Travel Diary: Tubingen, Germany | French Californian

Making Memories in Tübingen, Germany

Once upon a time, I traveled through the Black Forest region of Germany with my dear friend Katie. If you’re a long-time reader, you may remember our visit to Heidelberg and Freiburg, but there’s a third town we visited that I never actually talked about: Tübingen!

I was in the shower the other day, reminiscing about past travel memories – as one does in the shower – and remembered our comical adventure in Tübingen. It’s one of those travel experiences that was uncomfortable and anxiety-ridden in the moment, but turned into one of the best memories ever.

Read more

Following in the Footsteps of Van Gogh in Auvers-sur-Oise - French Californian

In the Footsteps of Van Gogh in Auvers sur Oise

I didn’t really know what to expect from the little village of Auvers-sur-Oise, but I did know it had something to do with Van Gogh. I thought that perhaps there would be a statue or plaque commemorating his life, but there was actually so many things to see and do. The entire day trip ended up being much more emotional and touching than I ever would have expected.

Auvers-sur-Oise is where Van Gogh died, and it’s saturated with his memory. The inn where he rented a room, the fields and village streets that he painted, his friend and physician’s home (Doctor Gachet), and even his tombstone can all be visited. We didn’t have time for everything, but standing in some of the same exact same places where Van Gogh spent his last few days on earth really brought his story to life for me. I studied Art History, so I’ve read about Van Gogh countless times, but after the 50th time, it starts to feel like fiction. After visiting Auvers-sur-Oise, I had the realization that Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings were created by a real, breathing person, and his story took on a new dimension.

Read more

The Colors of Rousillon, France via French Californian

One Hour in Roussillon

On my recent trip to Avignon in the south of France, I had the opportunity to spend 1 hour in the charming village of Roussillon nearby – that’s right, just 60 minutes in one of Provence’s most beautiful villages. Thankfully the village itself is tiny, so I was able to see lots of it during my short visit, but of course I could have spent an entire day there.

I took advantage of every single second I had in Roussillon, running around with hearts in my eyes at every turn. Everything I saw was so beautiful, so charming, so richly colorful! I flitted from here to there like a hummingbird, trying to get as many pictures as possible while still taking it all in.

The reason I had so little time in Roussillon was because my trip to Avignon only lasted 48 hours, which  meant the only way I could see some of the beautiful sites outside the city was by booking a tour. I went with a half-day minivan tour that took me to three different sites in the Luberon region of Provence: the Lavender Museum, Roussillon, and Gordes.

Read more

The Walled City of Brouage in France - French Californian

The Walled Citadel of Brouage, France

(The image above is available as a print! Buy here.)

 

Last weekend was a whirlwind adventure to the region of Poitou-Charentes. I was there primarily for the wedding of two of my closest friends, but since we had a couple extra days, we spent them exploring the surrounding area with a rental car. One of the places we explored was the walled city of Brouage.

Read more

Travel Diary: Freiburg, Germany

My friend Katie and I took a 5-day jaunt through Germany’s Black Forest region, visiting three towns: Freiburg, Heidelberg, and Tübingen. Here is an account of what we did while in Freiburg. Check back later for the other towns! 

After a few hours on the train with some pretty countryside views flashing by the window, we arrived in Freiburg. It took us a little while to get our bearings and find our accommodations for the night, which were slightly removed from the city center. I won’t bother recommending the airbnb we stayed at, since in my opinion, it was lacking. There was no wifi (GASP) and when we brought groceries home that evening to make dinner, we discovered the kitchen wasnt even equipped with a pot to boil our pasta in! After some nervous debating and creative thinking, we improvised and used the electric kettle instead… and it worked out perfectly! So take this as a lesson: if you need to cook pasta, but you don’t have a stove or a pot – just shove it into the electric kettle. ;)

But let’s backtrack to earlier that day…

Read more