France

"Oh let's get rich and buy our parents homes in the south of France,
Let's get rich and buy everybody nice sweaters and teach 'em how to dance."
// Ingrid Michaelson - You and I // 

Christmas break seemed like my first real rest from school - mainly due to the fact I spent it with my wonderful family, in southern France! Instead of stressing about assignments and exams and deadlines, I whiled away the days taking long walks in the countryside, hanging out with my parents and siblings, reading great books, and visiting little French towns.

Birthdays were celebrated, Ben's stature was acknowledged (he has officially passed Dad in height!), and many memories were made. Much laughter and fun was had by all during the trip. Joe, who gives the best Brian Regan impersonations I've seen, adjusted certain episodes to include some of our few known French words. My favorite was one mocking the exquisite English grammar possessed by so many: "Je veux ham! Ham pour manger le ham s'il vous plait," ('I want ham! Ham for eating the ham please...'). Nathan, one of the wittiest members of our vacation party, gave us a stream of frequent jokes and puns - such as the one about the town of Uzes, which we could not for our lives figure out how to pronounce: "On account of the excellent hot mud springs, it can truly be said that Uzes oozes." :) You had to be there I suppose.

The house we stayed at was a lovely villa in the heart of the vine-growing countryside in south France. With mountains in the distance, rolling green grass, and slender pine trees growing abundantly, it was the most pleasant fulfillment of my expectations for France.

Uzes was the first town we visited. There were beautiful cathedrals, great views, and picturesque roads with cafes and shops dotted all along.

The next city we went to was Avignon. Admittedly, the only historically cool thing I learned before going was about the half-finished bridge of Avignon, and the song about dancing "sur le pont d'Avignon." But the place was beautiful just the same.

The famous Pont d'Avignon:

An adorable Christmas market was set up in the middle of Avignon, with items ranging from chocolates made with olive oil, to pottery, to provence-patterned tablecloths.

On one of our days there, my family took the car and drove along a scenic road, searching for the perfect hike to do. We stopped at a tourism center to find information, only to learn that most things like that close during the week of Christmas and New Year's. Dommage. Making the most of the situation, though, we kept driving, stopping occasionally to take pictures of the view, and eventually came to a few sweet spots.

It was bitterly cold and windy up in the mountains - hence the hot headgear. ;)

This is my favorite picture from the entire trip... hahaha:

(And the slightly more successive attempt:)

Mountains and forests are too beautiful for me to post less pictures than I did. Sorry not sorry. :)

The last day in France was spent at the house, enjoying all the countryside had to give; the weather sure helped us make the most of the day.

You all should have a trip to France on your bucket list. If you've come this far down the page, thanks for looking through nearly a hundred pictures. :) Have a lovely weekend!