Road Tripping in France

During our three weeks in France we have rented lovely houses in three vastly different areas of the country.  This has meant undertaking several quite long road trips between destinations but we have tried to squeeze in some nice visits and sightseeing along the way.  We began in Paris, travelled via Normandy to an island off the Atlantic Coast, drove to the Centre region to visit a zoo, continued east to southern Burgundy and finally made our way north to a small town just outside Paris - full circle!

Paris - Honfleur - Ile de Re, June 23 and 24
Flying into Charles de Gaulle Airport from Athens right over the heart of Paris was a novel experience and a lovely way to greet the city with all the famous landmarks right below us as we made our descent.
My travelling companions were waiting at the airport - so great to see the two Cheryls and Kristy who have had a few days in London and a whale of a time by all accounts.
Without too much trouble we contacted the Peugeot depot and were soon loaded up and on the road to Honfleur.  We managed to locate the BP gas station a little way out and then with a full tank and a sunny afternoon we set the on board GPS for Honfleur via Vernon.   As a precaution we also set the portable Tomtom GPS.  Now we had two different routes!  Unfortunately the inbuilt GPS does not give an overview of the route so we had no idea which of the many roads through to the A13 motorway we were on.  Road signs finally told us that we were approaching Giverny - not really the ideal route but we did stop outside the back gates and peeked into Monet's famous garden.  It was near closing so no time for a visit this year and we decided not to linger along the way as we wished to enjoy Honfleur before it was too late.  After a fight with the one-way street system in Vernon we finally made it to the A13 and in no time at all arrived outside our hotel, the Ibis Styles, which is right in the middle of old Honfleur - just steps away from the harbour with convenient car parking outside the entrance.
We wasted no time checking in and then set out to stroll around the harbour and through the narrow cobblestone back streets.  Honfleur is incredibly pretty with its ancient tall skinny merchants houses surrounding the small enclosed harbour.   Restaurants line the water's edge and one is spoiled for choice when it comes to dining.

Honfleur Harbour - a lovely spot for dinner

We chose to eat by the water at a restaurant which offered a mix of traditional fare and more recognisable dishes as well as lovely views across the harbour (for which one pays a premium!).  Never mind - it is pretty much compulsory to eat by the water when visiting Honfleur and with the lights beginning to twinkle and the beautiful glow of the setting sun we were totally enchanted with the place.  Great to have galettes again - so tasty and the wine was sublime.  So glad we decided to make this detour on our way south.   A perfect start to our French holiday!

Gorgeous Honfleur Harbour in the morning sunshine

The next morning was gloriously sunny and after a very satisfying breakfast at the hotel we took another stroll around the town and harbour before setting off on a long drive to the Ile-de-Re.  Just as well it was early and the array of interesting shops had not yet opened their doors, otherwise I suspect that we would have had a very delayed departure!

Shops not open yet!  Window shopping Cheryls in Honfleur

We made a short stop at the big Carrefour supermarket on the dege of town for a few supplies and then  drove for about 40 minutes to the gorgeous village of Beuvron-en-Auge, a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France Association.  Beuvron is in the middle of a dairy farming and apple growing area (producing the famous cheeses of Normandy as well as the apple brandy, Calvados).

Cheryl and Kristy take on a new look in Beuvron-en-Auge

The old colombage houses are decked with huge baskets of bright flowers so it is quite enchanting.  We wandered about poking in some of the cute shops and buying snacks for the journey from the local boulangerie. Yum!

Quaint shops in Beuvron-en-Auge

Dragging ourselves away we took the motorway towards Caen.  The plan was to head south from Caen, visiting a couple of pretty villages en route to our destination.  Unfortuately our less than user-friendly in-car GPS decided that we should take a different route and we missed the turnoff to the south, instead driving the A84 across the Cotenin Peninsula towards Mont St Michel and Rennes. It was a bit annoying as I had looked forward to taking a new route but at least the others did get a brief look at the famous abbey of Mont St Michel as the motorway descended to the coast.  Visiting the Abbey is quite a mission and very time consuming so we pressed on to our destination.
Our plans for a lunch stop had to be revised so we made a last minute decision to visit Villedieu-les-Poeles just because the signage on the motorway was coloured brown (signalling a place worth visiting for one reason or another).
As we entered the town which is in Normandy we discovered that it is the Town of the Copper Pots!  Somewhat intriguing!  The town seemed rather old and a bit shabby with the main street closed by a "route baree" barrier - in place for market day.  We wandered down the hill and found a little square with a cafe that seemed to offer a reasonable menu of salads, galettes and toasted sandwiches.   The market was packing up and council workers were busy cleaning the streets with giant vacuum cleaners appropriately named "Glutton",and high-pressure hoses - rather a noisy process!

"Glutton" at work, main street, Villedieu-les-Poeles

Lunch was tasty but nothing special and we had a stroll up the main street (much nicer than our earlier backstreet walk into the centre) where we found out about the copper pots.   Villedieu is famous as the copper (cuivre) pot making capital of France and all along the street are ateliers where copper artisans work and sell their wares.  Of course we couldn't resist a few small souvenirs of this ancient and beautiful craft.  Copper pots are still highly sought after today by French cooks and they are certainly very attractive.  So our unplanned visit turned out to be quite interesting after all!

Coppersmith's workshop, Villedieu-les-Poeles

The road trip after Villedieux was nothing especially spectacular - autoroute and of course peage once we left Brittany and sped south, skirting around Rennes and Nantes, then finally crossing the Poitevin Marias to link up with the road to the Ile-de-Re bridge.  Nevertheless the French countryside is always rather scenic and the drive in the afternoon sunshine was a pleasant one.
The Marais is a former swamp that has been drained and is now fertile farming land irrigated by a network of canals and ditches -a very flat area that extends from the city of La Rochelle towards the north-east.   We arrived at the Pont Ile-de-Re around 7.30 pm, paid the exorbitant 16 euro toll (a ploy to keep "riff-raff" off the island according to the guide book) and once on the other side were transported to another world.  The island is flat and the several villages mostly consist of small white-washed  houses snuggled around protected
harbours filled with fishing and pleasure boats.  Between the villages are wheat and hayfields, coastal cycle paths, pine forests and the famous salt pans which produce a very high grade of salt, fleur de sel, that is famed throughout France.  The beautiful sandy beaches which attract many holiday makers stretch along the coast on the opposite side of the island from the oyster and mussel farms and harbours which face the mainland.
We found our cottage, a terrace house in a lovely cobbled lane with hollyhocks and roses popping up through the stone paths.  It is in the middle of one of the larger villages, St-Martin-de-Re, just a short walk from the harbour and town centre.  What a delightful place - old but beautifully restored and a courtyard garden full of flowers, stone walls and a lovely sunny patio.  Bliss!

Our gorgeous walled garden, St-Martin-de-Re

 After settling in we strolled through the town and around the harbour in the fading light and decided we were going to really enjoy our stay on the Ile-de-Re. We have discovered that this certainly is the island of hollyhocks - they are blooming merrily at this time of year.

St-Martin-de-Re in the evening light

St-Martin-de-Re to Chassagne-Montrachet, June 28 and 29
We sadly said goodbye to the sunny Ile-de-Re and began our second major road trip which would take us north-east to the Centre region of France with an overnight stop at Mehun-sur-Yevre in the Berry Department and then on further east into Burgundy and our second French home for a week.  The weather forecast for the weekend was not great and as we travelled on the autoroute past Niort and Poitiers the skies darkened although the rain held off.  Once again the countryside was very agricultural with fields of wheat and rolling hills.  The sunflowers were not blooming just yet much to Kristy's disappointment.  We left the autoroute at Chatellerault and drove across country to the market town of Loches, which was to be our lunch stop.  Being market day it was a bit tricky finding a car park but with that problem solved it was just a short walk into town and the hustle and bustle of the street market.  Loches is a lovely old town with some beautiful medieval buildings although it all looked a bit grey today.

Loches chateau and park

With a light drizzle beginning we abandoned plans for a riverside picnic and found a warm and cozy cafe in the centre of town which was well patronised by the locals.  The meal was excellent and the ambience was great - nothing fancy, just good everyday French cooking and a charmingly decorated cafe with large windows onto a pedestrian street.  After lunch the rain stopped and after a bit of retail therapy we had a wander through the riverside park, admiring the lovely flowers and the view of the town.  A gypsy caravan style circus was being set up in one corner of the park - no doubt for the school holidays -and it was a little sad to see a tiny monkey chained to a tree beside one of the caravans.
Our plan today was to visit the Zooparc de Beauval as Kristy had never been to a zoo, so we pressed on, stopping briefly at the pretty village of Montresor (another of the Plus Beaux Villages) where we walked alongside the river and admired the small castle which dominates the skyline.  Fortunately the rain moved on although the skies remained rather gloomy.

River walk, Montresor

Montresor

Not far away is the zoo and we arrived around 2 pm, still with fine weather, although no sunshine.   Today the park was busy but not overcrowded and we spent a few hours wandering about, checking out the animals and especially enjoying the antics of the panda (only one on display this afternoon).  There was lots of munching on bamboo and later on a bit of lounging on a climbing frame.

Munching

Lounging

They are such enchanting animals!  Kristy thoroughly enjoyed the visit - her favourites were the lions - and with the clouds looking rather threatening again we set off for Mehun-sur-Yevre, about an hour east on the autoroute.  The rain decided to pour down during the drive which made for slow going, but thankfully it cleared up as we drove into Mehun and found our delightful B&B, a beautifully restored old house owned by a charming Anglo/French couple. Bernard soon had us booked into a local restaurant for dinner and we were treated to a superb meal followed by extra comfortable beds for a wonderful night's sleep.

La Petite Famille, our pretty B & B Mehun-sur-Yevre

The sun was attempting to shine next morning and after a delicious home-cooked breakfast, a nice chat with Bernard and Susie and another English couple who were also staying, we had a quick tour of their lovely garden and then set off for nearby Bourges via the local supermarket (Sunday morning so we thought it prudent to stock up a bit). Bourges is a bit of a maze and although we found parking without any trouble we were not sure of the layout of the town.  We followed some steps up past a rather grand looking building and found ourselves in the centre of town on a pedestrian street which led us down to a lively square - there were some market stalls and plenty of people strolling about.

Main square, Bourges

Here we discovered the old medieval street, Rue Bourbonnux, which leads up to St Etienne, the magnificent cathedral of Bourges, so we strolled back up the hill admiring the ancient half-timbered buildings and soaking up the atmosphere.

Rue Bourbonnux, Bourges

 The cathedral is a huge and rather sombre looking structure which dominates the town.  Inside it is quite grand and not dissimilar to the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris.  It dates from the 12th  Century and is a magnificent example of French Gothic architecture.  The interior is just as impressive as the exterior and we were treated to the mighty sound of the organ - some practice going on.  No sign of any services even though it was Sunday.

Bourges Cathedral towers over the town

After re- locating our car we drove through the maze of streets again and stopped for a short walk around the  Marais (marshlands) of Bourges which was quite fascinating.  Just a ten minute walk from the centre of the town this area covering 135 hectares is given over to 1500 allotments surrounded by a labyrinth of small canals.  There are no houses, just little garden sheds, vegetables, flowers, fruit trees, ducks and peace and quiet.  It is an enchanting place and has been a source of produce for the area since the 17th Century. Today visitors can walk or cycle along the paths amongst the allotments or float down the canals on a punt.  Judging by the abundance of crops this is a very fertile area.

Flourishing allotment in the Bourges Marais

We would have loved to explore more, but a threatening rain storm and time made us hurry along and set out on the next leg of our journey, across the the rolling agricultural lands of the Berry department towards the river systems of the Allier and the Loire.
Our next stop was the Plus Beau Village of Apremont-sur-Allier which is indeed a stunner!   In fact it is almost too perfect - could be a film set - but nevertheless enchanting.  It is basically one main street that runs parallel with the wide swift flowing River Allier and its honey-coloured stone cottages are exquisite, set off with lush flowering plants - roses, wisteria, hydrangeas - gorgeous.   Along the riverbank is a wide grassy public area dotted with trees and the launching spot for brightly coloured kyaks.

Apremont-sur-Allier

  On the hill above the village is an imposing 12th Century chateau and surrounding it is the famous Parc Floral, one of the most beautiful gardens in France (or anywhere for that matter).

Parc Floral

The Parc has only been open since 1976 and is a series of gardens, including a wisteria walk, a Japanese garden, a lake, a waterfall garden, a white garden and huge borders of flowers which surround a number of pretty cottages designed in the 18th Century style by the Russian architect, Alexander Serebriakoff.

One of the very cute cottages in Parc Floral

  At the highest point is a pretty belvedere with lovely views over the village and the river.

View from the Belvedere 

   We thoroughly enjoyed wandering through this beautiful garden and finally tore ourselves away to have coffee down beside the river before setting off for Burgundy.

Riverside coffee - Apremont-sur-Allier

The last part of our journey took us across the Loire River and the lateral canals, then through the farmlands and forests of the Morvan area of western Burgundy - quite a hilly and twisting route, past Chateau-Chinon and Autun and finally to our destination, the famous wine village of Chassagne-Montrachet which is about 15 km south of Beaune in the Cote d'Or wine area.  Our house is on the edge of the village overlooking the vineyards - a beautifully restored farmhouse with every mod-con and very spacious.

Chassagne-Montrachet - our village in the vineyards

 Monsieur Moret was very welcoming and charming and brought us a lovely bunch of flowers and a bottle of wine from his own domaine.  Sadly his wife is ill so we did not meet her.  Looking forward to our week in Bourgogne!

Inside our lovely farmhouse

Chassagne-Montrachet to Moret-sur-Loing, July 6
After a lovely week in our vineyard farmhouse we had a wet morning for our drive north to our new house in Moret-sur-Loing.  We followed the D906 through Saulieu to our lunch stop, Vezelay, rather than taking the autoroute.  Despite the rain it was a pleasant drive through the Morvan area which is known for its forests and lakes.  We stopped briefly in Saulieu to check out the much celebrated restaurant of the late Michelin starred chef, Bernard Loiseau.  The Relais Bernard Loiseau is a very grand building with lots of very expensive cars parked outside.  At around 500 euros for a room (one night!) and 150 euros for lunch we decided that perhaps we would not stay!  Next door is a cute Bernard Loiseau gift shop so we contented ourselves with a couple of pots of jam and a teatowel.

The famous Bernard Loiseau restaurant in Saulieu

The rain was bucketing down so we were not too optimistic about sightseeing in Vezelay (a Plus Beau Village). Fortunately a little way past Saulieu the skies cleared and we made an unscheduled stop at a nursery which advertised Delbard roses (Cheryl's favourite).  The flowers were gorgeous but not a lot of roses to be seen and we were soon on our way again, arriving in Vezelay in time for lunch at la Dente Creuse where we started outside but soon had to hurry indoors when the rain returned.

Main street of Vezelay

 Fortunately there was just a brief shower and we were able to make our way up the through the village to the imposing basilica, dating from 1096, which dominates the hilltop.  It was formerly a Benedictine Abbey.

The beautiful basilica of Vezelay which contains relics of St Mary-Magdalene

We encountered hundreds of men trekking down with backpacks and tents - obviously they had been on some kind of extended outing.  Speaking with a couple of the men later we learned that the annual "Dad's pilgrimage", a three day hike culminating in Vezelay, was the reason for all these blokes being here - they were being met by wives and families.  They were all very cheerful and enthusiastic and apparently had a great time.

French dads returning from their 3 day trek.

  We admired the view from the hilltop over the beautiful rolling countryside of Burgundy and then it was time to take to the road again - this time the A6 autoroute north, finally heading off towards Fontainebleau and eventually to our destination, Moret-sur-Loing.

Burgundy countryside viewed from Vezelay

  The road was busy and the rain came down heavily on the journey but again we were fortunate to arrive as the skies cleared and the sun began to shine.  We met our new hosts and were delighted with our beautifully renovated, ancient farmhouse which is now surrounded by other village houses just a few hundred metres from the banks of the Loing River, a tributary of the Seine.  Naturally we had to have a stroll around the village - it is very pretty.

Gate to the centre of Moret-sur-Loing

Old mill on the river at Moret-sur-Loing

We were just 80 km south east of Paris and planned to make use of the excellent train links into the city during our week here.  The piano in the house once belonged to the Impressionist painter, Alfred Sisley, who lived in the village -  fancy that.  After our stroll it was time for our customary apero.  We have been enjoying some lovely wine, cheese, olives, figs and delicious olive jam (a souvenir from Greece) on the long summer evenings of our trip and in fact apero was more often than not our dinner!

Apero in our lovely old house - Moret-sur-Loing

Moret-sur-Loing to Roissy Charles de Gaulle, July 13
This morning we packed up the car for the last time (considerably less baggage now) and headed out under rainy skies towards Charles de Gaulle Airport which is north of  Paris.  Cheryl's daughter Heidi and her husband Tim, who live in London, have been with us for most of the week and so we drove in convoy through the drizzle, heading for the supposedly scenic town of Crecy-la-Chapelle in the Brie area east of Paris.  Our plan was to have lunch here and then make our way to the airport and for Heidi and Tim to head into Paris and their Eurostar train connection back to London.  Today's journey did not quite fit the category of "road trip" but we hoped to have one last yummy lunch and visit one last lovely spot before saying goodbye to France.

Tim, Kristy, Heidi, Cheryl B. and Cheryl R. saying goodbye to our Moret-sur-Loing house

We arrived in Crecy to find the closing stages of a market, a couple of smoky, dingy bars and a restaurant that was definitely closed.   It certainly did not look too promising.   After a coffee stop in one of the bars we joined a queue at the boulangerie where the delicious aromas fuelled our appetites while we stood in line.  With an assortment of quiches purchased and no where to sit we strolled through the town square to the canal system which meanders through the town, eating as we went.

Crecy-la-Chapelle (the Venice of Brie?)

The rain had gone and the paths along the canal took us past ancient stone houses and  pretty gardens - we had obviously stumbled across the side of town upon which Crecy's reputation for scenic beauty rests.  With time ticking by and timetables dominating we said goodbye to Heidi and Tim and took the autoroute north, skirting around Paris and arriving directly into Rue Eugene Poubelle (who could be called Eugene Rubbish Bin?), the drop off point for our car.  Car safely returned with no dents, we were packed into a minivan and delivered to our respective departure terminals - my flight to London, and the others heading home to Australia via Istanbul and Singapore.  It was a fantastic three weeks, lots of fun, a great diversity of experiences, great travel companions and left us totally looking forward to returning to France any time soon!  Thank you Cheryl, Cheryl and Kristy for a fabulous and memorable trip.

Favourite thing to do in France?   Salut et  bon apetit!