About 2 months before our trip, we booked a private tour of the Marginot Line from Sedan, France. We had no idea what to expect. Well, we certainly got our monies worth. Our guide, Richard Tucker, met us at the hotel at 9:00am. We piled into his car and off we went. This was the first day on our trip where it was raining. Richard began telling us about the defensive line, what it was, and what it was supposed to do. He explained there were many different structures comprising the line; small bunkers housing light machine guns, larger bunkers housing anti-tank guns with machine guns, Casemates, which were much larger concrete structures housing artillery pieces, anti tank guns and machine guns, and finally, Ouvrage's which were underground complexes with large Artillery, pop up turrets with ... read more

After leaving picturesque Grindelwald and heading back to France we passed by Thunnet See, one of the huge lakes surrounding Interlaken. From there it was pretty much non-descript highways. The big difference we observed driving during this trip is the great condition of all the roads and bridges. Everything looks new and all are free from litter. Our first stop today was Colmar, France. The old town of Colmar is called "Le Petite Venice". It was a gorgeous district crammed with camera ready buildings decked with flowers. The houses wander down the calm canal that wind through the area. We stopped for lunch at a small Brasserie which sold our favorite baquette sandwiches. Leaving Colmar, we arrived at our destination, Strasbourg, mid afternoon, and checked into the hotel. The front desk said they were upgrading our ... read more

Wow, what a day this was. After breakfast in Montreaux, we hit the road again, first stop, the famous ski/climbers destination, Zermatt, Switzerland. The first part of the leg was through rolling hills at the foot of some beautiful mountains. This was wine country, with Vineyards placed in every available piece of land. There were. Vineyards planted on steep hills that made you wonder how they tended and harvested the grapes. After the turn at Visp, the scenery changed significantly. We began our climb into Zermatt, with steep, switchbacked roads, and gorgeous scenery beyond each turn. One has to stop in Tasch, the town prior to Zermatt, and take a train the rest of the way In, as cars are not allowed in town. Our first impression of Zermatt was a little disappointing, as it is ... read more

Finally, we have a relaxing day. After we enjoyed a great breakfast, we relaxed in Michelle's beautiful garden, catching up on the blog, emails, and reading. It is great to just hang back for awhile before heading to today's destination, Megeve, France. The landscape now turned from vineyards to agricultural, and before long we could see the Alps in the distance. France certainly is a beautiful country, with something for everyone. Along our route, we passed through several long tunnels, carved through the mountains that stood in our way. Exiting the last of these we were treated by white capped mountains, as we entered the French Alps. Entering one of the small villages, we stopped at a bakery for a quick lunch. Their bagettes are to die for. We then headed for the B & B ... read more

Well, we're finally getting a minute to do yesterday's blog. Our evening in Langeais turned out marvelous. After a wonderful breakfast, Mary, our hostess, found us a reservation for a B & B at our intended destination. Today involved a lot of driving through beautiful rolling hills of agricultural land. Corn stalks were being harvested and there were many fields of sunflowers that have dried on their stalk. We stopped for lunch in an adorable little village, Verteillac, where we ate with the locals. The food was amazing, and quite inexpensive. Bergerac, our next stop, has a riverside setting, and is known for its half timber houses and narrow, cobblestone alleyways. This town was the home of Cireno de Bergerac, and he is prominently honored in the town square. It felt good to stretch and walk ... read more