A Day in Paris!

Bonjour! Back in June, I spent a night in Paris before I had to catch my flight back to the U.S. for the summer. Although I've been to the French capital countless of times, I always looked forward to going there, even if for a brief amount of time. This time, I only had an …

Destination: Paris, France (Spring Break 2018 Edition– Part 3)

Bonjour! Here's the final installment of my holidays in Paris this past April vacation. Following the day in the Montmartre/Concorde districts, I had the day to myself afterwards, as my parents were gone on an all-day excursion to le Mont Saint-Michel. That said, I took full advantage of it, seeing as many of the places …

Destination: Paris, France (Spring Break 2018 Edition– Part 2)

Bonjour! Following up to Part 1 of my spring break in Paris, I'm continuing with the next two days of my time spent in the French capital. As I'd discussed in my previous post, I spent a week in Paris with my parents as a *semi-spontaneous* trip, and here's a recap of my time visiting …

Destination: Paris, France (Spring Break 2018 Edition– Part 1)

Bonjour! Having just returned from my *much-needed* week off, I wanted to recap what I did (rather, where I went) over spring break. As I'd mentioned in yesterday's post, I went to Paris for the week. Truth be told, I originally didn't plan on going anywhere too far from where I'm living (near Lyon), but …

Back from Vacation!

Hello, all! After about a week off, I've finally returned! Considering that I had time off from work, I decided to actually go somewhere. Especially when I had such a miserable time staying home during my February vacation, getting out of town was such a refreshing experience-- it has also helped re-center myself, even rejuvenating …

Destination: Paris, France (2018– Part 2)

Bonjour! Following my morning's visit of Paris, I decided to get lunch near rue Mouffetard, one of the lively streets near the Latin Quarter. Of all things that I could've eaten for lunch, I chose Korean food, namely because I really missed it. Although I didn't have high expectations for Korean cuisine in France, I'd …

Destination: Paris, France (2018 Edition– Part 1)

Bonjour! After my trip to Italy and Spain over the Christmas holidays with my family, I returned to France to ring in the New Year with some of my close friends in my small city. It was only a few days later that I decided to jet off again, as I didn't want to waste …

A Half-Day in Paris!

Bonjour! Really, it's crazy to believe that I've been in France for almost two months, and I've yet to recount my time in detail since living here. While I have yet to go on an actual trip (namely, because I'm a bit tight on money now), I can at least recount some of the places …

5 Destinations in Europe for First-Time Travelers!

Greetings, bloggers! For people who've never been to Europe before, choosing where to go can be a daunting task. In addition, you might not know just how to plan for the trip, e.g. timing, accommodation, transport, budget, etc. Have no fear, though: as someone who has traveled extensively throughout the continent, I'm here to offer …

Bastille Day!

Bastille Day in France!

The Finicky Cynic

Bonjour, mes amis!

I know that I’m currently in the middle of recounting my adventures while traveling in Asia this summer (if you haven’t been reading them, you can start here). But I would like to take a break to reflect on a special day today for France, as it is Bastille Day, aka “le 14 juillet”or “la fête nationale”for the prominent European country.

As you know from history textbooks, Bastille Dayis a national holiday that commemorates the storming of the Bastille, a prison-fortress in Paris, back on July 14, 1789. The event was a reaction towards thepeople’s unhappiness with the French monarchy, then under the rule of Louis XVI and his queen, the famous Marie Antoinette. French citizens gathered outside of the prison-fortress, demanding its surrender, as it was a symbol of monarchic tyranny. Cannon shots were fired, attackers were killed by the…

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