- Observations about international and long-term family travel.
- Final cost of our 30 day trip: how my original budget held up. (spoiler: it did!)
- The kids' favorite parts of the trip.
- Our top 60 photos of the trip--a real challenge because I have about 500 favorites.
- An index with links to all 32 blog posts from our trip.
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
France reflections
As if the 31 blog posts that I have written about our family trip to France this summer weren't enough, I'm writing some final France reflections to round it out to a nice even 32 posts. I broke this France roundup into five categories:
Friday, August 23, 2019
Journeying home
Journal entry from Tuesday, August 13, 2019:
3:32pm, sitting on the Eurostar train between Paris and London: Au revoir, belle France! This morning as we were leaving, I think I passed two unofficial language tests: at the gas station outside of Paris, the cashier asked me (in French) if I had turned off the lights in the bathroom, and I understood her! (I went back and turned off the lights.) Then while my family waited at the train station, I went out into Paris to two restaurants and ordered lunch-to-go for all six of us by myself, all in French. I'm not anywhere near fluent, but it felt good to test my wings a bit!
Jeff says he feels like he passed a big test too-- his driving in France test. Stick shift: check. Narrow roads: check. Impossible parking: check. Massive traffic circles with unmarked cobblestones and random cars crammed in all directions: check. Our route to the car rental place aslo took us past the Eiffel Tower, right along the Seine. It was the most pleasant part of our in-Paris driving. Outside Paris, earlier this morning when we left our Civray-de Touraine Airbnb house at 7am, the lush rolling fields of the Loire Valley were bathed in golden early morning sunlight, mist hovering over the rivers and clinging to the plants. It was an ethereal and fairytale-ific landscape to say farewell to.
3:32pm, sitting on the Eurostar train between Paris and London: Au revoir, belle France! This morning as we were leaving, I think I passed two unofficial language tests: at the gas station outside of Paris, the cashier asked me (in French) if I had turned off the lights in the bathroom, and I understood her! (I went back and turned off the lights.) Then while my family waited at the train station, I went out into Paris to two restaurants and ordered lunch-to-go for all six of us by myself, all in French. I'm not anywhere near fluent, but it felt good to test my wings a bit!
Jeff says he feels like he passed a big test too-- his driving in France test. Stick shift: check. Narrow roads: check. Impossible parking: check. Massive traffic circles with unmarked cobblestones and random cars crammed in all directions: check. Our route to the car rental place aslo took us past the Eiffel Tower, right along the Seine. It was the most pleasant part of our in-Paris driving. Outside Paris, earlier this morning when we left our Civray-de Touraine Airbnb house at 7am, the lush rolling fields of the Loire Valley were bathed in golden early morning sunlight, mist hovering over the rivers and clinging to the plants. It was an ethereal and fairytale-ific landscape to say farewell to.
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Chenonceau
We coasted through our last two days in France. We felt satisfied with our trip and mentally full to the brim with all of the interesting, beautiful, historic, surprising, nifty sights we saw. Long term travel and tourism can get a tad overstimulating by the end. I think our ability to be awed by beauty or impressed by grandeur had diminished by the last couple of days of our trip, but it was fine because we had seen everything we really wanted to see and more! We just had one activity left: canoeing on the River Cher.
Le Château du Brézé
Journal entry from August 10th, continued:
From Saumur, we drove 10 minutes out to Brézé, where the majestic chateau was settled in beautiful rolling vineyards. We got tickets and went inside the Chateau du Brézé. It has the deepest dry moat in Europe--I had never heard of a dry moat before visiting Brézé! The entire moat was riddled with a labyrinth of caves and troglodyte dwellings. It was such an interesting mix of grand chateau and rustic caves. We scuttled through all kinds of dark low tunnels, exploring everything from bedchambers to underground stables to kitchens to wine pressing rooms to silk worm farms--all tucked away behind the tall tall walls of the canyon-like moat. We saw so much and only a small fraction of the underground labyrinth was open to the public! It was so cool. The whole time I was baffled at why our DK Eyewitness Travel Guide for the region of the Loire Valley did NOT mention Brézé at all! What!? This amazing place was mentioned as an afterthought in one tiny sentence in our Family France travel guidebook. It pays to read the fine print!
From Saumur, we drove 10 minutes out to Brézé, where the majestic chateau was settled in beautiful rolling vineyards. We got tickets and went inside the Chateau du Brézé. It has the deepest dry moat in Europe--I had never heard of a dry moat before visiting Brézé! The entire moat was riddled with a labyrinth of caves and troglodyte dwellings. It was such an interesting mix of grand chateau and rustic caves. We scuttled through all kinds of dark low tunnels, exploring everything from bedchambers to underground stables to kitchens to wine pressing rooms to silk worm farms--all tucked away behind the tall tall walls of the canyon-like moat. We saw so much and only a small fraction of the underground labyrinth was open to the public! It was so cool. The whole time I was baffled at why our DK Eyewitness Travel Guide for the region of the Loire Valley did NOT mention Brézé at all! What!? This amazing place was mentioned as an afterthought in one tiny sentence in our Family France travel guidebook. It pays to read the fine print!
Saumur
Journal entry from Saturday, August 10, 2019
Today was full to bursting! We left home a little after 10am and drove an hour to Saumur, which is a darling village with a massive fortress-castle up on a high rocky hill looming above town. We arrived just in time for lunch, and strolled the Saturday outdoor marche (pronounced "mar-shay") in search of something tasty. We ended up defaulting to a kebab shop and sat outside enjoying the small-town-market-day ambiance while eating our lunch. Since Amber doesn't eat kebabs or hamburgers, I purchased a container of fresh plump blueberries from the nearby market stall and a baguette from the boulangerie across the square for her lunch. She was quite content, gnawing on the stiff baguette and following us around town.
Today was full to bursting! We left home a little after 10am and drove an hour to Saumur, which is a darling village with a massive fortress-castle up on a high rocky hill looming above town. We arrived just in time for lunch, and strolled the Saturday outdoor marche (pronounced "mar-shay") in search of something tasty. We ended up defaulting to a kebab shop and sat outside enjoying the small-town-market-day ambiance while eating our lunch. Since Amber doesn't eat kebabs or hamburgers, I purchased a container of fresh plump blueberries from the nearby market stall and a baguette from the boulangerie across the square for her lunch. She was quite content, gnawing on the stiff baguette and following us around town.
Monday, August 19, 2019
The enchanted forest
During our stay in Civray-de-Touraine in the Loire Valley, I ran four times. Our Airbnb house was almost exactly two miles from Le Chateau de Chenonceau, the most graceful castle of them all. Its white arches are mirrored in the lazy River Cher and the sight took my breath away every single time I ran past. Our side of the river had a perfect riverside trail that led straight to the castle and beyond, through beautiful trees. I found myself calling it the Enchanted Forest. It was completely idyllic with the sunlight filtering through the branches and glinting off of the glassy river, presided over by the majestic river chateau suddenly appearing around the bend. The entire place was magical and I was transported into both history and fairy tales as I ran that trail over and over.
Since I ran on the Chenonceau trail four times and took the same irresistible pictures every time, I consolidated my joy (and photos) into one post. We may or may not have chosen our lodgings based on the excellent running possibilities nearby.
Since I ran on the Chenonceau trail four times and took the same irresistible pictures every time, I consolidated my joy (and photos) into one post. We may or may not have chosen our lodgings based on the excellent running possibilities nearby.
Puy du Fou
When Jeff and I were backpacking through Europe back in 2008, we saw ads for an intense historic theme park and vowed to check it out someday. August 8th was the day! We drove 2.5 hours from our Airbnb house in Civray alllll the way down to the park. Rose got carsick and thankfully I had saved my unused seasick barf bag from the Guernsey ferry, because Rose needed it. This was the second time that girl threw up from carsickness on this trip! Jerky stick shift driving plus windy narrow country roads and later stop-and-go traffic did a number on her poor equilibrium. It wasn't all peaches and cream for the rest of us either, sitting in that tiny car while Rose retched repeatedly into the tiny bag. We managed to pull over not too long after the puking ended, and I managed to double bag the nasty used barf bag. We arrived at Puy du Fou ten minutes later and disposed of the nasty vomit in the nearest trash can. There's my retrospective intro. Now on to my journal from the day:
Troglodytes
Journal entry from August 7th, continued:
After a morning at Villandry, we drove on to Chinon (15-20 minutes) to eat lunch in a new town. None of us had ever seen Chinon, with its towering fortress-castle on the hill above the cute narrow streets. We had tasty kebabs for lunch (Jay and Rose had hamburgers and Amber had chicken nuggets--bless that kebab shop/sandwicherie for its kid-friendly menu).
After lunch, we rode the complimentary elevator up to the top of the big hill to check out the Chinon Chateau. We didn't feel like paying 50 euros for all of us to go inside, especially since a big chunk of the castle was in ruins, so we looked at it through the gate, admired the view from the top of the hill, and then rode the elevator back down again and drove to our last sight of the day: Valle Troglodytique des Goupilleres: the restored troglodyte cave houses. We learned that the peasants who worked in the quarry cutting that beautiful white limestone that was used to build the many chateaux, LIVED in the holes/caves that they created when they removed the stone! It was absolutely fascinating to see the "other end of the spectrum" after viewing the grandeur and glory of the big fancy castles. There was this whole awesome rustic farm recreated outside the original cave dwellings, and the effect was excellent. We got to walk through several troglodyte homes and get a feel for that life. We loved it!
After a morning at Villandry, we drove on to Chinon (15-20 minutes) to eat lunch in a new town. None of us had ever seen Chinon, with its towering fortress-castle on the hill above the cute narrow streets. We had tasty kebabs for lunch (Jay and Rose had hamburgers and Amber had chicken nuggets--bless that kebab shop/sandwicherie for its kid-friendly menu).
After lunch, we rode the complimentary elevator up to the top of the big hill to check out the Chinon Chateau. We didn't feel like paying 50 euros for all of us to go inside, especially since a big chunk of the castle was in ruins, so we looked at it through the gate, admired the view from the top of the hill, and then rode the elevator back down again and drove to our last sight of the day: Valle Troglodytique des Goupilleres: the restored troglodyte cave houses. We learned that the peasants who worked in the quarry cutting that beautiful white limestone that was used to build the many chateaux, LIVED in the holes/caves that they created when they removed the stone! It was absolutely fascinating to see the "other end of the spectrum" after viewing the grandeur and glory of the big fancy castles. There was this whole awesome rustic farm recreated outside the original cave dwellings, and the effect was excellent. We got to walk through several troglodyte homes and get a feel for that life. We loved it!
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Villandry
Journal entry from Wednesday, August 7, 2019:
Today was Rose's half birthday. My second child is 8.5 years old!
We left the house at 8:20am today (no morning run) and drove to Villandry, abour 30 minutes away. It was a good move: we beat the crowds to the chateau like pros. We didn't even go inside the castle ; we just got tickets to the gardens (the kids can only handle so much look-but-don't-touch per day and we wanted to save it all for the flowers). Wow, were they beautiful! Villandry's gorgeously groomed, meticulously trimmed, perfectly aligned gardens were stunning. When Jeff and I visited Villandry 11 years ago, it was early spring so the flowers weren't all the way out yet. But today they were in full bloom everywhere. We enjoyed the most beautiful vegetable and herb gardens I've ever seen, then moved on to admire a wilder-looking garden and a labyrinth made from bushes. The kids loved running around in the maze. Eventually we made our way up to the woods to walk down a trail in the beautiful sunlit trees. (Leslie waited for us on a bench). Rose and Amber dashed off ahead and soon were out of sight. Jeff and I followed them, me trying not to stress about what damage they might inflict on the flowers if unsupervised for too long. Thankfully we found them soon and I told Rose sternly not to run away like that.
Today was Rose's half birthday. My second child is 8.5 years old!
We left the house at 8:20am today (no morning run) and drove to Villandry, abour 30 minutes away. It was a good move: we beat the crowds to the chateau like pros. We didn't even go inside the castle ; we just got tickets to the gardens (the kids can only handle so much look-but-don't-touch per day and we wanted to save it all for the flowers). Wow, were they beautiful! Villandry's gorgeously groomed, meticulously trimmed, perfectly aligned gardens were stunning. When Jeff and I visited Villandry 11 years ago, it was early spring so the flowers weren't all the way out yet. But today they were in full bloom everywhere. We enjoyed the most beautiful vegetable and herb gardens I've ever seen, then moved on to admire a wilder-looking garden and a labyrinth made from bushes. The kids loved running around in the maze. Eventually we made our way up to the woods to walk down a trail in the beautiful sunlit trees. (Leslie waited for us on a bench). Rose and Amber dashed off ahead and soon were out of sight. Jeff and I followed them, me trying not to stress about what damage they might inflict on the flowers if unsupervised for too long. Thankfully we found them soon and I told Rose sternly not to run away like that.
Chambord
Journal entry from Tuesday, August 6, 2019:
We got in the car bright and early at 8am this morning and drove an hour to Le Chateau de Chambord, arriving 2 minutes after it opened. AT LAST, we played the tourist crowds right! There were only a handful of cars in the parking lot and we endured just a short ticket line before entering the castle. I love Chambord because it's tall and fancy and they let tourists wander all over the inside on all four floors. In Versailles (which is much bigger), there is a prescribed route and traffic flow through the palace. But at Chambord, it is open season--go where you want to, when you want to--our kind of place!
We got in the car bright and early at 8am this morning and drove an hour to Le Chateau de Chambord, arriving 2 minutes after it opened. AT LAST, we played the tourist crowds right! There were only a handful of cars in the parking lot and we endured just a short ticket line before entering the castle. I love Chambord because it's tall and fancy and they let tourists wander all over the inside on all four floors. In Versailles (which is much bigger), there is a prescribed route and traffic flow through the palace. But at Chambord, it is open season--go where you want to, when you want to--our kind of place!
Clos Luce
Journal entry from Monday, August 5, 2019:
Today we drove 20 minutes to Clos Luce, and saw Leonardo da Vinci's house. This was the "castle" that the kids were most excited to see--they voted to go there first-- because in the grounds are models of several of Leonardo's inventions, and visitors can play with them. The tank and the helicopter were favorites. Thankfully we arrived early enough that the crowds were not large, and we enjoyed the house and grounds thoroughly without too much traffic. Before we left, we recreated the picture that Jeff and I took the last time we visited Clos Luce, 11 years ago (2008), in the same spot but with our 3 kids standing by us too. It was fun.
Today we drove 20 minutes to Clos Luce, and saw Leonardo da Vinci's house. This was the "castle" that the kids were most excited to see--they voted to go there first-- because in the grounds are models of several of Leonardo's inventions, and visitors can play with them. The tank and the helicopter were favorites. Thankfully we arrived early enough that the crowds were not large, and we enjoyed the house and grounds thoroughly without too much traffic. Before we left, we recreated the picture that Jeff and I took the last time we visited Clos Luce, 11 years ago (2008), in the same spot but with our 3 kids standing by us too. It was fun.
Friday, August 16, 2019
From Vannes to the Loire Valley
Journal entry from Saturday, August 3, 2019:
Travel day. We are in the Loire Valley, the final destination of our four weeks in France, just outside a tiny town called Civray de Touraine. This morning we packed up, checked out of our apartment airbnb in Vannes, and hit the road. Jeff was relieved to pull that car out of the tiny sublevel -2 parking garage for the last time. We drove and drove and drove. Google maps told us that our destination was only 3 hours away, but we ended up getting stuck in traffic outside of Nantes and then taking smaller roads to avoid endless expensive tolls and to see the scenery, so it took us much longer. We stopped a few times to break up the drive, get wiggles out, and obtain nourishment.
Travel day. We are in the Loire Valley, the final destination of our four weeks in France, just outside a tiny town called Civray de Touraine. This morning we packed up, checked out of our apartment airbnb in Vannes, and hit the road. Jeff was relieved to pull that car out of the tiny sublevel -2 parking garage for the last time. We drove and drove and drove. Google maps told us that our destination was only 3 hours away, but we ended up getting stuck in traffic outside of Nantes and then taking smaller roads to avoid endless expensive tolls and to see the scenery, so it took us much longer. We stopped a few times to break up the drive, get wiggles out, and obtain nourishment.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)