In
Brazil, the winter holidays take place in July. But in
France, it is summer. So, when I travelled to
France during the holidays, I entered the plane on a cold winter day, and when I arrived, the temperature was near 35°C. Quite a big difference.

In
France, I stayed some time in the
Alps, hiking with friends and cousins, and then my family and I went to the Pyrénées, to see our grandparents. We also visited a nature park, did some rafting on the Gar river, arvorisme (a course in the trees with a system of ropes, suspension bridges).

We crossed the frontier between
France and
Spain, and went to
San Sebastián city. This port is the capital of Guipúzoca province. It’s an important seaside resort by the Cantabric sea. Its bay is called « la Concha ». We ate seafood in a restaurant and tried local specialties. We went for a walk in the city, visited the aquarium and the naval museum. We also saw, on Mount Urgull, The « Château de la Motte », a castle from the XIIth century, built by Sancho,  the Great, king of Navarra. Some cannon

The holidays are also the occasion to eat French specialties: duck breast, cheese, “fleuron de canard”, sausage (saucisson).

On the road to the airport, we stopped in Carcassone, a mediaeval city. The historical center is a castle with its fortification and its moat, impressive and quite beautiful. There is in the center an old cathedral. The streets are narrow and charming. The principal specialty of the city is Cassoulet, a dish made of white beans and sausages (click here to have the recipe).