I do realize that I already said that I wanted to visit Paris which is in France but I feel that France has grown on me as a whole and deserves a whole post that is outside of Paris. I have a confession to make, during this time in quarantine I have spent way too much time binge watching tv. One of the shows that I have spent multiple hours watching, yes one of them, is Reign. It follows Mary, Queen of Scots as she finds herself as queen until her unfortunate beheading. It is very much so dramatized and not accurate to the real story but nonetheless I found it entertaining.
So, you might be wondering why would I want to visit France after watching a television show about a Queen of Scotland. If you didn’t know Mary married Francis, the Dauphin of France when she was fifteen and he was fourteen. What can you do, it was the 1500s. He would later become King Francis II and sadly pass of an ear infection at the age of sixteen. Yes, again it was an ear infection. The show doesn’t follow the facts of the time about there marriage or his death but getting back to why I told you about Mary and Francis’ history, the show was set in France.
Obviously, it was a tv show and wasn’t filmed in France but it still inspired me to learn more about the history of the French monarchs. So, after going through multiple videos and websites that have filled me in on the past facts of the wild French Court, I have realized that I need to visit the castles. One castle that sadly isn’t there anymore was in the lovely port city, Calais. Chateau de Calais was actually razed to the ground when the British and French were fighting for the city. Now in its spot is the Citadel of Calais. Not only would I have to visit the Citadel, I would see the Calais Lighthouse, The Tour du Guet, Les Bourgeois de Calais, and so many other beautiful sites in this one city.
As I was writing this, I realized that I could spend weeks just in Calais and not even actually visit one castle that was mentioned in Reign. Calais was mentioned because during the time of the show, the French recaptured it from the English but that isn’t the point. This post made me realize that France not only has Paris and Calais but other amazing cities that I must also visit and you might be getting blogs about them, too.
Hi Nicole!!
Its funny, the longer I stay inside my house during this time, the more I fantasize going on vacations next time we are finally able to travel again. France is definitely on my bucket list too. I haven’t watched that show yet, but I might start soon because of all this free time.
Like you I want to travel to so many different places. I always like going to the smaller towns and villages, it always seems those are the places where you can go on an adventure. Kind of a bummer that you wouldn’t be able to visit a castle but Calais still sounds fun!
OMG I USED TO WATCH REIGN!! I binge watched it on Netflix and I found it rather entertaining myself lol. I know some friends who have visited Paris, but were a little disappointed that it didn’t quite live up to the “Paris” they had imagined. And you’re absolutely right. There is more to France than Paris! I know there are some beautiful country sides that would be amazing to explore!
I absolutely love Reign !!
I loved reading about how you’ve been able to cope with Covid – 19 through your interest in travel (and I can definitely relate to the TV bingewatching). Hopefully when the world becomes more stable everyone will be able to travel more and go to many of the places you mention in person!