Our first Foreign Correspondent is here! Bijal Shah, her husband, and her two daughters spent ten days traveling around France this summer. We outfitted them with a suitcase full of Tea before they left, asking them to share their adventures with us upon their return. Below is Part 3 of their adventure. Stay tuned for the rest of their story this week!
The memories that come to mind about the interesting sounds of Paris and Provence are ones that my girls found the most unusual, exciting or soothing. In Paris, they loved hearing the sirens of the emergency vehicles by and the music of the merry go round. At the train station, they learned to anticipate the whistle blowing and would prepare by covering their ears.
But it was in Provence that sounds began to really become a part of the experience. My older daughter and I snuck up to the terrace and discovered a flock of “crazy birds,” screeching and flying by the dozens over the rooftops with no purpose or pattern. We sat there mesmerized by the sound of the chaotic birds.
During the day, we heard the church bells chime on the hour and half hour. Hearing the bells was a new experience for the girls, and they enjoyed counting the rings to determine what time it was. As we left the city of Aix en Provence, we could hear the hum of the cicadas that populate Provence in the summertime.
Towards the end of our trip to Provence we drove to Avignon, the site of the papal palace. We ate gelato, people watched, and listened to French folk music while my younger daughter danced. This was a moment that we will not soon forget; it touched all of our senses.
