Fabulous France

Who said France is expensive and the french people are rude?
David and I have travelled around France for 10 days.
First 5 days in Paris where we stayed in a cute little apartment in the Latin Quarter. We explored Paris by foot, bus and river boat. What a fantastic city! It is stunning, interesting, surprising and perfect for walking around. The food is fantastic (be careful with the baguettes and croissants) No really it is all very delicious. But we girls have to be careful with the carbs. The coffee is fantastic in the morning and the Rose wine in the afternoon.
David found a book for us: "The best places to kiss in Paris" It made for busy entertainment and we managed to tick off quite a few of the suggestions. It made us look for places we would otherwise not have found or known the history about.
The next 5 days we hired a car and drove around (Champagne, Loire Valley and Normandy). Every Goddess should visit the Champagne district at least once. We visited the Piper Heidseick www.piper-heidsieck.com in Reims. The tour of the underground caves 50 m below ground was fantastic on the little electric car where we experienced the process of making champagne. The tasting was tantalising. We followed the Champagne trail through beautiful countryside and cute villages. Moet & Chandon in Epernay (Had my photo taken with Dom Perignon (statue) the monk that invented Champagne by divine intervention) was also on our list of places to visit. We went on the guided tour and once again we were impressed with the Champagne making process and the extreme care and diligence during the making of a bottle of the effervescent liquid. Again the tasting was amazing. A reserve vintage bottle of this romantic and special liquid was purchased for later enjoyment.
Castle Hunting in the Loire Valley was not what we expected but we did stay at a Manor House from around 1640 for a night and caught up with some friends of David´s for coffee and chocolat au pain. Next exciting place was Le Mont St Michel by the coast. The second most visited place in France (after the Eiffel Tower). A monastery built in the 8th century on a rock formation off the coast it was amazing to discover the buildings and construction. A haven of tranquility and history. Next stop was Les Pieux near the top of Normandy, where we met with Sinead from the Wilde Kitchen www.wildekitchen.net at the Town hall at 9.30am for market shopping before the cooking class started in her home and business. The menu was Mediterranean inspired and fun to make. David and I worked with Sinead in the kitchen and created a wonderful 4 course lunch. When it was time to sit down and enjoy we were joined by Grandma, niece and husband and kids came home for a few hours at the middle of the day. Stories of the French was was told and we laughed and listened in amazement.
That night we stayed at the idyllic town of Honfleurs with it´s winding street and old wooden beams and clay buildings. The most tranquil harbour was the backdrop for our evening walk and supper.
After visiting Monet's Garden at Giverny one can see why Claude Monet was inspired to paint flowers and the Japanese Water garden. Very peaceful and to this day reflects the beautiful paintings so well known by Monet. Heading off to Chateau D´Ermenonville North of Paris for our overnight Castle experience. We had our own moat with ducks and white swans! The former home of the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The breakfast buffet was stunning with freshly squeezed oranges. www.jpmoser.com/chateau_d_ermenonville.html We had dinner at the local hotel restaurant and what an experience that was. It was a country hotel the old fashioned way! The meat was cooked over a massive open fire place. It was entertaining and delicious.
In Summary: France is fantastic! Not expensive and no rude French people

Just flew in to Portugal Lisbon on 17 June