because she knows things. Religious history, world history, art history, all kinds of stuff that always knocks me down with the sheer size of it. So I learned plenty about Versaille!
Then we went to Paris! Well, sort of. We kind of skirted around the city to the hotel we stayed at the night before…
DISNEYLAND!! Whooooo~! I definitely have some feels involving my politics and values when it comes to the subject of Disney. But also I like having fun and sometimes you just gotta’ buy in and enjoy one of those special places that’s truly unique. There’s nothing quite like a theme park, and to not enjoy one is just silly. And enjoy it we did! So, so much fun. Two days of it.
Okay, now we’re in Paris. Walk the Seine, check. Visit the Louvre and learn about art history and see that self-portrait of the guy from that meme, check. Spend an afternoon in a local theatre watching Guardians of the Galaxy 3, check check check.
That’s about it!
Here are some photos.