Flying Bells and Other Easter Shenanigans

I often get asked by friends and family what holidays the French celebrate and most people are shocked to learn that they celebrate most of the same holidays that we do: New Years, Christmas, Easter, Labor Day, a National Holiday in July- even typically "American" holidays such as Halloween and Valentine's Day are starting to trickle their way into French culture.  One of my favorite parts about living in France is being able to celebrate these holidays and compare and contrast typical French traditions with typical American traditions.  This year marks my second time celebrating Easter in France and here are 5 fun facts that I have learned about French Easter:

Asian Adventures

I don't know how or when it happened, but for about the past ten years I have been consumed by wanderlust.  The desire, or rather the need, to travel courses through my veins and keeps me awake at night dreaming of my next adventure.  There is something about traveling the world, experiencing new cultures, and hearing new languages that excites me.  Maybe it's my inner "world language teacher" talking, but I truly believe that each travel experience allows me to better understand the world in which I live.  Therefore, when my dad invited me on a two week whirlwind trip to Asia I jumped at the idea.  Apart from a month long stint teaching English in India in 2011, I had never been to Asia.  Asia had always remained for me a continent that I knew little about.  The idea of traveling there and experiencing the various cultures was exhilarating, therefore I packed my bags, kissed my husband goodbye, and boarded a plane to Tokyo.

Paris is Always a Good Idea

In the famous words of Audrey Hepburn, "Paris is always a good idea."  I first visited Paris when I was in high school and immediately fell in love with the city.  The architecture, the lights, the cafes, the history... everything about Paris made my heart sing.  Last year as I was sorting through some of my old mementos I found my travel journal from my first trip to Paris.  As I read the entry describing the first time I saw the Eiffel Tower I actually teared up.  I remember that magical moment so vividly and it was fun to remember what Paris looked like through my teenage eyes.  During the semester that I studied abroad and the year I taught abroad I made countless trips to Paris where I visited the same sites over and over with friends and family members.  By time I returned to the United States in the spring of 2012 I was "sick of Paris."  Instead of seeing the beauty of the city that once captured my heart, all I could see was the trash on the streets, the homeless people in the metro, and the frustrated looks of the Parisians as yet another tourist demanded to be seen and heard.  Needless to say, in my mind, Paris was no longer a "good idea."

Dining with the Stars

When most people think of Michelin they probably think of the big puffy white guy that tries to sell tires.  At least that’s what I always thought of until a few years ago when Florian introduced me to the world of Michelin Restaurants. Michelin is a company that was started in France by the Michelin brothers in the late 1800s.  The company started by selling tires and then like any successful company quickly tried to find a sneaky way to get car owners to wear out their tires more quickly so they would have to come back for more.  The company then started making road maps complete with hotels and gas stations to entice French drivers to travel more.  The Michelin brothers added restaurants to their travel guide after World War I and started awarding stars to the best restaurants shortly after.  

My Double Life

When I was a teenager I loved the movie "The Princess Diaries." I found the idea fascinating that a dorky girl from San Francisco could wake up one day and discover that she was a princess and had a whole other life that awaited her on the other side of the world.  The idea of living a double life seemed so cool and foreign to me that I could never imagine that one day something similar could happen to me.  Now I'm certainly no princess, but I can't help but feel like Mia Thermopolis somedays as I try to balance between two completely different worlds.