France | Day 11: Carcassonne, Mary Magdalene’s Cave & Arriving in the French Riviera

Thursday, June 22

After our 2:30 a.m. arrival the previous night, we slept in, grabbed a quick breakfast at the hotel, and headed out before 10:00 a.m. Our end destination was Villefranche, a little town just east of Nice on the Mediterranean Sea. So, once again, we had a long drive ahead of us (7.5 hrs) and two stops along the way! (And BTW, I had to upgrade my account for more space but that means I can now include VIDEOS!!!)

Jump to:

1. The Medieval City of Carcassonne, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
2. Mary Magdalene’s Cave at La Grotte de Sainte-Baume

The Medieval City of Carcassonne

Considered one of the largest and best-preserved medieval fortresses in Europe, the Medieval City of Carcassonne rests on a hilltop that has been fortified in one way or another for nearly 2500 years.

France | Day 10: Mont Saint-Michel, Summer Solstice in Bordeaux, and Almost Running Out of Gas in a Thunderstorm

Wednesday, June 21

Day 10 included one of our longest drives of the trip: Commes to Toulouse by way of Mont Saint-Michel, which amounts to about nine hours of driving time without any other stops, traffic, or complications. But of course, there were complications! Thankfully, not all complications are bad.

France | Day 9: Bayeux, Omaha Beach, WWII History Tour, Normandy American Cemetery, and more

Tuesday, June 20

When we decided to go to France, visiting the beaches of Normandy was non-negotiable for me, and thankfully everyone agreed anyway. Even so, it wouldn’t be accurate to say that we were “excited” for this part of the trip. Yes, we were looking forward to seeing the legendary battlefields; however, there was also a sense of privilege and honor, of obligation and respect – an awareness that our freedom and prosperity was bought by the blood of those who fought and died there.

Edited to add: I forgot to mention that, according to my mother, my paternal grandfather was in one of the amphibious vehicles that landed on the beaches of Normandy. I didn’t know him very well and have no way of verifying that, so if anyone out there knows for sure, please let me know. My maternal grandfather’s brother died during WWII in a flight training exercise in Florida. His family was never the same.

“You’ll notice that all the graves are facing west, facing home.”

France | Day 8: to Commes, Normandy via Rouen, and the Cliffs of Étretat

Monday, June 19

Monday morning, after a little last-minute shopping, we took an UberXL from Disneyland Paris to Charles de Gaulle airport to pick up our rental car (time: ~30 minutes; cost: €90.00). Renting cars in Europe is different than renting cars in the USA – mostly they offer less variety, smaller vehicles, and different makes and models. It was also a much slower process than what we are used to at home, even though we had booked the car well in advance.

Because we needed room for four people, luggage, and food, and we were traveling to areas with narrow roads and limited parking, we opted for a mid-size SUV, which ended up being the Peugeot 3008. It’s similar in size to the Toyota RAV4 or Honda CRV. Overall, we were happy with this car; it was comfortable, handled well, and (most importantly) had plenty of trunk space!

Our end destination for the day was the Airbnb in Commes, a town near the beaches of Normandy. Without stops the drive would take about four hours, but what’s the point of road tripping if you don’t stop? After a week of relying on our feet and public transportation, it felt good to be on the road again.

France | Day 7: Last Day in Disneyland Paris, Hotel New York, The Manhattan, and Skyline Bar

Sunday, June 18

One Last Time

After a very late night at Disneyland Paris Pride, we slept in on Sunday and headed to Disneyland Park in the late morning. We rode Big Thunder Mountain a second time and then went on a few rides we hadn’t been on yet. We also watched the DLP version of Mickey’s PhilharMagic.

Jump ahead to:

• Hotel New York
• The Manhattan Restaurant
• The Skyline Bar
• The Grand Finale
• Attraction and Ride Reviews
• Final Disneyland Paris Review

France | Day 6: Walt’s Restaurant & Disneyland Paris Pride 2023

Saturday, June 17

Uh-Oh!

Remember those people who sneezed all over me at the Louvre? I blame them for the sore throat that woke me in the early hours of Saturday morning. I was so glad that we used our Premier Access Ultimate Pass on Friday because that took the pressure off the rest of the weekend, enabling me to sleep in both mornings. I was a bit anxious at first because in the very beginning, the flu, covid, and a cold can all feel similar. Thankfully, it was just a cold, and by the grace of God no one else got sick. For the most part, I was able to power through the weekend. Sometimes I even forgot I was sick!

Jump ahead to:

• Walt’s Restaurant
• Disneyland Paris Pride
• Attraction and Ride Reviews

France | Day 5: From Paris to Disneyland

Friday, June 16

First, A Brief Review

We love Disney Parks! So it makes sense that we enjoyed Disneyland Paris. We stayed onsite at the Newport Bay Club, with a three-night, four-day package, arriving Friday and checking out Monday. We purchased the Premier Pass for Friday, which allowed us to skip the lines for 16 of the parks’ most popular attractions.

We ate at three of their top-rated restaurants – Chez Remy, Walt’s Restaurant, and The Manhattan – had drinks and snacks at the Skyline Bar, and grabbed snacks at other various locations. We also ate breakfast in our rooms and brought water and snacks into the parks with us. Our dining experiences were all very good or better, with The Manhattan and the Skyline Bar being our favorite.

France | Day 4, Paris: The Louvre, Noglu & Luxembourg Gardens

Thursday, June 15
THE LOUVRE

Our last full day in Paris and I want to cry just thinking about it. Oh, it went by so quickly. Isn’t life and the concept of time just so weird? (Visit this blog often for more brilliant philosophical insights.)

I have rather been dreading this post. I feel like I should have something profound to say after visiting the Louvre, but I don’t. I have nothing.

I have been silenced by the voices of a thousand works of art.

OK, not entirely silenced. But don’t expect anything profound. The Louvre has to speak for itself.

France | Day 3, Paris: The Palace of Versailles

Wednesday, June 14
THE PALACE OF VERSAILLES

Don’t believe anyone who says you can visit the Palace of Versailles in just a few hours. It’s a lie.

But first the sunrise from our balcony:

France | Day 2, Paris: Eiffel Tower, Sacre-Coeur, Seine River Cruise

Tuesday, June 13
THE EIFFEL TOWER

When Doug visited Paris in 1989 with his brother, David, he was 20 years old and traveling on a limited budget. With the cost for a ticket to the top of the Eiffel Tower at 12Fr (way back when they were still using francs) they settled for a ticket to the lower platform. He saved 7Fr, but he regretted that decision for the next 34 years!

That regret became a sort of benchmark for our trip: Do you want to do ____________? If you don’t do it, will it be your Eiffel Tower? Don’t let it be your Eiffel Tower!!!

So, obviously, going to the top of the Eiffel Tower was a must. Imagine our dismay when we missed the ticket onsale! Thankfully, while timed-entry tickets are released online 60 days in advance, if they sell out for the day of your visit (or if you don’t know when you’ll be there, or want to wait for good weather) you can just show up and wait in line like the olden days. So that’s what we did.

We expected a wait. What we didn’t expect was a crash course in French culture.