I finally returned to Besan�on last night. Exhausted and starving, I was met at the train station by my host dad. We conversed happily and exchanged stories about the week that had past since we had last seen each other. When I returned to the house, I was amazed to find myself greeted by both the mother and the daughter who were overjoyed to see me. They gushed about the “color” that had now tinted my skin a shade or two darker thanks to the sun. They asked me about the things I saw, the people I met, and the friends with which I traveled. It was a bizarre but fantastic feeling to feel as if I were at home even though my true home is over 4,000 miles away.

This past week has been filled with frustration, fun, friends, photos, and breath-taking views. We began our journey in Dijon. As many of you might know, this was the birthplace of Dijon Mustard. So, out of tradition, I picked up a jar for my mom. Dijon is tiny, historic, and filled with old French architecture. We wandered through the streets, cameras in hand, snapping shots of churches, monuments, fountains, and other historical looking artifacts. I believe that on that day, I saw more churches that I have ever seen in my life. 

However, although Dijon was the smallest of all of the places that we visited, I definitely think that we had a great deal of fun here. We arrived at the Hotel de Ville shortly after lunch, and there were many other tourists taking pictures in front of the building as well. As we waited patiently for our turn to take photos, a older Asian man approached one of the girls in our group and asked her to take a picture of him and his wife. She kindly accepted his request and snapped a photo of them standing in front of the large stone building. Then, much to our surprise, the man asked for the girl to be in a picture with him and his wife. He gestured for her to go join them. As she walked up to join them, he motioned for the rest of us to join in the photo as well. We all laughed, relishing in the humor of the moment and joined the three of them. Before we knew it, others that were in the same group of tourists as him were asking us to take pictures with them as well! It was one of the funniest and best remembered moments of the trip. 

However, that was only just the beginning. Throughout this week long journey, we met so many interesting individuals from all over the world, and each of them brought something new and exciting to the group. We visited Lyon the next day, and it was beautiful. We met two friendly American girls who were studying at a university in the city, and we also chatted with a bartender at a pub who turned out to be from Arizona! It feels like such a small world when you meet people from the same country who are out traveling, seeing the world, and experiencing a new culture. 

A few days later, we found ourselves in the south of France. The pictures do not do the place justice. It is far more beautiful than what I could have ever imagined or what anyone could have ever described to me. It was in Cannes that I tried a Kebab for the first time, and I fell in love with the clear blue water of the Mediterranean. We took a day out of our travels to visit the Iles de Lerins off the coast of France. We visited the island of Sainte Marguerite. Walking off of the boat, I had no idea what was in front of me. The island is a completely different atmosphere than the coast of France. It is heavily wooded with a strong scent of pine. There are trails all over the island and there is a large fort that once housed a prison. One of the things that I found the most interesting about the island was the fact that the man in the iron mask, one of France’s most infamous prisoners, was housed on the island for 11 years. 

After Cannes, we also spent some time in Antibes before relaxing a few days in Nice. It was nice that a lot of the locals spoke English and there were more English speaking tourists than what I had imagined. It was beautiful, but I was more than grateful to see it all come to an end. I think the number one thing that I have learned is that, when traveling, it is not about the places that you go or the things that you see, but more often, it is about the company that you keep.