28 Days in France

7 nights in Paris

Hotel: 1 night at horrible Rick Steve’s “favorite” Hotel Leveque in the 7^th arrondissement

6 nights at wonderful Hotel de Seine

1. Tuesday, May 2:

Check in to bad hotel off any main metro route
Walk to another area, find Hotel de Seine and make reservation

2. Wednesday, May 3:

Check into Hotel de Seine

The Louvre

3. Thursday, May 4:

Notre Dame
Saint Chappelle

4. Friday, May 5:

Day trip to Versaille

5. Saturday, May 6:

11:00 am Café and croissants at Bar Mabillon
12:00 pm Pompidou center (modern art)
3:00 Musee Rodin
5:00 Napolean’s tomb
Weather – thundershower
6:00 Beer break
10:30 pm Dinner at Aux Anisetiers du Roy on Isle St. Louis – charming place

6. Sunday, May 7:

11:00 am The Louvre

2^nd floor, Richelieu wing
Lunch at Café Richelieu in Louvre
1^st floor – Napolean apartments
Best toilets at end of wing (basement?)

3:30 pm Luxembourg park
5:30 Archaelogical crypt next to Notre Dame

Didn’t have enough time here as they were closing

9:00 Dinner at Auberge de Venise, 10 rue Delambre

Excellent Italian, best food so far

7. Monday, May 8:

11:00 Marais walk
12:00 Musee d’art et histoire de Judaisme
3:00 Champs Ellysee walk
Louvre Park
5:00 Stop at Hotel Crillon (good toilets!)

8. Tuesday, May 9:

10:00 am Laundry while having coffee at café across the street
11:45 E-mail at Jardin de l’Internet, 79 Blvd. St. Michel
12:00 Montmartre walk
4:00 Shopping – Samaratin dept store (no good), then Las Halles (good)
8:40 pm Bistro le petit Troquet, 28 rue de l’exposition.

The best so far, fourmet French

10:00 pm Eiffel tower at night

2 nights in Bayeaux, Normandy

Hotel: Chateau Bellefontaine, Bayeaux

9. Wednesday, May 10:

11:00 Cluny museum, Paris

Middle ages
Largest Roman vault
Lady and unicorn tapestries

1:00 Pick up rental car and leave Paris

4:30 Check into Chateau Bellafontaine
5:30 Picnic shopping – chacouterie, boulangerie and marche
6:00 Picnic at Longues sur Mer on rocks next to ocean
7:00 Explore German batteries at Longues sur Mer
8:30 Walk around town of Bayeaux
Weather – a bit of rain late afternoon, stopped about 10:00 pm
9:30 pm, amazing that it is still light outside. Didn’t need the backlight to enter day’s activities

10. Thursday, May 11:

9:00 café double (double coffee!) in Bayeaux
11:00 American cemetery
1:00 Omaha beach
2:30 Utah beach
3:30 St. Maree d’Eglise
5:00 Bayeaux tapestry – 5 – 6:30 pm
8:00 Dinner with 2 Americans we met on the street in Bayeaux

1 night in St. Malo, Normandy

Hotel:

11. Friday, May 12:

10:00 Café & croissants
11:00 Cinema Circulaire Arromanches 360. You stand and look at the images and sounds
12:00 Left Bayeaux for Le Mont Saint Michel (St. Malo)
1:30 – 4:30 Mont St. Michel, guided tour
6:00 Walking around the restored “old” part behind the wall in St. Malo
8:00 Dinner at Café de la Bourse, in the “Intra Muro” in St. Malo. Very good, Stephen had ray-fish

2 nights in Rocheboron, Loire Valley

Hotel: Chateau Montgouverne

12. Saturday, May 13:

11:00 Left St. Malo
3:15 Chateaux Usse (sleeping beauty castle) Expensive at 58 fr. Each
Weather – good, warm
4:45 Stop by Chateau de Langeais (XV siécle)

Bought cool playing cards with French royalty on them

5:45 Stopped by Chateaux Villandry, not enough time to see
7:00 pm Checked into Chateau de Montgouverne in Rocheboron (near Vouvray). Lovely room in the Carriage house.
8:30 Dinner at Auberge du Grand Hotel, Vouvray

13. Sunday, May 14

Weather – Great!
11:00 Tour Chateau Villandry and grounds. Now it is Hot!
2:00 Tour Chateau Chernonceau
4:00 Clos Lucé, Leonardo da Vinci’s home for his last few years

Models of some of his inventions

9:30 Dinner at Au Virage Gastronomique, Vouvray. Asperges (asparagus), fish, pork excellent

1 night in Auxerre

Hotel: Le Maxime

14. Monday, May 15:

11:45 Headset tour of Chateau Chambord
3:30 A10 toward Orlean, then Auxerre
6:00 pm Check into Le Maxime hotel in Auxerre.
Picnic on the quai next to the Yonne River
9:45 pm just getting dark. Beer at a café

1 night in Beaune

Hotel: Hotel de la Cloche

15. Tuesday, May 16:

9:00 Tourist info office near hotel, café crème at a café
12:35 Internet on Rue Cochois
12:45 pm Left Auxerre
2:30 pm Autun, Theatre Romain, Temple de Janus
3:30 picnic along the road
4:00 Tourist Info office in Beaune
5:00 check in to Hotel de la Cloche
9:00 Dinner at a wine bar

2 nights in Annecy

Hotel: Palais de l’Isle

16. Wednesday, May 17:

10:40 Café and croissants
Weather – raining
11:20 Tour Hotel Dieu – 1443 hospital built in the wake of the 100 years war
1:30 pm left Beaune
4:00 Annece, map at TI, room at Palais de L’Isle
8:00 Italian dinner

17. Thursday, May 18:

12:00 Drive around Lac d’Annecy
3:00 Tour the castle… can’t recommend it. No info, random modern art displays
7:00 Pizza at La Galejade. Nice change from prix fix menus

4 nights in Arles

Hotel: Hotel d’Arlatan

18. Friday, May 19:

10:00 am Left Annecy
2:15 Orange

Arc de Triomph
Theatre Antique

4:00 Avignon

Palais des Papés

6:00 left Avignon
7:00 Check in Hotel d’Arlatan, Arles
Dinner – crummy meal, bad waitress at Café de Nuit (van Gough) in Pl. du Forum near hotel
9:00 just getting dark

19. Saturday, May 20:

10:00 am Café in Place De Forum
11:00 Market in Arles
12:30 “Les Arenas”, Roman Amphiteatre
1:30 Theatre Antique. Lots of rocks
2:00 Iglise St-Trophime, Cloetre St-Trophime
2:45 Museon Arlaten. French Provencial stuff collected by Fredetoc Mistral. No English.
3:15 Cryptopotiques. Access inside St. Julian. Interesting excavation of the Roman Forum.
3:35 Thermal baths. No info. Some remnants of walls. Hard to picture without an imagination.
4:00 Musee de l’Arles Antique (Museum of ancient Arles). Should have started the day here!
5:15 Beer
8:30 pm – Great dinner at La Poillette, around the corner from the hotel. Caramague be…
10:00 walk around, arena lit up at night

20. Sunday, May 21:

9:30 am Café
11:00 Arena in Nimes
1:00 stop by Maison Carree, 5 BC
1:30 Pont du Gard
4:00 Les Baux de Provence. Excellent audio tour
8:00 pizza for dinner in Plac du Forum (Arles)

21. Monday, May 22:

9:30 breakfast
1:00 Fontaine-de-Vaucluse
2:00 Gordes

Village des Bories “Gallic huts” built on the principle of the corbel vault

4:00 Glanum
6:00 Beer in St. Remy
9:00 Dinner at L’Affenage. Provence food. Kinda bland and heavy, lots of it.

2 nights in Cannes

Hotel: Hotel Splendid

22. Tuesday, May 23:

10:00 am Left Arles
12:00 Le Lavandou
1:00 Lunch at beach café
2:00 Coast road views
3:00 Drive through St. Tropez
4:30 Cannes
6:30 Check in to Hotel Splendid, room 511
9:00 Dinner at Astoux et Brun, seafood of all kinds, very good. Met Volker

23. Wednesday, May 24:

11:00 Walking, shopping
12:30 Stores close
2:00 shopping,
3:00 Beach time
6:00 Collect picnic dinner supplies

1 night in Nice

Hotel: Hotel Suisse

24. Thursday, May 25:

9:30 cafe
11:00 Check out of Splendid. Staff very helpful, hotel recommendations in Nice.
1:00 Looked into a few hotels in NiceWest End 900 francs, room like a motel! Westminster 75 fr, yucky
2:00 checked into Hotel Suisse, at base of the chateau next to La Pelouse 630 per night
2:30 Pizza for lunch in Cour Saleya (the market area in old town)
4:30 Rocky beach time
7:00 Walk to port, around old town, oysters for dinner
10:00 Walk the promenade at night

2 nights in Menton

Hotel: Hotel Royal Westminster

25. Friday, May 26:

9:00 cafe
10:30 Check out of Hotel Suisse
12:00 Eze
1:00 The Villa and the Gardens Ephrussi de Rothschild, very nice self-tour
2:00 Monte Carlo – horrible! Preparations for the Grand Rix were in full swing
4:00 Quiche for lunch in Menton
5:00 Drive in and out of Italy. Back to Menton, Hotel Royal Westminster
6: 30 Rocky beach time
7:00 Walk thru pedestrian streets
9:00 dinner at A Braijade, 128 francs, price included aperitif, wine and café

26. Saturday, May 27:

1:00 Lunch along the promenade at Le Grand Blue. Very good, pizza, tomate, mozzarella, basil

1 night in Parragi

Hotel: Hotel Parragi

27. Sunday, May 28

10:30 Left Menton
1:15 Stuck in a line of cards trying to get into Portofino
2:30 Pizza for lunch
On the way out, checked into hotel Parrragi
Walked on trail from hotel back into Portofino
11:00 Met Jude Olinger and Sara

1 night outside of Milan

Hotel: Pagoda (in Legnano)

28. Monday, May 29:

10:00 Walked to Portofino
12:15 Left Parragi
2:15 Milan
4:00 Marie Nascent (church)
6:30 found car booted. Walked back to church area to police station.
8:00 left Milan toward airport. Spent next 2.5 hours looking for a hotel or motel.
10:30 Check into Pagoda

29. Tuesday, May 30:

10:00 am Checked out of hotel
1:00 pm 10 hour nonstop to ?
6:40 pm 4 hr 21 min flight from ? to