16 Nights in France: The Dordogne, Provence, the Riviera and Paris
Jul 4th, 2011, 11:49 AM
#21
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twk, LOL "behind the Pine Curtain"
Thanks for acknowledging difficulties of driving in the French countryside. Nothing like a relaxing country drive through Texas Hill Country!!!
Re navigation, my daughter (being of the tech generation) is great at using the excellent GPS system which came with the rental Mercedes. . Once i translated the simple phrases for her (I am lucky to speak fluent French) she could do it on her own.
One big problem IMHO was trying to use those enormous, unwieldy 1:150 Michelin maps that were recommended by some Fodors folk. NOT good for in-car navigation: way too big, and the paper is way too flimsy. A few folds, and they looked like tissue paper. Yes, they are detailed, but in the end we never used them, except spread out on a huge dining room table. net time, i'll bring one of thosesprial notelbook type book Atlases which is a do-able size for the car.
Thanks for acknowledging difficulties of driving in the French countryside. Nothing like a relaxing country drive through Texas Hill Country!!!
Re navigation, my daughter (being of the tech generation) is great at using the excellent GPS system which came with the rental Mercedes. . Once i translated the simple phrases for her (I am lucky to speak fluent French) she could do it on her own.
One big problem IMHO was trying to use those enormous, unwieldy 1:150 Michelin maps that were recommended by some Fodors folk. NOT good for in-car navigation: way too big, and the paper is way too flimsy. A few folds, and they looked like tissue paper. Yes, they are detailed, but in the end we never used them, except spread out on a huge dining room table. net time, i'll bring one of thosesprial notelbook type book Atlases which is a do-able size for the car.
Jul 4th, 2011, 12:11 PM
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Enjoyed your report! We are heading to France the end of August and exploring Provence for the first time so are very excited! We'll be staying at the Mas des Carrasins too so was glad to hear about it. We had been in the Dordogne several years ago with our kids and LOVED the area. And it is funny about some people and travel to France - while I admit that Paris hasn't been my favorite European city, I must say that I'm very excited to see it again, to try some areas that we've never made it to before (Monmartre for instance), and to really enjoy it. Got inspired last night after seeing the new Woody Allen movie - the opening shots are a real love letter to Paris and is enough to make anyone want to visit. Can't wait!
Jul 4th, 2011, 01:08 PM
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CaliNurse: I've always been skeptical about those individual map reccomendations, so I used the Michelin atlas of France (1:200K), that, contrary to the advice you see on the board, I purchased in advance over the net (spent more money, but got to see it and get familiar with it in advance).
With a GPS, all you need the map for is to make sure that the GPS is not taking you on what we lawyers would call a "frolic and detour," so while you can get more detailed maps, I don't think it's necessary or particularly desirable. For example, when we stayed in St. Remy, the GPS never wanted me to go through Plan d'Orgon, even though this was the most direct route to get on the Autoroute. I let it take us down a circuitous route to avoid this town once, but after than, I just had the driver point the car in the direction I knew we should be going until the GPS finally relented and recalculated a route that made sense.
With a GPS, all you need the map for is to make sure that the GPS is not taking you on what we lawyers would call a "frolic and detour," so while you can get more detailed maps, I don't think it's necessary or particularly desirable. For example, when we stayed in St. Remy, the GPS never wanted me to go through Plan d'Orgon, even though this was the most direct route to get on the Autoroute. I let it take us down a circuitous route to avoid this town once, but after than, I just had the driver point the car in the direction I knew we should be going until the GPS finally relented and recalculated a route that made sense.
Jul 4th, 2011, 03:06 PM
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I enjoyed your report. Our family of 5 leaves July 7 for the Dordogne, Provence, and Paris.Our trips have many similarities-flying into Toulouse, renting a van, bringing my Garvin GPS,rented a house near Salat which was listed on vbro, and brought cell phones with SIM cards purchased in the USA for a French network.
We will start off our week on Saturday arriving too late for the Saturday Sarlat market. Good input on going to the St-Cyprien market on Sunday.I have been to the three castles that you visited,and I am taking my family to those three on this trip. I was lucky to get an English tour of Beynac so I probably got more out of the visit.In preparation for Castlenaud I had my grandchildren read the book and watch the B movie Timeline(Thank you Calinurse). The visit to Milandes is not so much for the castle, but for who lived there.Josephine Baker was is a historical figure who had to leave her country to find fame and fortune in her adopted country France.The USA was not the land of opportunity for an African American girl who grew up in the slums of East St Louis in the early 20th century. I found the visit quite moving with recordings of her playing in the background. A good adult preparation for the visit is to view the HBO film Josephine Baker Story available on Amazon for $6.
My son, daughter-in-law, and grandsons will also take the canoe trip and I will look for the bar in the shade in La Roque. We also have a 1PM reservation for the English tour at Font de Gaume. I am glad you liked it. I only saw Lascaux on my last trip. My wife and I stayed in Domme on our last trip and I recall a few driving laps up the hill and back down again before we found the hotel at the top.Marqueyssac is also on our to do list, another good input. I am undecided on the "bones and stones" of Les Eyzies museum.
We are overnighting in Carcassonne on our drive to our stay at Le Mas Perreal in the Luberon, Provence.
Thanks for the report.
We will start off our week on Saturday arriving too late for the Saturday Sarlat market. Good input on going to the St-Cyprien market on Sunday.I have been to the three castles that you visited,and I am taking my family to those three on this trip. I was lucky to get an English tour of Beynac so I probably got more out of the visit.In preparation for Castlenaud I had my grandchildren read the book and watch the B movie Timeline(Thank you Calinurse). The visit to Milandes is not so much for the castle, but for who lived there.Josephine Baker was is a historical figure who had to leave her country to find fame and fortune in her adopted country France.The USA was not the land of opportunity for an African American girl who grew up in the slums of East St Louis in the early 20th century. I found the visit quite moving with recordings of her playing in the background. A good adult preparation for the visit is to view the HBO film Josephine Baker Story available on Amazon for $6.
My son, daughter-in-law, and grandsons will also take the canoe trip and I will look for the bar in the shade in La Roque. We also have a 1PM reservation for the English tour at Font de Gaume. I am glad you liked it. I only saw Lascaux on my last trip. My wife and I stayed in Domme on our last trip and I recall a few driving laps up the hill and back down again before we found the hotel at the top.Marqueyssac is also on our to do list, another good input. I am undecided on the "bones and stones" of Les Eyzies museum.
We are overnighting in Carcassonne on our drive to our stay at Le Mas Perreal in the Luberon, Provence.
Thanks for the report.
Jul 4th, 2011, 03:25 PM
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Calinurse
I am interested in hearing about your itinerary the day you visited Font de Gaume and Lascaux.If you read this and can post it in the next day it would be appreciated.
It is an acquired skill to fold those Michelin maps while sitting in the passenger side of a moving car.I can handle the LOCAL maps-1:150 000, but the REGIONAL maps-1:200 000 are impossible because they are even larger and are printed on both sides, as Stu points out in his guides. So don't fell bad. I have also learned to take along some maps and itineraries printed out from via Michelin.
I am interested in hearing about your itinerary the day you visited Font de Gaume and Lascaux.If you read this and can post it in the next day it would be appreciated.
It is an acquired skill to fold those Michelin maps while sitting in the passenger side of a moving car.I can handle the LOCAL maps-1:150 000, but the REGIONAL maps-1:200 000 are impossible because they are even larger and are printed on both sides, as Stu points out in his guides. So don't fell bad. I have also learned to take along some maps and itineraries printed out from via Michelin.
Jul 4th, 2011, 04:05 PM
#26
Nice report and great photos. Thanks for sharing them!
Weirdly I found the driving in the Dordogne very easy, even relaxing. (But I most recently drove in Sicily, so perhaps I've become a vacation-driving relativist.)
Weirdly I found the driving in the Dordogne very easy, even relaxing. (But I most recently drove in Sicily, so perhaps I've become a vacation-driving relativist.)
Jul 4th, 2011, 06:56 PM
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Leely2: It would be a lot easier to drive the Dordogne in a smaller car. It's not really van friendly. Provence was much easier to drive, except for the cyclists (I hope they all survived--we didn't see any crashes in our wake).
dugi_otok: Have a good trip. I hope my experience proves helpful. I've seen the Josephine Baker movie you mentioned. I understand why the chateau is preserved more as a shrine to Josephine rather than as an historical property with hundreds of years of history--if it was just presented as a chateau, it wouldn't draw nearly the visitors that it does. That was the upshot of my comment--the building is nice, but I would say that the falconry show and the Baker story are the draw, and for me personally, it was the falconry show that had the wow factor.
Overnighting in Carcassonne is probably a good move. We didn't have time for an overnight stop, so just decided to give it a miss, rather than fight the tour busses in the middle of the day. That was one thing about staying next to the chateau in Beynac--you could really tell the difference in traffic past our house when the tour busses were in town and when they were not. Staying overnight in Carcassonne should allow you to see it without the bus groups.
dugi_otok: Have a good trip. I hope my experience proves helpful. I've seen the Josephine Baker movie you mentioned. I understand why the chateau is preserved more as a shrine to Josephine rather than as an historical property with hundreds of years of history--if it was just presented as a chateau, it wouldn't draw nearly the visitors that it does. That was the upshot of my comment--the building is nice, but I would say that the falconry show and the Baker story are the draw, and for me personally, it was the falconry show that had the wow factor.
Overnighting in Carcassonne is probably a good move. We didn't have time for an overnight stop, so just decided to give it a miss, rather than fight the tour busses in the middle of the day. That was one thing about staying next to the chateau in Beynac--you could really tell the difference in traffic past our house when the tour busses were in town and when they were not. Staying overnight in Carcassonne should allow you to see it without the bus groups.
Jul 4th, 2011, 09:55 PM
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twk
Your experience for the whole trip was very helpful.I also enjoyed your photos. We too are taking the TGV to Paris, from Avignon, "splurging" on 1st class. I hope we find a van cab at Gare de Lyon.We also plan on stopping at Pont du Gard on our way to the Luberon.We are also are driving up to Mont Ventoux (My daughter-in-law would like to cycle to the top). So many similarities in our trips. It is not often that a Californian agrees with a Texan on one thing, let alone a whole trip.
My Les Milandes visit. My wife wanted to see it, I did not. I had low expectations. I was blown away by the Josephine Baker saga. That was 12 years ago, there was no falcon show when we were there.
Your experience for the whole trip was very helpful.I also enjoyed your photos. We too are taking the TGV to Paris, from Avignon, "splurging" on 1st class. I hope we find a van cab at Gare de Lyon.We also plan on stopping at Pont du Gard on our way to the Luberon.We are also are driving up to Mont Ventoux (My daughter-in-law would like to cycle to the top). So many similarities in our trips. It is not often that a Californian agrees with a Texan on one thing, let alone a whole trip.
My Les Milandes visit. My wife wanted to see it, I did not. I had low expectations. I was blown away by the Josephine Baker saga. That was 12 years ago, there was no falcon show when we were there.
Jul 5th, 2011, 08:12 AM
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dugi_otok: There is a guy that coordinates the taxi line at the station. He matches up cabs with the size of the parties, so, keep your eye on the taxis as they pull up, and watch and see when he asks for a party of five. The van taxi that we took was a Mercedes Viano--a vehicle that is a about a foot longer than the Renault Espace van that we rented, and had plenty of room in the rear compartment for all our luggage, unlike the Espace. That's probably what you'll need (a norman minivan might not be big enough), and they are somewhat rare, but then again, so are parties of five (and the van driver wants a party of five because they charge a supplement for each person over two, IIRC). Hopefully, it will work out for you like it did for us.
I will say this--although I've always been a believer in using taxis rather than private van transfers upon arrival, the taxi queue for our arrival at 1:30 was long enough that any delay waiting for the private transfer vehicle would have been minimal comared to our actual waiting time. We also had the option of splitting into 2 groups of 3, which, from your posts, sounds like may not be an option for you. So, you might want to actually look into meeting a shuttle.
I will say this--although I've always been a believer in using taxis rather than private van transfers upon arrival, the taxi queue for our arrival at 1:30 was long enough that any delay waiting for the private transfer vehicle would have been minimal comared to our actual waiting time. We also had the option of splitting into 2 groups of 3, which, from your posts, sounds like may not be an option for you. So, you might want to actually look into meeting a shuttle.
Jul 5th, 2011, 08:13 AM
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TDudette:
Pics are here: http://twkfrancetrip.shutterfly.com/
Sis did very well driving. She was compensated in a medium other than money or medals (one of the liquid variety).
Pics are here: http://twkfrancetrip.shutterfly.com/
Sis did very well driving. She was compensated in a medium other than money or medals (one of the liquid variety).
Jul 6th, 2011, 01:14 AM
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HI Dugi, and please forgive me TWK for piggy backing onto your trip report. Since Dugi asked, i will respond here, and will soon write a REAL trip report of. TWK, feel free to add on to mine, to get even! (-;
Dugi, the day we went to the caves turned out different than i'd planned. True if cliched travel lesson: expect the unexpected, and if your travel eyes are bigger than your travel stomach, remember you can hopefully return some day!
The day was cloudy, cool and grey, but fit the "vibe" of the days' activities. We stayed in the old part of Sarlat, and drove from there toward Les Eyzies. The little wood "shack" where you pick up tix for les Combarelles and Font de Gaume was not yet open, so we drove a bit further into Les Eyzies "downtown" to search for coffee.
Most folks on FF dont seem to think there's anything special about Les Eyzies, but it gave both me and dtr our first REAL "wow" jaw-dropping moment of the trip the first site of those tall cliffs with the houses built into them--OMG!! This "got" to us much more than the tourist-filled crowd St Cirq la Popie, where we'd been the day before (more of that in TR).
This was our first morning in the Perigord, and we were happy to bakery for croissants and pains au raisins, and even a place with delicious hot coffee to go--for warming up in the cold weather. The outside temperature was so low that the caves didnt feel cold! Back to the now-open green shack, got our pre-paid tix for Les Combarelles, and for the afternoon at Font de Gaume, and then drove back to the entrance of Les Combarelle, walked across the field, and waited for our tour,joined by only two other people (from France). It ws a French tour, but the guide , aware that we were American, gave a summary in English. Les Combarelles contains detailed rock etchings--the colors and paints have disintegrated.My daughter loved it, but i struggled to see the shapes of animals. The cave itself is fantastic, and i can only imagine what it must have been for a local child to have explored here!
We then had a few hours til our 1 pm English Tour at Font de Gaume. THANK YOU, THANK YOU St Cirq, who suggested and encouraged visiting la Roque St Christophe, Dugi, your grandkids will LOVE it!!!!
It is fantastic, a highlight of our trip to the Dordogne. With so many billboards for assorted sites, had it not been for St Cirq's strong recommendations, we may have not seen it. Dugi, if you havebeen there on previous trips, you'll know what i mean. If not...GO!!! An amazing place , beautifully presented , and worth every euro of the admission price. Highly recommended for young and old alike!! Your visit there can be for an hour and you wont have a dull moment!
We then returned to Font de Gaume for the 1 pm tour.
We walked up the hill (do leave yourself time for that) There were 6 other people with us on this English tour. The guide seemed quite "into" the place. Seeing the horns painted on the bulls...unbelievable. ONe thing i had expected was to see them in brighter light, but it is kept pretty dim in there, even with the guide's flashlight. Pixin books and postcards have been taken under much better lighting conditions. the dimness made it even eerier! The tour lasted about an hour. Once again, i was struck with the cave itself!! Wow, like a kid's adventure dream come true!!
I'd planned to then go to St Leon sur Vezere, and on to pick up tix for Lascaux 2 for about 5:30 pm. (This was a "quiet" time of yr and i'd been assured we did not have to be at Montignac early in the day to get tix.) But dtr was hungry and tired, so we found a restaurnat that was open at 3:30 pm for meals!! Hurray!! (The place was just off the little parking lot on the left side of town, as you enter from the Font de gaume direction.) and theere was a n outdoor terrace with a delightful server (i think the owner) who seemed more Mediterranean than local--big warm sweet smile, very lively, spoke little English, We had some decent steak frites and enjoyed the day's rare and brief sunshine. We were gong to continue to Montignac , but daughter who had been driving the entire previous day and today, was "burned out" exhausted, so wanted nothing other than to return to the flat in Sarlat and t get somemuch needed relaxation/jet lag recovery time.
We never did get to Lascauxz 2. I hadnt cared that it was a "repro" but others we met said whilethey enjoyed it, they didnt find it awe insoriring in the same emotional way as Font de Gaume. Well...some day i'll get there--or to Lascaux 3!!
Anyway, that was our relity vs preplanned itinerary for "cave day" However your day works out, please try to fit in La Roque St Cristope for you and the grandchildren.
Re Sarlat Saturday market; We were in Sarlat on Wednesday, in fact ,as we rented a place in the old town, the market stalls started a few feet below our balcony . Locals said , "THe Wednesday market is small." Well, we LOLed seeing it. If that is what they call small, ...Lord knows what the Sat one would be. We loved the Wednesday market!!
We left town on a Saturday a.m.when they were starting to set up the market, and see to the stalls stretched more toward the edges of the outside of the historic center. So if yo miss it...i woudln feel bad (Jn fact, by the end of trip to we were pretty burned out on markets from od'ing on them in Dordogne, Provence, and even our beloved Saxe Breteuil Market in Paris!
We went to Carcassonne as an afternoon trip between Sarlat and the next rental, in St Remy. I think the kids would love Carcassonne, and we wandered 'round for a couole hours, commenting often on what a good job Walkt Disney did in recreating a place liek this!! When we first entered at the main gate, we were stunned (not in a good way) by all the fake Olde Worlde typoe shops signs!! It ws life imitating art?) or something like that. I think Rick Steves has in his book how to enter a quieter side of town, but we didnt see his book 'til after the fact. Anyway, if time allows, and you are going to Carcassonne, spending the night there as a mid-way point between Sarlat and St Remy (or other in Provence)is a good idea and would give a chance to see the town after the huge crowds have left.
Dugi, the day we went to the caves turned out different than i'd planned. True if cliched travel lesson: expect the unexpected, and if your travel eyes are bigger than your travel stomach, remember you can hopefully return some day!
The day was cloudy, cool and grey, but fit the "vibe" of the days' activities. We stayed in the old part of Sarlat, and drove from there toward Les Eyzies. The little wood "shack" where you pick up tix for les Combarelles and Font de Gaume was not yet open, so we drove a bit further into Les Eyzies "downtown" to search for coffee.
Most folks on FF dont seem to think there's anything special about Les Eyzies, but it gave both me and dtr our first REAL "wow" jaw-dropping moment of the trip the first site of those tall cliffs with the houses built into them--OMG!! This "got" to us much more than the tourist-filled crowd St Cirq la Popie, where we'd been the day before (more of that in TR).
This was our first morning in the Perigord, and we were happy to bakery for croissants and pains au raisins, and even a place with delicious hot coffee to go--for warming up in the cold weather. The outside temperature was so low that the caves didnt feel cold! Back to the now-open green shack, got our pre-paid tix for Les Combarelles, and for the afternoon at Font de Gaume, and then drove back to the entrance of Les Combarelle, walked across the field, and waited for our tour,joined by only two other people (from France). It ws a French tour, but the guide , aware that we were American, gave a summary in English. Les Combarelles contains detailed rock etchings--the colors and paints have disintegrated.My daughter loved it, but i struggled to see the shapes of animals. The cave itself is fantastic, and i can only imagine what it must have been for a local child to have explored here!
We then had a few hours til our 1 pm English Tour at Font de Gaume. THANK YOU, THANK YOU St Cirq, who suggested and encouraged visiting la Roque St Christophe, Dugi, your grandkids will LOVE it!!!!
It is fantastic, a highlight of our trip to the Dordogne. With so many billboards for assorted sites, had it not been for St Cirq's strong recommendations, we may have not seen it. Dugi, if you havebeen there on previous trips, you'll know what i mean. If not...GO!!! An amazing place , beautifully presented , and worth every euro of the admission price. Highly recommended for young and old alike!! Your visit there can be for an hour and you wont have a dull moment!
We then returned to Font de Gaume for the 1 pm tour.
We walked up the hill (do leave yourself time for that) There were 6 other people with us on this English tour. The guide seemed quite "into" the place. Seeing the horns painted on the bulls...unbelievable. ONe thing i had expected was to see them in brighter light, but it is kept pretty dim in there, even with the guide's flashlight. Pixin books and postcards have been taken under much better lighting conditions. the dimness made it even eerier! The tour lasted about an hour. Once again, i was struck with the cave itself!! Wow, like a kid's adventure dream come true!!
I'd planned to then go to St Leon sur Vezere, and on to pick up tix for Lascaux 2 for about 5:30 pm. (This was a "quiet" time of yr and i'd been assured we did not have to be at Montignac early in the day to get tix.) But dtr was hungry and tired, so we found a restaurnat that was open at 3:30 pm for meals!! Hurray!! (The place was just off the little parking lot on the left side of town, as you enter from the Font de gaume direction.) and theere was a n outdoor terrace with a delightful server (i think the owner) who seemed more Mediterranean than local--big warm sweet smile, very lively, spoke little English, We had some decent steak frites and enjoyed the day's rare and brief sunshine. We were gong to continue to Montignac , but daughter who had been driving the entire previous day and today, was "burned out" exhausted, so wanted nothing other than to return to the flat in Sarlat and t get somemuch needed relaxation/jet lag recovery time.
We never did get to Lascauxz 2. I hadnt cared that it was a "repro" but others we met said whilethey enjoyed it, they didnt find it awe insoriring in the same emotional way as Font de Gaume. Well...some day i'll get there--or to Lascaux 3!!
Anyway, that was our relity vs preplanned itinerary for "cave day" However your day works out, please try to fit in La Roque St Cristope for you and the grandchildren.
Re Sarlat Saturday market; We were in Sarlat on Wednesday, in fact ,as we rented a place in the old town, the market stalls started a few feet below our balcony . Locals said , "THe Wednesday market is small." Well, we LOLed seeing it. If that is what they call small, ...Lord knows what the Sat one would be. We loved the Wednesday market!!
We left town on a Saturday a.m.when they were starting to set up the market, and see to the stalls stretched more toward the edges of the outside of the historic center. So if yo miss it...i woudln feel bad (Jn fact, by the end of trip to we were pretty burned out on markets from od'ing on them in Dordogne, Provence, and even our beloved Saxe Breteuil Market in Paris!
We went to Carcassonne as an afternoon trip between Sarlat and the next rental, in St Remy. I think the kids would love Carcassonne, and we wandered 'round for a couole hours, commenting often on what a good job Walkt Disney did in recreating a place liek this!! When we first entered at the main gate, we were stunned (not in a good way) by all the fake Olde Worlde typoe shops signs!! It ws life imitating art?) or something like that. I think Rick Steves has in his book how to enter a quieter side of town, but we didnt see his book 'til after the fact. Anyway, if time allows, and you are going to Carcassonne, spending the night there as a mid-way point between Sarlat and St Remy (or other in Provence)is a good idea and would give a chance to see the town after the huge crowds have left.
Jul 6th, 2011, 01:22 AM
#33
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p.s. Sorry for typos, it is 2 a.m. here in Calif. And to clarify: the restaurant which we were elated to find open (after all, most are closed at 3:30pm) --it ws in Les Eyzies.
Dugi, Bn Voyage!!!
TWK, thank you again for your trip report, and your comments on navigation and the Lady in the GPS and her weird route choices!! But when she stopped talking for awhile (having technical difficulties) i truly missed her and hoped she'd recover soon--even if it meant hearing the dreaded "au rond point" term again!!!
Dugi, Bn Voyage!!!
TWK, thank you again for your trip report, and your comments on navigation and the Lady in the GPS and her weird route choices!! But when she stopped talking for awhile (having technical difficulties) i truly missed her and hoped she'd recover soon--even if it meant hearing the dreaded "au rond point" term again!!!
Jul 8th, 2011, 07:05 AM
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Sounds like a wonderful trip! We too have stayed at the Muguet and really liked it.
I am headed back to France in a couple weeks, my 4th trip. DD is there now doing a study abroad term. She left yesterday for Provence for a few days. I can't wait to hear about it from her.
We live in Oregon and there are 2 areas here that have a lot of roundabouts. It sure has saved us when we have driven in Europe! Our small suburb near Portland has quite a few, and you can always tell by the way someone drives as to whether they live in this town or not
I am headed back to France in a couple weeks, my 4th trip. DD is there now doing a study abroad term. She left yesterday for Provence for a few days. I can't wait to hear about it from her.
We live in Oregon and there are 2 areas here that have a lot of roundabouts. It sure has saved us when we have driven in Europe! Our small suburb near Portland has quite a few, and you can always tell by the way someone drives as to whether they live in this town or not
Aug 9th, 2011, 04:38 PM
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Great report, twk. I had started reading this a few weeks ago and then got sidetracked. Thanks for reminding me to come back.
I love your pictures, too! I'll definitely show them to Phil after dinner tonight over a glass of wine so we can compare notes with your concurrent trip that almost mirrored ours in reverse.
I do like that shutterfly set-up. That's the same shutterfly web page design I'm using for my family "blog" separate from Fodor's. Isn't it nice the way they allow you to post selected pictures on the face page and rearrange them at will?
I love your pictures, too! I'll definitely show them to Phil after dinner tonight over a glass of wine so we can compare notes with your concurrent trip that almost mirrored ours in reverse.
I do like that shutterfly set-up. That's the same shutterfly web page design I'm using for my family "blog" separate from Fodor's. Isn't it nice the way they allow you to post selected pictures on the face page and rearrange them at will?
Aug 18th, 2011, 08:06 AM
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twk: Just found your trip report from sap.
Loved your report. You were in the Dordogne about the same time that we were in the area.
I just finished our trip report as we spent the past month just getting our photo book finished. We kept a blog while we were gone and used our ipad to update it nightly. This worked out quite nicely for us. Of course there were times we were so exhausted after a full day's sightseeing that we didn't feel like updating it but we knew we would forget details if we waited.
We can totally relate to the traffic jam in Toulouse. We ended up taking the wrong turn and going out of way when leaving the city (even with the GPS) but eventually got on track. We've learned over the years that it works best for me to do the driving and my DH to be the navigator. Having the GPS has certainly helped (less arguments) as well as hindered us in our travels the past couple years. We still refer to our maps often and my DH is a much better navigator than me.
We were in Provence last year and stayed at Mas des Carrassins in St. Remy for 4 nights. We thought it was great and their breakfasts were fantastic. We did have 2 dinners there, one was very good, the other only ok.
I have to chuckle about your Tex Mex meals. We are also from Texas (Plano)and never try Tex Mex outside of Texas as we know how disappointed we'd be. We always save that for our first meal upon returning home as by then we are ready for our 'Tex Mex fix'.
We both love France and have been often. My DH's first love is Italy and we always have a difficult time deciding between the two. I personally prefer France and I think the Dordogne is my favorite area. Maybe it's just so fresh in my mind and we had no bad experiences on this trip. We're already thinking about next year's trip
Loved your report. You were in the Dordogne about the same time that we were in the area.
I just finished our trip report as we spent the past month just getting our photo book finished. We kept a blog while we were gone and used our ipad to update it nightly. This worked out quite nicely for us. Of course there were times we were so exhausted after a full day's sightseeing that we didn't feel like updating it but we knew we would forget details if we waited.
We can totally relate to the traffic jam in Toulouse. We ended up taking the wrong turn and going out of way when leaving the city (even with the GPS) but eventually got on track. We've learned over the years that it works best for me to do the driving and my DH to be the navigator. Having the GPS has certainly helped (less arguments) as well as hindered us in our travels the past couple years. We still refer to our maps often and my DH is a much better navigator than me.
We were in Provence last year and stayed at Mas des Carrassins in St. Remy for 4 nights. We thought it was great and their breakfasts were fantastic. We did have 2 dinners there, one was very good, the other only ok.
I have to chuckle about your Tex Mex meals. We are also from Texas (Plano)and never try Tex Mex outside of Texas as we know how disappointed we'd be. We always save that for our first meal upon returning home as by then we are ready for our 'Tex Mex fix'.
We both love France and have been often. My DH's first love is Italy and we always have a difficult time deciding between the two. I personally prefer France and I think the Dordogne is my favorite area. Maybe it's just so fresh in my mind and we had no bad experiences on this trip. We're already thinking about next year's trip
Aug 19th, 2011, 07:42 AM
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TDudette: Which photo are you looking at? There are a few people in #153, just not many. We did both the Arc and the Eiffel tower around 7:30, and, at that time of year (June), crowds really do seem to be manageable at those two sites at that time.
If you're talking about the last picture, I wish I'd had more time to set up a shot of the Arc from the Champs, which you basically have to do by going to a crosswalk, having your camera ready, and stopping for 2 seconds while crossing to take your shot. Unfortunately, when we crossed the Champs, my sisters were searching madly for a public restroom and I had no time to tary or set it up. That shot should have been taken from a crosswalk a little bit closer to the Arc. Oh well, I'll do better next time.
If you're talking about the last picture, I wish I'd had more time to set up a shot of the Arc from the Champs, which you basically have to do by going to a crosswalk, having your camera ready, and stopping for 2 seconds while crossing to take your shot. Unfortunately, when we crossed the Champs, my sisters were searching madly for a public restroom and I had no time to tary or set it up. That shot should have been taken from a crosswalk a little bit closer to the Arc. Oh well, I'll do better next time.
