Living in the Southwestern corner of Germany offers you a great opportunity to visit France. Many moons ago, I did just that. A coworker and I took some time to cycle from Heidelberg, Germany, to Seltz, France. I have been to France many times, but I still get the nagging feeling that I don't know it at all. This will be the first of many pages to help correct that. Despite having only visited once, Paris is among the top five places I wish to visit. When I say "visit," I mean finding meaningful places to build friendships and lasting memories.  I will start with Selz France and work my way around it.  France, officially the French Republic, is a country primarily located in Western Europe. Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the North Atlantic, the French West Indies, and many islands in Oceania and the Indian Ocean. Metropolitan France shares borders with Belgium and Luxembourg to the north; Germany to the northeast; Switzerland to the east; Italy and Monaco to the southeast; Andorra and Spain to the south; and a maritime border with the United Kingdom to the northwest. Its metropolitan area extends from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean and from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea. Its 18 integral regions—five of which are overseas—span a combined area of 632,702 km2 (244,288 sq mi), with a total population estimated at over 69.1 million in 2026. Its capital, largest city, and main cultural and economic center is Paris.