Becoming a Francophiliac

We wanted to spend some time in the Alsace region of France because my partner Bonnie's ancestors immigrated from this region to the USA in the 1800s. We have also read that the villages of Alsace are well-preserved and very charming. So we chose Colmar to be our home base in order to explore the area in-depth. Exploring Alsace required a car. In France, all major train stations have car rental counters, and we discovered that the cheapest one-way rentals were from Dijon to Strasbourg ($30 per day). So we took a regional train from Lyon to Dijon, then drove from Dijon to Colmar. The total travel time was five hours and we arrived at our Home Exchange condo in Colmar by 5pm and settled in for the week.  Our condo was conveniently located five minutes from "old town" and "little Venice," the two major attractions in Colmar. We were immediately floored by small winding cobblestone streets, the beautiful half-timbered buildings, and the amazing history on display. ...

Going to France is a big deal. To really appreciate France, you shouldn't just hop on a plane to Paris and go visit the Eiffel Tower. One has to know at least a little about French culture, travel a little bit around Europe first, drink a little wine, and then perhaps work your way up to the Holy Grail of travel destinations. I didn't realize it, but I've been preparing myself for this trip of a lifetime most of my life. It all started in high school when my psychology teacher took me to see Black Moon , my first French film. I didn't understand the movie, but I immediately knew this one was different. This was an "art" film. Later, when the director's name appeared on the poster for Pretty Baby  and I intuitively became aware of what I later learned was called the " auteur theory" (a French invention). Soon I was following Louis Malle, then Francois Truffaut, Alain Resnais, and later Michel Gondry -- and I became a film geek. Then there were th...