TDudette

Hey Tom, There are some beautiful areas in PA. Although very touristy in parts, the Amish area is quite lovely-parts of it reminded me of Tuscany. Lancaster intersting. Gettysburg has lots about Civil War and is a sweet town.

Philly is wonderful--I swear I felt the spirits of Adams and Jefferson in Constitution Hall. Lots of great local food as well. We visited the Barnes Foundation before it moved--fellow who bought lots of art and put it up in his place of business and made his employees look at it at lunch time! But such a collection it is.

Rhody and I stayed in the Inn at Meander Plantation near Orange VA and they had a cooking school that was SO much fun.

Vinyards (which probably pale to CA's), Monticello, UVA, Charlottesville--lots there. Monroe's home was being regutted when we were there but it's great also. Of course, you could always return to DC--that group has met 3 more times since then!

PS, annhig, we did get to Marmottan and some of those works got over to the Walters in Baltimore, Md.--some of the colors were truly terrible. That being said, Giverny is still on my "to see" list.

annhig

annhig, we did get to Marmottan and some of those works got over to the Walters in Baltimore, Md.--some of the colors were truly terrible>>

Did you think so, TD? [well, obviously you did or you wouldn't have said it]. When we saw them in the Marmottan we had spent the morning at the main Monet exhibition in the Grand Palais, and then we had lunch at le cinq.

I'll leave it to you to decide which of those two experiences might have made us more favourably disposed towards Monet's later works.

Giverny is on my list too.

marigross

OMG, how did I miss this!?!?! Tagging to read over the weekend.

taconictraveler

Hate to see it end, Tom. Just too good! Still, there are promised photos, LOL. As I said earlier, no pressure.

Coquelicot

Tom, Gettysburg is my home town and I get there often. I hope you'll make it a stop on your PA-VA tour. There are a few things to see other than the battlefield (the orchard country for one), but of course that's the main draw for most visitors.

This will be a busy year since it's the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. Gosh! It seems like it was only yesterday.

maitaitom

TT - working on photos for website version now. It's the trip that NEVER ends.

Coq - Yes, Gettysburg is definitely going to be a stop for us. I'm sure I'll be on the US Board soon asking way too many questions about Virginia and Pennsylvania.

taconictraveler

MTT: Just a thought about Gettysburg: There is a group of older men, probably some informal Battlefield group, one of whom will spend a day with you and take you around to show you how the battle went. It is quite complicated and the actual battle lasted several days as I recall. Well worth having a guide. It is haunting. A friend of ours suggested a guide from this (apparent) group, but it was 15 years ago and I can't remember anyway.

Maybe Coquelicot will know about these guides.

Leely2

Thanks for sharing your trip! Enjoyable as always. I managed to plan and take a trip to Paris in the time it took you to finish your report. I look forward to seeing the photos on your blog when ready. Will you post the link here?

Happy New Year to you, Tracy, Kim, and Mary!

maitaitom

Hi Leely. I'll post the link here if I live long enough to get this done. Our photo library of this trip is daunting. Happy New Year to you, too.

TT, thanks for the info. I will look into it.

Digbydog

Tom--what kind of car did you rent in Limoges? I am trying to figure out what size will accommodate 4 people and 4 carry-on bags and will still be able to navigate village streets.

maitaitom

Hi Digbydog - We rented an Audi 4-door. It fit all of our bags and assorted stuff we bought along the way, including three tablecloths. It was a good sized trunk, and Mary is a packing guru to fit everything in. We had four medium-sized suitcases and two smaller ones for medical (comes in handy when you travel with Sir-Bleed-A-Lot) and other travel stuff.

I believe the cost for exactly two weeks was about $700 when everything was factored in. I'll try to look this up for you and get you better numbers. The car handled great, and I never came close to scratching it on anything...well, except that pesky Arc du Triomphe.

Digbydog

Thanks so much for your quick reply! Do you know whether it was an Audi A3 or A4? We travel fairly light (thankfully no medical bags), but I am worrying about fitting everything in the trunk. We have had rentals where we had to put a bag in the back seat between the kids--although separating them was not always such a bad thing!

maitaitom

It was the A4. If you travel light, you'll be in great shape. We pack everything but the kitchen sink (actually we might have brought a sink on one trip). You'll be fine with that car, plus it drives really nice. I assume since you are going through Limoges, you will be going to Oradour-sur-Glane. It's a powerful experience, and one that I think you shouldn't miss if you get the chance. They really did a great job putting together the museum and telling about the atrocities that happened.

Have fun in Sarlat, and get ready for a lot of duck on your menu.

Digbydog

You have a great memory! I probably wouldn't remember whether I had rented a Chevy or a BMW, let alone whether it was an A3 or an A4.

We are headed to Oradour. There are a lot of WWII enthusiasts in the family.

Again, many thanks for your help!

TPAYT

I just had to take the time to read your very funny, interesting TR again. You took me back to many of the Paris, Dordogne, Loire Valley, spots that we love. You also peeked my interest in the Normandy area that we have yet to visit.

Bravo, and thanks for taking the time to entertain and inform us. You have a wonderful way with words.

maitaitom

"Still, there are promised photos, LOL. As I said earlier, no pressure."

Not that I am going to post this day by day again, but at least I have (finally) started with our first day in Paris on my website (you can see the Larry Fine statue at the Musée d’Orsay and Kim's cool picture of my flaming crepe).

When I finally get this done, I'll put it up for the few who actually want to go through this whole thing again. That said, the spelling is better, punctuation is improved (although I always find more mistakes every time I look at it) and there are a few additions I made (yes, even more stupid puns I'm afraid) to the original (it's funny some of the things you remember long after a trip is concluded). Thanks to all who have commented on the thread. It is appreciated!

http://travelswithmaitaitom.com/Tom_..._the_lake.html

kansas

Your journey through France is even better (how is this possible?) with the photos!! I will keep tagging along for the fun. Many thanks!

Marystar

Yuk, yuk, yuk.
I love reading about the trips we take with Tom and Tracy afterwards. It brings it all back so vividly. I do agree that seeing the photos by rereading on his website is even more fun, as he embellishes even more.
Write on, Dear MaiTai!
We are ready for another adventure....
Marystar

Piccolina

Savouring this trip report!

TDudette

Can't wait to take a leisurely re-visit, Tom. Thanks and hi to All, TDu