Archive for the 'Trips - Europe' Category
Au Revoir France
Thursday, September 6th, 2007We had a wonderful trip to France this year. Paris was nice and warm, not too crowded, and provided a nice contrast to our second week in Annecy. The French Alps were inviting, friendly and peaceful, although a bit wet the week that we were there. But hey, that’s the mountains - ever changing weather. It was over 30 degrees Celsius a few weeks before we arrived.
Enjoy your next trip to France. Just like any trip overseas, bring some reading material, playing cards and a desire to relax.
And have a great time. We sure did!
The Travel Bum.
Cycling along Lac D’Annecy
Friday, August 31st, 2007Today was the day we’d all become cyclists, so we headed to the local bike shop and got ourselves some bikes. The prices are very reasonable, and the shop owner, a bloke from Australia, was very accommodating, even giving us some bonus time. I made the mistake of not wearing sunglasses, so other than watery eyes, enjoyed the ride a lot.
There is actually a bike route all the way down the west side of the lake from Annecy, continuing after the lake ends, for a total distance of about 40 km. The route is nicely paved and makes for a really nice biking tour of the area.
After the wonderful sun of our biking trip, it rained again. Guess that’s the Alps for you. We found an internet cafe in Annecy to check our emails, but had trouble because the keyboard is not configured the way we are used to. So plan to be there twice as long as you originally thought, because it will take you twice as long to type your emails (at least).
We also stopped in at Auchon again. This wonderful chain of groceries stores are not as plentiful as Champion, but are much larger and offer a wonderful variety of French foods. Cheeses and wines galore. Keep them in mind on your next trip to France.
The Travel Bum
Albertville
Thursday, August 30th, 2007Albertville, site of the 1994 Winter Olympics, is approximately an hour drive south east of Annecy. Like most of the drives around this part of the world, the drive was spectacular. Cute and small, Albertville has a great walking downtown with lots of shops for a town of its size. Sites to see include the Stadium Olympic and the hockey rink, as well as an old medieval city.
We then headed up the Col de la Madeleine, one of the famous Tour de France mountains, with a height of 1984 meters. The stunning alpine terrain and huge mountains take your breath away. Our drive took us to the very top, above the snow line (even in May), and our road actually climbed above the tops of the ski hills. It was very interesting. After posing for photos at the top to commemorate our summit, we headed down the other side of the mountain, through the local ski village. At the base we had a snack at St. Jean de Maurienne, and dropped 2 of our travel mates off so they could ride their bikes up Cole de Glandon, another famous Tour de France ride. The roads are narrow, steep and very impressive for cycling on.
On our way back we stopped in Grenoble for some very nice Indian food, before heading back to base camp at Annecy, via Chambry.
The Travel Bum.
Geneva, Lausanne
Wednesday, August 29th, 2007Annecy is located a 30 minute drive from the Swiss border. So when a friend of ours was flying into Geneva we all piled into the car and headed out to pick her up. Crossing the border, we had to buy a permit to drive on the Swiss highways, required for all vehicles. After collecting our friend, we headed downtown to see Geneva. Located right on Lake Geneva, the city is bustling with activity and quite charming. Everyone in Switzerland speaks English, so you won’t have any trouble getting around.
Our next stop was Lausanne, headquarters of the International Olympic Committee. Lausanne is further along the north side of Lake Geneva. Our GPS had a bit of a tough time getting us to the entrance due to some construction, but we eventually made it and really enjoyed the IOC museum. Memorabilia from the Olympics are on display with some interactive displays, and as we have recommended before, get the audio guide.
The Travel Bum.
Annecy, Day 2
Friday, August 10th, 2007After a late start to the day, probably because of our long drive the day before, we headed out to explore the Lac D’Annecy area. We began by heading towards downtown, although we did not head into the old part of the city. We had been warned by several people that the traffic in the older part of town is atrocious, and to not drive there. We meandered around the lake until we came upon Chateau de Menthon Saint-Bernard.
This 1,000 year old castle is still inhabited, and offers tours of some parts of the castle. Although it was all in French, we still enjoyed the tour guides dressed in costume and taking on roles of castle inhabitants during its day, and we could make out the general idea from the small English guide book. Beautifully maintained, the Chateau gives you an idea of life in a French Castle a thousand years ago. If the name sounds familiar, its because St. Bernard was a mountaineer who made many of the mountain passes safe for travellers and gave his name to the famous rescue dogs of the mountains, St. Bernards.
We continued around the lake on our drive around the lake, which is well worth the effort. The small towns on the lake shore are very cute and quaint, and include Talloires and Sevrier, our home base for the week.
Take a drive to the top of Col de la Forclaz. Popular with cyclists, the top of this mountain offers panoramic views of Lac D’Annecy, and one the right days, the chance to watch paragliders and hangliders launch form its lofty perch. You might even be able to see someone taking off on this webcam.
yours in travel,
the travel bum
Annecy, France
Friday, August 10th, 2007The drive from Lyon to Annecy is, like most drives in France, beautiful. There are two ways to go…you can travel on the main auto routes, which are fast and efficient, or you can take the lesser roads, which are more scenic, although no less pleasant to drive. Driving through the French countryside on the smaller roads gives you an opportunity to take in the beautiful French towns and villages that dot the countryside, and affords more opportunities to stop. Either way, you’ve made a good choice.
Anney is a city of 50,000 situated at the north end of Lac D’annecy. This picturesque city has an old, historic town brimming with restaurants that line the river leading from the lake. All around the lake are small towns nestled along the shore and surrounded by towering mountains and peaks. During the winter Annecy is a ski town with many great ski hills close by. In the summer it is a water playground, with the lake offering many water activities. The mountains offer hang-gliding, parasailing and some great mountain biking.
Lake Annecy
yours in travel,
the travel bum
Paris to Lyon
Tuesday, July 24th, 2007The second week of our trip to France was in Annecy, in the French Alps. We had heard a lot about Lyon so we decided to overnight there.
We got up early and began our drive out of Paris. Be prepared for traffic, because like large cities all over the world, Paris has traffic. However, once you get out of Paris, the drive is very pleasant. The motorways if France are top notch and the scenery is great.
Be prepared for toll charges on all the major motorways and watch out for speed cameras (the GPS is good at pointing them out).
The drive to Lyon took us about 5 hours. Our hotel, the Hilton Lyon, was right next to the Tete d’or Park, so we meandered over for a walk. There is a zoo at the park and you can get right up to many of the animals, and its free. You can even rent bicycles for a ride around the park.
We were told that Lyon was the culinary capital of France, so we decided to head out for a real French dinner, with reservations made by our concierge. The restaurant was quaint and we had a nice dinner, although French food is not my favourite, so I can’t give comment on the quality.
All in all, it was a pleasant way to spend our one night in Lyon.
Tomorrow, the French Alps,
the travel bum
Champs Elysees & the Louvre
Tuesday, June 19th, 2007Today we decided to visit the Champs Elysees for 2 reasons. To see the Arc de Triomphe and to visit the new Adidas store.
The Arc de Triomphe, the world’s largest triumphant arch, was built built by Napolean and dedicated to the glory of his imperial armies. Standing in the center of a star-shaped configuration of 12 avenues, the Arc is fashioned after those of ancient Rome and stands at the end of the Champs Elysees. A walk east along the Champs takes you buy many great shops and restaurants, and is a wonderful place to meander.
At the end of the shopping section of the Champs is the world’s largest Adidas sports performance store. Full of all the latest and greatest offerings from Adidas, the store boasts a high tech shoe fitting machine that will custom fit one of 6 pairs of runners to you exact feet, for approximately 50 euros more than a set off the rack. If you take your running seriously, they might be worth a try. And if you don’t, there are plenty of other great items to choose from. So stop in and check it out.
Next on our list was the Louvre. We knew we didn’t even have time to see half of the museum, but we had a list of highlights we wanted to see (see this post for advice on pacing yourself in museums). So we got our maps, our audio guides and headed off to find the Mona Lisa, passing by Winged Victory on the way.
Probably the most famous painting in the world, the Mona Lisa is in a huge hall with guards keeping the crowds under control and making sure nobody is taking pictures. When we were there the crowds weren’t too bad, but during the peak tourist season it might be hard to get close for a close look. In any case, the works around the Mona Lisa are worth a visit on their own.
After stopping by to see Venus de Milo, we tried to find the exhibit about the history of the Louvre, but unfortunately it was closed. We were able to visit some of the foundations of the original building, a castle dating from the 11th century, but we were disappointed not to find out more information about the Louvre itself because it’s a remarkable building in and of itself. Many of the ceilings are magnificently decorated and in great shape, but none of them have any descriptions. Too bad, because they really should have them.
While wandering our way out of the Louvre we discovered Napoleon’s apartments. This part of the museum was actually used by the French Finance Ministry until 1989. They are in magnificent shape and truly show the opulence of Napoleon during his reign, including the dining room that is set and ready to receive its noble guests.
From the Louvre we caught a train to the airport to pick up our rental car for our second week in France . We were told by our concierge that the train would take approximately 75 minutes, but we must have happened upon an express train. After only 2 stops and 30 minutes we were at the airport to pick up our rental.
Before heading to Charles de Gaulle airport its a good idea to find out what terminal your flight is leaving from. When you get off the train there are 2 terminal stops, but no information about which airlines and services are at which terminal. While its easy enough to catch the airport train, you can save yourself some time by having the information ready. The only monitors are in the airport, not near the train station.
We were picking up our rental car at the airport because it would make it easy to return when we were flying out. One way rentals can significantly increase the cost of your rental, sometimes almost doubling the cost. In our case, we only had to take a 30 minute train ride to the airport to pick up our car, so it was well worth the effort. If at all possible pick-up and drop-off your rental at the same location and save yourself some money.
We also decided to get the in-car GPS. At 9 euro a day, it is well worth it, especially if you’re going to be doing a lot of driving like we were. Although the road signs in France are generally very good, the cities in Europe can be mazes and the GPS will save you lots of time and effort, making your driving vacation relaxed and fun. Have a map with you for overall route planning and to get a sense of where you are, but leave the details to the GPS.
We finished our day with another trip to Pastapapa (see previous post) and a stroll around the Eiffel Tower neighbourhood. Paris was wonderful, and we were now looking forward to the Alps.
a la prochain,
the travel bum
Versailles
Monday, June 18th, 2007
Versailles. The very name evokes images of royalty and elegance, and its a must do on any trip to Paris.
Versailles is approximately 30 minutes by train from the Eiffel Tower. You can either buy tickets when you get there or ahead of time from many hotels and museum box offices. We didn’t buy our tickets ahead of time, and the line-up for tickets was very short. The line-up to get into the palace was larger, but moved relatively quickly, as did the line-up for the audio guides (highly recommended, see previous post).
The Palace and gardens of Versailles, or the Chateau de Versailles, is truly stunning. Originally King Louis XIII’s hunting lodge, it was transformed and enlarged by his son, Louis IV, who installed his court and government there. According to the tourist map, “it represents the finest and most accomplished achievement of 17th century French art”. And if the orientation map says that, its good enough for me.
What the Palace and gardens definitely are, is large. The Palace includes the King’s and Queen’s State Apartments, the Chapel, the Opera House, History of France Galleries, Dauphine’s Apartments (the heir to the throne), and Mesdame’s Apartments (Louis XV’s daughters). However, the gardens are what truly impress, just by their sheer size and layout. The gardens lead to Marie-Antoinette’s estate, which includes the Grand Trianon, Petite Trianon and the Queen’s Hamlet.
The Palace at Versailles is very splendid indeed. Many of the rooms are furnished as they would have been, despite being ransacked during the revolution. The Palace is currently working on getting many pieces back, and those that were destroyed have been replicated. The famous Hall of Mirrors is also currently being restored to its original splendor. It is in the in the Hall of Mirrors that the First World War officially ended when Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles.
Once you head outside you will see the grandeur of the gardens. Make sure you go for a walk toward the Grand Canal, where you can rent boats if you feel so inclined, and onto Marie-Antoinette’s estate. When we were buying tickets for the Palace we were asked if we wanted to pay an extra 9 Euro for entry into the estate, and we are very glad we did. While the Grand Trianon was not in the greatest shape, and Marie Antoinette’s house, the Petite Trianon, is currently half closed for renovations, the big surprise for us was the Queen’s Hamlet.
This Garden was created by Marie Antoinette in the English-style and it contrasts with the huge, manicured gardens of the Palace. Make sure you go for a walk to explore all of the buildings in the garden.
Its like walking through an English village in the time of The Hobits (a la Lord of the Rings), with lakes, bridges, gardens and a farm. Also, don’t miss the Queen’s Theater, where Marie-Antoinette sometimes performed for guests.When its time to head back to the Palace entrance you can take a tram back if you wish, ’cause your feet might be sore from all the walking. If you took the tram to get to the estate, walk back. Its a wonderful walk through an amazing garden.
After Versailles, we went back to our hotel to freshen up, then headed to the Latin Quarter, which is very close to Notre Dame - just take the C metro line towards Massey and get off at the St. Michel stop. We walked around Notre Dame and then headed to the Latin Quarter. This part of Paris is full of restaurants, bars and lots of young adults. Definitely a location to visit if you’re looking for a night on the town.
Heading back to our hotel, we stopped at the Trocadero for a wonderful nighttime view of the Eiffel Tower. The area was full of tourists and local youth, mingling and socializing with the lights of the Tower glowing beyond. This is a great place for Eiffel Tower pictures, and again, well worth a visit, even if you only go for the views.
Speaking of the Eiffel Tower, it’s open until 11pm at night. The lines can be long, at least an hour wait between the hours of 4 and 7pm. Go early in the morning if you can, or after 9:30 at night. This was the advice from our hotel concierge, and probably good advice to follow.
a la prochaine,
the travel bum
Museums in Paris
Wednesday, June 13th, 2007
Paris is full of museums, as anyone who’s been there can tell you, and many of them are so large that they can take a whole day (and more) to get through. Before you head out to see some museums though, check to make sure they are open. Some of the museums in Paris are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, as we found out when we got to the Louvre. We actually heard someone mention this on our first day in Paris, but since we didn’t plan to visit any museums that day, we must not have paid much attention. Its not really a big deal if you’ve got a few days and are not staying too far away, but if you had planned to see the Louvre and only had one day, you would be disappointed to find it closed on your one day to visit. For the Louvre you can find their hours of operation at the Louvre website before you go, or just ask at your hotel.
The Musee D’orsay is only a short walk down the river from the Louvre, so we headed over to find that everyone else who had been planning on visiting the Louvre was now visiting D’orsey. Actually, the line moved quite quickly and we were soon at the ticket booth.
While you’re in Paris you may want to consider buying a Musuem Pass. The pass can be bought for 2, 4, or 6 days and costs 30, 45 and 60 Euros respectively. With the pass you can get into over 60 museums and monuments throughout the city. We opted to not get the pass because we had 3 major museums on our list and we were not sure we’d be able to fit any more than that in, so the pass didn’t really make sense for us. But if you were planning on seeing a lot of museums then you might want to consider it.
Two words of advice about museums. PACE YOURSELF. Now, if you’re a seasoned museum going pro, then this advice is not for you. But for those of you who are like me and don’t go to a whole lot of museums, you should plan your visits. If there are exhibits you really want to see, go and see them first. When you enter the museum don’t spend too much time on the first exhibits you see. Many of the Museums in Paris are so big that they can take hours to go through, and if you begin your tour by spending a lot of time on the first items you see, you may find yourself running out of time and energy. So take it slow, enjoy yourself, but give yourself the luxury of moving through the museum in a manner that will let you enjoy your the museum with enough energy (and not too sore feet) to enjoy the items you’ll see at the end.
Another suggestion is to get the audio guide where available. Most of the large museums offer them and they can really enhance your visit with detailed information on many of the larger and more famous exhibits. Also, when visiting a foreign country, much of the information available on signs is in the native language, but the audio guide allows you to hear about the museum in your own language.
The Musee D’Orsay is located in a beautiful, old train station. It has some very interesting sculptures made from several different stones, as well as some very large canvas paintings. Well worth a visit and easily completed in half a day.Well, with a visit to the Louvre (okay, just the outside) and the Musee D’Orsay, we were ready to head back to our hotel. We meandered towards our hotel, enjoying Paris’ narrow streets and inviting sidwalk cafe’s on our way. We also stopped at an internet cafe that I had located while using our hotel’s business center. As with our breakfast, internet at the hotel was very expensive, so I figured we could find somewhere cheaper to check our emails and look up any info we needed.
The closest internet cafe (cyber cafe as they call them in France) was a few blocks away at the Fat Tire Bike Tours office, where a group was just heading off for an evening ride to the Latin Quarter. While we didn’t take a tour, they really are a great way to see the city. The tours usually run for 4 hours, and you have a comfortable bike to get around on. Its a great way to see the city and they have tours that will take you to all the major attractions. Two years ago I took an excellent walking tour of Berlin and highly recommend such tours as a great way to see a city.
During our walk we stumbled upon Pastapapa, an Italian restaurant. The food is good, the prices are very reasonable and the portions are huge, so think about sharing. You can select pastas dishes form the menu, or make your own masterpiece by mixing pasta, sauces and meats. With 7 locations around Paris, there’s probably one not far from where you are. We liked it so much we ended up eating there twice during our stay in Paris.
a la prochaine,
the Travel Bum