France 23

France -- Perch to Dordogne Read more

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Trip start
August 24, 2023
France 23 Traveler
My Favorite Way to Start Trip
August 24, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 100 °F
TravelerGreat way to start your trip. Enjoy
8/24/23Reply
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France 23 Traveler
O
August 24, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 99 °F
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France 23 Traveler
O'Hare Departure #1
August 24, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 99 °F
Ready to board our flight to Paris. Dan's eager to start the trip with some wine on this flight. I got an early start ....
Traveler🍷 travel safe! Bon voyage 😘
8/24/23Reply
TravelerThanks, Kimbers. Wish you could be with us!!
8/24/23Reply
TravelerFinally got on the App! I had some issues with my password.
8/26/23Reply
TravelerI hope you use this spp when you go to Greece. It's great!
8/26/23Reply
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France 23 Traveler
Paris Arrival
August 25, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F
We've arrived in France, had coffee (very important to our survival), and are now ready to explore Paris!
TravelerSo happy you arrived safely! Can’t wait to see what you guys have planned.
8/25/23Reply
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France 23 Traveler
Notre Dame Cathedral
August 25, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F
Visiting the cathedral, outside only. At least the front of it doesn't look bad. As you can see from the side view, they still have lots to do to repair the roof. They expect to have it completed in time for the 2024 Olympics.Read more
TravelerWe didn’t get a chance to go inside this cathedral for some reason. Glad to know the repairs will be done soon!
8/26/23Reply
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France 23 Traveler
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Refueling
August 25, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F
A snack to hold us until dinner then the most needed thing of all.... sleep!

We had to pick a place that coordinated with Kathy's outfit.
Traveler Looks delicious!!
8/26/23Reply
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France 23 Traveler
Afternoon in Paris
August 25, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F
I visited the Musee d'Orsay this afternoon while Dan went for a walk. This building used to be a train station and was changed into a museum for the 1900 World Exposition. It has a lot of Impressionistic Art including my favorite Renoir. Afterwards, I met up with Dan in the Jardin de Tuileries. The ferris wheel is a new addition to this park. It doesn't seem very French, does it? Now we are sitting at an outdoor cafe with cocktails. It's a great way to end our day in Paris!Read more
TravelerCool Ferris wheel and fountain. Love that tourist.
8/26/23Reply
TravelerWish you could be here too!
8/26/23Reply
TravelerWe took the boys to that museum. They recognized a painting that Mrs.Ryder had a replica of in her piano studio!
8/26/23Reply
TravelerYes, it's girls playing the piano!
8/26/23Reply
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France 23 Traveler
Paris Hotel
August 26, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F
We stayed in the 6th arrodisement of Paris in a hotel built in the 17th century. It was, at times, a private residence (our room was part of the family's sitting area). It was also a convent for nuns.
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France 23 Traveler
Chartes Cathedral
August 26, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F
Construction began in 1194 after a fire destroyed much of the previous cathedral. It was consecrated in 1260. All of the stained glass is original.
TravelerWe’ve toured this cathedral as well. The stained glass was magnificent!!
8/26/23Reply
TravelerI'm so glad you got to see it too! [ agree that the stained glass really is incredible!!
8/26/23Reply
TravelerLast night, “60 Minutes” had a segment about the restoration of the cathedral. So interesting!! But sad to learn that the lead architect died on a hiking trip 10 days ago.
8/28/23Reply
TravelerJust looked up the news article about the architect's death. I hadn't heard about that. Thanks for letting me know.
8/29/23Reply
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France 23 Traveler
Veil of the Virgin Mary
August 26, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F
This veil is purported to have been worn by the Blessed Virgin. It has survived 2 fires which destroyed cathedrals peviously built on this site.
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France 23 Traveler
Chateau de Saint Paterne
August 26, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F
We're staying at the Chateau de Saint Paterne located in the Perche region of France. The chateau was built in the 15th century. No, we don't have the entire chateau to ourselves --- just one room, The Madame Suite. I guess it's appropriate that I'm staying here but maybe Dan should find other accommodations.Read more
Traveler😂
8/26/23Reply
TravelerHow lovely! You deserve to live in royal style!!
8/26/23Reply
TravelerThanks, Ruth. I don't know about deserving it but we are enjoying the experience!
8/26/23Reply
TravelerBeautiful digs!!
9/23/23Reply
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France 23 Traveler
Le Mans 24 Hour Race
August 27, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F
After seeing Ford vs Ferrari, I had to visit the Le Mans racetrack and museum. This car was from the first race in 1923. It did NOT win. We saw lots of other cars which did win over the years.
TravelerI wonder how fast it was?
8/27/23Reply
TravelerThe maximum speed was 90 km/ hour so about 55 mph. I guess that's pretty good for back then!
8/27/23Reply
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France 23 Traveler
Rainy Start
August 28, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F
A cold and rainy morning. :-( We were supposed to go for a bike ride all day. We've swapped today's itinerary for Wednesday's, so let hope for better weather then.
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France 23 Traveler
Chateau D'Azay-le-Rideau
August 28, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F
Toured this Renaissace castle. Dan wouldn't mind living here. Not for me!
TravelerDid they allow any pictures of the inside? Did they give a lot of history about the building?
8/28/23Reply
TravelerThey allowed pictures of the interior but I didn't take any. Dan took some on his SLR camera. During the French revolution, all of these chateaus were sacked. This one is sparsely decorated now with furniture donated from museums. Construction of this chateau started in 1511 by Gilles Berthelot. In 1527, he had fallen out of favor with the new king, Francis I, and was executed, leaving the chateau unfinished. Restorations were undertaken throughout the centuries after that.
8/28/23Reply
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France 23 Traveler
Loire Valley Vineyards
August 28, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F
We're driving through the Loire Valley today. Lots of vineyards! I can hardly wait to stop in Chinon and have a glass of wine with lunch!
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France 23 Traveler
Chinon
August 28, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F
Yay! We arrived in Chinon for a late lunch and I enjoyed a local rosé with quiche. Chinon is charming --- buildings dating from the 15th century and cobbled streets. It is also historically significant. It is the home of the Plantegent line of kings who also ruled over England. Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine lived here. Richard the Lionhearted was born here. Joan of Arc met King Charles VII in March, 1429.Read more
TravelerLOVE this
8/28/23Reply
TravelerSo much history! Great pic of you two! Would love to taste that drink!
8/28/23Reply
TravelerLove, love this!
9/23/23Reply
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France 23 Traveler
Joan of Arc in Chinon
August 28, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F
Joan of Arc was here in 1429. Dan was here to greet her!
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France 23 Traveler
Gardens at Villandry
August 28, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F
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France 23 Traveler
Catch-up by Dan
August 28, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌙 61 °F
The first photo is taken at a museum of French emigrants to "New France", which is now Quebec. I am pointing to my great, great, great.... grandfather's name, Jean Royer, who left France in the 1650's. (Close up in the next photo.)

We then visited the actual village where he was born and baptized. It is called Saint Cosmos-en-Verais. The next photo is of a map of the village. In a close-up you can see that there is a place there still called le Royer. Apparently there are still Royer's in the town because one of them runs a garage.

Finally, another view of Azay-le-Rideau. The chateau must have been built for Kathy because inside we found the perfect dwarf bed built just for her!Read more
TravelerYou guys are killing me with the comments 😂🛏️. How cool is that village tho!? Do you have any more pictures of the actual village?
8/28/23Reply
TravelerVery cool! How interesting to trace your family heritage!
8/28/23Reply
TravelerI think Dan has more photos on his SLR camera. The village was pretty nice. We found a sign advertising "Royer Garage." Wonder if this Royer is distantly related to Dan.
8/29/23Reply
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France 23 Traveler
Addendum
August 28, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌙 61 °F
I forgot to note that the photo of Kathy is after she just set the record for red headed women at Le Mans, which is why her hair looks a little wind blown.
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France 23 Traveler
Le Clos Luce
August 29, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F
We visited the last home of Leonardo da Vinci in Amboise. He came here at the invitation of the king, Francis I, to study anatomy. In Italy he was prohibited from working on cadavers so was limited in his research. The photos show the outside of the house, Leonardo's bed chamber where he died in 1519, and his workshop.Read more
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France 23 Traveler
Private Winetasting
August 29, 2023 in France ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F
We had a private winetasting with a sommelier. For this event, he took us down to the tunnels that connected Clos Luce with the king's castle. Leonardo da Vinci and Francis I used to meet down here. The king affectionately called Leonardo "my father."

The sommelier explained the process of correctly tasting a wine. Then he had us sample 4 different wines from the Loire Valley and we analyzed the characteristics of each. In France, wine is consumed with food to enhance the taste of each. There are some wines which you would never drink by themselves. The sommelier gave us different types of cheese and sausage so we could see how different the wine tasted with different foods.Read more
TravelerUncle Dan, how did you find all of these sites and tours to do? Did someone recommend them or did you research on your own?
8/29/23Reply
TravelerKimberly, we are very happy with them and would recommend them if you ever want to do a driving tour of France. By the way, France is one of the easiest foreign countries to drive in as long as 1) you can handle roundabouts (they are easy) 2) you never, ever speed. There are automatic speed traps everywhere. People have returned to the States and received thousands of dollars of tickets without ever knowing they were speeding. Charged against the credit card they used to rent the car. But drivers are actually very patient. After 4 days of driving I have yet to hear a horn blow.
8/29/23Reply
TravelerDan told me I should answer this question while he researches restaurants. He found an agency called "France Just For You". They custom design trips for people visiting France based on their interests. It's great because they make all the arrangements so you can just sit back and enjoy the experiences.
8/29/23Reply
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France 23 Traveler
Chenonceau Purchase
August 29, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F
This chateau has been owned by 7 women. Kathy decided to make it 8 and purchased it today. It has been recently updated so we don't have to worry about decorating.
TravelerOh, be sure to note that it is built right over the Cher River. Pretty cool!
8/29/23Reply
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France 23 Traveler
Blois
August 30, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F
So, the plan for today was to drive to Blois, pick up some bikes and ride to Le Chateau de Chambord stopping for a picnic lunch at a scenic spot in the Loire Valley along the way. Included in the bike rental was a sandwich, soft drink, and dessert from a local boulangerie plus a bottle of wine. Doesn't that sound idyllic? We checked the weather forecast before departing. It called for a bit of rain. Nothing we can't handle as it wasn't supposed to last long and we were dressed appropriately for the weather and 25 mile ride. Well, at the start of the ride, it started to rain and rain and rain. Forecasts in the Loire Valley are very changeable! After getting lost numerous times (routes are not well marked) and getting drenched we decided to turn around, dump the bikes and drive to the chateau.Read more
TravelerGood back up plan. Have fun. Thanks for sharing.
8/30/23Reply
TravelerOh, no! You were so excited about this experience! Good pivot though. Luckily, France is fun no matter what you do!
8/30/23Reply
TravelerIt was a great plan. And an even better back up plan
8/30/23Reply
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France 23 Traveler
Castle Furniture
August 30, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F
This is the king's bedroom. It is not is his actual bed, but one representative of the period. Because the royal court moved around so much their furniture was made to be portable. The bed is held together with easily removable wooden pegs. That made the furniture more fragile, which is why, along with the French Revolution, so little royal furniture survives. - DanRead more
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