If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
That was the original question we asked ourselves. But when reaching the end of our trip, and our intended destination (Turkey) was too unstable, plus we discovered we were under budget, we asked ourselves a different question. If you could go anywhere in the world to treat yourself, where would you go? Ryan picked Scandinavia. Blakely picked France.
We spent a delicious 5 weeks in France. We’d both been to France before, but this is a country and a culture that deserves as many trips as you can allow. And our type of travel provided an entirely different way to see and experience this fabulous country. We’d get to travel slowly, and (since we’d already seen the big attractions ) we’d spend our time on the equally enthralling museums and sights that a quick trip doesn’t allow.
So we started with a week in Paris. Then a week road trip down to Bordeaux. Then back to Paris for a week. Then a train to Provence. Then a drive through the south of France. This can’t be emphasized enough: It was fabulous.
Blakely developed a healthy obsession with impressionism, so in Paris we started with the Musee d’Orsay, which holds the largest collection of impressionist masterpieces in the world. To add to the appeal for Ryan, the museum is housed in a former railway station, so the architecture is unique and beautiful. Spending some major quality time with the greats gave us the introduction we needed to appreciate Impressionism and make it one of the themes of our trip.
Of course, if impressionism is the theme, we also had to stop by the Musee de l’Orangerie. This museum holds many impressionist and post-impessionist paintings, but it is most famous as the permanent home of the eight large water lily murals painted by Claud Monet. The Water Lily series consists of approximately 250 oil paintings by Monet depicting his flower garden at his home. Painted at the end of his life, they’re a fascinating study of light and nature. If Blakely developed an obsession with impressionism, it culminated with Monet and the water lilies. More on that later.
We stayed in a few places in Paris, but started with Hotel du Nord—an incredibly charming hotel with a rich history starting in 1912. Each room is unique, comfortable, and reasonable (a RTWLovers triple threat). Located in the Canal Saint-Martin neighborhood, it was also walking distance to some incredible restaurants (though this is Paris, so EVERYTHING is walking distance to incredible restaurants!). Our first dinner was at the Verre Vole, which specializes in their wine selection and has a menu that is different for every meal. It essentially embodies everything we love about French culinary culture!
After a standardly wonderful café breakfast, we headed to Les Puces de Saint-Ouen, which is the largest and most famous flea market in Paris. One of the best things about France is the flea markets, which disgrace the markets of the same name anywhere else. Not your weird aunt’s itchy sweater from the 70s, this market holds silver, lace, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, chandeliers, EVERYTHING fine and glamorous. All in an understated and slightly snobby French way. Be sure to read up on tips before you attempt a visit because it is HUGE!
Of course afterwards we took bikes around the canal, which was fabulously flat and charming at every turn.
We moved accommodations to one of our hotel highlights from the entire trip. L’Hotel. Situated in the most glamorous neighborhood in Paris (St Germain-des-Pres), L’Hotel was built in 1828 and holds history as rich as Paris itself. Oscar Wilde took up residence at the end of the 19th century and lived there until his death. Each room is unique and spectacular. We were given L’Apartment on the top floor and proceeded to live our Parisian dream! The hotel has an incredible private pool downstairs that was like stepping into a different world. You can read more about it in Blakely’s article on Honeymoons.com, or book a flight and see for yourself!
One of the best parts of staying in St Germain was the opportunity to eat dinner at Le Fregate, which is where we ate for a brief layover on our honeymoon. It makes for fabulous people watching and delicious eating!
We rented a car for our next leg, and can’t recommend that enough. The ability to stop, take detours, or simply gawk is a priceless opportunity. You’ll find the random villages along your route are as charming as your destination!
We headed out of town for our first glamping experience of France (yes, we had more than just one!). This one was on a gorgeous farm with two lovely hosts that cooked us wholesome French home cooking and showed us gorgeous French countryside sights. You can read about it here.
Yes, this is us!
Next, we went to the most romantic destination we experienced in France (YES), another glamping experience on a truffle farm in Southern France. The place is called Pella Roca, and from the breakfast basket, private jacuzzi, and stunning décor, it was AMAZING. You can read more here.
One of the best things about renting a car is the ability to see these tiny French villages built on hilltops hundreds of years ago. One such town was Puylaroque, where we went for dinner while staying at Pella Roca. Our meal at Les Sens was as delicious as it was beautiful!
We had one more glamping stop on this leg (YES there are more!). The unforgettable stay at the domes of Les Gouttes Deau—this was SUCH a cool experience! Gazing at the stars in a climate controlled environment with a breakfast basket delivered in the morning is exactly the experience glamping allows!
We stopped by the charming town of Saint Puy where we got to visit their gorgeous convent. We stayed at La Lumiane B&B, a refreshingly calm place where we could rest before our next big stop: Bordeaux!
So, a lot goes into planning a trip like this. And yet, so much is left to chance. Which is good. Because then you get the lovely surprise to be in Bordeaux for the exact same days as the Bordeaux Wine Festival, which happens every other year!
Just the drive into Bordeaux is swoon worthy, with breathtaking chateaux and vineyards where even dusty travelers like us can stop for lunch. This is one place where the drive is a destination unto itself. Though you can experience Bordeaux on your own, we definitely recommend taking a tour so you can hit more in the time you have. We went with the Medoc wine tour and loved the range and the group.
Our next stop was another glamping one and also one of our favorites: Les Clos de Saires. One of the best aspects of glamping is the people you meet because glamping attracts the very best. The owners of Les Clos are two of our favorite people from the trip. They not only host glampers in their luxurious tents but also host guests in their B&B. We got to share dinners with them and hear stories about the heart of French culture, and we could’ve never gotten this anywhere else. You can read more about our glamping experience at Les Clos de Siares here. The hotel is conveniently close to the castles of the Loire Valley, which are a must see!
We closed our loop back to Paris at two of our absolute favorite stops. First: Giverny. The impressionism obsession was far from over, and one of Blakely’s priorities was seeing the gorgeous garden where Monet created the Water Lillies. The home and garden are an art exhibit in themselves, and show the personality and taste of one of the greatest artists of all time. Monet was quoted as saying that his garden was his greatest masterpiece, and we don’t disagree.
Lastly, we spent a day at a place that needs no description or introduction: Versailles. Yes, we’d already been there. But this is our trip, and we do what we want. And frankly, why would you resist?
Next: We headed back to Paris and the style of living we like best: city life! We started in an AirBNB, which is a site we used many times and highly recommend since you can read reviews and truly “live” in a place. The neighborhood we picked this time was Ille de la Cite, which is an island at the heart of Paris and the site of the stunning Notre Dame. The cathedral dominates its surroundings, and never fails to call eyes and thoughts upwards. We later were devastated to hear about the fire, but know that if ever there was a people who could rebuild a masterpiece, it’s the French. Just PLEASE don’t make it look like the Louvre Pyramids. Merci.
One of the best parts about traveling this way is experiencing a place as if you’re a native celebrating the weekend. So we visited flower markets, had picnics, sipped in cafes, and simply walked this amazing city.
We also loved seeing the Paris Pride Parade, which was a favorite parade of ours when we lived in the West Village. The parade was shortly after the horrific shooting in Orlando, and many people waved American flags in signs of solidarity with the U.S.
Our next stop in Paris was the Joyce Hotel in the Montmartre neighborhood, a large hill on the right bank of Paris (read more about the hotel in Blakely’s article here). Of course, the main attraction here was Sacre-Coeur Basilica, which is the highest point in the city and one of the best attractions. It’s a gorgeous cathedral with, of course, spectacular views of Paris. It also has a charming market, where we got two of our favorite paintings from the trip!
Another must of the neighborhood is the Palais Garnier opera house—a gorgeously opulent theater that is considered a symbol of Paris itself (though other attractions like the Louvre and Notre Dame often take precedent!). Its fame could largely be credited to the fact that it is the setting for The Phantom of the Opera, and this is certainly what attracted us most! The theater is still used for ballet performances, and the exhibits were as beautiful as they were informative.
Unfortunately, our time in Paris came to an end. Fortunately, we were headed to an equally dreamy and fabulous destination: Provence. Specifically, to check off one of Blakely’s to-do items and stay in a restored chateau called Chateau Talaud. Chateau Talaud was the 18th century estate of the Marquis Grille d'Estoublon and is surrounded by a working vineyard. The owners Conny and Hein are charming and have painstainkingly furnished the house with antiques from the appropriate time period so the experience is completely immersive. It was absolutely spectacular. And also conveniently located to Avignon, where we went for a fabulous dinner at Chez Serge.
Conny also gave us an invaluable gift in France: a connection with a Chateauneuf-du-Pape sommelier who owns an exclusive cave called Les Caves Saint Charles. And thanks to Conny’s intro, the owner Guy Bremond himself gave us a tasting of his most exquisite bottles (with a side of Cateauneuf-du-Pape gossip). The caves are full of candle light and Gregorian chant music. The entire experience was surreal.
And Blakely’s check-list wasn’t finished. Did you know that lavender and sunflowers are grown commercially in the same location? So that there are fields and fields and fields as far as the eye can see? We didn’t either. And obviously after we found out, there was no chance we could miss this fairy land. It was INSANE! Definitely a highlight for Blakely (Ryan, eh, not so much!). We stopped over in gorgeous Bonne Auberg for the night before reluctantly heading on!
Our next destination was none other than the fabulous and famed Cannes. We got to see some friends from the US, lay out by the beach, and have a fabulous dinner at La Mome! Cannes was where Blakely studied abroad in college, and it was a delight to relive those memories.
Our next stop was Nice and Villa Rotheschild to soak up the beauty and good taste. Villa Rotheschild was built in 1881 for Betty Rothschild, the sophisticated Parisian socialite who occupied the center of Parisian culture. Not only did Betty gather the most exquisite furniture, art and flowers around her, she inspired countless masterpieces including a portrait by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres and Heinrich Heine’s poem The Angel. In her honor, Chopin dedicated his Waltz Op. 64, N° 2 in C-sharp minor to her daughter Charlotte. If you’re interested, you can go down a fabulous wormhole into the Rotheschild’s other residences around Paris.
While staying in Nice, we hopped over to Monacco for a lovely day of yacht browsing and lunching at the fabulous Fairmont Hotel.
Ryan’s parents met us for a stay, so we also partook in the men’s favorite activity: sailing! It was a quick stay in Nice, but a wonderful cap to our time in France.
It’s worth noting that we left Nice the morning of Bastille day when a terrorist attacked crowds celebrating on the promenade, where everyone gathers. He killed 86 people and injured 458 others. This was the closest brush we had with terrorism, though it wasn’t the only one. Our trip was riddled with this type of danger, in every continent and all different cultures. Also, with every report of a mass shooting from home, we were equally as scared for family as they were for us. No where in the world is sheltered from extremists, and no religion or culture is without them. Unfortunately the extremists get the megaphone, but we’re grateful our travels brought us to the multitude of good people from multiple religions and cultures.
Our time in France was full of beauty, deliciousness and wonderful people. It is certainly one of the most charming places on this Earth. But we continued our tour of civilized snobbiness in Switzerland!