A Day In The Life in France

I have another guest post today! So excited to share with you one girl’s experience of living in France (as a native Canadian). I mean really, what girl doesn’t dream of at least visiting France once in her lifetime? It’s an incredible place. Meet Laura, from YummyLaura! Here is what it’s like for her on any given day in le France!

I dreamed of moving to France for 10 years. When the day finally arrived where this dream was to become my reality I was thrilled. I longed for warm spring days, sitting on patios of cafes, drinking coffee while the sun shined on my face and the roses bloomed behind me. I couldn’t wait to go to the outdoor markets everyday with my pretty dresses and heels with mon petit panier sous mon bras (my little basket under my arm), or run into the bakery every morning to pick up some fresh croissants for breakfast.

I have now lived here for 10 months and what I can definitively say about it is that it is not that different from back home in Canada. Yes there are major lifestyle differences but ultimately I’ve learned that I am me and with that, my wardrobe and my tastes and what I love to do and how I love to spend my time has not changed. The students here need to study, the workers need to work and my French reality is pretty cool even if those dreamy images are only part of it once in a while.

My typical day in France looks like this…

I wake up and eat the delicious brioche that Max’s maman prepared the night before with some tea.

I do some house chores that need to be done. You know, like clean my room or bathroom if it needs to be cleaned, maybe iron or do laundry…the usual. At this time I also get any of the projects done that I had planned for the day. Maybe this means that I alter the shirt that has needed it for a month but usually it means that I am preparing something for lunch and taking pictures of it for my blog. Nothing too French here, just blogger things.

A wonderful thing about France is long lunch breaks for all. Max has an hour and a half at lunch and he comes home, looking handsome in his suit and his father, him and I enjoy the lunch I prepared. Or if I’m lucky, we go out to a tres French restaurant to enjoy a …hamburger. Pronounced, hombairgair. Of course, wine is always part of these meals whether at home or away.

I walk Max back to work afterwards. Check out what I see on my way to drop him off! This is 800 years old and Joan of Arc even stepped foot inside!

The late afternoon is usually when I blog/edit photos/check emails/bug Max’s dad two thousand times/drink 17 cups of tea/snack on chocolate/you get the point.

On the sunny days, which are very few here in Champagne (the rain helps the Champagne grapes grow just so) I may even explore the town. I just moved to Champagne from Northern France so I have much to discover since I lack a job which occupied my time up North. I love the challenge of wanting to find something (fabric, natural health food store, etc.) and walking around the entire city to find it. The best part of these walks is the fact that I am walking beside roman buildings and beautiful gardens. French cities are for the most part kept well and they pride themselves on their city’s flowers.

At night, we eat dinner together as a family most of the time and always have dessert. This is something I nearly never had back home. Dessert, I mean.

After dinner is my favourite time in France. It may be just the city I am in, or the people I know, but there is always something great going on in the town that I find out about. People here love to enjoy their time, their music, and their friends and you can really see this if you walk in the city in the late evening. Max and I may just grab a beer or I may end up at a concert with Max’s maman. It’s always a surprise but always quality time.

On the first day of summer every French city has a music festival where there are hundreds of musicians on the streets playing at every corner. Unfortunately it was cancelled this year due to weather but the spirit was still there so all of the bars and restaurants blasted their music and there were hundreds of people around. I am not used to this type of pleasure culture back home.

The biggest differences that I find here, among the people I am with, is their enjoyment of food and alcohol. It is really a social and pleasurable experience that is focussed upon. The other one is the culture, whether it is in the architecture, the museums (which are free once a month for all), the music or the incredible history that these cities have.

You can also see how similar my life is. Really we aren’t different people living in different countries with different citizenships. Yes there are differences but we are all just people wanting to live our own unique lives, no matter where that is.

And I do go to French bakeries every day!

Sounds like a dream! Thank you so much for sharing your current corner of this beautiful world with us, Laura!

If you haven’t already, stop by YummyLaura to check out her beyond-amazing recipes/tutorials. Your mouth will be watering about three seconds in (and her adorable outfits will make you wonder, “Why am I wearing jeans and a tshirt right now?!”