DORDOGNE: SARLAT & LA ROQUE-GAGEAC

With Eric available on the weekend, the three of us drove to the Dordogne area and stayed near the town of Sarlat. We had another good experience at a chambre d'hôte, even though the host and hostess only spoke French. The decorations at their home were unique such as the many elephants and Christmas lights (in October). The owners were very pleasant, and the breakfast was great. After checking in, we drove a few minutes to the town of Sarlat.

As Rick Steves says, "Sarlat is the pedestrian-friendly main town of France's Dordogne River valley. It's just the right size: everything in town is within an easy meander along traffic-free, cobblestone lanes."

We enjoyed exploring the town, and then, we had a delicious meal of ham (jambon). 

The next day, we followed a drive that Rick Steves recommends, seeing the beautiful French countryside.

Then, we made it to La Roque-Gageac. The small town by a river seemed to be built right into the rock on the side of the cliff.

We also took a boat ride from La Roque-Gageac to enjoy the scenery further.

We enjoyed our car ride home also.

CASSIS (WE MADE IT TO THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA!)

Kathy and I took one train to Marseilles and then another one to get to Cassis, a beautiful port town about 20 minutes from Marseilles.

When we arrived, it was pouring! We had to walk under the train tracks through a tunnel to get to the exi, and the water was starting to pool in the tunnel, but we made it through. Then, we found that there were no taxis available to take us to our hotel. The person at the desk was very kind and kept trying to call us a taxi, and eventually, he found someone. It was a very good thing because our bed and breakfast was not nearby and was up a steep hill.

Our adventure continued in the evening as we walked down the hill to get to the port where the restaurants were. After a nice dinner in the quaint port area, we found  (of course) that there were no taxis! So, we started walking where we thought we should go for our B&B. However, it was soon clear that we were lost, and it was about 10:30 pm. We saw two women out walking, and we told them we were lost and asked them for help. One said, "Would you like me to drive you there?" I was so impressed that a stranger would do that! The other women helped the driver to figure out where we were headed, and we arrived safely back, thanks to the kindness of strangers.

In the morning, we saw a beautiful sunrise.

We enjoyed walking along the beach.

We also took a boat ride to see the beautiful calanques or inlets. The water in those areas was beautiful, kind of an emerald green in the smooth areas. However, the winds kicked up, and the boat ride was a little wild (but fun).

The last day, before we left on the train, we also had time for a massage at a spa. It was wonderful! Cassis was a beautiful little town to visit.

THE LOIRE VALLEY

Kathy and I left Paris on a train for the Loire Valley, known for its many chateaus. We went to the small and very charming town of Amboise. When we arrived, we found that there was no taxi available at the train station. So, we pulled our luggage for the 20-minute walk to our Bed & Breakfast (in French, that is: Chambres d'Hôtes). Once we arrived, we were thrilled. Rick Steves, as usual, gave an excellent suggestion for lodging, and we enjoyed our very beautiful, large room at: Au Charme Rabelaisien. Our hostess was also charming and gave us suggestions for which chateaus we should see and a couple of restaurant recommendations that turned out to have wonderful food.

The next day, we visited the famous chateau: Chenonceau.

Chenonceau also has beautiful grounds, and the flowers were still pretty, even in October.

One of the many amazing things about Chenonceau is that almost every room in the chateau has a large and beautiful flower arrangement. It's hard to imagine that someone (or several people) can keep up with that large task and make it so beautiful. It was also interesting to think about the people who used to live here.

In the afternoon, we walked by the chateau in Amboise also. As we were walking by some very old buildings, we saw some newer sights too.

After one more night in our lovely room in Amboise, we took a taxi to the train station (fortunately, we didn't have to pull our suitcases back!). Our train took us by way of Bordeaux and then on to Toulouse where Eric picked us up at the Toulouse Matabiau Gare (train station).

PARIS 2015 (ladies only)

We flew into Paris to begin our Parisian adventure. Julia made a new friend on her flight into France, and she took us to the "best crepe restaurant in Paris."

Kathy Allan, my good friend from Logan, also flew in to join us in Paris the next day. We had a very quick visit to the Louvre and took a boat tour of the Seine. The next day, we spent a day at Versailles. After touring the inside of Versailles, we saw a little of Marie Antoinette's garden area also. Later, we went to a wonderful bookstore that Kathy knew: Shakespeare and Company. It is my new favorite bookstore!

That night, we were also able to catch an organ and vocal concert at Notre Dame Cathedral. I was thrilled to hear beautiful music in this astounding venue!

The next day, Julia flew out (after nearly two weeks in Europe) while Kathy and I continued on in Paris. I took Kathy to the crepe restaurant from my first night in Paris, and we had both a savory (buckwheat) and a sweet crepe. The sweet crepe had toffee in it and was the best crepe I have ever eaten! Here's a picture of the ham and cheese crepe:

Kathy and I went to the famous Ladurée for wonderful treats (macarons, chocolates, tarts, etc.).

We also went to Sainte-Chapelle, and the stained glass windows were wonderful.

In the evening, we went up 284 steps to get to the top of the Arc de Triomphe. It was my first time to the top, and the view at night was spectacular! It was fun to be there when the lights of the Eiffel Tower were on and flashing. The pictures don't do this justice, but I have a video that is better.

Afterward, we walked along the Champs-Élysées but finally, around 11:00 pm, we had to give up our last day of sight-seeing and return to our hotel. We were tired but happy about everything we fit into our trip. Fortunately, I got better by the day at navigating around Paris by metro.

BARCELONA & CARCASSONNE

Julia and I had a great time in Barcelona -- what a fun city! Some friends told me about an inexpensive bus, so we took a round trip there on the bus from Toulouse. It was fun to see the scenery from the upper level of the bus as we drove. After we arrived and checked in to our hotel, we went out for tapas. They were nice little bites.

The next day we went to Sagrada Familia. What an interesting basilica! I learned about Gaudi and this building that is always under construction.

The only disappointment of visiting the Sagradia was that they closed the tour of the upper areas because of high winds.

We took a bus tour of Barcelona where we could jump on and off to see the interesting sights, such as more by Gaudi: Guell park and one of his buildings.

During Julia's stay in France, we also made it to Carcassonne. I love sharing this medieval city with friends: