France, Part 3

How We Took 15 People to France Without Losing Anyone

Part 3: Soccer, Celebrations & Sweet Dreams

By the time we returned from our first grocery shopping trip, our little castle was beginning to feel like home.

The kitchen buzzed with the sounds of pots clanging, laughter echoing through stone walls, and someone inevitably asking, “Who’s hungry?”

Our very first dinner in France wasn’t fancy.

There were no white tablecloths. No Michelin stars.

It was something much better.

It was fifteen people gathered around a table, sharing a meal after being awake for more than 24 hours.

Looking around that table, I couldn’t help but smile.

This trip wasn’t just another vacation. It was a celebration.

We were honoring two of our children who had graduated from college. We were celebrating my 50th birthday. And Lou and I were celebrating five wonderful years of marriage.

When we started dreaming about where to celebrate all of those milestones, there was one answer that kept coming back to us...

France.

Not only had it always been on our bucket list, but the FIFA Women’s World Cup was being played there that summer. For the soccer lovers in our family, it was the opportunity of a lifetime.

So after dinner, something funny happened.

Half of the castle looked like it had been hit by a sleeping spell.

The other half suddenly found a second wind.

The die-hard soccer fans proudly pulled on their jerseys, grabbed their tickets, and headed off to experience the Women’s World Cup in person.

The rest of us?

We surrendered.

After nearly 24 hours of travel, our beds won the battle. And honestly, I don’t think my head even had time to find the pillow before I was asleep.

The next morning, France greeted us a little more gently.

There was no rush.

No airports.

No luggage to drag behind us.

Just coffee, breakfast, and the slow realization that...

“We’re really here.”

Day two became our chance to settle into castle life.

We unpacked a little more, figured out where everything was, laughed over the previous day’s adventures, and simply enjoyed being together.

Later, we wandered into our little village.

There is something magical about walking through streets that have existed for hundreds of years. The pace was slower. The people were welcoming. Even the simplest moments felt special.

We visited a local museum, explored the village, and soaked in our first real taste of everyday life in France.

It wasn’t a day filled with famous landmarks.

It was something even better.

It was the beginning of feeling less like tourists...

...and a little more like temporary locals.

Looking back, I realize those quiet first days were exactly what we needed.

Before the castles.

Before Versailles.

Before Disneyland Paris.

Before birthday celebrations on the Seine.

We had this.

One castle.

One village.

Fifteen people.

And a lifetime of memories that had only just begun.

Until next time,

Pull up a chair on the porch swing...

The tea is sweet, our stories are genuine, and the journey is only just beginning.

- Caryn, Porch Swing Travels