Road trips, mountain walks and holidays

This is the next part of the travel notes about our „Tour de France” trip. This part of the trip started on the Atlantic coast of France. Living on the Atlantic coast of France In the afternoon, we reached Cap Ferret which separates the Bay of Arcachon from the Atlantic Ocean. We had booked a bungalow in Camping les Viviers to stay three nights there (this is a large and very busy high-class 4-star camping resort and should be booked in advance; a deposit is required). The camping itself was very good and safe, and the bungalow was clean and comfortable. Cap Ferret was chosen as a destination for several reasons – to enjoy the beautiful beaches of France, to visit tourist sites nearby and to taste oysters produced in the Bay of Arcachon (the whole oyster region goes from the estuary of the Gironde River south to the border of Spain and covers about 15000 hectares in total). Oysters and Arcachon One of the good things about the Atlantic coast of France is seafood. Concerning oysters – ...

Basilica of Montmartre and the Palace of Versailles We reached Paris before midnight and luckily found our hotel in Montmartre with a little stumble. Many visitors to Paris choose this area because of its location. However, after sunset, the surrounding area does not look very safe and tourists. We had booked Hotel Montmartrois (6 Bis, Rue Du Chevalier-De-La-Barre) because it offered a good price for double rooms (nothing special, but good enough to stay in a convenient location). The nearest site of interest within walking distance from the hotel we visited the next morning is the Sacred Heart Basilica of Montmartre (la Basilique du Sacre Coeur de Montmartre). Just to mention that this Basilica is one of the most impressive buildings located on the top of the hill (afterwards we saw how magical it is even from the roof of Galleries Lafayette). While staying in Paris, we spent a whole day visiting the Palace of Versailles (Chateau de Versailles). It is located about 20 kilometres fr...

French Alps and Provence Everybody has some opinion about France. We have been to France many times, however most exciting was our three weeks long trips around the country in August of 2007. The first part of it was visiting the French Alps and Provence, afterwards continuing a trip to the exceptionally nice town of Rocamadour. This part of the trip (especially before arrival to the French Alps and Provence), apart from the mountains, was mostly related to food and fermented grape juice. The second part of the trip (the Atlantic coast and Paris) was mostly relaxing. It included camping near the Atlantic Ocean, and Disneyland in Paris and ended with champagne tasting near Reims. Our trip around France started with tasting in the capital of Burgundy – Beaune . We stayed at a pretty good hotel Stars Beaune – comfortable enough for the price we paid for it. The hotel was located not far away from the main road and it was especially convenient as we arrived late in the evening. Chamonix Mo...

During spring, after a short rest in the Baden-Baden baths in Germany, we decided that it would be nice to spend part of Easter in France; we decided to visit one of the most famous cities in the Alsace region , Colmar . Alsace Alsace is the fifth smallest of the 27 regions of France, at the same time one of the most populous – 220 people per square kilometre. By comparison, the population density in Latvia according to 2020 data is less than 30 inhabitants per square kilometre, while in the United Kingdom, it is 270 inhabitants per square kilometre. The Alsace region has historically even had its Alsatian language, which could be a German dialect of French; about a third of the population is still able to communicate in Alsatian. As is common elsewhere in Europe, many settlements have German names alongside French names. Alsace’s largest city is Strasbourg, home to many European Union institutions, including the Council of Europe, the European Parliament and the European Court of Huma...