Raghunath’s Magical France Tour with Thrillophilia
“Do you think we waited too long for this trip?” my wife asked as we stepped out of the airport in Nice, the cool Mediterranean breeze brushing against our faces.
I smiled, taking in the view of palm trees swaying under a golden sky. “No,” I said. “I think we came at exactly the right time.”
France had been on our minds for years, but life always had other plans. Now, with our children settled and time finally on our side, we decided to indulge in a long-overdue adventure. But this wasn’t just any trip— it was a journey through history, flavours, and stories that had shaped one of the most beautiful countries in the world.
And so, with open hearts and eager minds, we set out to explore France— not just as tourists, but as two souls rediscovering the joy of experiencing the world together.
The Timeless Charm of French Cities
One of the most fascinating things about France is how each city feels like a different era frozen in time.
Nice welcomed us with its sun-kissed promenades and pastel-coloured buildings. Walking along the Promenade des Anglais, we watched artists set up their easels, capturing the beauty of the sea. A street musician played an old French tune, and for a moment, we simply stood there, letting the music and the view sink in.
Monaco was a different world altogether— polished, glamorous, and effortlessly sophisticated. We marveled at the yachts lined up in the harbor, each one bigger than the last. “Imagine living on one of those,” my wife mused. “I’d probably get lost on the way to the kitchen.”
Then there was Arles, a town that felt like a walk through history. The Roman amphitheater, still standing tall, made us wonder about the countless stories it had witnessed over the centuries. And when we visited the café where Van Gogh once sat, sketching the world around him, I couldn’t help but think— this was a place where creativity thrived, where time had left its mark but never stolen its soul.
And of course, Paris— the city that felt like poetry. Every corner, every cobbled street, every balcony with flowers spilling over its railing had a story to tell.
The Art of Slow Living
One of the things that struck us most about France was its approach to life. Everything here seemed to have an unhurried elegance, a grace that we rarely see in the fast-paced world we come from.
People took their time with meals. They lingered over coffee, engaged in long conversations, and truly savoured the moment. We decided to do the same.
One afternoon in a small Parisian café, we ordered café crème and tarte tatin and simply sat there, watching the world go by. A group of elderly gentlemen played chess at the next table, laughing at an inside joke. A young couple held hands, whispering to each other as if the rest of the world didn’t exist. A woman with a book in her lap sipped her wine, completely lost in her own universe.
“This is what life should be,” my wife said, stirring her coffee slowly. “Not rushing from one thing to the next, but really living each moment.”
A Love Affair with French Cuisine
If there was one thing we truly indulged in, it was the food. Every meal felt like an experience, carefully crafted and meant to be enjoyed.
The baguettes were crisp on the outside, soft on the inside— so simple, yet so perfect. The cheese platters were a revelation; we tasted varieties we had never even heard of, each with its own story.
We tried bouillabaisse in a little seaside restaurant in Nice, where the chef personally explained the ingredients to us. “Fresh fish, saffron, and a lot of patience,” he said with a wink.
In Paris, we had the most decadent crème brûlée, cracking the caramelized top with our spoons like excited children. And of course, the escargots— which, to my surprise, were delicious. “I never thought I’d be eating snails at this age,” I laughed. “And liking them!”
But it wasn’t just about the food itself— it was the way it was served, the way people took pride in their culinary traditions, and the way every bite told a story.
Encounters That Touched Our Hearts
Beyond the landscapes, the architecture, and the food, what truly made this trip special were the people we met along the way.
In Arles, we met an elderly bookstore owner who had been running his tiny shop for over 50 years. When he heard we were from India, he excitedly pulled out an old French translation of a Tagore poem. “Ah, Rabindranath Tagore,” he said, smiling. “A poet who understood the soul.”
In a small village in Provence, a woman selling lavender sachets at the market gifted us an extra one. “For love,” she said in French, pointing at my wife and me.
And in Paris, as we stood on the Pont des Arts, watching the Seine flow beneath us, we saw a young couple place a lock on the bridge, sealing their love in a simple yet profound gesture. My wife looked at me and smiled. “Would you put a lock here with me?” she asked.
I took her hand. “I don’t need a lock,” I said. “My heart has been yours for a lifetime.”
The Final Stroll
On our last evening, we took one final walk through the streets of Paris. The city was alive with laughter, music, and the scent of fresh pastries drifting from the bakeries.
We stopped at a quiet bench near the Luxembourg Gardens, just to take it all in one last time. “Do you think we’ll ever come back?” my wife asked.
I looked at her, the love of my life, the person I had traveled through time with, and smiled. “Maybe. Maybe not. But even if we don’t, a part of us will always be here.”
As we boarded our flight home, I realized something— France wasn’t just a place we had visited. It was an experience that had changed us, a reminder that life is meant to be savoured, love is meant to be celebrated, and time, no matter how much of it has passed, is always enough when spent together.
Read More: Thrillophilia France Reviews