Victoria Louise K

There's something so quaint and tranquil about living by the sea. I grew up in the English countryside, nestled by hills, far from the sea so when I do find myself beside the sea, I make sure to make the most of it. I appreciate the ferocious waves crashing onto the shore, the gentle lapping of  calmer tides against cooling sandy beaches which beg for your hands to sieve the golden grains through them. I watch in awe as the burning sun dips below the far away sea, leaving the last final embers to burn out in the sky; casting a magical sun set over the waters. I adore drifting off to sleep hearing the rumble of waves in the distance and there's nothing more delicious than cooling down in the ocean when the heat's getting a little too much.



Yesterday Ian and I went for a bike ride along the coast, we headed down a promising path and stumbled upon this great beach.
We walked along the dunes with great views over the beach below, in search for THE perfect picnic spot! We cosied into the dunes, which protected us from the unforgiving wind and spent a gorgeous afternoon together.


There's just something about being by the sea that relaxes me. It's amazing to see the dominant power and sheer strength of the waves as they crash violently against the rocks. (The pictures below were taken in the South of England).



 On the other hand, the sea can be a mass of twinkling little flecks dancing around as the waves glitter in the distance with the sun reflecting on the surface.


When the sky is clear blue, almost mirroring the ocean itself, it makes me feel like everything's good with the world! Looking out to the ocean and only being able to see as far as the horizon, leaving the rest to the imagination is a truly beautiful way of reminding ourselves just how small we are in comparison to the earth and that all our 'little' problems really are just that...little!


I've come to realise that I am most definitely happiest by the sea; my dream is to live in a quaint little fishing village one day and eat my weight in fish and chips.

On our first day off, Ian, a few friends and I went for a walk to the nearby forest in search of the famous caves where Jewish people hid from the Nazi's. It was surreal to stand in a place where people once hid, terrified. It was a series of elaborate carvings into the stone work, leading onto room after room after room. We didn't explore it all as we were warned it's not stable and could essentially cave in. Instead we wondered as far as we dared before losing view of the light.


We found an old car which had obviously  been burnt back to its' frame many years ago. How or why it got to this resting plate, I don't think I'll ever know.


On the way back we were lucky enough to experience an amazing sunset as the sun burnt out, leaving its' dying embers blazing across the fields.



One night we walked to the nearest village for some yummy French food. So many people had recommended this restaurant, so we invited everyone and all headed there straight after work, chatting all the way whilst our bellies rumbled. We were greeted with French kisses all around then lead to our table. In a flurry of plates, starters landed in front of us, the general consensus was Frogs legs swimming in sauce, snails dripping in garlic butter, duck salad and tomato salad.



I went for the tomato salad (It had been strongly recommended to me beforehand.) I have to admit though, I was quite disappointed, it was just a plate of watery, thinly sliced tomatoes with too much balsamic vinegar. I expected an abundance of roughly chopped tomatoes, all different flavours and colours, sprinkled with seasoning and drizzled with dressing. Had I not been recommended it however, I doubt I would have expected much more.

For our main course, the majority of the table went for Poulet a la creme (Cream chicken) which again, had been highly recommended. It was served like this...


But shortly after, followed three trays full of chips which was somewhat of an unusual way of serving.

My chicken was quite dry and it was clear that the apparent 'secret' ingredient to the cream sauce was just mustard! Had my expectations not been so high, I think I would have enjoyed the food a lot more but the company more than made up for it!

The real shop stopper was the dessert!! Initially, I didn't think that I was even going to order one, until the menu was in front of me and I read 'Chocolate fondant' and I just could NOT resist! It was served with orange sorbet and chantilly cream <3

Ian chose creme brulee, which I have to admit, I was envious about because it was AMAZING!!

After just over 6 months of living in Paris, we both decided that we needed to escape the city for a while and instead opted for a new rural country setting for our next adventure. Before leaving the city of love, we had a couple of departing drinks (a pina colada for me and a beer for Ian.)
 

I'll miss Paris and will definitely return back soon. It's ideal to enjoy the city during a short break away but when you live there full-time it can get a bit much.


Our new 'home' greeted us with open arms; just what we needed! To breathe in the fresh air and calmness, you could feel the stressful remains of city life being blown away with each breath of the fresh, new air.Not far from Paris geographically but it feels a million miles away!

After leaving Paris, we both went back to England for about 2 weeks before heading down to London, where we stayed for the day and restlessly spent the night in a full-to-the-brim hostal before getting the bus back to Paris!! (The company we're working for organised the transport.) From Paris, we were picked up and driven to the countryside far from the city life we'd become accustomed to.


Unfortunately in the whirlwind of training, exams and our first few days in our new job, I forgot to take many pictures. It was amazing to see how rolling hills have replaced my surroundings of stacks and stacks of building which I became so accustomed to in Paris.

Just to put the cherry on the top, the company provided us with meals during our 2 days of training. On arrival we were served a starter or vegetable soup and croutons, followed by beef stew and mashed potato and a chocolate éclair. After 2 days of uninterrupted travelling, it's safe to say that it was more than appreciated! The next morning we were up early and had croissants and orange juice to start the day. At lunch we had baguettes filled with cheese and ham and for dinner we began with quiche lorraine and then on to pork with a delicious sauce and dauphinoise potatoes.