Touring the Languedoc: Albi and its environs

On the road again!

One of the things the big K and I look forward to every time we visit France are the wonderful, not to mention thrilling road trips we get to do. Nothing compares to the joy of driving along the picturesque countryside (we love that there's hardly any traffic!), exploring towns and villages that seem to have come straight from a storybook along the way or just simply absorbing the beautiful scenery as we whiz by.

And I mean REALLY whiz by! Just imagine hurtling along a VERY twisty country road up in the mountains with space barely enough for two cars to fit in. Tight, blind corners, sheer drop-offs, no safety barriers and a sign that says you can do 90kph. Really?! I don't think so. I kept reminding my need-for-speed-wannabe-race-car-driver husband to slow down. It's no wonder some of the best rally car drivers are French!

But that's getting ahead of the story. And so with much anticipation, the big K and I drew up an itinerary to some of the charming places in the Languedoc and Provence regions for the next couple of weeks.

A lavender field in early bloom.

Bienvenue à Toulouse!

With an ongoing beach house project, supplier meetings and a hectic work schedule,  the big K and I weren't planning on any long haul vacation anytime soon. So for our birthday getaway treat we were looking forward to simply relaxing by the beach in the company of a good book while sipping our favorite Mojito drink all day long. Sweet!

But happily, things don't always work out as planned..... because my darling big K, on short notice, was asked to attend a training on his requested leave days, our birthday getaway! If that weren't enough, his training was all the way in Toulouse, France! (Insert big smiley face here!)

Needless to say with barely a month to prepare for the trip, I was all in a frenzy gathering papers needed for my Shengen visa application (Aah! The perks of a citizen from a 3rd world country!). Aaaand.... I also had to come up with a two-week itinerary. Yup! The big K got his vacation days moved after his training so we could go on a side trip. (Insert another BIG smiley... wait, make that grinning-Cheshire-cat face here!)

The oldest fountain in Toulouse at Place Saint-Étienne.

Unforgettable Bruges

Bruges or Brugge in Dutch was never in our original itinerary during our recent European holiday but as fate would have it the Big K was given extra vacation days that gave us the opportunity to make a last minute detour to this enchanting medieval city. And oh boy are we ever glad we made that decision as we simply fell in love with this beautiful city.
  

Minnewater Lake 

Châteaux of the Loire, Part Three

Here's our third and the final in the series of blog posts about our week-long visit in the Loire Valley. 

• You can read Part One here 
• And Part Two here.

Château de Cheverny

Château-Hopping in the Loire Valley, Part Two

Next to our love for train rides in Europe, the Big K and I also enjoy road trips. We love speeding on autobahns or autoroutes, motoring along back country roads, traipsing from one picturesque village to another while trying to figure out what-the-heck-does-that-road-sign mean and all the other joys (and hair-raising excitement!) of driving.

And since the châteaux of the Loire are spread out in a large area, they are better reached by a car. Yup! Definitely a road trip here. In our week long excursion (well, 6 days to be exact), we had set our sights on the châteaux located along the central part of the Loire that was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site (it would have been physically impossible to see all 300+ châteaux in the little time that we had). We wished we could have stayed longer.

We ended up visiting ten impressive châteaux. I know of some people who would cram so much things to see in such a short time but the Big K and I prefer to take our time sightseeing. You could say we're the step-back-and-enjoy-the-moment kind of travelers.

Château De Chenonceau

Château-hopping in the Loire Valley!

It was a cool, sunny morning when the Orient Express pulled into Gare de l'Est in Paris. Perfect timing as the Big K and I had just finished breakfast that was served in our cabin. Much as we wanted to linger on board we had another train to catch. After retrieving our bags with the help of our très gentil steward, saying our goodbyes and more last minute picture-taking with the blue and gold train, the Big K and I hurriedly hopped on the metro to get to Gare Montparnasse to catch the TGV that would take us to our next adventure - Château-hopping in the Loire Valley!

Hôtel de Ville de Tours (Town Hall of Tours) 

Glass and Lace, the Islands of Murano and Burano

Our day trip to the islands of Murano and Burano was a welcome respite from the tourist-filled sestiere of San Marco. Although the two islands get their own share of visitors, it wasn't as bustling (well, not during the time we were there anyway) as busy San Marco.

The picture-perfect colorful houses of Burano.

Venice, Italy

Our recent trip to Europe this year was extra special because it was the Big K's golden birthday treat (though his birthday isn't until June). If you are a regular visitor to our blog you already know that the Big K and I are big on celebrations. No, not the party kind of celebration but the going-away-someplace-special kind of celebration. We always try to make it a point to go somewhere to spend our birthdays and anniversaries. Uh-huh! Itchy feet we have. 

And as luck would have it or one can also say it was an early birthday gift as the Big K was given more time off from work than we had originally planned for. We were able to stretch our trip to 3-weeks adding two more cities to visit on our original itinerary. Ah! The beauty of DIYing one's trip! 

First stop, Italy.

The Venice Simplon Orient-Express

We love taking the trains in Europe. It may not always be the fastest way to get from point A to point B, and sometimes the WCs leave a bit to be desired (sometimes a lot to be desired, something the Big K and I are sensitive about. It's a thing of ours) but there is just something special about train rides. It might be the gentle swaying of the cars or the peculiar click-clack of the wheels against the rails or sometimes the beautiful scenery shooting by (and in some cases it does shoot. France's TGV does 300+ kms/hour).

The Big K and I always talked about how it must have been to travel in the early years of train rides, in particular the golden age of train travel of the 1920s and 30s. And of course there is that matter of Agatha Christie's famous detective, Hercule Poirot in the Murder on the Orient Express that added to the intrigue of train travel.

The Orient-Express. A name that brings to mind the luxury and glamour of train travel. We'd always promised ourselves that one day we would hitch a ride on the Orient-Express. 

And guess what? That day has arrived!
  

The distinctive blue and gold livery of the Venice Simplon Orient-Express train.

La Route des Vins D'Alsace (The Alsace Wine Route) Part Deux

What does New York City and the town of Colmar in France have in common? 

Answer: The Statue of Liberty. 

Colmar

The capital of Alsatian Wine (capitale des Vins D'Alsace), Colmar, is the birthplace of Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the sculptor who designed the Statue of Liberty in New York. 

The statue of Lady Liberty as you may already know is a gift of the people of France to the United States of America. 
  

A replica of the Statue of Liberty can be seen at the roundabout at Colmar's northern entrance to commemorate the 100th death anniversary of its creator, Monsieur Bartholdi.

La Route des Vins D'Alsace (The Alsace Wine Route)

Here's another long overdue post on a road trip adventure the Big K and I did in the Alsace region of France. The trip was supposed to be a two-week Tuscany tour that we had been planning on and off for quite some time. But for one reason or another our adventure "under the Tuscan sun" had to be put off for a later time.    

Our change in travel plans as it turned out, worked perfectly! The big K and I had one of our most memorable times driving around Alsace's Route des Vins. Our week was spent visiting picturesque towns and villages, sampling some of Alsace's mouth-watering cuisine (I wrote an earlier post on this), a visit to an impressive mountain fortress, drooling (the big K mostly) over hundreds of classic cars in one of the world's biggest collections of vintage automobiles. Most of all, we spent a most delightful week just driving around (and getting lost!) while enjoying each others' company in the simple, welcoming beauty of the Alsace countryside. 

Germany: The Romantic Road

This is a long overdue post not to mention a very long one too. I have always been meaning to write about our travels when I started my blog in 2012 but something would always come up, mostly another trip. I know, I know I should have started blogging a long time ago but hey it's never too late to start, right?

Anyway in between waiting for our trip to Europe in March (Orient Express, baby! Yoohoo! I'm beside myself with excitement! I promise to write about it after the trip, definitely!) and planning another trip back to the US later in the year with my dear old folks to visit my siblings, the gorgeous H and stylish P, here's a post of one of our road trip adventures in Europe.

One of the highlights of the Romantic Road tour is Neuschwanstein Castle in Schwangau. The castle was one of the inspirations of Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty castle.

Mont Saint-Michel Part Two

It felt like déjà vu waking up early to catch the 7AM TGV to Rennes where my sisters, the gorgeous H and stylish P and I would board the bus for the hour and a half ride to the famous rock at the coast of Normandy, Le Mont Saint-Michel. 

It was way back in 2010 when the Big K and I first saw this UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can read about how our trip went in my earlier blog post here.

This photo was taken in 2010 before construction began for the Mont's restoration.

Got bitten by The Fleas in Paris! (Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen)

Being bargain hunters the Gorgeous H and the Stylish P couldn't wait to check out one of Paris' best known if not most popular flea market, the Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen-Paris or simply called Les Puces.

Les Puces is open on Saturdays and Sundays with some merchants remaining open on Mondays.

Je reviens à Paris! - My First year Anniversary Post

I can hardly believe it has been a year since I started blogging. And what a pretty good year it had been! After retiring from the corporate world I had more time to do what I really and truly love, to travel! And to write about it. Or TRY to write about it.....

And what's a more fitting post to celebrate my first year anniversary in the blogosphere than an entry where it all began, the inspiration of my blog's title, my favorite city, Paris.

Paris: Montmartre

Montmartre is a district at the right bank of Paris on the outer arrondissement, the 18th arrondissement to be precise. The area gets its name from the 130-meter hill, the "Montmartre" translated into English means "mountain of the martyr". That martyr was Saint Denis, the Bishop of Paris from the third century, who lost his head. Literally. 

Paris: The Latin Quarter and Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Our very first visit to the City of Lights was an unplanned one, side trip actually. The big K was picking up a brand new airplane from the Airbus factory in Toulouse. So, here I was riding shotgun again! Oh la la! C'est la vie! 

We only had a short time to prepare and plan for the trip. Since we were only visiting for the weekend we wanted to stay right at the city center where most of the tourist attractions are. Luckily we found a place that was affordable (good luck getting an inexpensive hotel in the middle of Fashion Week in Paris!). The hotel's location in the Latin Quarter was perfect. It was also right by an RER B stop, pretty convenient if you are coming straight from the airport.

Below are some of the landmarks and attractions at the Latin Quarter and Saint-Germain-des-Pres that the big K and I were able to see on that very short visit. 
    

The Latin Quarter 

Jardin du Luxembourg, the second largest park in Paris is perfect for picnics.

Paris: Eiffel Tower, Les Invalides and the Arc de Triomphe

The Eiffel Tower

Did you know that the Eiffel Tower, the quintessential symbol of Paris, was supposed to be built in Barcelona? It was rejected by the Spanish government because of the huge cost it would take to build it. Luckily the French saved the day and had the tower built at the Champs de Mars area. But even then during the tower's construction for the World's Fair in 1889, it was met with protests and was even called a "monstrosity" and a colossal waste of money and space. The tower was not even meant to be a permanent structure. 

And the rest as they say is history....

Eh, voila!

Gustave Eiffel, the architect of the Eiffel Tower was also involved in the steel structures of the Statue of Liberty and Manila's San Sebastian Church, the only all-steel church in Asia.  

Paris: Beauborg and the Louvre areas

From the Île de la Cité, it is an easy walk to the Beauborg and Louvre areas. Or if you prefer to save your energy for more sight-seeing to come, hop on the nearest metro or bus. 

Centre Pompidou 

If you're into modern art, then this is the place for you. Conceptualized in the late 60s by then French President Georges Pompidou, the Centre Pompidou was built to house the National Museum of Modern Art. It also houses one of Paris' major public libraries. 

Entrance fee without the pass is EUR 13,00 or EUR 11,00 depending on the period.

Locally known simply as Beauborg because of its location, the Pompidou was opened to the public in 1977. 

Paris: Île de la Cité

The big K and I are the DIY (Do-It-Yourself) kind of travelers. We prefer to travel and visit places on our own pace. We plan, organize and arrange our own travels. Well okay, I plan and arrange, the big K tags along and most importantly pays for the trip. Always works for us!

As in any one of our travel planning, the biggest challenge for us is how best to see a place in a very limited time but still get to enjoy it as if we have the luxury of time. Got you confused, haven't I? Let's just say we would be the last team to step on the mat in the Amazing Race.