***Disclaimer: this post is a combined two days of my trip and is a day late! sorry for any incovenience :)

Today, my group and I traveled to Próvence, France for a two day trip, and had an amazing (one of a kind) experience. We went to a historical part of the city, painting class in the mountains of olive trees, a cute town square as well as the lavender fields.

On the first day, we went to an old village that was first ruled by Romans, with a 1,000 year old bridge! It just so happened to be market day, which meant we could have some time to shop around and eat lunch.

We went and looked at original jewelry, clothing, toys and I even found an authentic thimble for my collection back home. For lunch, I chose a ham, cheese and olive oil sandwich on a baguette. It was delicious and the bread was super fresh! For dessert, I went across the street for a fresh peach. It was so refreshing and was the perfect light dessert after a heavy sandwich.

Next, we climbed a trail in the mountains to have a painting class with a local Frenchwoman. We learned the basic techniques and painted the landscape of the gorgeous view. Although the hike was kind of tough, we made it and learned a new skill.

Finally to end the day, we visited a small square with lots of restaurants to eat from, and we chose to eat at a pizzeria//pasta place. I ordered a vegetable linguine dish and it was super fresh and filled me up very quickly. The pesto sauce was classic and had a great garlic flavor.

For dessert, we went to a great ice cream place across the square, where I ordered LAVENDER ice cream!! It tasted just like it smells, and was a great summer treat for it bring a hotter day in southern France. We had a wonderful evening and we were stuffed to the max!!

Our second day spent in Próvence consisted of a trip to the lavender fields, where the family led us on a tour of their farm, where they produce the plant for products like jam, tea, soap and candies. We learned that they have specific fields for certain products! For example, one field is dedicated for Angelina Jolie's use while another is distributed to the company Chanel, for their well known perfume "Chanel No. 5".

The lavender smelled amazing, and it made for some great pictures too! I bought lavender jam, which tastes delicious on most cookies and crackers.

To end our excursion to Próvence, we visited the Pont du Guard, a bridge built in the first century and one of France's most historic landmarks. It was remarkable to see and we even got to swim for a while underneath it, which was such a unique experience. I loved the pace of Próvence, and the scenery was incomparable to anything else I've ever seen. I definitely want to visit again and spend more time in the French country side :)

Today, my group and I left Paris, and traveled by the TGV to Lyón, France. Approximately two hours away, Lyón is the second biggest city in France, and has a slightly slower pace regarding daily life. The views were absolutely gorgeous and the food scene looked a bit different as well today!

After arriving in Lyón, we were able to grab our own lunch during free time, where I went with some friends to get pizza and pasta. We all bought a dish and ended up sharing between the four of us (which I highly recommend). It was great to have four different perspectives on each dish, and I had a fun time!

For a treat, we chose an ice cream shop further down the street. I chose two scoops in a cone, one flavored gingerbread, the other tiramisu. It was definitely good ice cream, just not the best I've ever had.

After doing a walking tour of Lyón and visiting the beautiful basilica//cathedral in the city, we travelled to the country side and had our very own cooking class. We coherently worked together to make a meal for all 53 people in our group, which was quite a challenge.

We ended up preparing a meal consisting of an Italian black rice dish, poached chicken and cream sauce and almond biscuits with vanilla custard. Yes, you read that correctly, a bunch of high school students pulled off a meal as sophisticated as this (with the help of two very talented chefs obviously)!!

I learned lots about cooking during the lesson and thought the dinner was delicious because it was such a rewarding feeling to have accomplished such a big task preparing and serving the dish to everyone in the group.

I had such a good time learning about cooking the right way, and I can't wait to serve these recipes to my family and friends when I come home from my trip :)

*Disclaimer: this was posted a day late due to lack of phone coverage in Lyón... whoops!

Today was a great ending to a beautiful start in my food journey. I have enjoyed all of the sights, the people, the culture and, of course, the food!

The day started with a market challenge, where each group in my tour had 15€ to spend on a section of our lunch. My group had vegetables, which was tricky because we had to choose certain veggies that didn't need a utensil in order to prepare. We ended up bargaining and getting good prices on arugula, baby tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans and carrots.

Our lunch was distribuded between all 53 of us in a beautiful square area, not far from the Louvre. I made myself a tiny sandwich with ham and cheese, strawberries and a puff dessert. It tasted delicious and was some of the best street food I've had.

We spent the day at the Louvre, where we were able to make it through Roman & Greek antiques, French & Italian paintings, and obviously, the Mona Lisa was a check offf of our list!

We also climbed up the Montparnasse Tower, which gave us a 360 degree view of Paris, including the Eiffel Tower! It was incredible and such a beautiful view to stare at for an hour.

Dinner consisted of eating in a local Parisian family's home and my group had the sweetest couple serve us a fantastic dinner! Pierre and Odile were our hosts, and served us pea soup, salad, a tomato/ground beef/cheese/potato "French lasagna" type dish and rice pudding & a mixed berry sauce for dessert.

wow! What an amazing second day in beautiful Paris (even when it rained during our tour). I got to see many of the famous landmarks the the. it's is known for, and even got to have lunch right by the Palace of Versailles.

The day started off with a bus tour around the many landmarks Paris is known for, such as, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, arc de Triomph, the fountain from "The Devil Wears Prada", the smallest house of Paris, the National Assembly, Norte Dame (again) and so much more!

Next, we headed to the Palaceo f Versailles, where some girls and I found a fancy restaurant with an interesting background. The restaurant, Au Chapeau Gris, was built in 1874, making it 143 years old!! Their menu told the story of how it used to serve people coming to Versailles to visit the palace and do business, but stopping (in their carriages) for good food to eat.

We all ended up ordering delicious serloin with a side of baked potatoes and parsley. It was a memorable meal I will most definitely not forget! The story we found made it all the more authentic, and the Palace of Versailles was breathtakingly beautiful.

In the evening, we had delicious chocolate tart, and it was some of the best chocolate dessert I've ever had (I even got a second slice from a friend that didn't like it)!

My grouo finished off the day with a remarkable Sine River cruise that lasted about an hour, pointing out the sights of Paris from the water. I took amazing pictures of the Eiffel Tower, and even got to see the restaurant that inspired the Disney film "Ratatouille".

The day itself was remarkable and the food I tasted gave me such an outlook into the culture of France, and I am so happy to be emersing myself into the city of Paris :)

I cannot believe I am sitting in the heart of France, with beautiful surroundings and delicious food all around for me to enjoy!! Today was my first official day of my trip to France & Italy, and it could not have been any better! (well minus the downpour of rain)

We started off the day with a small tour of parts in Paris, with a stop at the Norte Dame Cathedral and St. Michael's in the Latin Quarter. My group of girls and I found a super nice place for lunch and shopped around for a bit, looking at all of the Parisian fashion (which is surprisingly similar to some American clothing).

Then, we found an awesome little macaroon and chocolate shop, and I chose a set of seven different flavored macaroons. Consisting of vanilla, rose, chocolate, coffee, raspberry, lemon and citrus, the new treat easily became one of my favorite desserts!

Today was was such a great start to my trip, and I am looking forward to everything that's coming next on this journey of experiencing new foods and adventures!!

Keep looking on the blog for (hopefully) daily updates of my trip :)