Like it sounds, the French countryside is heavenly. There's even something calming and romantic about it when it's cold, rainy, and foggy. With every mile of single lane road you're accompanied with rolling hills of fields, fairy tale forests or quaint villages. My Mamie's village is one of them: La Meilleraye de Bretagne. It's small and simple. We have a bakery, a fishmonger, a butcher, a church, a convenience store, and a post office. It takes two minutes to drive through, but if you stop you'll find there's much more than just a few blocks of homes. Neighbors here are like family, no meal comes without an aperitif, and farm-to-table isn't fictitious.

This place is the perfect place to start my year. I have peace, quiet, and plenty of time for reflection for the year ahead of me.

Perhaps I over romanticize things. I think that in and of itself is such a stereotypical French trait of mine, but I can't help falling in love. In love with the simplicity of life here, with the small pleasures people seem to enjoy daily, and the silent landscape.

As much as I love the country side, I know that I'll soon be missing city living too. I recently got to visit Nantes to photograph some of my favorite places there. Nantes has a rich history and there's no lack of beautiful monuments to capture. One of my must-stops is always the gorgeous and historical Passage Pommeraye. It's one of the prettiest "passages" I've seen, including those in Paris. The symmetry, lightness, and detail make it one of my favorites.

The constant drizzle didn't make photographing the city quite easy however the poor weather pushed us to stop into La Cigale, one of Nantes' oldest brasseries (established in 1895). The restaurant absolutely stunned. Mamie and I warmed up and regaled in one of our best lunches so far with escargots, scallops, duck, and of course, French red wine. I came close to licking my plate of profiteroles after dessert...

Moving to France, My First Weekend