My French Von Trapp

I met these girls on this trip and now we are as close as sisters.
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Lying on the newly dewed carpet of clovers and dandelion puffs, I wonder to myself if this is reality, or am I simply in another travel fantasy haze. There is no way this simple girl from a no-name town could be here on the foothills of the French Alps. I yelled, “Somebody pinch me!” And without any hesitation, my companions were more than a little too happy to comply.

That day trip to the Vercors foothills is a moment I will never forget. My travel group escaped from the beaten path and found the most beautiful French family of five picnicking. My first thought: “It’s my own personal French version of the Von Trapp family.” I almost expected the mother to pull a Julie Andrews and make the kids sing for us but of course, they didn’t. All they wanted was for us to take their picture and though I don’t have a photo to share, I want you to picture this:

Somebody pinch me!

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Picture a little boy with sun-kissed, chestnut curls, and curiosity in his eyes clinging to his mother’s billowing skirt. His father is lovingly flying a kite with his equally adorable remaining children. Their music was the combination of their laughter and merriment, and their stage was a powder blue sky with lazy, pillow like clouds, and the various blooms of foliage whose colors seemed to explode from the ground.

I could have died at that moment and feel content with the world. However, glad that I am still breathing, I give you this blip of my life because of the important lesson of following the less traveled roads. Who knows, maybe if you do, you too will find your own version of the Von Trapp.

I'm making a wish.
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Cheers and happy travels!