Troyes, France

I’m back from France.   It was fun going somewhere other than Paris.  My first day in Troyes I wandered the streets while my friend went to school.  It’s small city and I was finished around 1pm but had to stay entertained until 5.  Fortunately, there were parks and bars to enjoy :)  Troyes is small and not touristy, there weren’t any tourist shops or any English.  There was, like every city in France, a tourist information center.  Here I was given a map with 2 1-hour long walks.  I mainly saw cute streets, churches and small museums.   I did get to walk through the Knights Templar museum.  I guess one of Templars’ meeting points was in the Troyes.  Who knew, hey?  The museum had English leaflets but I’m assuming they were translated on Google translate because it didn’t make much sense.  I ended the day with my friend and her boyfriend making dinner, playing cards, and drinking lots of French wine.

On the second and final day in Troyes, we had a lazy girls morning and then borrowed her boyfriends car, picked up her friend and his daughter and drove to the countryside of Champagne to go Champagne tasting!  We had a very detailed 2 hours tour of Chassenay d’Arce winery and then we’re given 6 types of Champagnes to try (all for free!).  When we got back to Troyes we went to a French dinner party.  (Everything was ham and cheese heavy so I ate beforehand cheapo pasta beforehand.)  It was a late dinner then we all sat around and talked.  Around 1am everyone headed out to go dancing.  I was told this was a very typical French dinner party. I woke up early the next morning and started my 14hr journey back home.

I did have a 2 hour break in Paris where I visited the famed tower.  And, can I be honest?  It was lackluster.  I’ve been to Paris twice before; at night I think the Eiffel Tower is gorgeous but during the day it was, kind of, a let down (can I say that?).  The metro stop had a very bustling outdoor market surrounding it.  I ran through it for about 10 minutes with my hugh backpack.  I didn’t see any specialized vegan foods but I did eye a lot of French bread, cheese and meats.  Then I got on the bus and we drove through northern France, Belgium and southern Netherlands.

The view when exiting my friends house.

Day 1:

My walking tour.

I decided to not edit any of my pictures.

Everything was so beautiful!

This church was very special because of the roof.

I believe it was the oldest church in Troyes and was built during a more eclectic period in French history.

The Knights Templar museum

Beer time

Day 2:

We were searching for pumpkins and founds goats and donkeys.

Don’t be fooled by the blue skies.

It 3 degrees Celsius and very windy.

Champagne tasting

Day 3:

The tower.

Since both myself and my friend are poor we mainly ate food at home.  I didn’t really venture into eating French vegan food.  I did eat lots of baguettes!