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Europe » France » Centre » Amboise June 24th 2017

Matkalle lähtiessä minulla ei ollut oikein ymmärrystä siitä, mihin olemme menossa. Olin kyllä katsonut kartasta, mutta paikan nimet eivät sanoneet minulle mitään. Tiesin, mihin minun piti matkustaa Pariisista junalla. Rolandilla oli tavoitteena, että käymme kiertämässä 8 linnaa neljän päivän aikana. Sittemmin kävi ilmi, että seutu on kuuluisaa Loire-joen laaksoa, jossa Ranskan kuninkaat ovat rakennelleet linnoja erityisesti renessanssin aikaan. Minä luulin, että Ranskan kuninkaat viihtyivät Pariisissa, mutta se oli kai myöhemmin. Ei kovin paljon myöhemmin, koska vallankumouksen jälkeen täällä ei enää oikein kuningasta ollut. Léna oli etukäteen iloinnut siitä, että näemme Leonardo da Vincin linnan, joten suunnistimme ensimmäisenä Amboiseen. Clos Lucé on pieni linna tai iso kartano, johon Ranskan kuningas Frans I kutsui ystävänsä Leonardon viettämään vanhuuden päiviä. Leonardo ehti e... read more
Aatelisia Amboisen linnassa
Mona Lisa -ruusut ja Léna pohtimassa.
Leonardo da Vincin työtila

Europe » France » Centre » Montargis June 14th 2017

This entry by Tom. Up early and ready to go, we had breakfast at the Campanile instead of the Première Classe. It’s much better, with fruit and ham and chocolate pastries plus nearly everyone assembled a small sandwich for the road. Packing the van with all the luggage went well enough and I lost count at half a dozen or so of the number of cameras Luce and Donna used to take the traditional group photo at the start with all of us wearing our custom trip jerseys. At least one of them will be suitable for public consumption. And then we were off. We all started together as one big group as we always do but instead of leading I hung back with Caroline. Starting out on the first day is always tricky on account ... read more

Europe » France » Centre » Amboise May 23rd 2017

May 1 – May 6 We started off the week on May 1st, my Mom’s birthday with a call that evening to wish her the best on her 89th. We used to Skype, but since we were in Paris we now have a different phone plan that allows us to use our phone as a wi-fi hot spot on the boat as well as to make international calls home. It makes it much easier to talk as we don’t have the delays that you have when on Skype. Of course we can’t do the video calls this way, but it is working so far. As always it was wonderful to have a chance to visit with Mom. A great way to start the week. We decided to take a few days to explore a different section ... read more
A Couple of Views of the Streets of Amboise
The City Gate Is a Distinct Landmark
The Other Side of the Same Gate in Amboise

Europe » France » Centre December 30th 2016

We were up at a leisurely hour in Paris before our TGV journey cross-country to Tours. Nick & Alicia are travelling this leg with Nick's parents Dan & Lorraine so between the six of us it was quite a luggage pile. With the luggage racks onboard overflowing we ended up stacking our giant bags in the train vestibule near the exit doors knowing we were the first stop and then got upstairs to our seats. Seats weren't required for a 3 year old which was a nice money saver and Roman sat quite well on Alicia's lap and the kids largely drew, coloured, and were good for the whole journey; helped along with some snacks and drinks of fresh OJ. We think the train did 250km/hr + to get us to Tours in the time it ... read more
The family
Kids in a 'Princess Bedroom'
The Giant Treehouse

Europe » France » Centre » Bourges October 5th 2016

eDay 10: What happened to day 7 8 and 9? You may ask! Well I was busy sightseeing and taking photographs and drinking beer and eating food. Also driving between places in Italy and France. The WIFI in some of the places meant it was impossible to access this blog app. Anyway the last post saw me at Mulhouse motor museum on Day 6 so: The following Day (Day 7) I took the toll roads and tunnels through The eastern borders of France to Switzerland and then to Italy via the mountain routes. The tolls in Switzerland are paid in one block at the entry checkpoint where you are required to purchase a "vignette" cost of 40Euros thank you very much. The roads in Swtizerland though are amazing constructions. The vast tunnels and smooth carriageways are ... read more
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Europe » France » Centre » Montbazon October 2nd 2016

Day 25 or thereabouts. Our time in France is coming to an end. We increasingly head north and have passed that invisible line across the map that divides the colder north of France with the southern portion. We always rightly or wrongly think that in the Loire we feel cold whereas in Burgundy and the Dordogne we start to feel warmer. The sun feels stronger, the light is brighter and altogether we feel in a holiday mood. We have only two more campsites before we are home. We wake early and leave our idyllic, peaceful campstop for the night. Sion is unhappy and shows it all the way to our next destination - Montbazon. We drive down those maze like french rural roads that go on for some time before arriving at a crossroads. The signs ... read more
Montbazon
The Indre
What we could have seen if it were open

Europe » France » Centre » Chartres September 29th 2016

We took the metro directly to the train station for our day at Chartres. The weather was beautiful and the ride comfortable even though we were in "second class". Actually, all public transit here has been wonderful; prompt, clean and comfortable. There are no elderly people who ride the subway because......of the damn stairs. I must have climbed the Eiffel Tower since I was here. Anyway, we arrived in Chartres and could see the cathedral from the train station. It was Monday and most of the stores and cafes were closed but we found one and Linda scouted out the TI and I ordered Cappachino for two. When Linda came back with a map she had a sandwich and I had a pastry. Yum!!! As we sat outside school children of all ages ran by in ... read more
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Europe » France » Centre » Chartres August 17th 2016

Geo: 48.4444, 1.48417After a coffee in Bailly we headed off on our road trip to Chartres. Our GPS (we have nicknamed her "kitty" as we are in a Jaguar) stubbornly insists we must take the toll freeway, so she leads us on a complex route to get there. When we left the highway, the toll booth refused both our credit cards, and even the 6 euros (8.75 CDN) cash that we put in. We pushed the Help button and someone who spoke some english helped us. He would not let us through the gate without taking a ticket requiring us to pay the same amount again online, failing which the car owner will receive a fine. Allegedly we are to receive reimbursement for the cash we put in, but we doubt that will ever happen! We ... read more
Chartres Notre Dame Church
Astrological Clock
Stained glass and Gothic sculptures

Europe » France » Centre » Blois August 9th 2016

We enjoyed the Loire valley so much that we wanted to return and see some more. This time we headed a little further west to start and stopped at Chateaudun on the way. This town had a scenic walk through the town. We ate our lunch at the start of the walk, at a nice spot that overlooks the town and the Loire. Then we wandered through the narrow cobblestone streets which were very quaint and finally found the chateau. Then walked the rest of the scenic path to end up at back at our car. Next stop was Blois which is home to the Chateau Royale de Blois. This was the residence of several French kings and later, Joan of Arc went there to be blessed by the Archbishop before her quest to drive the ... read more
Chateaudun
Small doors
Chateau dun from the back

Europe » France » Centre » Chartres August 7th 2016

Friday we rode our bikes to the Foret de Clamart. We took the scenic route there (and by that I mean the long-we-got-lost route, not the prettiest route) and when we got to the forest, we could only find the hiking trails at first which were very steep, rocky and not too bike-friendly. So, back down the big hill and finally found the bike trails. These were steep too but at least they were paved and ridable. This forest was well used by people running and biking. We ate our picnic in the woods and then biked around some more before heading home. The next day was off to Chartres. This town is famous for its Cathedral (dating back to the 1100's) which is spectacular. We could see it from miles away driving in. We parked ... read more
Chartres
Chartres
Chartres streets




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