To be completely honest, I would be perfectly happy staying around this house/property all day, but I know that there are things to see and that I will feel guilty if I do what I could do at home, so, map in hand, I set off to see what I could see. First stop, a nearby village called Mirabeau that…
Category: An Epic Adventure
August 19 & 20: Provence
Yesterday was a long drive from Conques, and without much to note. I was lucky in avoiding any serious traffic issues, which surprised me, as Saturdays have been notoriously difficult driving days. It was still almost 250 miles and I didn’t arrive until 4PM. But oh the wonder of knowing that you can sit still for 2 weeks! And have…
August 18: Conques
I forget what wonderful sights you can see when you are moving at the speed of legs instead of wheels. I had an early morning run, and found the loveliest scene just around the bend from the town. Reminds me of the benefits of what I call “slow touring without windows” — on foot, by bicycle, or kayak. I think…
August 17: Kayaking the Vezere
After many days of walking and seeing museums and chateaus and ruins and caves it was time for something different. The Vezere river winds it’s way through the valley until it meets the Dordogne, through a canopy of very green trees and limestone cliffs and fields of corn and sunflowers. It moves slowly, and isn’t very deep, so I thought…
August 16: Les Eyzies-de-Tayac
I didn’t realize when I selected Les Eyzies as a place to stop that it would offer so very much to see and do. I simply wanted a place in Dordogne since I had heard it was a wonderful region for walks. So imagine my surprise when I arrived yesterday afternoon to find the street full of people, the confluence…
August 15: Musings from the Road
Today I drove about 200 miles southeast from the Loire Valley to the Dordogne region, which is just east of Bordeaux. Since it rained most of the day and I didn’t stop along the way I don’t have photos to share, but do have some descriptions of what I saw along the way, as well as some thoughts on my…
August 14: Some more Saumur
A sunny morning and a run along the Loire started off the day right. It was the first day that I actually was warm enough to just wear a t-shirt, after a month in England and France. At last, new things to wear in my suitcase! “Stopped into a church I found along the way….” of course. The Royal Chapel…
August 13: Saumur and Surroundings
The Loire Valley is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a cultural landscape of great beauty, containing historic towns and villages, great architectural monuments (the châteaux), and cultivated lands. My short travels today took me south to visit a few of the Grand Saumur sights well advertised in the brochures. Along the way I passed vineyards, heavy with grapes…
August 12: A long drive on a rainy day
It was only 160 miles, and should’ve taken 2 1/2 hours, but I inadvertently, or stupidly, planned several of my change of location days on Saturdays, which apparently are not days to be in a car in France in August. Summer vacations are taken very seriously in this country and the road was chock-a-block with cars full of families and…
August 11: A visit to Le Croisic
Guerande is a very small town, and I felt like I’d seen most of what there was to see yesterday. And since I jogged around the city walls this morning several times, the limited size was even more apparent! So I decided to see more of the area. A short drive away are the salt marshes that have provided Guerande…