Winter Break (& Traveling Around France With My Parents !!!)

My parents came and visited me in February for a little over a week, and it was so great to be with family after a little over a month of being away. It was also really fun to get the opportunity to drive around France with them! We spent a day exploring Normandy: Mount St. Michel and Utah and Omaha Beach, as well as the American Cemetery. My dad, who loves history and had family in the war, really enjoyed his time there (as we all did) and we got especially lucky with perfect weather.

I also got to spend a few days showing my parents around my city. I love living in Nantes, and I loved being able to show my parents around my new home. I can really see myself living here (for good?) or at least after graduation for a few years… maybe indefinitely. I really wanted to show my parents why I can see myself fitting into the life here so easily. They agreed, and loved it here (almost) as much as I do. We then went down to Bordeaux for the weekend, and stayed in the most beautiful bed and breakfast in the countryside. I spent all weekend in bliss- in the beautiful and sunny countryside drinking dry red wine.  Also because we were staying in a small town right outside the city of Bordeaux, not a lot of people spoke French and I had to translate quite a bit for my parents. It was really great practice but I didn’t realize how difficult it was to speak both languages simultaneously. Maybe being a translator isn’t in the cards for me as a future career; it might be a bit too stressful. Check out my video on what I ate and did in Bordeaux, as well as my tips on being vegan while traveling in France!

One of the best meals I’ve had! A beautiful dinner at an all vegan restaurant, BistroBio in Milan.

We returned to Nantes and my parents left the next day, and I also departed with Stephanie to Milan, Italy, and Brussels, Belgium as we both had a week off of school for winter break. We unknowingly booked our trip to Milan during fashion week, and we were swept away by all the remarkable fashion there. Milan was a beautiful melange of modern and traditional Italian culture and architecture. It also had some of the best vegan options I’d ever seen, especially while outside of the U.S.! I ate at this amazing, completely vegan restaurant called BistroBio, with local ingredients and in-season menu items- a place you must check out if you find yourself in Milan.

Belgium was next, and man was that beautiful city. The architecture and culture was so interesting as it was a perfect mix of French and Dutch. We also took a day trip to Ghent, Belgium and did as the Belgians do and sat by the canal all day in the sun. It was so, incredibly stunning. One thing I will say about my trip to Belgium is that I experienced the worst cat calling I ever had, and as a young female traveler, that always freaks me out. It is ESSENTIAL to be smart and pay attention while traveling always, but especially as a young woman. I hate that I even have to specify that, but unfortunately it’s so, so important.

Our beautiful view of the canal in Ghent, Belgium.

Our trip to Belgium was short, but we definitely saw and did a lot! Check out my blog post My Guide to Visiting Belgium in Three Days. Stay tuned for more updates on my stay in here in Europe, and follow my Instagram more frequent updates!