Kyomi's first trip to France (LDR)
Hey, it’s Kyomi !
This is my first post on the blog! I’m going to tell you how was my first trip to France (and Europe) with Leo. It took place during 3 months at the beginning of the year 2022 (from February to May).
To know how we met and how our long distance relationship started, I invite you to read the beginning of our story!
For an ever more fulfilling long distance relationship, you can read these articles:
Start a long-distance relationship: 19 tips
February 2022 : the first month
Cities of Lyon and Grenoble
My first month in France was spectacular. The first days, Léo showed me around his city and its surroundings, I also tasted some typical dishes, like « éclairs à la vanille » or « gratin de ravioles »
I tried the French sausage (called « saucisson ») and I loved it, in Peru we don’t have so many hams and so many varieties of cheese, I was shocked.
Yes, you will soon understand that I LOVE to eat!
The following week I visited Lyon, we went to several places (Place Bellecour, the old Lyon district, the Fourvière basilica, the Confluences museum… and I really loved it, although I’ve never been so cold!
Getting to know Lyon’s gastronomic culture is a must when traveling in France.
After that, I went to Grenoble and we spent the day with Leo’s friends.
Grenoble reminded me of my country, it is a city between mountains that looks like the Andes. Leo studied for 4 years in Grenoble, so he knows the city well.
My first time skiing
I went with Léo and his father. We bought very warm clothes for me and they lent me Leo’s old skis and boots
It was a little scary at first, I couldn’t stand up for a minute and it was super hard to get used to the snow.
I personally had never touched snow in my life!
It was an amazing experience learning to ski with Leo and his dad.
At the end of the day, I could ski down a blue run without falling!
I loved the skiing, the tartiflette, the croziflette and especially the raclette, the French food is fabulous, especially the desserts.
March 2022: The second month
Two weeks in Bruges, Lille and Paris
In March, we started our trip in Paris and Bruges (in Belgium).
When we arrived in Belgium, I felt like I had gone back in time. The city is beautiful. What I enjoyed most was climbing the highest belfry in the city (366 steps!) and spending time with Leo.
It had been a long time since we had traveled together (only him and I).
Paris
In Paris, we stayed with his brother. This saved us from spending several hundred euros on an apartment and meeting his family!
We went to the Opera Garnier, the Louvre, climbed the Eiffel Tower and ate crepes and many more.
One night we went out to dinner in front of the Eiffel Tower, unfortunately the view was only for me hahaha, Leo had his back to it but it was spectacular.
The biggest surprise of the trip
For my last day in Paris, Leo had a surprise for me: going to Disneyland Paris.
I love Disney and have always dreamed of visiting Disney Paris, but I didn’t know I would make it happen that day!
We arrived at the train station (to go back to Lyon) but suddenly we stopped at the Marne-la-Vallée-Disneyland station. I was sure it was just a stop, but no…
Little by little we got closer to the entrance and I started to get suspicious…. Then Leo gave me a letter with the tickets, and I almost cried. It was amazing.
April 2022: Italy and the South of France
Italy
Upon our return, we began coordinating our next trip: Italy.
One of our goals is to be able to travel the world and see the 7 wonders of the world, the trip to Rome allows us to make one more « check » to our list by visiting the coliseum.
The trip to Italy was very romantic. We ate a lot of pasta, almost every day, and we walked a lot too. I calculated using an app: we walked 95 kilometers in one week!
What I liked most was spending time alone with Leo, just the two of us traveling, coordinating everything together, like a team effort.
I also liked the monuments, the streets and especially the people, they are very nice, Italy is a dream country. We visited Rome, Florence, Pisa and Chiavari, a little village on the East coast (my favorite cities were Rome and Chiavari)
Thankfully it started to get a little warmer… and Leo and I were able to enjoy the beautiful weather, a few spritzes, lots of pizza, lots of pasta and beautiful sunsets.
We visited a few museums, but without a doubt, the best thing was « not knowing what was going to happen the next day ».
We discovered new landscapes, met new people… It was really amazing. Italy was the icing on the cake.
Come back to Peru and after
During my trip to France, I met new people, I made new friends and I learned a lot about myself. I think that a trip always allows you to learn more about yourself and the way you see the world.
Without a doubt, it was an unforgettable experience and honestly, the days flew by… each with a different experience and new things to learn, I never felt like 3 months went by so fast… Leo’s family received me very well and I really miss them too.
A few days before my flight to Lima, the WHV Visa opened between Peru and France. I was very happy to know that I could apply and maybe go back to France for more than 3 months…
And guess what! I finally got my VISA!
I will be back in France for 1 year, in August 2022.
If you want to know more about this VISA, I created a video that explains the whole procedure and my feedback to get the precious stamped paper.
My trip to France was totally amazing, I discovered many things about myself and I was very happy with Leo.
I hope our next trip will be just as fabulous. I came in a little nervous… about meeting his family and well, his life in general, but I’m leaving super happy because we are starting to blend our cultures, and unify our lives… and that’s the most important thing.
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Hello !
We are Léo & Kyomi, a French-Peruvian couple in a long distance relationship since 2019. Welcome to this blog entirely dedicated to this way of life.
We decided to create
My Sweet LDR
to help people who want to live their relationship serenely and who don’t know how to do it.
To read our entire story
you can click just here !
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