Excursions et voyages

Bordeaux:

We wandered around a whole lot and saw all of the monuments including the opera house, the Porte de Bourgogne, the St Michel church, an Obelisk, a crazy turtle and Rue Ste Catherine, the longest pedestrian street in Europe!

So, after wandering around for a few hours we got some lunch then looked through some brochures that we picked up at the Tourism center. At 4:30 there was a 2 hour class about Bordeaux wine including a wine and cheese tasting. We signed up then headed to the train station to exchange our tickets for later ones. (I love that about the train, you can easily exchange your tickets.)

The class was amazing and definately was the best thing we did while there. We were taken to the Maison du Vin Bordelais, a professional group that is charged with monitoring the quality and classificaion of Bordeaux wines as well as making recommendations for those who want to purchase for restaurants, etc. We learned about the regional areas of Bordeaux, the soil, the types of grapes, the classification process, history, the fermentaion process...a WHOLE bunch of really cool info. After that they took us to a nearby restaurant and we were taught how to taste wine properly and what to look for, then we sampled three different kinds. After that we were allowed into the restaurant's cheese cellar to basically have at it. They stock over 150 french cheeses...it was absolutely incredible! alicia leblanc 2005-2006

Nîmes:

Did I hop a plane to Italy for the day? No, but in hopping a train to Nimes, we felt like we were in Italy for the day. As you may know, the Roman Empire included a large part of France, the Southern part being very important to the Romans. Nimes is home to not only the best preserved Roman Arena in the world but also the best preserved temple, la Maison Carree. alicia leblanc 2005-2006

Chartres, Nantes, La Baule Escoublac and La Rochelle

I spent the weekend in a whirlwind 4 day tour through the central east coast area of France: Chartres, Nantes, La Baule Escoublac and La Rochelle.

Chartres is about an hour's train ride outside of Paris. It is know for stained glass and its cathedral. The windows in the cathedral are incredibly beautiful. In the Cathedral there are depictions of biblical stories, astrological signs, saints, kings...anything you could want from the 12th century. The church also has a "Mary Veil", even though it is from 100 years after Mary supposedly lived, it is from her country of origin and the same kind of thing she'd have worn; this is an important stop for devoted Mary followers.

Moving on to Nantes, known for LU crackers, Les Ducs de Bretagne and its Jardin des Plantes. Every city has a Jardin des Plantes but this one is the best I've seen. The old LU cracker factory, now the Lieu Unique, is a cafe, bar, restaurant, book store, art gallery and cultural center all in one. Le Château des Ducs de Bretagne was closed for renovations when I visited but by now it should be re-opened.

Next, I hit La Baule Escoublac, a very popular summer beach spot. I love oceans in winter and this is basically the first time I've seen moving water while in France, so I had a great time walking up and down the coastline. The town is wonderful and very vibrant, even in the dead of winter. They serve up some amazing crêpes here.

Lastly, I arrived in La Rochelle. A lovely seaport town that of course has an aquarium (and a very good one at that). alicia leblanc 2005-2006

Avignon

Avignon is where the Popes set up shop way back in the day so there is this giant Pope's Palace now in the centre of the town. The building is impressive but quite frankly the tour was boring...religious relics all start to look the same after a while...plus there was no clear direction for the visit. Pont St Benezat, also called Pont d'Avignon, is the bridge that originally crossed the Rhone river between Avignon and Avignon Lez Villeneuves. But, the currents of the Rhone one year knocked half the bridge over, so now it only extends halfway. alicia leblanc 2005-2006

Dijon and Beaune

Dijon is a lovely little town not far from Paris, but there isn't particularly anything to do there. However, 30 minutes away by train is Beaune...THE town for Bourgogne wine. If you like wine you have to visit Beaune, where you can visit the ancient caves and taste some of the world's best wine. alicia leblanc 2005-2006

Northern France

In a little more than a week we crossed the top of the country and stopped in some fairly cool places. First, in Strasbourg (which is very pretty but not very interesting) we relaxed after not sleeping well on the night train from Toulouse. In the Cathedral there is a giant astronomical that is interesting to see.

Reims was by far my favourite stop...Champagne country! We visited Piper-Heidsieck which was ok, and Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin...my new favourite! Veuve Cliquot founded this house and was the first woman of Champagne; making the wine what it is today. She is the reason why it is a drink that exudes elegance. The visit to the chalk caves and seeing all of the aging bottles...you really feel like you have entered into Champagne's history.

Laon is a plateau overlooking a fairly flat countryside. It has lots of cool buildings we had fun exploring...except for the part when we accidentally made our way down the back side of the plateau and had to climb all the way back up again.

Next was Rouen. This is where Joan of Arc was executed and they have set up a beautiful church dedicated to her on the site. There is also a great market near the church.

We stopped in Bayeux to see a 900 year old tapesty...which was cool but the museum was kind of ridiculous and the whole town was kind of boring so it doesn't warrent a return trip.

Pulling into St Malo, in Bretagne, was wonderful. This medieval city is absolutely stunning. It is right on the water and the tides here are so intense that there are islands one can walk to during low tide, but not during high tide. During low tide we climbed around all of the rocks and visited the islands. After eating a fabulous dinner (oysters and mussels are dirt cheap in this area) we went to watch the high tide sea...it is just indescribably beautiful there.

Lastly, we stopped in Mont St Michel...a mythic island that is also only an island at high tide. But is it ever crowded. alicia leblanc 2005-2006

Riviera

In Cannes (which is a really cool place and made me wish I was rich and famous) I visited an island about 10 minutes off the coast called Saine Marguerite, which was a nice way to spend the afternoon, away from the bustling Cannes streets. Cannes does have one of the most beautiful beaches. You have to rent places, though, which is why it is so well taken care of!

Nice is a lovely old city and I enjoyed walking through the old quarters. Nice isn't far from Monaco, so you can get a train over and visit this infamous little country. alicia leblanc 2005-2006

Voyager en France!

France is an amazing country. Although traveling through Europe is always a blast, treking your way through France is highly recommended and highly rewarding. Profitez-en!!!

alicia leblanc 2005-2006