Summer in France

I've been itching to travel overseas since last year but Covid got in the way, which led me to

cancel our international trip 3 times. Anyway, back in early June 2021, some of the European countries such as Greece, Italy, and Croatia welcomed vaccinated American travelers to visit without being quarantined. I started to plan our summer in Croatia since we had never been there before. However, France announced later in the week that they were open for vaccinated U.S tourists starting on June 9 with no quarantine. We needed to escape the Arizona heat, so France became our final choice!

If you plan to visit France amid COVID-19, please be sure to check on the French government website to see if your country is on the list to enter with some restrictions and requirements. Please visit https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/coming-to-france/coronavirus-advice-for-foreign-nationals-in-france/

Note: Only vaccines authorized by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) will be accepted to enter France, i.e. Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson (Jassen). Masks are required to be worn only indoors. - July 18, 2021.

Why France? To be honest, we never got to explore (real) France outside Paris. I always saw stunning pictures of the French countryside and some cities in France that are so pretty through Travel’s Leisure and Conde Nast Traveler. I researched through some knowledgeable sources planned this entire trip by myself and convinced my husband that we have to give France a second chance :) Why a second chance? Umm… our last visit to Paris left us with unpleasant experiences. The gypsies outside of the Lourve museum harassed me, and the Parisian attitude was killing us softly. With that being said 5 years later, C’est La Vie! we returned to explore France for a month and mainly to enjoy the food, wine, and scenery!

Strasbourg, France

The journey began! We masked up on the plane from the U.S. to Paris. Damn, Pardon my language. There is no exception if you paid for first/business class tickets. We hated it but put up with it. Arrived at Paris CDG airport and went straight to TGV high-speed train at terminal 2 to Strasbourg (Capital of Alsace), east of France (2 hrs duration by TGV). It was a long traveling day for us.

Arrived in the charming and picturesque city of Strasbourg. We stayed for 5 nights in the Kleber area. Strasbourg is the capital city of the Grand Est region, formerly Alsace, in northeastern France. It's also the formal seat of the European Parliament and sits near the German border, with culture and architecture blending German and French influences.

We were struggling with jet lag. In the early morning of June 26, 2021, for the first time, I experienced an earthquake! Our bed was shaking which woke us up. Later on, we found out from the front desk at the hotel that it was a magnitude 3.9 earthquake, and checked on us to see if everything was alright. We were fine but wow an earthquake in Strasbourg!

My best highlight of The Alsace Region is the Petite France! It’s Strasbourg’s most picturesque and visited area. We also took a 45-minute train ride to Colmar. I truly adore the numerous timbered houses that were so well preserved and the cobblestone alleys. So very pretty! It’s like I’m walking through a fairytale village. I also learned that Strasbourg is the oldest and best Christmas market in France! If you’re planning to visit Strasbourg in December, this is “The destination you shouldn’t miss!”. I mean how could you miss this place even if you’re in the summer.. We soaked it all in during our recent visit to this picturesque city which bounced between French and German ownership over the last four centuries. We fell in love with Strasbourg’s charms as highlighted in our Strasbourg photos and we fell even harder for the Strasbourg food and wine.