This series will go country by country through my two-year trip. I plan on sharing some photos, thoughts, and experiences about those countries.

Country by Country 03: France

I had no plans to visit France on my trip. I had been to France a few times before, and I simply didn't have any desire to return. It's not because French people suck, they don't. I've never encountered rude French people in France (or even Paris). My decision to skip France had more to do with my budget and my desire to go to new countries than anything else.

A friend recommended Carcassonne, and I figured some time in France would let me add it to my "visited countries" list for this trip.

I knew the name Carcassonne from a board game that I've never played. I assumed that there would be a castle in the town, and I was correct.

My visit to Carcassonne was pretty unremarkable. I think I was still hurting from the Barcelona Diplo concert and wasn't up for getting the most out of my visit. I walked up to the castle for some photos, then went and found dinner and beer. The next day, I was back at my apartment in Germany for a quick adjustment to my loadout and to do a few loads of laundry.

I don't really have any strong impressions of France. My favorite thing in France is the sound that they play before announcements at the train stations. It sounds like something out of a James Bond movie. It's kind of sleek and sexy and to me, it's very French. Compared to most other country's annoying tones and bongs before announcements, France's train station announcements sound cool. It was almost enough for me to want to explore the country a little more, but the comforts of my apartment were too close to refuse.

Train announcement sound (not my video)

Here are some of my photos from France.

Those are some of my photos from France. Stay tuned for the next country which is Germany. In Germany, I visited my town of Kaiserslautern as well as Berlin, where I ended up at a 3-day electronic music festival.