We made it back to Boston yesterday and cannot stop reflecting on the wonderful week spent in Paris and the French countryside! There is so much to write about the trip, but instead of spilling out all of the details, I’ll give you the main highlights/thoughts of our France adventure:
-The biggest news is that Mark and I got engaged! And to top it off, our friends who came with us to France- Ann and Jon- also got engaged! So much celebrating and happiness this week :)
So our Sunday started with a visit to a museum in Paris, proceeded by lunch with a friend’s brother, followed by long walk around the city. At that point, Mark surprised me with dinner plans on Montmartre (a hill overlooking Paris) at a cozy French restaurant. After dinner, we walked up to the Cathedral to see the view, but Mark stopped me in a private area before we reached the overlook and got down on one knee. I was so incredibly happy and of course said “Oui!!!!!!” a thousand times. It was such a wonderful, memorable experience and Mark really couldn’t have chosen a better place to propose! :)
Unbeknownst to me, a few hours before we got engaged on Sunday, Jon proposed to Ann along the Seine River near the Eiffel Tower. I’ve never seen a happier bride-to-be! The boys were in on each other’s plans to propose, but Ann and I had no idea. We were so excited to find out each other’s news by the end of the night and celebrate for the rest of it! It was such an exciting way to start the trip.
-We proceeded from Paris to the countryside in the second half of the trip, and were very happy with the itinerary. We managed to fit a lot in each day even while enjoying long dinners and visiting each location. After 4 days in Paris we rented a car and headed out of the city for 4 more days. Stops included medieval Rouen, a night in Honfleur, Omaha beach and the American cemetery at Normandy, a night at Mont Saint Michel, and two days and nights in the Loire Valley near Ambois. The group agreed that we wouldn’t have done anything differently, and were pleased with starting the trip in bustling Paris and ending it in the relaxed wine country of Loire.
-The food in France is as delicious and interesting as they say. I didn’t take enough photos of our meals, but they included everything from almost-daily crepes (both sweet and savory!), lots of goat cheese salads, charcuteries, baguettes, macaroons, croissants, Nutella, and lots of wine. Interesting foods included puffy omelettes (we highly recommend skipping), snails, certain smelly cheeses, and various unknown meats. And yes, it does seem as though locals head to their bakery each day for baguettes- an activity our group participated in daily as well. The best restaurant of the trip was Fontaine de Mars, a favorite of President and Mrs. Obama when they visited in 2009. I somehow managed to avoid significant weight gain over the past week, most likely due to all of the walking! I guess that’s the French diet secret.
-I also managed to get in a few runs last week, each one surrounded by beautiful and unique scenery. Routes included: Paris along the Seine (several different loops each day), around the Eiffel Tower, and around the Honfleur docks and the path to and from Mont Saint Michel in the countryside. Running was a great way to explore the various areas, and was a memorable way to finish off my Boston Marathon training. I had packed my SPIbelt, which was handy for carrying my phone, keys, and money. The little preparation went a long way to ensure stress-free running!
-Unsurprisingly, we were exposed to incredible views and historical structures in both Paris and in the French countryside. The history books and travel guides can’t quite illustrate the extent of the immense beauty and architectural ingenuity of some of these sites. From Cathedrals dating from the 10th century and beyond to chateaus dating from the 1300s, Middle Ages, and Renaissance, to alleys in Paris and little villages in the countryside full of history– nothing quite compares. It’s best to witness these sites in person if you can!
To conclude, I have put together a collection of some of my favorite photos from each day (some photos were taken by fellow travelers @the_speers and @imnotquitejack):
1. Friday in Paris, views from the Louvre
2. Saturday in Paris
3. Sunday in Paris (engagement day!)
4. Monday in Paris, views from Eiffel Tower
5. Tuesday in Rouen and Honfleur (Normandy)
6. Wednesday at the Normandy beaches (Omaha beach) and Mont Saint Michel
7. Thursday in Mont Saint Michel and Loire Valley, Chateau Chenonceau
8. Friday in Loire Valley at our Chateau
9. Saturday in Loire, heading home!
Hope you had a great weekend and are enjoying the first signs of spring! It was nice to take a break from blogging and truly soak up vacation, but I am happy to be back to my routine with Jane Runs Wild and life in Boston. With the marathon only ONE WEEK from today, check back in for more race prep and all things running! Enjoy your Monday!
Where is the most interesting place you’ve visited? What was so great about it?
Where is your top bucket-list travel destination?
What does your routine look like the week before a big race? Anyone else feel very out of shape leading up to the race due to those taper weeks? I am personally feeling a little out of shape these days!
What races do you have in your pipeline? Any run-cations? After Boston, I am running the Providence RI half with some friends…and then maybe taking a little break until another race in July!
Jane Runs Wild 
Congratulations on your engagement
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Thank you :)
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Your photos are beautiful, Paris looks gorgeous. Congratulations on your engagement 😊
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Thank you!! xo
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Congrats on your engagement! Must have been a trip of a lifetime! Mont Saint-Michel is on my travel list, your photos are amazing!
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You definitely should visit MSM!! It’s unbelievable and the photos don’t even give it justice! Thank you :)
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Many congratulations ! That will put a spring in your step for next week ! Good luck in the race, and for your future together of course. :-)
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Thanks Mike!!! Appreciate your note. Hope you had a great weekend!
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Looks like an amazing trip, and CONGRATULATIONS!
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Thank you!! :)
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Congratulations! Great news…
And those pictures are stunning! BTW, You guys make a great pair.
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Aw, thank you!!
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Congratulations on your engagement (and I love the picture of you two by the Eiffel Tower- what a way to propose). All the pictures in your post are gorgeous and it looks like you had a wonderful time. I’d love to visit Paris, or really anywhere in Europe.
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Thank you Amy! You should definitely try to hit up Paris if you can- it is such an amazing city! Much more beautiful than I had imagined. Have a great Monday!
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Congratulations to you and Mark! The moment I got engaged is possibly the happiest single moment of my entire life. And marathon finishes rank right up there. Amazing that you are going to experience the thrill of getting engaged and the thrill of finishing the BOSTON Marathon in such quick succession.
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Congratulations on your engagement! It looks like you had a wonderful time!
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Thank you!!
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Looks like you had a great time! Love the photos & congrats on your engagement! So excited for you :)
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Congrats on your engagement! Looks like it was an amazing trip!!
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congrats on your engagement!
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Thank you so much! :)
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Congratulations and best of luck next weekend!
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What a gorgeous trip – congratulations on your engagement!!!
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Thank you!! xo
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He put a ring on it in Paris, so exciting!! Woot woot! Cheers!
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Looks like a fantastic trip. Beautiful pictures and Best Wishes on your engagement (That is the traditionally appropriate response btw I learned that from watching Gilmore Girls).
I’m so happy you got some amazing runs in as well. I’ve been feeling really out of shape lately without running due to the foot injury. Just starting to get back out and it feels hard again.
Welcome Back!
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Congratulations and looks and sounds like a great time.
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Congratulations! You are having one incredible month!!
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Thank you!! Yes, I don’t think that anything can top this month! Sounds like you have a fun trip planned this weekend yourself! :)
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Congrats. Congrats. Congrats!!!!! So exciting. As I opened this up and saw the smile on your face I wondered if you were engaged. Awesome!
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Thank you so much!! You’re so sweet :)
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Congratulations! Sounds like an amazing trip!
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Thank you! :)
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So happy for you! Congratulations! Glad you enjoyed your time in France :-)
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Thank you, we certainly did! What a beautiful country!
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Congratulations on your engagement!! What a beautiful city to get engaged in and how fun to celebrate the week with another freshly engaged couple! We spent our honeymoon in Paris & Nice and I hope to make it back again one day. Glad you had such an incredible trip!
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Thank you so much! Amazing that you honeymooned there- we were thinking that it would be best place for that! I’d love to visit Nice one day as well. Hope you had a great week with some running as well! Spring is around corner finally :)
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Congratulations! What a memorable trip to look back on when you think on your engagement :-) so many great pictures, too!
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Wow–stunning photos! Congratulations on the engagement. What a perfect place to become engaged. I’d love to visit Ireland one day…I have a marathon in Nashville coming up April 30th that we use as a runcation with family. :)
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Congratulations. Wow what awesome pictures, reminds me of my trips there and makes me want to make another trip there soon.
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Thank you! I want to go back as well :)
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I really want to watch the Ironman Triathlon championships in Hawaii someday. Or just go there at some point hahha
I consider every race I do a run-cation, I don’t have to work :-) I just need to learn how to sleep in my car and I’ll be all set lol
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that is awesome, what a trip and big time congratulations to you and Mark!!! Cheers!!
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Thank you so much!! You must be getting excited for your next big race!! Looking forward to hearing all about it!
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Congratulations!! Amazing photos!
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Thank you!! Xx
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congratulations on the engagement. the pictures are beautiful!
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Thank you so much, the insurgent guy!
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Congratulations! Thanks for sharing your lovely photos.
I loved my visit to Paris but I think Venice would probably be my favourite – it was just so compact and gorgeous. I would love to go to Australia, but it’s a very long way from the UK so I will have to save up!
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Sorry, meant to comment from my running blog.
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Thank you!! Venice is an amazing city, I agree! There are so many gorgeous areas in the UK as well! :)
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Congratulations, on both your future marriage and the run. You must tell me what you use to take photos with? They are stunning!
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Thank you so much! A simple Sony camera or my iPhone 6! The views were easy to photograph :)
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Just gorgeous! Congratulations on the engagement. Longue vie a deux! :-)
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Congratulations! Paris is beautiful and I can only imagine how amazing it was with this special experience! Good luck at the next race– you should consider DC as your next destination :-) As for destination run-cations: I’ve wanted to do the escape from Alcatraz triathlon in San Fran as well as one that takes place in England! You get to swim in a moat…which I guess is probably disgusting but I’ve swam in the potomac so I don’t know how much worse it can get haha. Congrats again!
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Congrats and beautiful Pictures. Good luck with Boston!
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Thank you so much! :)
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Congratulations and wonderful pics! Next race is the Delaware Trail Marathon on 4/30.
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Many congrats Jane. Some stunning photos. A few places I’d love to visit too. Hope all goes well with Boston… Just use it as a training run for your Ultra lol
Take care and keep well.
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Thank you!! Lots of things to look forward to. I haven’t thought about the ultra at all lately but will be time to get cracking after Boston! Have a great run today!
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Congrats on your engagement! what a happy time. :) Good luck with Boston, hope you have a great race.
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Thank you so much!! :)
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glad you had a wonderful time in France. I’ve always wanted to go to Omaha Beach and the National Cemetery. Congratulations on you engagement! what running shoes are you going to ware with your wedding dress?
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Normandy was amazing, incredibly moving. You should try to get there if you can! Thanks for your note! Didn’t think about wearing sneakers but if I had to choose some, I think brooks would go best with a wedding dress :)
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Your holiday looks/sounds like an amazing experience. And certainly a memorable one with two proposals! Congratulations to you and your fiance!
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Congratulations! What an amazing trip! I love that you both got engaged and got to celebrate together!
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Thank you!! Xoxo
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Congrats on your engagement!! That’s so exciting and so fun that you and your friend could get engaged the same day!!
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Congratulations on your engagement. Paris is such a romantic city :-)
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Hi Jane, maybe you should try the Paris Marathon. My hubby has done it 5 times now so that means I get a long weekend in Paris every April. He has already entered 2017!! (it’s easier to get into than Boston too). Congrats on the engagement :-)
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