This is a place where we just had to laugh at the description given in a recent “Rick Steves” guide: “Oppede Le Vieux is a place to go and die in Provence.” Whaa? What did this esteemed travel write mean? That the village is so awesome that you will just drop dead when you see […]
Category Archives: France Tours
France Tours
Roussillon, Petit Luberon, France
We made a lunch stop at a delightful cafe with a wonderful view today in the reddish-ocher village of Roussillon. There’s nothing like a protein-filled omelet with ham and cheese to keep you going for an afternoon of sightseeing. In our case, we took the road up to Sault and then the drive through the […]
Aigues Mortes, France
The foundation of the city is attributed to Marius Caius, around 102 BC, but the first document mentioning a place called “Ayga Mortas” (dead waters) dates from the 10th century AD. We made a stop here on our way from Carcassonne to Gordes. Louis IX of France (Saint Louis) rebuilt the port in the 13th […]
Picnic
Taking a break from eating in restaurants, we arranged a picnic of local meats and cheeses and other treats last night on the terrace of our room.
Carcassonne and the Kingdom of Aragon
Carcassonne, a medieval fortress town is one of the most popular stops in the former Kingdom of Aragon, which lasted from 1035 to 1707. We’ve spent two nights in a lovely hotel just outside the gates of imposing Carcassonne. Saturday was forecast to rain all day. What to do on a rainy day? Rub shoulders […]
From Prague to Lisbon
We just left Betty and Bob at the Lisbon airport and are now preparing for our next guests, Art and Carol, whom we’ll meet in Barcelona. We have six days to get there. What are we going to do? Explore new places in Portugal and Spain to get ready for 2012’s adventurers. We’re also looking […]
Starting on the Camino Frances, St-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France
We arrived at this pretty riverside village late in the morning today and were immediately enchanted by the narrow medieval lanes, the old stone houses and of course, the bridge where the Camino Frances begins to make its way more than 700 kilometers later to the burial place of St. James in Santiago di Compostela, […]
One night in medieval Carcasonne, France
The fortified city itself is essentially of concentric design with two outer walls with towers and barbicans to prevent attack by siege engines. The castle itself possesses its own draw bridge and ditch leading to a central keep. The walls consist of towers built over quite a period. One section is Roman and is notably […]