France 2026 - A Time to Reflect

This post may be similar to others I wrote a few weeks ago. However, this time I was able to reflect on and process what I experienced just a little more deeply. I am grateful beyond measure.

“ Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men (and I’m adding women) and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime. ”

– Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad

I think I get this quote from M.T., or at least I do a little bit in how I value travel over other “things.”

France 2026 has been under a heat dome since at least mid-May. It was 95 degrees in Nîmes upon my arrival on May 21st, and it is still reading that temperature today, June 30th. Relief is minimal since A/C is not standard but is getting more popular in newer buildings, of course. I was lucky to have a split in my studio apartment, even though the building is 300+ years old. It’s amazing how much updating has been done to the ancient city center and more.

One good thing, even with the temps so high (at least in France while I was there), was that the humidity was down. I can march to the beat of my own crazy drum in any kind of weather, even when the thermometer is stuck between 90-95 degrees F.

Mornings were best to march around the city ring, as it was a bit cooler.

Most mornings, while much of the city slept after another night of Feria festivities, I wandered beneath the shade of towering trees and found myself stopping—again and again—to marvel at architecture that has stood for nearly 2,000 years.

I took deep breaths.

I lingered some.

I tried to imagine the Romans, especially the women, who once walked these very same streets. What were they wearing? What conversations drifted through the air? What aromas floated from kitchens and bakeries? How different were their hopes and dreams from ours today?

In Nîmes, France, the streets shine with bright colors. I think that’s why I love it so much.

The city primarily features stark white and brilliant pale limestone, perfectly complemented by warm, earthy terracotta on rooftops. I was able to take it all in from our third-floor apartment, especially the reddish terracotta rooftops overlooking a fabulous Italian restaurant!

Dare I mention the stunning sunsets over those same terracotta roofs? Lovely!

Most of the South of France has that similar coloring that makes its older buildings and landmarks distinct yet different among the hamlets and villages in Languedoc and Provence regions.

Perhaps that’s one of the greatest lessons travel keeps teaching me. We don’t always get perfect weather, perfect timing, or perfect conditions. This trip happened to coincide with this relentless heat dome (still going), but it also brought these delicious quiet morning walks, colorful streets, centuries-old buildings, Roman ingenuity, wonderful friends, and memories I’ll treasure for years to come.

Standing in Nîmes, I realized I wasn’t simply looking at history—I was standing in it. The Arena, the Maison Carrée, the ancient stones beneath my feet - watch out because you can fall from all the unevenness, and the warm limestone glowing in the southern French sunshine. Those stones and the grand coliseum have witnessed thousands of seasons, countless generations, celebrations, hardships, and ordinary days. The people and languages have changed. The storefronts have changed. And yet, so much of the view remains remarkably the same. That thought stopped me in my tracks more than once. The Nîmes Triathlon comes to mind, since at the end of the race gladiators guarded the path to the finish line.

Stunning backdrop!

Yes, it was hot. Really hot. But somehow the blazing sunshine only made the pale limestone brighter, the terracotta rooftops richer, and the city’s timeless beauty even more striking. Nîmes has a way of reminding me that history isn’t locked away in museums or dusty textbooks. It lives in the streets, the architecture, the cafés, and the people who continue to call this remarkable place home.

Some destinations entertain us. Others change the way we see the world. For me, Nîmes does both. Every visit leaves me a little more curious, a little more grateful, and a little more convinced that some places don’t simply capture your heart—they quietly become a part of it.

A shout-out to my hubby Bill and fellow writers Katy Dalgliesh and Dave Vance for their presence and good humor while walking 5-8 miles a day in Nîmes and in other towns and villages reached by train. All the above with smiles on our faces!

Photos: 1 & 2 - Staircase in our Nîmes building; 3 - Bill created an AI image from an early morning sunrise; 4 - quiet street in Nîmes; 5 - The Jardins (gardens of Nîmes); 6 - flowerful windowsills; 7 - Bill at his all-time favorite coffee shop - Columbus (a sort of chain in France); 8 - our gang of 5 in LONG shadow (Bill, Dave Vance, me, Allison Towe and Katy D.); 9- pink sunset outside our window

bSoleille!

Terri