France Vacation - Avignon and Nimes

5/12/19

Our final day in France was set to be a day trip to Avignon and Nimes.  We got up super early and hopped on the train for the one hour ride to Avignon, arriving before the Palais des Papes even opened.  We stopped to grab a quick breakfast to pass the time.

This Palace was constructed in the mid-late 13th century and is one of the largest medieval Gothic buildings in Europe.  It became the papal residence in 1309 when Pope Clement V uprooted and left Rome after his election in 1305, which I guess is what happens when you name a French guy as Pope.  Though they returned to Rome in 1377, Clement VII and Benedict XIII claimed the papacy and remained in Avignon until 1403 in an era that was known as the Double Pope Times (Western Schism).  The Palace was taken over by Napoleon's troops and turned into a barracks and prison during his reign, which greatly damaged the interior of the building.  It's still pretty empty today, but there is a ton of cool architecture.  Since we were one of the first in, we had a lot of the huge, empty rooms to ourselves.  Made me feel tiny.

France Vacation - Geneva and Lyon

5/9/19

After a nighttime flight from Bordeaux to Geneva, we were picked up by Allison's host sister, Elisa, and her husband Christian to head to their house in Bonneville, France.  We had planned to visit Yvoire and Montreux on the 9th, but awful weather (theme of the trip) caused us to audible to a relaxation day. 

Allison hung out with Elisa and her kiddos, while I slept for 15 hours and found some donkeys to hang out with during the breaks in the storm.  I will say that I was quite sad today when I learned that one of my genius drunken inventions from earlier in the trip, my deli meat guillotine, was already a thing when I noticed one at the cheese store.  One of these days I'll have my trillion dollar idea.

France Vacation - Bordeaux, Saint-Emilion, and Wine Tasting

5/7/19

Our train arrived late on the night of the 6th, so we ran to our respective hotels to check in, drop off our bags, and grab a quick dinner in anticipation of our wine tours the following day.  We stayed at YNDOHOTEL, a boutique hotel located in a quiet neighborhood about 5-10 minutes walk from all the action.  Our room was pretty small, but everything seemed to be very new.  The staff were all quite personable as well.  Like most places on our trip, we didn't spend a lot of time in the room, so details are pretty scarce from me.

The following morning, we met up with our guide, Stephan, to check out some vineyards and the nearby town of Saint-Emilion.  If you're in Bordeaux, I'd recommend having Stephan take you around.  Really personable guy and very knowledgeable.

France Vacation - Chateaus

5/6/19

Our day started bright and early with a 7:00AM hotel pickup by our driver, Gigi.  Our plan was to visit chateaus in Chambord, Chenonceau, and Amboise before being dropped off at the train station in Tours to catch our ride to Bordeaux.

Our first stop, Chambord, is about a 2 hour drive from Paris, so we were able to get a quick nap in before the day officially began.  Construction on Chateau Chambord, commissioned by King Francis I, began in 1519 and once finished, it was the largest chateau in the entire Loire Valley.  I knew that it was big, but seeing it in person is just breathtaking.  It was originally built as a hunting lodge and is situated on a 13,000+ acres game reserve with almost 20 miles of exterior walls surrounding the property.  I also learned that it is strongly rumored that the chateau was designed by Leonardo Da Vinci, with some evidence being the double spiraled staircase in the center of the chateau.  I am choosing to 100% believe this because it makes my trip sound fancier.  We also found a wine tasting, but that's not surprising in the slightest.

France Vacation - Paris and Versailles

5/3/19

After a flight delay in Dallas, we landed in Paris in the early afternoon and began to explore after hammering some espresso and dropping off our luggage at our hotel, the Maison Albar Celine.  The Maison Albar is located a quick walk from the Les Halles metro station and is very close to the Louvre and the Ile de la Cite.  All the toilets have heated seats and really cool bidets.  My butt really enjoyed Paris.  Excellent service in the hotel as well.

After regrouping with Adam and Jennifer, we were ready to explore Paris.  We had originally planned to be dropped off via Uber at the Arc de Triomphe, but traffic led us to bail at Place de la Concorde.  They guillotined quite a few people in this square, including Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.  There is also a really cool golden tipped obelisk there now.  Big fan of obelisks.  They look like wieners and that's funny to me.  

We continued toward the Arc by walking up Champs-Elysees, which is considered the most recognizable avenue in the world and is lined with fancy shops and cafes.  It is also super crowded and the site of many of the Yellow Vest protests, so there were quite a few cracked windows to be seen while we explored our way up the avenue towards the Arc de Triomphe.  They usually riot on Saturdays, so we were unfortunate to have visited on Friday because I really wanted to tip over some cars and get shot by rubber bullets.