June 2018
The Outremer Factory is located in the South of France, so from the U.S. we can fly into Paris or Barcelona and then journey on from there. We chose to stay in Paris for a week and celebrated our 30th Wedding Anniversary.
To prepare for our trip we took French lessons for several months tutored by Audrey, a good friend who is from France and now lives with us. She prepared us for the things we'd need to say to order in a restaurant, get directions, and engage with the storekeepers. We had fun practicing and connecting in ways we wouldn't have otherwise, because we were trying. Plus, everyone was so nice and helped us out.
We enjoyed walking all over Paris and most days we trekked up to 8 miles. The highlights of our trip were: having tea on the Louvre grounds, enjoying the museums, a trip out to Monet's house and gardens, a Dinner Cruise on the Seine, and a trip up the Eiffel Tower.
Our favorite night was Saturday when we stopped at the little shops for champagne, cheese, salami, bread, fruit and veggies. We took our picnic to the bank of the Seine and sat on the edge with the locals, who played music and gathered with their friends and family all around us. It was magical!
After a memorable few days in Paris we were ready to journey on for Outremer Week...