France

Visited: July 1991, August 2004, August 2023, August 2024

Duration of visit: 33 days

Capital city: Paris

Population: 68.50 million (2024)

Estimated reading time: 20 minutes

• Lost in Paris when walking to Tour de Eiffel and in search of Versailles.
• Camping Saint Michele and spectacular fireworks in Menton.
• The picturesque scenery of sunflower fields in South France.
• Walking around the tidal island Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy.
• Practicing mindfulness and the art of mindful living at Buddhist practice center in Plum Village.
• Visiting Olympic Games Paris 2024 and being able to attend the competitions in beach volleyball and athletics.

France has been the most visited country in the world since the 1990s. The country has something to charm every type of traveler: breathtaking natural sites, cities with culture and cuisine for most tastes, historic villages, wonderful beaches, islands and even overseas territories that are mostly located in the most idyllic parts of the world.

My admiration for France, its citizens, and its rich history is far from being fantastic.

The primary cause for this lack of fascination is that during my second visit to Paris, when I was only 20 years old, I was attacked at a train station with the clear intention of being robbed.

Out of so many places and countries that I have visited, this is the worst experience I have had regarding my security, even 30 years later.

I visited France as a backpacker hitchhiking around Western Europe in 1991, using Interrail train connections in 1992, by private vehicle in 2004, various times on business trips in the period from 2010 to 2013, participating in mindfulness retreats in 2023 and 2024 and attending the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024.

My first backpacking trip around Europe somehow started for real in Italy, during the summer holidays 1991. Slovenia has just become an independent country, I had some savings, Europe was opening in front of my eyes. I was hitchhiking around Western Europe with my friend Andrey, stopping at some mayor cities of Italy, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland.

After visiting Milan and Genoa in Italy, France was the next country on our itinerary. We spent the last night on the Italian side in a campground outside of Ventimiglia and got a lift to the last beach before the French border.  We decided to walk through the tunnel which connects to Menton on the other side of the border. The long walk through a loud and poorly ventilated tunnel was interrupted when a French police brigade pulled up next to me.

The policeman opened the door of their van and invited us to enter, indicating that walking through the tunnel was forbidden and dangerous.

Driving in a cooled police van was a real relief, but only until the end of the tunnel. As soon as we drove out of the tunnel again, we were kindly dropped off at the side of the road and forced to walk the rest of the way to the town of Menton.

Menton is a pleasant town on the French Riviera in southeast France, known for beaches, gardens and the old town, lined with tight cobblestone streets and plazas adorned with Baroque charm. A variety of stores and eateries bring life to the yellow-washed buildings of this historic city, which are sprinkled with Italian influences.

Our plan was to stay at Campsite St. Michel, located high on the hill above the coastline. To reach the campsite, a difficult uphill walk, which was not easy with a backpack on my shoulder, was necessary.

There were two incredible situations in Menton that I would remember for the rest of my life.

The first were the fireworks that happened on at night. I don’t know exactly what was the cause of the most incredible fireworks I have seen in my life, at The Sablettes Beach. Nevertheless, the length, size, colors and harmony of illuminations caused by pyrotechnics were just incredible, lasting well over 30 minutes.

The second memorable event was an encounter with Menton police (gendarmerie). While walking around the downtown of Menton I was lost and asked the younger of the three law enforcement officers for help with directions on the way to the campsite Camping St. Michel. He thought for a while, and then, clueless about the right answer, he asked the experienced buddies for help.

They both stared at the map of Menton and its surroundings, on which my campsite was clearly marked. After a few minutes of debate, analysis and exchange of opinions, the older policeman turned to me, handed me back the map and said firmly:

“No Camping Saint Michel!”

He walked off into the night.

My friend Andrey and I just shrugged our shoulders, found our way to Camping Saint Michel asking other people and spent days laughing at the policeman’s answer that the campsite didn’t exist.

From Menton on, we had only Paris in mind and how to find the fastest way to reach the City of Love.

Following two days of hitchhiking, we reached the French capital during the late hours of the night. The last driver who offered us a lift, brought us almost the entire way from Lyon – 450 kilometers. At the end he rewarded us with incredible kindness. He dropped us off right in front of the campsite reception at 1:00am. The camp was already closed, but we still found a place for a tent and slept peacefully until the next morning, when we registered.

The next morning, on the way to the toilets, I spotted The Eiffel Tower for the first time, though in the far distance.

“The Eiffel Tower is visible from all parts of Paris at any time. We will walk there, since our budget is limited,” was the suggestion of Andrey, which I happily accepted.

We soon rejected the thesis that the mighty tower is visible from everywhere, as we lost sight of it several times. After more than an hour and a half of walking, it seemed that the distance had not decreased at all. The famous tower still appeared far from us.

I was becoming skeptical, but we continued walking. An hour later the roads and streets started to appear familiar to me, as if I had seen them before. And then we saw the sign for our camping.

A new opportunity to laugh and make fun of ourselves, when we realized that we had been walking in circles for the last two hours, without realizing it.

We continued to the nearest metro station and took the train to Champ de Mars.

The Eiffel Tower, named after the engineer whose company designed and built it in less than two years (1887-1889), is a 380 meters tall wrought-iron lattice tower. Still the tallest structure in Paris also became the tallest human-made structure in the world and held the title until 1930, when the Chrysler Building in New York City was finished.

The most famous Paris landmark stands as a symbol of ingenuity and modernity. From the moment of creation, the ultimate symbol of Paris offers three levels to visitors from all around the world. At the beginning all of them were accessible only by stairs, until later the elevators were installed to facilitate access to the higher platforms.

Approaching the center of Paris and climbing the Eiffel Tower was undoubtedly the highlight of the trip for two young students from Slovenia.

The next day we visited the Louvre Museum and the Cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris. After a few minutes in the Louvre, I quickly realized that a detailed tour of the museum would be too much, so I looked for the shortest way to locate the Mona Lisa picture, and later devoted myself to the section with pre-Columbian remains of Central American civilizations.

The Cathedral of Notre-Dame on an island in the River Seine called Île de la Cité, is considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture, constructed between the 12^th and 14^th centuries. The two towers of Notre Dame seem to be mirror images of each other and perfectly balanced. Yet, a closer look reveals a slight difference in size between the tower facing north and the one facing south.

The inscription Point zero des routes de Paris, dating back to 1924, is carved into a metal plate and set into the cobblestones near the Cathedral. This spot serves as the starting point for calculating distances from other cities to Paris.

I continued walking along the River Seine to appreciate various historical buildings, monumental bridges, Place de la Concorde and along the upscale Champs-Élysées reached Arc de Triomphe.

Another interesting story was the (non)visit of the Palace of Versailles.

In the early 1990s, it was common to avoid paying for metro or train rides in Paris. You only needed to have enough courage to jump over the approximately 70-centimeter-high barrier at the gate and quickly walk to the platform, where the guards couldn’t see you anymore.

As young, brave and impoverished travelers, we quickly adopted the habits of many locals, saving money by avoiding to purchase tickets.

We also chose a similar tactic of cheating for the trip to Versailles. We traveled by the so-called RER, a hybrid of commuter rail and rapid transit system, on which controls were more frequent. When seeing inspectors in the carriage we got off the train immediately and waited for another one.

We were travelling for almost three hours until we found out that the route of our lane was in a circle, surrounding Paris. In the meantime, we had already passed by Versailles several times.

When we finally got off at the right station, it was already too late to visit the Palace of Versailles. At the entrance for the Gardens of Versailles, I manage to convince the security guard due to the late hour, to allow us to enter for free and have a quick look at the wonderful gardens, created and nurtured by King Louis XIV since 1661 and later extended to their present dimensions by his descendants.

In 2004, I travelled by car from Slovenia to Spain, visiting Italy, Switzerland, France and Andorra on the way. A recently purchased second-hand Renault Megane was the main mean of transport, while camping was the most common way to spend the nights, beside staying at friends’ houses in Alicante and Nantes.

My budget was higher than in 1991, I was better prepared and knowledgeable about landmarks, inexpensive campgrounds and equipped to cook my own food on a portable gas stove. I didn’t stop in Paris during the trip, but rather focused on unknown areas, not previously explored by me.

I soon realized that toll motorways in France are superb, but also very expensive.

I deviated to the free motorways, that might be slightly curvier and often interrupted by roundabouts, but the travelling time doesn’t increase much and easily justifies the savings of money.

My first important stop was the tidal island of Mont Saint-Michel, one of France’s most stunning sights. Located in the midst of vast sandbanks, exposed to powerful tides between Normandy and Brittany, a Gothic-style Benedictine abbey founded in 966, conserves some vestiges of the Romanesque period.

During high tide, the Mont Saint-Michel appears surreal, as though it was hovering above the water. The right light and angle in the late afternoon create a mirror reflection, perfect for a postcard or Instagram photo. Low tide is just as interesting, surrounding the commune with sand, allowing me to walk around its perimeter and observe it from a different vantage point.

Interesting enough, receiving over 2 million of visitors every year, the Mont Saint-Michel isn’t a fabricated tourist destination. It still offers home to 44 residents of the Abbey, mainly monks and nuns.

There are many things to see and do on the island, including museums, churches and of course, the spectacular Abbey perched on top. One of the downsides of the visit was an enormous agglomeration of people. All of us were trying to make a good photo or get a good view.

A theme park called Parc du Futuroscope is built around multimedia, audiovisual and cinematographic techniques. It features a number of 3D and a few 4D theaters as well as simulators that can transport you to a different dimension, time, location, or perspective. You can also explore an underwater world, a tiny microscopic world, or the inside of a spider’s web.

I experimented with futuristic food, robots, and magic mirrors, among other technological innovations. One of the most popular theme parks in France, Futuroscope is the only one of its kind in Europe.

In total, there are about twenty main attractions. The park features cutting-edge multimedia, film, and technology attractions. Every big building has a distinct shape and presents various performances.

The Château de Chambord stands out among the world’s top castles due to its unique blend of classic forms of medieval France with the elegance of Renaissance design. Chambord is the biggest château in the Loire Valley, originally constructed as a hunting retreat for King Francis I, who also had residences at the Château de Blois and Amboise.

The building project began under the young king François I in the 16^th century and was finished in mid-17^th century during the reign of Louis XIV, who restored and furnished the royal apartments and added a 1,200-horse stable.

A standout feature is the magnificent open double-spiral staircase that is the centerpiece of the château. The castle is a display of luxury, with 426 rooms, 83 staircases and 282 fireplaces.

About 60 of these grand rooms are open to the public, showcasing an impressive collection of over 4,500 art pieces. The Château de Chambord park is as expansive as the inner city of Paris. It is the largest private park in Europe, spreading over an area of 5,440 hectares.

On the way from Chambord to Orleans the car suddenly started losing the power and I was forced to stop in the emergency lane on the motorway. Luckily, the unexpected event occurred just before the exit, nearby populated area.

Soon, I noticed a mechanic’s workshop in the vicinity, to which I was able to walk in 15 minutes. I explained what had happened to the mechanic, who did not understand a word of English. After the long detour my car was loaded by flatbed tow truck and transported to the workshop, while I temporarily set up my tent in a nearby camp.

The next morning, the mechanic gave me the good news that the oil pump had been replaced and the car was fixed. Despite the outrageously high price, I was satisfied to be able to continue my journey towards Switzerland and later drive home without any problems.

Plum Village, near Bordeaux in southwest France, is the first monastic community founded by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) in the West. This is the place where his and Martin Luther King Jr’s dream of building a Beloved Community came through.

The main goal of the community is creating a healthy and nourishing environment where people can learn the art of living in harmony with one another and with the Earth.

My partner has been active in mindfulness and meditation for years, and in 2022 she participated in a week retreat in Plum Village for the first time. She wanted to extend the experience of the program, activities and effect to the whole family. Therefore, in the summer of 2023 we as a family took part in a special camp intended for families, kids and teens.

At Plum Village, we incorporated mindfulness into every aspect of our daily activities, teaching ourselves to be aware while eat, walk, work, or simply sip tea together. The retreat offered us a chance to experience uncomplicated, contented living, while cultivating the energy of mindfulness for a more free, peaceful and joyful life.

We were eating vegan food, meeting monks, nuns and people from all over the world and exchanging our stories in natural environment surrounded by plum and sunflower plantations. We were sleeping in tents, using common bathrooms, helping the community and participating in organized activities.

We participated in additional retreat in 2024.

It was easy and logical to combine the retreat at Plum Village in southern France with the Olympic Games in Paris.

All accommodation options in Paris were prohibitively expensive during the main event and, since we were already carrying camping equipment from Plum Village, the most suitable option was camping. We settled down in a campground in the rural area of Attichy, an hour drive north of the capital. Every morning we drove to the area of Blanc-Mesnil in Paris, where, by chance, I found a free public parking lot and easy connection by RER to the city center.

Paris hosts the Olympic Games for the third time, after doing so in 1900 and 1924.

The Olympic Games are the most important event in the world and when the sport venues are matched with the most famous landmarks of one of the most iconic cities, the result is astonishing.

Paris changed drastically during the Olympics. Prices inflated, many roads and streets around sport venues were closed to traffic, presence of security forces was visible on every step, thousands of volunteers were helping with advice at train and metro stations. The atmosphere was vibrant and cheerful.

I managed to buy tickets at reasonable price for two sport events that I thought would be memorable for us.

Athletics at Stade de France offered a remarkable sport competition of the best athletes in front of 80,000 people. The best part was that there were no barriers between different sections of the stadium. I was able to walk freely to the areas with the best view and ended close to the finish line, when the final male competition on 10,000 meters was taking place.

Additionally, I also had a chance to spot some athletes in the warm-up facilities from up close.

The beach volley competition at Champ de Mars, where the temporary Eiffel Tower Stadium was mounted. Located at the foot of the Eiffel Tower in the center of Paris, The Stadium was unanimously declared the most scenic venue with the magical background of the Eiffel Tower.

The Olympic Games’ concept to transform the city’s iconic landmarks into sporting arenas and set the stage for great sporting moments against a backdrop of Paris’s magnificent monuments was best expressed here.

Additionally, in front of the Palace of Versailles, we also watched the men’s road cycling race for the title of Olympic champion. Accompanied by police officers on motorbikes and escort vehicles, the contestants drove along a winding road past the main entrance to The Palace. The colorful background and visibility of Versailles added to the splendor of the magnificent race.

The rest of the time during the Olympic Games was used to appreciate some of the most recognized landmarks of Paris. This time I visited the Versailles Palace and Gardens properly.

Walking around various courtyards, rooms, and wings of the majestic Palace, I was able to appreciate the legacy of one of the foremost achievements of 17^th century French art. Since 1979, the Palace of Versailles has been recognized as a World Heritage site. Originally a hunting lodge for Louis XIII, it was transformed and expanded by his son, Louis XIV, who relocated the Court and government there in 1682. Successive kings further adorned the Palace right up until the French Revolution.

In 1661, Louis XIV renovated the gardens of Versailles, which he regarded as equally significant as the Palace itself. Spanning around 800 hectares, the gardens feature the classic French formal garden style.

Alongside the precisely manicured lawns, parterres, and sculptures, numerous fountains are strategically placed throughout the landscape, playing a crucial role in the unique charm of the gardens of Versailles.

These fountains, dating back to the era of Louis XIV, still use much of the hydraulic system from the Ancien Régime. To preserve the original layout, the gardens require complete replanting approximately every hundred years.

The historical district along the Seine River in the city center has also been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I observed the most famous museums only form outside: The Louvre, the most-visited art museum in the world; The Musee d’Orsay, noted for the collections of French Impressionist art; Centre Pompidou impressed me by the perfect video animation on the front of the facade.

One of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture, built during the medieval era, The Cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris was still under reconstruction after the fire in 2019, which caused serious damage. The wooden stairs in front of the main entrance spiced up the limited view of the exterior, but at the same time they offer a pleasant place to pause during a walk around the city, which can be tiring due to high summer temperatures.

We walked along The Avenue des Champs-Élysées for window-shopping in some of the most luxurious shops, tasted croissant and drunk coffee in a cafeteria, before reaching Place Charles de Gaulle in the west, where Arc de Triomphe is located.

If there was a place where the crowd was too large and uncomfortable, it was around the famous hilltop church in the Montmartre area, where the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur stands. Famous for its artistic heritage, Montmartre provides the distinctive village atmosphere characterized by steep, winding and cobbled street, gardens, even vineyards, grocery stores and cafes or touristic restaurants.

The area is famous for former artists’ studios, eclectic galleries, bistro terraces and a rather recent acquisition, Wall of love, on which the phrase I love you is featured 311 times in 250 languages.

I took advantage of the light traffic on Sunday to drive directly from our campground to the modern area of La Défense – Europe’s largest purpose-built business district.

Located 3 kilometers west of the borders of Paris city, La Défense offers work to 180.000 employees, who were not there during my weekend visit. Although the area was rather empty and only few vehicles were circulating, it was worthwhile to visit.

Tens of futuristic skyscrapers and buildings belonging to the top companies in the world, shopping mall Quatre Temps and the main landmark Grande Arche de la Défense represent the future of Paris. Inaugurated in 1989, 110 meters tall Arche, made of marble and granite, covered with glass, is shaped like a huge empty cube and somehow represents a modern reflection of Arc de Triomphe, visible 5 kilometers toward southeast.

France is the most visited country in the world.

I never really felt in love with it, even though I have been visiting it constantly; as a backpacker, for business or with my family.

I even learned French for easier communication, but somehow there is always the unpleasant memory of an intent of robbery at broad daylight at a railway station in Paris in 1991. I injured my ankle while running away and had to interrupt my trip, returning immediately to my homeland.

I visited the spectacular vineyards with stone houses and cellars in the south, fashionable beaches of Nice, a tidal island of Mont Saint-Michel, the biggest château in the Loire Valley, but it wasn’t until 2024, when an Olympic encounter in Paris rekindled the enthusiasm for this wonderful country.

France has been going through some difficult times in political and security aspects recently. Immigration, religious and race issues have been destabilizing one of the European superpowers, while high inflation and overcrowded popular destinations might demotivate visitors to travel to this country during the high season.

France is not only Paris and there are many other regions, activities or opportunities to keep returning to the country that gave the world some of the most famous sportsmen, remarkable political leaders, ambitious kings and bold inventions.