28 Days in France

7 nights in Paris

Hotel: 1 night at the horrible Hotel Leveque

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 to find another hotel - Hotel de Seine

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:

• Café and croissants at Bar Mabillon
• Pompidou center
• Musee Rodin
• Napolean’s tomb
• Dinner at Aux Anisetiers du Roy on Isle St. Louis – charming place

6. Sunday, May 7:

• The Louvre
• 2^nd floor, Richelieu wing
• Lunch at Café Richelieu in Louvre
• 1^st floor – Napolean apartments
• Luxembourg park
• Archaelogical crypt next to Notre Dame
• Dinner at Auberge de Venise, 10 rue Delambre
• Excellent Italian, best food so far

7. Monday, May 8:

• Marais walk
• Musee d’art et histoire de Judaisme
• Champs Ellysee walk
• Louvre Park
• Stop at Hotel Crillon (good toilets!)

8. Tuesday, May 9:

• Laundry while having coffee at café across the street
• E-mail at Jardin de l’Internet, 79 Blvd. St. Michel
• Montmartre walk
• Shopping – Samaratin dept store (no good), then Las Halles (good)
• Dinner - Bistro le petit Troquet, 28 rue de l’exposition.
• The best so far, gourmet French
• Eiffel tower at night

2 nights in Bayeaux, Normandy

Hotel: Chateau Bellefontaine, Bayeaux

9. Wednesday, May 10:

• Cluny museum, Paris
• Middle ages
• Largest Roman vault
• Lady and unicorn tapestries
• Pick up rental car and leave Paris

• Check into Chateau Bellafontaine
• Picnic at Longues sur Mer on rocks next to ocean
• Explore German batteries at Longues sur Mer
• Walk around town of Bayeaux

10. Thursday, May 11:

• Café double (double coffee!) in Bayeaux
• American cemetery
• Omaha beach
• Utah beach
• Sainte-Mère-Église
• Bayeaux tapestry – 5 – 6:30 pm
• Dinner with 2 Americans we met on the street in Bayeaux

1 night in St. Malo, Normandy

Hotel:

11. Friday, May 12:

• Cinema Circulaire Arromanches 360. You stand and look at the images and sounds
• Left Bayeaux for Le Mont Saint Michel (St. Malo)
• Mont St. Michel, guided tour
• Walking around the restored “old” part behind the wall in St. Malo
• Dinner at Café de la Bourse, in the “Intra Muro” in St. Malo. Very good, Stephen had ray-fish

2 nights in Rochecorbon, Loire Valley

Hotel: Chateau Montgouverne

12. Saturday, May 13:

• Chateaux Usse (sleeping beauty castle) Expensive at 58 fr. Each
• Stop by Chateau de Langeais (XV siécle)
• Bought cool playing cards with French royalty on them
• Stopped by Chateaux Villandry, not enough time to see
• Checked into Chateau de Montgouverne in Rocheboron (near Vouvray). Lovely room in the Carriage house.
• Dinner at Auberge du Grand Hotel, Vouvray

13. Sunday, May 14

• Chateau Villandry and grounds.
• Chateau Chernonceau
• Clos Lucé, Leonardo da Vinci’s home for his last few years
• Models of some of his inventions
• Dinner at Au Virage Gastronomique, Vouvray. Asperges (asparagus), fish, pork excellent

1 night in Auxerre

Hotel: Le Maxime

14. Monday, May 15:

• Chateau Chambord
• Picnic on the quai next to the Yonne River

1 night in Beaune

Hotel: Hotel de la Cloche

15. Tuesday, May 16:

• Autun, Theatre Romain, Temple de Janus
• Dinner at a wine bar

2 nights in Annecy

Hotel: Palais de l’Isle

16. Wednesday, May 17:

• Hotel Dieu – 1443 hospital built in the wake of the 100 years war
• Annece
• Italian dinner

17. Thursday, May 18:

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

4 nights in Arles

Hotel: Hotel d’Arlatan

18. Friday, May 19:

• Left Annecy
• Orange
• Arc de Triomph
• Theatre Antique
• Avignon
• Palais des Papés
• Check in Hotel d’Arlatan, Arles
• Dinner – crummy meal, bad waitress at Café de Nuit (van Gough) in Pl. du Forum near hotel

19. Saturday, May 20:

• Market in Arles
• “Les Arenas”, Roman Amphiteatre
• Theatre Antique. Lots of rocks
• Iglise St-Trophime, Cloetre St-Trophime
• Museon Arlaten. French Provencial stuff collected by Fredetoc Mistral. No English.
• Cryptopotiques. Access inside St. Julian. Interesting excavation of the Roman Forum.
• Thermal baths. No info. Some remnants of walls. Hard to picture without an imagination.
• Musee de l’Arles Antique (Museum of ancient Arles). Should have started the day here!
• Great dinner at La Poillette, around the corner from the hotel. Caramague be…

20. Sunday, May 21:

• Arena in Nimes
• Maison Carree, 5 BC
• Pont du Gard
• Les Baux de Provence. Excellent audio tour
• pizza for dinner in Plac du Forum (Arles)

21. Monday, May 22:

• Fontaine-de-Vaucluse
• Gordes
• Village des Bories “Gallic huts” built on the principle of the corbel vault
• Glanum
• Dinner at L’Affenage. Provence food. Kinda bland and heavy, lots of it.

2 nights in Cannes

Hotel: Hotel Splendid

22. Tuesday, May 23:

• Lavandou
• Drive through St. Tropez
• Cannes
• Check in to Hotel Splendid, room 511
• Dinner at Astoux et Brun, seafood of all kinds, very good. Met Volker

23. Wednesday, May 24:

• Walking, shopping, beach time
• Picnic dinner

1 night in Nice

Hotel: Hotel Suisse

24. Thursday, May 25:

• Check out of Splendid. Staff very helpful, hotel recommendations in Nice.
• Looked into a few hotels in NiceWest End 900 francs, room like a motel! Westminster 75 fr, yucky
• Checked into Hotel Suisse, at base of the chateau next to La Pelouse 630 per night
• Pizza for lunch in Cour Saleya (the market area in old town)
• Rocky beach time
• Walk to port, around old town, oysters for dinner
• Promenade at night

2 nights in Menton

Hotel: Hotel Royal Westminster

25. Friday, May 26:

• Check out of Hotel Suisse
• Eze
• Villa and the Gardens Ephrussi de Rothschild
• Monte Carlo – horrible! Preparations for the Grand Rix were in full swing
• Quiche for lunch in Menton
• Drive in and out of Italy. Back to Menton, Hotel Royal Westminster
• Rocky beach time
• Walk thru pedestrian streets
• Dinner at A Braijade, 128 francs, price included aperitif, wine and café

26. Saturday, May 27:

• 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

• Left Menton
• Portofino
• On the way out, checked into hotel Parrragi
• Walked on trail from hotel back into Portofino

1 night outside of Milan

Hotel: Pagoda (in Legnano)

28. Monday, May 29:

• Walked to Portofino
• Left Parragi
• Milan
• Marie Nascent (church)
• Car booted. Walked back to church area to police station.
• 8:00pm left Milan toward airport. Spent next 2.5 hours looking for a hotel or motel.

29. Tuesday, May 30:

• Left for home