Reset search
France2024
  • Dave Swanson

France2024

A 31-day adventure by Dave Read more
FollowInsightsCalendarShareShareBucket list
Newest first
  • Trip start
    April 14, 2024
  • Dave SwansonFrance2024Traveler

    Waiting for the train

    April 15, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌬 59 °F

    Had a little delay at the airport because people were holding us up getting their baggage in and being on the wrong story of the compartments. We were a little concerned we'd miss our connection,but all is wellRead more

  • Dave SwansonFrance2024Traveler

    Bourges Day 1

    April 15, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌬 61 °F

    Just arrived via train to Bourges. Pretty sleepy after being awake and /or traveling for 24+ hours. Had difficulties figuring out the bus system, which we might not have taken if it weren't so chilly. The temperature in the sun is okay, but when the wind blows, it's a bit much. Anyway, four separate bus stops on each corner of a roundabout wasn't helpful, especially when the route signs weren't posted outside. They required you going in each seating area. A very helpful woman pointed us in the right direction. Too tired to easily comprehend and speak French now, so we're being overly helpless touristy. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.
    We didn't have good data signals, so Cindy didn't get the message that the keys for our Airbnb would be presented differently. We went to an American style diner and got milkshakes to enjoy and start to decompress. So, the keys actually were available, so we went just a couple blocks and got ourselves settled. Nice place, REALLY old, but modern on the inside. It's a little cool because some of the windows were open, and the heat isn't on.    Read more

  • Dave SwansonFrance2024Traveler

    Bourges Day 2

    April 16, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F

    Having a little snack after a very late morning. Still pretty tired. The weather is uncooperative with wind and cloudy skies, but what we've seen, this medieval city is pretty cool. The cheese is French and tasty, but just from the store, so we don't know where specifically it's from. After a jaunt out to the tourist information office, we toured the inside of the Bourges Cathedral. Impressively large, but not decorated. Heard a trumpet player rehearsing with the organist. Both were good players, and the organ sounded very nice.Read more

  • Dave SwansonFrance2024Traveler

    Bourges Day 3 at Chateau Chenonceaux

    April 17, 2024 in France ⋅ ⛅ 52 °F

    Spending the day visiting Chateau Chenonceaux. The weather was somewhat cooperative, having only a little bit of rain, but the wind and clouds, with not much sunshine, made for a day that could have been better. The castle itself is pretty magnificent. Got to tour pretty much the whole thing, that we figured is a bit unusual for these types of buildings and grounds. Two adjoining gardens were pretty much in full spring bloom, just the tulips were done. Had a nice imbiss lunch of croque monsieur and quiche Lorraine, followed by a chocolate and whipped cream topped waffle. Yummy.Read more

  • Dave SwansonFrance2024Traveler

    Bourges Day 4 at Tours

    April 18, 2024 in France

    Started with a quiet train ride from Bourges to Tours. Thankfully, the weather is more cooperative today, with sun and less wind. After arriving at the Belle Époque era station, we walked across the street to the visitor center and grabbed some basic information. Then we headed to our lunch destination of La Table de Justine. A perfect small French restaurant off the pleasant Place de le Résistance, the waiter was friendly and attentive, the atmosphere congenial and the food excellent. We both had the steak.
    More than 6 miles of walking brought us to see the old medieval part of town, which, of what remains is very well preserved. We also went to the large city market, Les Halles with it's fabulous displays of mostly butcher shops, but certainly other food items are found there, too. We toured the Basilica of St. Martin of Tours, a beautiful 20th century building. Not oppulant, but very grand. A quick walk away we, walked along the River Loire, which was quite high with spring rains. Then off to visit the main cathedral. Built from the 1100s to 1500s, this imposing church is more decorated than the Basilica, but still very dark. Lots of windows dating from the 12 and 1300s. Got to hear the organ being played which sounded quite nice, regardless of some of the pipes being noticably out of tune.
    All in all, a good day. We returned to Bourges without being frozen, which is a trip highlight.    Read more

  • Dave SwansonFrance2024Traveler

    Bourges Day 5

    April 19, 2024 in France ⋅ ⛅ 55 °F

    Today we took the time to explore a little bit more of Bourges. We traveled to the more modern southern end of town. This is where the very prison-like city market is. There is a pretty, small river on this side. After a quick shopping look at E.LeClerc, we headed back to the room. We picked up lunch and a treat along the way at a cute patisserie. I the afternoon, we visited the Marais de Bourges, or the marshes. This is a a large area, not of swamps, but private gardens, much like British allotments or German kleinegärten, except some are quite large. They are bordered by two small rivers, with many canals in between. Most gardens are only accessible by boat. A light day, but the weather was perfect with plenty of sun and warmish temperatures.Read more

  • Dave SwansonFrance2024Traveler

    Bourges Day 6 in Châteauroux

    April 20, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    The visit to this town was last minute, and until the evening before, completely unknown and unresearched by us. We had contemplated visiting Orleans, but we'd been there before, then Nevers, but it didn't have as much to see as we might have liked. Chateauroux was a pleasantly surprising little city. Right outside the train station is a museum dedicated to the former US military base there f om 1951 - 1967. We had no idea. The museum is just one room, and it was closed when we got there. However, there were people there who were accepting some exhibit material from a man who had been the assistant commissary manager. Obviously they let us in, very happy to have some Americans visiting. They had some nice exhibits and interesting information.
    From there, we traveled into town a couple blocks and had lunch at an Italian restaurant. We discovered it's a local chain, as we had eaten at the one in Bourges when we arrived. It's a great atmosphere with really good food. After lunch, we walked to the closed chateau the town is named for. The prefecture owns the building and keep it closed to the public. A bit of a bust, but we were able to walk through town and stroll in a really beautiful public park system along the river. A visit of the large church, not a cathedral, though cathedral sized, and a coffee finished our visit. We decided to try the bus system to get back. It worked pretty well and was comfortable enough. It got us back to Bourges in about the same amount of time as the train would have.    Read more

  • Dave SwansonFrance2024Traveler

    Bourges to Clermont-Ferrand

    April 21, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 41 °F

    An early start today with temperatures in the 30s. Not all that pleasant for waiting for the bus and the train at outside stations. But we managed. As we traveled in the train,the scenery grew from flat to hilly to small mountains. Unfortunately, the gloomy weather didn't afford us beautiful views, but we could still see some of the views. Coming into Clermont, we could tell this was volcano country, with many small, but individual peaks. The black stone cathedral also stood out from the rest of the town, it's dark silhouette against the gray skies. The trains were pretty full. I guess people headed home from the weekend. It certainly wasn't nice enough to go on a day trip somewhere, even by less cozy European standards. After a crowded bus and train ride, we were happy to get to our apartment.Read more

  • Dave SwansonFrance2024Traveler

    Clermont-Ferrand Day 1

    April 21, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 43 °F

    I don't have much to say yet. It looks like there are some interesting things here, but the weather and a cold that Cindy picked up is definitely discouraging for an adventurous visit. We found a pharmacy that was open on Sundays, and ventured over. The wind seemed to always be in our face. There was also a bit of rain, but nothing that made us wet. So, medicine in hand, we made our way back to the apartment. We found a new fast food option not available in the US, O'Tacos, or French Tacos. They have nothing to do with taco, really, and the name implies something Irish, however that is not the case. A meat and sauce filled waffle-ish bread is the idea, served with fries, of course. We got bowls, so we didn't experience the bread part. The bowl is a filling over, you guessed it, fries. Not rice. It was different, but amazingly tasty. I wouldn't not get it again.Read more

  • Dave SwansonFrance2024Traveler

    Clermont-Ferrand Day 2

    April 22, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 43 °F

    I don't want to say Clermont-Ferrand is a bust, but the weather is really making it suck. Cindy got to feeling better, but still isn't back to normal. We searched for some cold weather gear, to no avail, as most stores are closed here on Mondays.
    We made it out to the Visitors Center and got some good information from a great English speaking worker. So, we bought a 48 hour visit card as well as a reduced price 3 day public transport ticket. The black stone cathedral was right across the Place, so we went inside. It was cold, but at least there was no wind. It was fairly ornate, but so dark inside, it was difficult to see anything. Stopped at a nearby bakery for a couple sandwiches and ate at the apartment.
    Later, we went out to visit the old town of Montferrand. Seems like this part of town, which is quite close to the modern Michelin Stadium, has seen better days. I wouldn't call it a dump, but it was dumpy. Just a couple of half timbered buildings and the big church was crumbling inside. There's not much left of the old city walls, but some of it is still visible. Our visit there was short, and we came back to the apartment for the rest of the day.    Read more

  • Dave SwansonFrance2024Traveler

    Clermont-Ferrand Day 3

    April 23, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 43 °F

    We tried again today for some winter gear, as the temperatures are not forecast to increase at all while we're here. We found an outdoor outfitters by the cathedral. Super nice folks that were very helpful. The girl helping us said two weeks ago the temps were in the 30s (80sF), and this morning the temp was 3 (37F). Unfortunately, it hasn't gotten much warmer than that since we e been here. But, we found some hats and gloves, so we're off to get to the top of the highest local volcano.
    After a bit of a misguided start because the bus lines weren't properly marked, we made our way up the mountain. It was definitely colder there, and while we were in the Visitors Center waiting for the cog train, it started snowing lightly.
    After a bit of a wait, we finally got on the train and made our ascent to the station on the volcano. Thankfully we had found a hat and gloves to buy, as well as hoodies in Bourges, because the winds were strong and the temperature low. We climbed up the trail with the hundreds of others, mainly school kids, who were on the train with us. First stop was the remains and partial reconstruction of the Temple to Mercury, a Roman temple built along the the road from Lyon to Saintes, which was apparently a major highway of the 2nd century.
    Then we started to walk around the radio/satellite tower, but the wind was howling and it felt like we were high in the Alps in the middle of winter. So we turned around. A quick visit to the museum finished our jaunt and we returned to the train to go back down.
    Unfortunately, once back down, we had to wait nearly 2 hours to catch the bad back to the city. We didn't realize that until we had been standing outside a long time. A few minutes of sun alternated with clouds, wind and snow. All in all, not the best of vacation outings.    Read more

  • Dave SwansonFrance2024Traveler

    Clermont-Ferrand Day 4

    April 24, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 46 °F

    Today is dark and gloomy. Not a spot of sun to be seen. The temperature is hovering around 45 with the wind around 10 mph from the north. Cindy is still sick and the dreary skies make for a depressing setting. This makes four days in a row. By the time we leave tomorrow morning, the wind should finally be changing direction. 2 weeks of cold north wind makes for a challenging vacation.
    This afternoon we headed over to the Michelin headquarters and museum. This museum is well worth the visit. The original Michelin brothers were quite the entrepreneurs, essentially either inventing or improving much to do with the travel industry. Obviously, tires are their big thing, but the scale of the travel guides that the world has come to use as a standard definitely changed how we think about and do travel. If so mething didn't exist to support their production and testing of tires, they invented it. Very clever and industrious.
    So, a couple hours of visiting away from our apartment was good, but nothing changed in the weather, or the gloom. Upon arriving back, our key failed to unlock the door. So, after an hour or so of getting the manager to come over, then the locksmith, we were finally back in the apartment. About two hours total before the locksmith packed up. And it cost €800. Not that we had to pay, thank goodness.
    So, a mildly eventful day came to a close. I have to say I won't miss C-F when we leave tomorrow. However, I think the potential for outdoor activity here is wonderful, just in the summer...    Read more

  • Dave SwansonFrance2024Traveler

    Clermont-Ferrand to Montpellier

    April 25, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 43 °F

    An early start found us eating breakfast from a boulangerie/viennoiserie. Cindy had a brioche bun with chocolate bits and I had a croissant filled with chocolate and a creamy almond paste covered in thinly sliced almonds. Delicious. An easy walk to the tram followed, and both tram and the bus were not crowded. That's one good thing for departing early. We had a leisurely wait at the train station and we're one of the first on board. That is a great thing about getting on a train at its originating location.
    Being under the weather and just climbing 63 stairs with luggage, we didn't do anything else this evening.    Read more

  • Dave SwansonFrance2024Traveler

    Montpellier Day 2

    April 26, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    Explored the town today in the rain and coolness. At least it isn't cold.We checked out the cathedral and walked the Promenade de Perou. Lovely garden areas in the typical French style, as well as a large rotunda which covers the original Roman cistern that held water brought in via aqueduct from the mountains.
    We found lunch at a Argentinian empanadas restaurant. Just a few tables were packed because of the rain. Quite a tasty lunch and a very busy but helpful owner server.    Read more

  • Dave SwansonFrance2024Traveler

    Montpellier Day 3 - Nimes

    April 27, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌬 66 °F

    Today is a better weather day, but we're both still not feeling our best. We thought it would be wise to take advantage of the probable best weather during this leg to go over to Nimes and check out that city.
    There's a lot of well maintained Roman ruins here. We visited the arena, which is probably 75 percent intact. There is also a Temple remaining, although it's seen many iterations of fun tion throughout it's 1000 years of existence. We found a nice pizza lunch and headed up the large hill, with a Roman tower on top. There is a large park with ponds and statuary here before you go up the hill. It's quite beautiful and the day was perfect for viewing the sites.    Read more

  • Dave SwansonFrance2024Traveler

    Montpellier to Aix-en-Provence

    May 1, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌬 63 °F

    Today we say goodbye to Montpellier. Although the forecast doesn't call for much of a change, we're hoping this move brings more sun and warmer temperatures.
    We had an "animals near the track" delay that caused us to miss our scheduled transfer. No big deal, though, as it's a regional train and we caught the next one. Arrived at the studio apartment an settled inRead more

  • Dave SwansonFrance2024Traveler

    Aix-en-Provence Day 1

    May 1, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌬 63 °F

    We weren't sure what was going to be open because of the Labor Day holiday. However, most touristy things, as well as plenty of restaurants were open. We walked to the old town and looked around a bit. The weather was harsh, with wind and rain, so we checked out some restaurants for later. We found a place to have a coffee, then with better weather, we explored more.
    Aix is a charming town with an Italian feel to it. Lots of piazzas, or places, that are totally paved with tile. Not the standard pavement everywhere else we've been. Lots of restaurants, lots of shopping.
    We came back later at dinner time for a meal at Cambarou, a lovely restaurant. Our meals were fantastic and the wait staff took good care of us. Later, we walked about the same route as earlier to see if nightlife picked up. Indeed, it did, but perhaps because of the weather, or that we spent nearly 2 hours at the restaurant, things were winding down.
    All in all, a good day. Finally.    Read more

  • Dave SwansonFrance2024Traveler

    Aix-en-Provence Day 2

    May 2, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    Here we go again. Rainy, cold and windy. We ventured out eventually to get breakfast. There's a boulangerie very close, so we decided early on not to get food, namely breakfast, for the apartment. After that, we headed back to town to check out the markets. Lots of clothing at the main one, but there was another with a wide variety of food items, and a smaller one with flowers. We had enough of the weather, so we went back to the apartment, stopping by the same bakery for a lardon quiche that was quite yummy.
    Our afternoon brought us to the Musee Granet. This small art museum covered a wide variety of styles, times and forms. Probably mostly paintings from French painters, but also had local archeological and sculpture exhibits. Well worth visiting, especially as it was rain, cold and windy free.    Read more

  • Dave SwansonFrance2024Traveler

    Aix-en-Provence to Nice

    May 3, 2024 in France ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    Boarded the bus to the Aix TGV station, which is not in Aix, for a half hour ride. Easily got there in time to board the TGV to Nice. Lots of people riding today, and a lot looking for seats, as though they hadn't purchased a ticket. A fairly uneventful ride along the coast, minimal viewage due to trees on the water side and cliffs on the land side. But, it was a beautiful day. Arrived in Nice and found our lovely flat.Read more

  • 2025© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Help Center
  • Legal notice