Following our prior first Paris article, I would like to share with you the rest of my vacation experience in France. I went that Summer with friends and family to this phenomenal country on the 14 day tour “Best of France”. We visited so many areas that I am glad we went by bus on an escorted tour with Marie, a professional French Tour Director, otherwise it would have been impossible to do this long and complex itinerary on our own.
First, we stopped in the Burgundy area, where we visited a local wine cellar as well as the small town of Beaune continuing our trip to Lyon, famous for offering probably one of the best gourmet cuisines in France. Our next stop was in the Provence area where we visited Avignon with the Papal Palace and the famous bridge (remember that old song “Sur le pont d’Avignon, on y danse, on y danse…….”?), continuing to the spectacular French Riviera where we had a chance to drive all the way through the three corniches (mountain roads) visiting the glamorous Monaco with its casino followed by Nice where we stayed in the old town, visiting the port as well as the beach flanked by the Promenade des Anglais, a 6 mile long boardwalk where you can either stroll, jog, run or bike.
From Nice the tour took us to a Parfumerie where we learned the procedure of soaps, lotions and parfums; then, we visited the medieval towns of St Paul de Vence and Eze, both offering spectacular views of the Mediterranean Sea as well as the country side, filled with art galleries and upscale boutiques; our perfect day ended up with a delicious dinner with typical dishes while enjoying the magnificent views of the coast.
Driving west to Carcassone, we passed by the seaside resort of Cannes going back to the Provence region through lavender fields. We stopped in Arles, where we enjoyed tremendously a walking tour with a vast explanation of Vincent Van Gogh’s life, continuing through the Camargue region to Nimes visiting the Roman ruins and arena. After a long day, we finally arrived in the walled city of Carcassone, where we felt being transported in history.
Our journey continued to the Pyrenees, bordering with Spain where we visited the religious site of Lourdes followed by the seacoast upscale resort of Biarritz, elegant, fun where we were able to enjoy some night life as well as gambling in the opulent casino.
Driving north, after a short stop in St Jean de Luz, small cute village in the French Basque region, our next stay was in Bordeaux where the famous red wines come from. This is a very elegant city with clear contrasts of modern and old architecture. A must stop in this area is St Emilion, charming medieval town surrounded by vineyards where local wine which is not commercialized is offered in local markets. I still remember that nice gentleman who “forced” me to taste all kind of wines and finally convinced me to buy more than what I was thinking of! Merci Jean Luc, merci!! These wines were absolutely out this world!! Not to mention the foie gras and crackers accompanying the wines………..
After continuing our trip through sunflower fields we visited the Dordogne Valley and the Perigord area where numerous castles are built on the cliffs; this is definitely an area that is not too well known here in America and it is really worth the trip!
We stayed in a XIX century chateau where we enjoyed the local food as well as the incredible sounds of the silent night, with a short walk to a XII century church, what a fantastic trip to the past!
Our next stop was Tours where we visited the Chenonceau Castle with its impressive gardens in the Loire Valley which is well known for having more than 300 castles.
And our trip is close to the end, with a short stop on Mont St Michel with dangerous quick sands and high tide making this place truly unique. We continued to Omaha Beach and the landing beaches where we visited the D-day Museum and paid respect to the lives lost here during II World War.
On our way back to Paris we stopped at Giverny to visit Claude Monet’s house and gardens with the water-lily paintings
This was not my first time in France and for sure, it won’t be the last one!
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