The other morning, my host family and I went on a walk in a nearby town: Crécy-la-Chapelle. I knew nothing about the place, so I was curious to see what it had to offer, and what new sights I would see.

The walk started on a pathway between a string of trees alongside a river. Though the foliage and river were beautiful, the most interesting thing to be seen here were the homes just opposite the walking path. These homes date back to earlier French civilization, and offer a glimpse at what the area looked like at the time. Some were quite modest, while others were much larger, but all of them presenting their own charm. Along the way, we often saw people sitting along the banks of the river, fishing and enjoying the serenity that surrounded. It seemed like a nice place to do so.

Continuing along the path, we soon came to a vast, open field. There were some small flowers that added speckled colors across the area, along with fields of green spanning out as far as I could see. Apparently in the summer, stalks of wheat stretch out over this area as well. I tried to imagine what a sight that would be, as I proceeded to walk along the trail, taking it all in.

From the field we entered a small forest are where the path continued. The natural beauty continued as the sunny weather peered through the trees, providing just the right amount of contrast of greens and browns.

The path continued to go from open to narrow, as we traversed fields and forests alike. We also came across a few interesting sights, such as a sign notifying tourists visiting popular local theme parks where they can camp.

When we returned to the town area, we came upon the Collégiale Notre-Dame, which along with being a beautifully constructed structure, also happens to be the place where my host parents had their wedding ceremony! Though we couldn’t go inside, it was still nice to admire it from the outside.

Going further into the town, we began to hear the sound of snare drums, and soon saw a parade of people carrying flags down the street. I was told that this was a memorial for the soldiers of WWII, and that they were heading to the war memorial in the city to have a ceremony honoring those soldiers. The reason for them marching on this day was to mark the anniversary of the surrender of the Nazi Germany on May 8th, 1945. This is treated as a public holiday in Europe known as Victory Day.

We hopped into a local bookstore to have a look at the selection. It was interesting to see not only the selection of French novels for sale, but also publications based on foreign media such as America and Japan. I enjoyed the cozy, simple nature of the shop, contrasting greatly from a place such as Barnes and Noble. There was even area in the back to enjoy a coffee or tea while you read (not Starbucks).

After exiting the store, it was time to head back home. It was an enjoyable walk, with many interesting sights along the way. Not a bad start to the morning!