GOING to France may be quite nervous for one who has gone for the first time this year. The rationale behind that is this – France is populated with the most romantic people in the planet. And foreign tourists who go there can attest that the French are the most intellectual people in the world. If you are foreign, all you need to do is scan the channels in your cable television and watch French movies. Because there are English tickers beneath the picture, you can see that even French scripts are laden with romanticized words.

That is not surprising though. The French language is Roman in origin and as the number one medieval language in Europe during that time, Roman was honed to perfection. Thus, classic Roman literatures with French overtones are really good examples of heroes being gallant. If you are on a one-year holiday here in France, the first thing that you must do here is learn the French language. And it is even better to enroll in a French school where they let you immerse with a French household for three whole weeks. During this period, members of your host family will not only help you out in your French; they will also tour you around the best attractions in the neighborhood. If your host family is good, they will even charge all the expenses to themselves.

One impression you will find in France is the busyness of the place. Everybody seems to go in a blur especially if you will touch down at Charles de Gaulle International Airport. That’s no surprising though as Charles de Gaulle is the busiest airport in mainland Europe, second only to Heathrow in London as the busiest in the whole continent. Charles de Gaulle is a remarkable place because this is where the only man with no citizenship has lived in limbo for almost two decades. The man is now taken care of by the French Red Cross but his story has been immortalized by Steven Spielberg in his movie The Terminal and his role is portrayed no less by Tom Hanks.

Of course, the busyness of France extends from Charles de Gaulle to the rest of Paris where everybody minds his or her own pace or in case of groups in people traveling together, their own pace. Paris is called the City of Lights and it is in this Christmas season that the monicker is fully pronounced. Every place is bathed in lights from the Arc de Triomphe to the Notre Dame Cathedral to the Louvre to the Eiffel Tower. For those who are more religious but who dislike the more secular atmosphere of the Notre Dame Cathedral, then there’s the Chapel of the Miraculous Medal at a nearby Paris suburb. If the French in Paris are busy, the French in the Mediterranean areas such as Provence are laid back. And this is where your 356-day holiday in France can be more exciting.

FRANCE is a relatively Catholic country and Halloween is mostly celebrated by the gay, the young, the restless and the adventurous. If you’re intending to come here during Halloween and you’re still in the United States, I guess you can still catch a flight now. How about thumping those fingers at the Expedia or Travelocity websites or better check them out using their toll-free customer service and reservations hotlines.

For the uninitiated, France is located at the heart of the European mainland. It is bordered with countries which do not speak the same language as them yet the French should definitely have nothing to be insecure of because French is said to be the most romantic language in the world. And if one is a honeymooning couple, what better way to spend time with each other than learn French during Halloween. That may sound a little bit eerie and morbid but Halloween here has never been associated with the gory. It has always been associated to anything that is fun and enjoyable.

Foremost during Halloween here are the parties. Of course, there are those clubs in Paris and Nice which allow customers to grind with each other till the wee hours of dawn provided they wear spooky costumes. Those with the most unique costumes win prizes and usually these are novel ones such as an iPod or two perhaps. Some who have made jackpots out of themselves may be invited for a dinner for two at one of the city’s posh restaurants. Here you can indulge in authentic French cuisine which has been known the world over as the finest.

Some of the dishes offered in the menu are sushi, toasted baguette sandwiched with roasted lamb and whipped in parmesan cheese, creamy chestnut soup with the usual foie gras, quail egg, scallops dipped in browned butter and many others. The wine is exquisite enough and the desserts are simply yummy, nutritious and most important, sugar- and calorie-free. That is how the French folks uphold their food. They do not want their tourists to speak badly of them since France is the number one tourist market in the world, Halloween or not.

It may be obscure to talk about Halloween in France because this country has been known for other lots of greatnesses. But I emphasize Halloween here to underscore that this country is often visited quite often. Hmm….you may be wondering what French Prime Minister Nicholas Sarkozy loves to eat? Okay, we’ll see in a little bit. Come to think of it, Mr. Sarkoz loves to devour sushi and fried eggplants. Interesting enough? That’s because French elegant dining is neither about the price nor the grandeur that it seems. It is just the name that has been associated to something French and disrobes it of the price and you can see that it looks just like ordinary food. So what are you waiting for? Come to France today and show off your scariest costumes. Who knows, you can be in a bikini too although the motif must be something horrific. How about being as a white lady in a trance perhaps?