As a native French (Canadian) speaker from the New World, going to France might seem like a natural fit since we speak the same language — but in reality, it’s a different language altogether. Over the years I’ve dealt with France French people who often struggle to understand us, and I know for a fact they’ll usually revert to English the moment they don’t. So imagine my surprise when only one single person gave me that treatment this time.
France is known worldwide for its food, but especially for its croissants, and I was definitely not disappointed. I had the best croissant of my life there — it took over first place instantly, no ifs, no buts.
Our trip began in Carcassonne, then continued to Marseille, Nice, and Monaco. We only spent half a day in Monaco and didn’t eat anything there, so we’ll skip it.
Carcassone
Carcassonne, the medieval city, isn’t exactly known for its food culture, but I did find one gem! We stopped for pizza, and the lady offered the kids the local cola, Carcacola. It’s somewhat similar to Coke, but without caffeine, with notes of citrus and a blend of plant extracts. It’s genuinely good, and as far as I know, it’s only available there.
I’ll admit, sipping it inside the walls of the medieval city felt quite magical.
The following morning, I told the guys we had to grab a quick breakfast before heading to Marseille. I’d spotted a nice bakery just 8 minutes from our hotel. They complained a little about the walk, but the moment we arrived, the complaints stopped instantly.
We’d found Boulangerie–Pâtisserie Papineau, and I wanted to buy every pastry in sight. I settled on a plain croissant and a suisse au chocolat — the best I’ve ever had in my entire life! The kids were unanimous too: it was amazing. We also grabbed a baguette to go, and that was outstanding as well. At 1.50 euros, it beats any bread I’ve had back in Quebec.
Marseille
We almost didn’t get to see Marseille, thanks to SNCF cancelling our trains. Every other train was full that day, so we ended up renting a car instead. I had a long list of things to buy and taste, but we arrived too late to get through it all.
Bouillabaisse topped that list, along with two restaurants I’d had my eye on — but my kids couldn’t find anything on the menu they wanted, so that plan fell apart fast. Rather than settle for a second-rate bouillabaisse, I decided to skip it altogether.
I did manage to buy several lavender products and indulge in two lavender ice creams, which I absolutely loved. One Marseille “specialty” worth chasing is the vanille noir flavor, available at just one gelateria in the city. So what does it taste like? Think a lightly salty vanilla — we all enjoyed it immensely. The color comes from activated charcoal mixed into the ice cream. I’d gladly go back to Marseille just to have another scoop 😉
Nice
In Nice we had a bunch of other amazing food, fresh fish, and plenty of excellent gelato. One thing worth highlighting is the number of spice markets scattered around the city, each stocked with really fresh produce at surprisingly decent prices.
I couldn’t resist buying some herbes de Provence, and I’ve already cooked with it — it’s fantastic. We also stumbled on some amazing macarons from a smaller shop called LAC, easily the best we’ve ever had. I’m not usually a big macaron fan, but those completely won me over.
I have to give it to the French: they’ve truly got their croissant and bread game down. I’d return to France almost just to eat some more!