Choices

Wow, what a choice! Will you be renting a car? Do you want to travel around or stay in one place and visit the surrounding area?

If you have a car, any of the above would be fun. If you’re using public transportation, you may want to check what’s available in the area you choose.

We’ve talked about what area of France is a favorite over the years and usually change our minds every five minutes. They are all wonderful and all different. I suspect Bordeaux would be at the bottom of my personal list, although the countryside around Bordeaux is wonderful. You might stay in St. Emilion or one of the Bordeaux chateaux and make a day trip or two into Bordeaux and spend the rest of the time exploring the wine country and/or the shore.

Burgundy would be at the top of our list. You could (and we have) easily spend a week in Beaune. If you have a car, you can wander the entire area and it is all beautiful. Again, there is wine tasting. We also discovered The Cassisseum in Nuit St. George. The make Cassis and you tour the factory (in English if you prefer) and then taste their products including the best kir we’ve ever had . . . possibly excepting my husband’s! The little town of Chateauneuf la Foret is a treasure, and you could take a trip on the Burgundy Canal. We also took a long day trip to see Corbusier’s chapel at Ronchamp. Lots of chateaux and wineries to visit in Burgundy!

You can’t go wrong in the Loire with all those chateaux and abbeys to visit. A personal favorite is Villandry with its glorious gardens. Azay le Rideau is a small treasure with a wonderful illumination at night. Chenonceau is lovely, both the chateau and the gardens. They are all different and all interesting. The countryside is beautiful too. We took a back road one day just following the Loire and turned a corner to see two wild black swans swimming near the shore. We also ended up following my directions on a road I swear was an old Roman road . . . nearly impassable and obviously stone or cobblestone. We managed to turn around and find a "real" road.

Rhone Alps are interesting and we’ve visited there. The most fun we had was camping in July. It was pretty off the beaten track so we met "real" French people and saw the hinterlands. There is a terrific art museum in Grenoble or farther north Lac Annecy is absolutely beautiful. You can’t believe a well used lake can be that clear and clean. The mountains are gorgeous. The old town is fun; there are trips on all sorts of boats; there’s a huge "peace" park by the lake and there are lots of excellent restaurants in and near town. Lac Annecy is a tourist destination so it gets very crowded in summer . . . for good reason. Spring might be better.

Provence is magical and I’m not the first to say this. It’s my personal favorite in France although it gets quite warm in summer. Since you’re going in Spring, it will be perfect. There are so many places to visit, I don’t know where to start. We love the perched villages; we love the charming rural roads; the markets are a dream come true; the museums are as good as any in France. Advice in Provence would be to stay off the Autoroute and travel the tree lined country roads (the D or N routes). If you get lost, you’ll see something interesting or beautiful (or both). If you like cities, Avignon and Aix en Provence are both very nice. There is the Pont du Gard that no amount of tourists can ruin. Provence is full of history and all the famous artists who painted there have museums of some sort.

You will find friendly and helpful people in all of these areas. You might decide whether you are most interested in (1) wine, Burgundy or Bordeaux; (2) history, Provence, Loire, Burgundy; (3) art, Loire, Provence, Burgundy, Rhone Alps; (4) scenery, anyplace. There are theme parks that are fun in most regions . . . not Disneyland Paris, but prehistoric parks, volcano parks, futuristic parks, French comics parks, etc. There are beautiful gardens in most regions but in the Spring you might want to try the southern part of the country for gardens.

Each of you could make a list of things you prefer, explore a bit on the Internet and then make a decision using a few of each of your ideas. The French Tourist web site will send you free information on any region in France and it’s very useful.

I hope you enjoy your trip and I’m really glad I don’t have to make your decision. It’s a tough one!

SalB: Thank you so much for the information. It appears you like La France as much as we do. Based on your input, we have decided to make the Rhone Alpes/Burgundy our destination. Lyon – Annecy to start. I think we will plan for Provence on another occasion. Again, thank you so much for the information – especially the Cassiseum. Regards, Donerail

SalB: Well, we finally have reservations in a town near Faverages which is near Annecy. I know you said you always stay at the Hotel Grillon when in Beaune. Is there any other place you would recommend in that region of Burgundy. Like around Macon or Autun? Regards, Donerail

No, we always stay at the Grillon. Have you checked the Logis de France web site? They have an English version and give pictures of rooms, building, location and tourist info for the area. They have a complete range of prices and an excellent search engine. Their URL is http://www.logis-de-france.fr/uk/ We’ve used them often and they are very reliable. The hotels usually have nice little restaurants in them featuring local foods.

Interesting villages la Rochepot (tiny), Vezelay (major tourist spot), Châteauneuf la Foret (ancient and lovely with a gorgeous view) and Autun (beautiful cathedral). Ronchamp is a long drive but the Corbusier Chapel is worth the drive. It really is a looooooooong drive.

Whatever you do, don’t miss Beaune and Vezelay. We like Dijon too. It has a wonderful art museum and lots of good restaurants. It is a city though! We park at the edge of town and take the train in to visit.

Give the Logis web site a try and let me know what you think.

SalB: Well, you’ve done it again. That Logis-de-France website is super. So many places, so little time and money. Thanks, Donerail