Paris | French Riviera | Nice | Aix-en-Provence | Nîmes
No matter what they tell you, Paris is a must-see, at least once. “But isn’t it dirty?” people ask me. Um, yeah, in places, but so is my beloved New Orleans, and I still enjoy it! Shop and stroll the Champs-Élysées, ascend the Eiffel Tower, scale the Sacré Couer church tower in Montmartre, visit Notre Dame cathedral, and see great works at the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay. In Nice, we walked the Promenade des Anglais. After visiting some fun markets, we toured the French Riviera. In the Provence region, we visited the Papal Palace and did a walking tour of Avignon. Since I’m Christian but not Catholic, I didn’t know the history of the Papal Schism and why there were two Papal residences at one point, so this was illustrative. The Pont du Gard was a great opportunity to show students an aqueduct. From there, we checked out the Nîmes Amphitheater. It’s like the Colosseum in Rome but without the overcrowding. This part of the blog is a collection of photos and suggestions from multiple trips (which explains all the changes in my hair!).
The Eiffel Tower
Arc de Triomphe
Notre Dame Cathedral
View from the top of the Tower
Cruising the River Seine
Our younger selves in 2018!
Nîmes Amphitheater
2017
We toured inside and outside this Roman amphitheater in Nimes. The views from the top were amazing, and we were able to see statues dedicated to matadors from a time when this was used as a bullfighting ring. Once you see this, be sure to visit the gardens (Jardin de la Fountaine).
Pont du Gard and Provence Markets
Pont du Gard is an old aqueduct built to carry water to the Nemausus colony. It remains one of the best preserved in Europe. There is a newer bridge you can walk across to photograph these historical views.
The markets in Provence were my favorite things! Envision fresh lavender, beautifully cut flowers of all colors, and dried fruits and nuts to sample. It’s perfect after a visit to the Papal Palace.
The Traveling Teacher 