shelemm

You are only listing cities as places of interest or places to stay. Is that just as a point of reference?

jpie

Thanks for the lovely photos of Nancy. I have spent a few nights there many years ago but it was on business and my husband hasn't been there before. We are not totally clear of all our overnight stops quite yet. So far we have booked 5 nights in Nimes just as a base to explore that area some more and after that we are going to base a couple of nights somewhere near Aix or Avignon because we have a lunch reservation at the Francis Mallmann restaurant at Château la Coste, and want to spend time exploring the art and architecture at Château la Coste.

After that we have to still plan our 5-6 overnight stops from there to near our last reservation near Schipol. So there are some good possibilities such as Nancy, Metz somewhere near Lyon (don't really want to drive into Lyon itself), etc. But it is still so far out that I am not too worried about having it completely nailed down yet. And as usual, any and all ideas are appreciated!

shelemm

Not sure if this is up your alley, but I spent a week exploring La Thierache, a micro-region of about 60 villages unique for their fortified churches. Some will be open, but for others you will have to ask for the key from a local. Each one is unique, and it does not look like any other part of France.

I also think Verdun is a very special place to visit, but must be curious about WWI.

Tulips

We spend 2 nights at Chateau de la Resle near Chablis last year. Lovely place with great art too. That would be a slightly different route from Nimes to the north.
You could visit Auxerre, Vezelay, Troyes.

jpie

Thanks for those ideas guys-we have been to some of the places mentioned but never mind re-visiting. I will dig into some of the ideas!