Blogs from Centre, France, Europe - page 36

Huzzah, we have already spent a week surrounded by lovely french people, fromages, and gut busting patisseries. Here's the story so far... We set sail from Dover to Calais on a very very dull ferry full of lorry drivers and "others" and of course ourselves. Our excitement shone like a a lighthouse beam in this grey world and we landed on French soil eager to test our driving skills. We headed to Carlepont, (an hour North of Paris) where we planned to spend our first night under canvas at an all-year round campsite. Apart from one inappropriate moment at a service station where both of us marched into the toilet to the sound of "Sexual Healing" being played on the speakers (causing both of us to enter separate cubicles) we arrived in Carlepont unscathed. The shock ... read more

I'm actually not in Tours at the moment, but in a small town called Vierzon. Alex took me to her parents' house in the countryside where I am being pampered, wined and dined with stinky cheese, foie gras and many-a-stick of crusty bread. The trip out of Paris proved to be another interesting escapade. At the last minute, on a suggestion given to me be my CouchSurfing host, I decided to try and hitchhike! Again! After what happened last time!! ...hmm... He told me it shouldn't be a problem, and that it was fairly easy to get out of Paris from an on-ramp called Porte de Orleans. His friend had differing opinions, however and told me it would be nearly impossible. It turned out to be a combination of the two. After waiting three hours in ... read more

More wine, more cheese & more bread!! Luvin it! I kept trying to speak french but i always ended up saying "Par lay vou engla" ( do you speak English) Tours is a real nice city, it has the la lier river running through it & a whole area of the city is really old school (100's of years old). Tours is in a area that has a tone of castles, so we went on a tour (me, mum & 2 japs). We had a french guy driving us around in a mini van & this lad was a crazy driver! burning down skinny, windy roads, up over gutters and hitting the skids! But we didn't crash & he took us to Leonardo De vinci's house with a museum & gardens with his inventions and prints ... read more

An hour and a half train ride out of Paris one finds a skeletal stone and glass monument (900 years old) rising out of the rolling fields of Chartres. I felt a visit to Chartres Cathedral was a mandatory must do while in Paris. One can study the French gothic in school and pretend to know what you’re talking about or you can experience this ecclesiastical architecture in the first person. The chilling weather followed me to Chartres. The towers were closed due to snow and ice. The Englishman that Rick Steves speaks so highly of cancelled his tour. The stone masonry of the cathedral absorbed what little bit of heat there was leaving the air stingingly sharp to the face and exposed skin. In one of the transepts I found a metal grill in the ... read more

From Milan, we flew to Paris where we met another coach and a new local guide. Without missing a beat, or a stop in Paris, the group set out for the Loire Valley and its famous château country. It was a Friday afternoon and everyone was rushing to leave Paris for the weekend. Valene appeared to be getting along well with the local guide and complimented her on her chic attire. However, there evidently had been some sort of falling out overnight. By morning, the local guide had split, and was on her way back to Paris. Valene took over courier's seat and microphone. From our base in Tours, we were able to visit four château: Amboise (16th century), Chambord (1547), Chenonceaux (1522), and Azay-le-Rideau (1527). I returned to Chambord and Chenonceaux in 2015. Wonderful as ... read more