We arrived there the day after Christmas and spent three wonderful days in the City of Light. It feels short but we managed to fit a lot of things in without having to run everywhere (and we barely took the Metro).
I have been to Paris many times, mostly visiting family members or quickly passing through to catch a train and get to my region. I have also visited many Paris museums and seen a lot of sights while on a school trip when I was 14, or on my own 16 years ago while staying for a little holiday at my aunt and uncle's in a nearby suburb. But staying in a hotel right in the heart of the city, exploring by foot and finding a lot of delicious food to try, this was a first for me.
We arrived there the day after Christmas and spent three wonderful days in the City of Light. It feels short but we managed to fit a lot of things in without having to run everywhere (and we barely took the Metro).
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Christmas time in Nantes. Two days spent in this beautiful city before heading to my hometown.
As a present to each others for the holidays, we decided to have a mini stay in Nantes at the start of our trip and Paris at the end. And what a lovely present, we had such a great time walking around these cities cheerfully decorated for the festivities! Our time in Nantes was divided between visiting different areas of the city centre, eating in lovely places, shopping, catching up with my family members who live there and feeling a bit nostalgic (that last bit was just me as this is my favourite city in France, it holds many memories as it was home to me for five years when I was a student). Oh I love a good Christmas market! A couple of weeks ago, I suggested we head to Belfast for a day and spend time checking out the one there. We were there two years ago and from the good memory we had of it, train tickets were immediately booked so we could go visit it again.
This time, we took our Catalan friends with us for the day. The train trip from Dublin to Belfast is quite nice and relaxing. Shortly after leaving Dublin, we started seeing snow covered landscapes which really put us in the mood for everything Christmas related. After arriving in Belfast, we took a detour via St George's Market and then headed for the Christmas Market. While recently staying on holidays in Villenouvelle, we were so close to Carcassonne that it would have been a pity not visiting it. Not only the history of the city goes as far back as the 6th century BC, which is impressive in itself, but the entire area is really beautiful (we could even spot the range of mountains les Pyrenées on our way there).
When choosing our holidays destination of Villenouvelle in the Languedoc region (France), where we stayed last month, we also planned it so we could visit the beautiful city of Toulouse. Our guesthouse being only a 20-minute drive there by car, it was very handy for a day trip.
As it turned out, we also ended up spending an extra day and night there due to our airline cancellation (we were originally meant to fly back to Dublin via Carcassonne). It gave us plenty of time to visit Toulouse, also known as la Ville Rose (Pink City). Its nickname originates from the colour of the terracotta bricks that is a part of almost all of the city's amazing architecture. Apart from a couple of specific places we wanted to go to, we decided to wander around the city and see where it would take us. So, let's visit la Ville Rose! Last month, I got to discover a part of France I had never been to: the Languedoc region (if you follow me on Instagram, you will have already spotted quite a few photos from the trip). It was absolutely beautiful and one of the most relaxing holidays I have had in a long time.
Our friends Rebekah and Frank joined us in Dublin and from there we all flew together towards the South-West of France. We stayed in the quaint village of Villenouvelle, located about 20 minutes from Toulouse, for the entire week (plus one night in Toulouse at the end because of a certain airline's cancellation shenanigans). I will tell you about our visits to Toulouse and Carcassonne in future blog posts. For now, let me introduce you to Villenouvelle and the nearby Canal du Midi. |
Hello! I’m Yolene, a French blogger based in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Welcome to my blog Crème de Citron. This is where I share lifestyle, travel and food stories. Copyright © Yolene Dabreteau, unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved. CATEGORIES
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