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Post by Tonnet on Mar 22, 2015 22:00:14 GMT
Trafalgar certainly shot themselves in the foot as far as I am concerned, Oz.
My first tour with them, and my last, was encouraged by their Forum. It gave all the information that I required as a serious independent traveller and lead to some enduring friendships which I will treasure. This forum is steadily growing and it will be very interesting to see a review of the first twelve months in September.
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Post by chech on Mar 22, 2015 22:13:19 GMT
One thing is certain...there's more activity here than on the Insight board.
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Post by Oz-T on Mar 22, 2015 23:30:19 GMT
Yes, it amazing that any business would destroy something that would have cost almost nothing to operate, and must surely have drawn thousands of customers in. Go figure. One of the very interesting things I've noted with this new forum is that we can't judge it by the number of members. I regularly see 100 guests had read something on the forum in the previous 24 hours - that's quite a readership.
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Post by purvis on Mar 23, 2015 3:10:26 GMT
The trouble with Trafalgar was that it became so big that it forgot it's message. Most companies like governments are destroyed from within. Travelers want info on what's available and experiences from those who have been on the tours listed. Purvis
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Post by Oz-T on Mar 23, 2015 3:14:33 GMT
Day 17 – Mont St-Michel, Dinan & RennesAfter breakfast at the Ibis Hotel, we checked out and drove toward Bayeux War Cemetery for what would be our final visit to a wartime destination on this trip. Bayeux was the first French city liberated after the D-Day invasion and it didn’t take long. By nightfall on 6 June 1944 British troops had reached the outskirts and the city was fully under their control next day. The fatalities from the landings were buried on the battlefield, but later transferred to what became the Bayeux War Cemetery. It’s half a kilometre south-west of the centre on Boulevard Fabian Ware, a ring road that was built by the British army soon after D-Day. We parked on a side street, and then walked into the cemetery. Bayeux War Cemetery This is the largest WW2 Commonwealth cemetery in France, containing over 1,400 servicemen. Like other war cemeteries we had visited on this trip, the grounds were well kept and serene. We had come for another reason: a friend of Mrs Oz had been here a few days earlier (on the 70th anniversary D-Day commemorations) to lay a wreath for a relative who was interred here. We located the grave and viewed her handwritten card she had left there. Unfortunately, she had moved on and our paths didn’t quite meet on this trip. There’s a memorial here with a Latin inscription that translates as: ' We, whom William once conquered, have now set free the conqueror's native land'. I think that ol’ King William would have been very pleased. We returned to the car and began our journey south-west. The A84 motorway took us through the green meadows of western Normandy. Just out in the sea, but not visible as we were too far inland, were the channel islands of Jersey and Guernsey. It was now lunchtime so we stopped at a Shell fuel station to have lunch at their diner - €10 each for a hot meal with a drink. The motorway turned south and we passed the town of Avranches, then west as we headed toward our destination: Mont Saint-Michel. Before long, we could see the island fortress in the distance, and getting larger as we continued the journey. Mont Saint-Michel (taken from moving car) And a closer view, also from the car. It wasn’t long before we were near the Couesnon River that marks the boundary of Normandy and Brittany. Well, sort of. The changing course of this river sometimes unofficially put Mont Saint-Michel onto the Normandy side of the border, and they were only too happy to point this out to the folk of Brittany. Perhaps the Duke of Normandy should have also got the river to swear allegiance on holy relics while he was on a roll. We parked the car and boarded one of the shuttle buses that ferried a thousand other tourists down a long causeway. If you’ve been here before 2012 it’s a lot different now. There’s a new bridge alongside the causeway and the carpark/shuttle bus system located on the mainland is a better way of keeping the car traffic well away. Disembarking the bus, we walked the final part of the causeway and gawked at the extraordinary sight of this island with buildings soaring upward. We had seen plenty of photos, but this place really has to be experienced first-hand. Mont Saint-Michel was in prehistoric times a rocky hill on dry land until sea levels rose thousands of years ago to make it a tidal island. It’s surrounded by water at high tide, but the water drains away to reveal mud flats at low tide. The variation in tides can be considerable – sometimes as much as 14 metres (46 feet) between high and low tides, so this place is dangerous. It's meant to be the place where old Harold Godwinson saved a couple of Norman soldiers from sinking into quicksand (when he was on speaking terms with William). You certainly should not be walking on the sand bars or mud flats as you could get stuck when the tide rolls in and drowns you (and without any Harold around to haul you out). This perilous feature made the Mont a remarkable fortress – the English could never occupy it throughout the Hundred Year’s War and it was the only part of northern France not to fall into English hands. In 708 AD the Bishop of Avranches claimed to have had a vision of the Archangel Michael visiting him and instructing him to build a prayer room atop the craggy Mont. Initially, he ignored this vision. Then the Archangel appeared again, this time sticking his finger into the bishop’s skull and burning a hole. That got his attention and the building work got under way before Michael decided to return to create new holes, or enlarge any existing ones. There’s a basilica in Avranches where you can supposedly see the displayed skull of the bishop, although we needed that like a hole in the head. Some people argue that the skull could be anybody’s and that it was common practice back then to bore holes to relieve cranial pressure. Hmmmm.... I’m glad that they eventually invented paracetamol. Anyway, the construction work on the Mont didn’t stop there and a full monastery was built. This must’ve been to an acceptable standard because ol’ Michael never seemed to have returned with his fiery finger of fate. The idea of an island monastery caught on; there’s a similar one called St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall where I took a photo of it in 2013. I’m sure it won’t be long before Disneyland adds one of their own with a rollercoaster down one side and a giant angelic finger suddenly shooting out at your head from the rocky cliff. We began our climb up the ramps and steps of the Mont and the first thing I should say here is that if you require wheelchair access, your best option is to never come anywhere near this place. It’s very steep, but not treacherous, and you sort of continue your way upward, following a standard path. The first section is a tiny village, crammed in by ramparts. As you continue upward, the Abbey/church sits at the top but an entrance fee is charged. Cemetery, Mont Saint-Michel From these lofty heights you get a good view of the mudflats at low tide. On the dry land, sheep graze on the marshy grasses and this creates a distinctive salty flavour to their meat. It’s a popular specialty on restaurant menus in the region. Mudflats and causeway However, high tide is a more spectacular sight, especially if it’s a king tide like we had a few days ago. Technically, this was a perigean spring tide with the moon at perigee (closest to Earth) and in this instance, coinciding with a total solar eclipse. The following photo shows the enormous tide that enveloped the whole area around Mont Saint-Michel this week. King tide (internet image) There was a souvenir shop up here where I purchased a booklet that explained the history of the Mont, along with better photos than I could get from the cramped vantage points. We made our way down the path again and walked back along part of the causeway to the shuttle bus. After the brief journey we stopped at a bank of vending machines where you feed your ticket in to pay the parking fee - €6.20 in our case. We had booked our hotel for the night at Rennes, some 70km to the south, but as we were doing well with time, I suggested that we squeeze in a detour to see the Breton town of Dinan. Again, the flexibility of a self tour allows this sort of diversion and we were about to discover why it was well worth doing. Dinan is about 50km south-west of Mont Saint-Michel and well into Brittany. We crossed the Rance River and followed the road into the centre. The best way I could describe this town is to call it a medieval time capsule. It has narrow cobblestone roads and lanes, and old half-timbered buildings that are crooked. It has absolute charm and we enjoyed walking through the streets just taking in the sights. Medieval Dinan Dinan Many of the half-timbered buildings are constructed to overhang the street below. You simply never get to see little gems like this when you travel with the big tour companies. We stopped at a cafe and sat with our mid-afternoon coffees, absorbing the contrast of modern people shopping for modern products in a medieval town. We returned to our car and drove down Rue de la Ferronnerie and I hurriedly grabbed my camera as we got to Mittrie Street. This building might’ve passed the town’s building regulations back in the 1300s with a bottle of mead changing hands, but I’m not sure about anybody getting it through these days. Crooked medieval building, Dinan Another minute down the road and on the right is the Château de Dinan. It dates back to the 14th century and has a moat and drawbridge. These days, it’s a museum containing the important history of Dinan. Château de Dinan But we had to keep moving so it’s all south down the D137 Motorway for 50km until we reach the city of Rennes, the capital of Brittany. It’s 2,000 years old, going back to Roman times. But time is short and we headed toward the southern fringe where we arrived at our accommodation for the night, another Ibis Hotel. This one cost only €60, including two breakfasts next morning. We entered our room and had dinner – salad and cold chicken we had purchased at a supermarket in Dinan for €14.69, followed by coffees from the vending machine downstairs. And with that, our day was done.
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Post by Oz-T on Mar 23, 2015 11:07:15 GMT
Tomorrow, we visit the greatest chateau in the Loire Valley to see the royal apartments of a large-nosed king ....
.... head to a city to see a royal palace...
.... encounter the legacy of the greatest magician the world has seen...
.... and finally arrive in the historic city that completes the story of Joan of Arc.
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Post by californian on Mar 23, 2015 14:55:11 GMT
Thank you for the pictures of the Abbey, I never made it to the top, and most likely will never go again, but specially love the pictures of the Breton town, another part of France that is mostly ignored, maybe, maybe, I should consider going again (and include the islands, I understand is a short ferry ride).
Regarding a book on travel, I think you and Chech should be collaborators on a big one, covering most of the world! We know between the two of you there is enough material and then some...
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Post by Oz-T on Mar 23, 2015 21:04:31 GMT
Hmmmm... that would be an interesting collaboration. I wonder how many cats my writing partner would introduce into the storyline ... and how many I would secretly be deleting...?
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Post by chech on Mar 23, 2015 22:15:46 GMT
LOL....wouldn't have to go far...I'd call it Traveling With Cats and the first chapter would be the first Cat tale from China. And this would be the cover! What a way to attract readers! LOL
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Post by Oz-T on Mar 23, 2015 22:42:50 GMT
Why am I not surprised? ....
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Post by Oz-T on Mar 23, 2015 23:02:53 GMT
Day 18 – Loire Valley, Chambord, Blois & Orléans
We had been very fortunate with the weather on this trip and today was no different. After a quick breakfast at the hotel we were packed and heading off again in the car. At this point I’ll mention laundry, because it’s something we all have to deal with on guided tours and it doesn’t disappear just because you’re travelling by car. As I’ve mentioned in the past, we travel ultra-light – literally 7kg (15 pounds) including the small carry-on case – so we only have clean clothes to last about five days. Every evening at our hotel we do a quick wash of shirts, socks and underwear in the bathroom basin using just hotel soap, wringing it out and a second wringing in a towel. Then they’re left on hangers all night. Usually they’re dry next morning but if not, the hairdryer finishes them off. The extra advantage with the car was that we sometimes laid any slightly damp garments on the rear deck to dry in the sun while we drove. The formula worked perfectly throughout our trip; just five minutes of laundry each evening meant that we never once carried any dirty clothes with us. The motorway through France’s Loire Valley heads mainly east to Le Mans, a city famous for its endurance motor racing. We skirted the city and turned south-east toward the city of Tours, which seemed entirely appropriate to our trip. Another direction change to north-east and we were passing the city of Blois, having already stopped for lunch at a fuel station diner. After 300km of morning driving we finally arrived at our destination: Chambord. After leaving the main highway we drove through a forested area until we deciphered the road signs and eventually parked at Château de Chambord (€4 fee). It’s not the only chateau in this region, but it’s without doubt, the very best. Château de Chambord The building started off in 1519 as a hunting lodge for King Francis I. Frank was a bit lucky to become king in 1515 because he wasn’t actually in line for the throne. But thanks to a document called the Salic Law that was kicked off by old misogynist Clovis I around 500 AD, women could not become monarch of France. When Louis XII died without a male heir, Frank was the closest guy they could get. He earned several nicknames, including ‘The Knight King’, but the one that stuck most was ‘Francis of the Large Nose’. Château de Chambord He turned out to be well educated and with a very good nose for the arts. Impressed by Italian Renaissance, he brought this style to France, along with Leonardo da Vinci who spent his last years in this area, including Château de Chambord (and bringing the Mona Lisa with him!). Francis became a close friend of him, reportedly holding his hand when Leonardo was on his deathbed. Château de Chambord King Frank got on well with Henry VIII of England, although he wasn’t able to build an alliance. Château de Chambord became a continuing work in progress, going well beyond a hunting lodge and becoming the grandest chateau of the region. Courtyard, Château de Chambord The exterior of the chateau is classic French Renaissance. Inside are 440 rooms, 84 staircases and 365 fireplaces. I squirmed at the thought of the insurance premium Frank must have been slugged each year. When you enter the building you pay €11 each, and another €5 for an audioguide that we shared. The bed where Louis XIV slept It’s easy to get a bit lost inside this building because it’s so vast and with corridors and rooms going everywhere. The royal apartments are interesting with lavish decor and the walls displaying paintings and tapestries. Bedchamber, Château de Chambord At the ground floor a double-helix staircase ascends. It’s believed that it was designed by Frank’s good friend Leonardo da Vinci himself. Double Helix staircase; Chambord Despite the luxury and enormous expense, King Frank hardly ever stayed here, accumulating only 42 days over a 32-year reign. It was too cold for him and there was too much time to wait for the invention of the electric blanket. Besides, there was a large kingdom to govern and he kept on the move, taking his court with him. Château de Chambord It was early afternoon when we returned to the car and headed back through the forest that was once the Royal hunting grounds. Driving 14km west, we arrived in the city of Blois. In 1429 this city became the base for Joan of Arc for the French advance on the city of Orléans that was under siege by the English. Blois Cathedral We parked in a street near the River Loire and began our walk. The main attraction is Château Royal de Blois, once the main residence of the French kings (along with Amboise). The building is indeed grand, but nothing like the style of Chambord. Château Royal de Blois It was here in December 1588 that King Henry III of France watched as his bodyguards assassinated Henry, Duke of Guise. The duke had been founder and leader of the Catholic League, a group that was formed to prevent any Protestants from becoming king. The ‘War of Religions’ was a major conflict at the time, with France alarmed at how England and the Netherlands had broken ties with the Vatican. But Guise also had his eye on removing the Catholic King Henry III as well, until he was removed from the equation here in Blois. Courtyard; Château Royal de Blois Near the Château is a large building that immediately caught our attention. So would you if you saw roaring dragons poking their heads out of the windows and moving about. This is Maison de la Magie, the former home of probably the greatest magician of all time: Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin. The 'Magic House' of Robert-Houdin Robert-Houdin was born in Blois in 1805 and soon became interested in magic tricks. He learned from others and was a pioneer of bringing magic into professional stage performances. He was also a perfectionist, painstakingly rehearsing and inventing devices to convey his illusions. That’s why he is considered to be the father of conjuring. The 2006 movie ‘The Illusionist’ was inspired by the work of Robert-Houdin You probably thought of the name ‘Houdini’ when you read my first reference to Robert-Houdin. They are not the same person or even related. Ehrich Weiss was so impressed by the world’s greatest magician that he adopted most of his name as a mark of respect. ‘Harry Houdini’ was also a great illusionist, but came well after Robert-Houdin. Every hour, the mechanical dragons emerge from the windows with snapping jaws and sound effects. It’s spectacular and quite unexpected. Here’s an internet video produced by someone that shows the effect: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKaEzlmExkIInside, there are displays of illusions, magic shows and histories of magic. It was now late afternoon and time to go. We returned to the car and drove out of Blois until we reached the outskirts of Orléans and the Ibis Hotel we had pre-booked the night before. Dinner was a light ham salad that we had bought from a supermarket and ate in our room.
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Post by purvis on Mar 23, 2015 23:55:02 GMT
Just finished your latest posts and was fascinated by the beautiful pictures. Can't wait for your next instalment. I must say I like the way you have dinner. The one thing I have always disliked about traveling on tours is eating out each nite. When possible I like to buy groceries and eat in the hotel room where I feel more comfortable. I always feel watched in restaurants and avoid them as much as possible plus it's a whole lot cheaper "eating in" and the money saved can be put towards other things on vacations. Frig magnets come to mind. Purvis
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Post by 1jhwks on Mar 24, 2015 0:18:47 GMT
Wow!!! Pics are gorgeous. I have always wanted to go to Mont St-Michel. Need to add that region to my bucket list.
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Post by Oz-T on Mar 24, 2015 0:47:54 GMT
I was going to make a special mention about dinners, Purvis, so I'll do so now. Earlier in 2014 Mrs Oz and I decided to try a diet to lose weight. Neither of us were what you’d call ‘fat’ but we knew that something could be done to lose a few kilos. During a South Pacific cruise (that I will later write a travel tale about) we learned from an expert how to increase our metabolic rate and to eat differently. We immediately lost weight, in my case 10kg in ten weeks – and it was incredibly easy. Soon after this, we flew to Europe to commence this tour and we committed ourselves to maintain our healthy weights and not gain unnecessary kilos. Our main meal was usually lunch, which explains why we had snack-sized dinners. Other than our week in the Netherlands, we didn’t have cooking facilities at our hotels so we had to consider how we would do this. On many occasions we were able to stop at a supermarket late afternoon and buy a ready-made salad and a packet of sliced ham or chicken. Having bought it late in the day it didn’t require refrigeration and we would then share it for dinner in our hotel room. I’d have about 60% of it and Mrs Oz the remainder. We had carried lightweight plastic cutlery and bowls for this purpose. And we would drink plenty of water, followed by a plastic cup each of red wine on most nights. And no snacks. The diet certainly did have a profound effect on our travel costs. This sort of dinner each night (including wine) tended to cost only about €14 for the two of us –well below what I had in my travel budget. We never felt all that hungry despite the amount of walking we did, although we’re used to daily 5km walks at home. We found a good way to eat healthy during the day, but without going to excess. Occasionally we would have dinner at a restaurant but it’d only be small in food quantity. The test would be a weigh-in when we returned home and the outcome was good – we had maintained our healthy weight (actually we lost one kilo each) throughout our month in Europe. And after a year of this diet (perhaps it shouldn’t be called a diet when it’s actually a permanent change) we still have low, healthy weights.
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Post by Oz-T on Mar 24, 2015 0:51:19 GMT
Wow!!! Pics are gorgeous. I have always wanted to go to Mont St-Michel. Need to add that region to my bucket list. It's certainly worth the visit, jhwks. I had seen it many times in photos so it was probably inevitable that I'd work it into a tour schedule one day. We were not disappointed.
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Post by solaria on Mar 24, 2015 1:12:25 GMT
Thanks for the video link to the Dragons. Fascinating! and I have never heard of this before. Certainly you can come across interesting things when travelling independently but unless you know this stuff you wouldn't neccessarily arrange to go there.
we did love Mont St Michel when we visited as part of Best of France tour in 2012. One of the highlights of that tour. And the td gave us a good amount of time there to experience it fully. the photo you took by the wall overlooking the mudflats is almost the same spot I took my photo! It brought back fond memories so thank you.
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Post by Oz-T on Mar 24, 2015 9:57:54 GMT
Yes, those dragons sure were something different. It's not anything you would usually see on a guided tour.
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Post by Oz-T on Mar 24, 2015 10:09:43 GMT
We're getting close to the end of our tour, but there's still a little more to come. I hope this isn't dragging on too much for some readers.
Tomorrow, we explore the historic city of Orléans and finish the amazing story of Joan of Arc...
Then stand at the building where a young king died, immediately changing the future of three countries, and indirectly, the lives of millions of us....
And finally, we arrive at the spectacular grandeur of the Chateau Fontainbleau, one of the most beautiful palaces you will ever see.
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Post by chech on Mar 24, 2015 12:46:41 GMT
Nope...not dragging on in the least. Utterly fascinating! Tell us more!
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Post by purvis on Mar 24, 2015 16:16:02 GMT
OZ: My problem is not gaining weight but keeping it on. I now weight 109lbs. which is within my BMI chart . I just like the idea of not eating in restaurants. If my son and I do manage to get to London and Paris this fall I have made arrangements for an apartment in the south block of County Hall London where I can at least have breakfast and sometimes dinner without having to go out. Since I eat very little it really is a waste of money for me to order a meal in a restaurant . The only place I really enjoy food is at McD's which I see Chech likes also. Maybe this is a Canadian thing ."EH". Purvis
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Post by Oz-T on Mar 24, 2015 21:14:57 GMT
... The only place I really enjoy food is at McD's which I see Chech likes also. Maybe this is a Canadian thing ."EH". Purvis That's exactly where you'll find me on some occasions, Purvis. It's one of Mrs Oz's favourites too.
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Post by 1jhwks on Mar 25, 2015 0:03:27 GMT
OZ: My problem is not gaining weight but keeping it on. I now weight 109lbs. which is within my BMI chart . I just like the idea of not eating in restaurants. If my son and I do manage to get to London and Paris this fall I have made arrangements for an apartment in the south block of County Hall London where I can at least have breakfast and sometimes dinner without having to go out. Since I eat very little it really is a waste of money for me to order a meal in a restaurant . The only place I really enjoy food is at McD's which I see Chech likes also. Maybe this is a Canadian thing ."EH". Purvis It's not a Canadian thing!!! We have ate at McD at least once on every tour even in Slovakia, only because it's fast and we know what we are getting. They don't really give you too much time during lunch since we still have to either see sights or shopping. This one is from a McD in Taipei, Taiwan. Good old double quarter pounder!
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Post by Oz-T on Mar 25, 2015 0:13:32 GMT
Day 19 – Orléans, Fontainebleau & Nemours
The morning began like most of the others on this trip: out came the i-Pads for a quick check of emails whilst Mrs Oz made contact with family and friends to exchange information on what everyone was doing. The hotels were reasonably priced and the availability of free WiFi in the rooms was very convenient, especially at the end of each day when I was planning the next day’s activities. The ad-hoc nature of this self-tour required ongoing internet access; the broad itinerary was already sketched, but most of the fine detail had to be decided each evening after dinner, taking only half an hour. Breakfast was at the hotel this morning as we weren’t near any suitable cafes. Then we checked out and began a short drive into the centre of Orléans, part of the road running alongside the wide Loire River, the longest in France. We found an underground car park beside the cathedral and emerged at street level to begin our exploration of this city. Orléans Cathedral In medieval times, large bridges were difficult to construct but when they were built, they improved trade and consequently made a city very wealthy. Orléans had such a bridge over this dangerous river and it was one of the three richest French cities of the time, along with Paris and Rouen. Orléans Cathedral was the scene of the coronation of Louis VI when he was prevented from getting to Reims in 1108. That was unusual at the time as all kings were crowned in Reims and it displeased Ralph the Green, Archbishop of Reims. Ralph (who I assume separated his recyclables from waste) tried to invalidate the coronation on the grounds of location but failed. Meanwhile, Louis VI got on with the affairs of state, presumably eating too many crepes and croissants in the process because they ended up calling him Louis the Fat. Orléans Cathedral; side view But I digress. Fast forward to 1429 and France is under widespread control by the English during the Hundred Years’ War and the city of Orléans is surrounded by English troops. This is where I will now fill in the final piece of the Joan of Arc story. Arriving from her base in Blois, Joan joined the French troops outside Orléans, which was the most northern city to still support the French monarchy – everything north, including Paris, was under the control of the England-Burgundy alliance. Orléans was basically the final place to conquer before the rest collapsed. With the city under siege, the future was grim. Surrender early and the rules protected a city under a new ruler. Resist like Orléans had done, and you fared badly, with mass executions most likely. Joan’s main impact was to lift morale. Suddenly, the defenders of Orléans believed they could repel the English and Joan was regularly near the front, urging the troops and charging directly into enemy positions. It wasn’t without risk; she was hit in the shoulder by an arrow and had to temporarily leave the battle. Eventually, the French forces repelled the English army which retreated, although it didn’t consider this to be a defeat. But Joan had become a legend, with the seven month siege ending just a few days after her arrival. She made the most of this, riding through the streets of Orléans to the acclaim of the residents. In the following weeks, the English were cleared from their positions around Orléans, including the ground later occupied by the hotel we just stayed at. It was the pivotal moment of the Hundred Years’ War; France had fought back and won. From this point, they continued to recapture their cities and towns for another 24 years until the conflict finally ended. We walked over to the Cathedrale Sainte Croix-d'Orléans (Cathedral of the Holy Cross of Orléans) and it’s certainly an impressive Gothic building, constructed toward the end of the 1200s. Joan of Arc attended mass here during the siege. Inside the cathedral there’s plenty more Joan of Arc – the stained glass windows portray several scenes of her life. The main street heading west from the cathedral is Rue Jeanne d’Arc and it took us to Place du General de Gaulle. Here, one building looks old and out of place – it’s the building that Joan of Arc stayed in during the siege in 1429. Well, not quite; the original was destroyed by WW2 bombings so this is really a replica. The world’s largest Joan of Arc museum is inside. The site where Joan of Arc stayed in Orléans Following my map, we retraced our path back along part of Rue Jeanne d’Arc and up Rue Royale. Where it meets Place du Martroi there’s a huge equestrian statue of Joan of Arc in a large open area. They sure know how to commemorate their heroines here. Joan of Arc statue; Place du Martroi Turning east on Rue d’Escures I pursued our next destination with Mrs Oz asking what I was looking for. But we had already arrived: Hôtel Groslot. You can see part of the building here, but turning the corner into Place de l’Etape reveals the facade. Hôtel Groslot Inside this huge mansion in 1560 the 16 year old King Francis II died from an ear infection. His wife (yes, he was married at the age of 14) was Mary Queen of Scots who was a year older. The wedding gifts must’ve included tartan covered comic books. Hôtel Groslot Before this death, Scotland had a Scottish queen and a French consort. The death of the sickly child-king changed history because Mary had renounced the Scottish throne to France if she didn’t have children. Had Francis lived, Scotland would likely have become part of France and there would have been a high prospect that France would have also inherited the English throne. But with the death, Mary returned to Scotland and France withdrew from having further influence with the Scots. See how incredibly close we all got to speaking French on this forum whilst eating escargot sandwiches? Fast forward 140 years and France had expanded to establish colonies overseas, including Louisiana in North America (named after King Louis XIV). Just 18 years later the French Mississippi Company held a monopoly in the area, establishing the settlement known as New Orleans. This was named after the current regent of France, Philippe d'Orléans (the Duke of Orléans). Philippe became regent for the five year old king Louis XV after his great grandfather, the ‘Sun King’ Louis XIV died in 1715. I’ll have more to say on Louis XIV later. It was now mid morning, so we returned to the car and drove out of Orléans, knowing that there was more to see had we had more time. We soon passed our first toll point for the day and I handed over €1.90. I wondered how much today’s tolls would be because they amounted to €27.90 yesterday between Rennes and Orléans and were beginning to annoy me. For something a bit different, we stopped for lunch at a diner that was built over the motorway. It was a weird feeling biting into a baguette whilst watching hundreds of cars passing underneath us. We proceeded in our north-east direction until we arrived at our destination: The Palace of Fontainebleau. The idea of visiting this place came from recommendations made by members of the old Trafalgar Forum so I thought we should see why. Dating back to 1137 when it was a castle, this magnificent building’s name derived from one of the natural springs named Fountain de Bliaud. It soon became a hunting lodge and a favourite palace of the French kings. The first king who spent time here was Louis VI (’The Fat’), who I assume was sufficiently aware the layout to know the shortcut to the kitchen. All up, 34 kings/emperors stayed here, ending with Napoleon III. But it wasn’t until the great patron of the arts, King Francis I came along that the place transformed into a proper palace. Forecourt; Palace of Fontainebleau Forecourt; Palace of Fontainebleau Entry to the palace was the same as Chambord - €11 each - and the queue was small. I decided I’d get by without an audioguide because I’d probably be able to interpret most of the French signs, but there were enough English words displayed to get by easily. As you can imagine, this palace was full of ornate furnishings and you simply gawk at the luxury. Rather than overdo the narration, I’ll let the photos do the talking. Grand entrance to the palace ('horse-shoe' staircase) Apartment of the Pope. Pope Pius VII slept here en-route to crowning Napoleon in 1804 Most of the kings contributed extensions and redesigned work to Fontainebleau and it had its fair share of history and visitors over the centuries. This is where royalty and popes were guests when they visited France. Several peace treaties and agreements were signed here and there’s a room where you can see the table that Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte signed the document of abdication before being exiled on the island of Elba. The Gallery of Francis I. This was the first decorated gallery of consequence in France, introducing the Renaissance style. Balcony overlooking the Chapel of the Trinity In 1717 during the regency period (when Philippe d'Orléans was regent) the palace had a VIP guest in the form of Russian Tsar, Peter the Great. Peter didn’t like it much at all, unbelievably thinking it was too small (it has 1,900 rooms). He also disliked the hunting and preferred his own Russian beer to French wine. Hmmmm... ‘Peter the Ungrateful’ if you ask me. Another visitor was the Mona Lisa – it used to hang on one of the walls in the palace before it resided in The Louvre. The Gallery of Diana, dedicated to the Goddess of the Hunt, but later changed by Napoleon to commemorate his European conquests. Napoleon's Throne Room (formerly the king's bedroom) The Council Chamber Outside, there are statues and courtyards... And there’s a large fish pond the size of a lake. We walked around it and got great views of the palace from here. The Gros Pavilion Eventually, we had seen it all, but left with a feeling that there was probably plenty we missed. You just get absolutely overwhelmed with visions of ongoing expense and luxury of France’s royal past. We returned to the car and drove away from Fontainebleau, still abuzz at what we had seen. It was definitely a must-see. We drove south for 20km to the town of Nemours and found the Ibis Hotel we had booked via the internet the previous evening. Behind it was another Grill Courte Paille restaurant that suited us perfectly for dinner (€22 for two main courses). Back in our hotel room, Mrs Oz jumped onto the free WiFi to share today’s experiences with the world whilst I diligently planned our next day’s travels. There was one more place to see out here before we pointed the car toward Paris.
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Post by 1jhwks on Mar 25, 2015 0:35:48 GMT
I have only one word to say, ok, actually 3 words about your photos: OMG!!!
As Californian said before, you and Chech should really write some travel books.
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Post by purvis on Mar 25, 2015 6:04:20 GMT
Beautiful pictures. Purvis
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Post by Oz-T on Mar 25, 2015 10:58:31 GMT
Tomorrow, we spend our last day in regional France, exploring the countryside and visiting a very different city that's rich in history and not one you're likely to ever see on a guided tour... We discover a little street that's hidden away from the crowds but not beyond the interest of the city's cat population.... We inspect a few more crooked houses .... And we finally head into Paris and stay on the outskirts, close to a remarkable place.
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Post by tiffany on Mar 25, 2015 12:15:56 GMT
Great tour tale so far Oz. It’s bringing back memories of places I visited while in France. Talking about meals, I changed my diet about a year and a half ago, making lunch my biggest meal of the day (except for on weekends when I eat dinner out), and I lost 15 pounds by doing so. I have to admit though that I love eating out at restaurants, and one of my favourite part of touring is sitting together at the end of the day having a nice meal with a glass of wine or cold beer. While I am a foody and enjoy dinner, I also think it’s a great way to get to know your fellow travel companions. People are usually more relaxed and talkative over a nice meal and glass of wine. Even if people don’t drink, they tend to be more sociable at dinner.
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Post by californian on Mar 25, 2015 14:22:16 GMT
I just had time to browse and saw the wonderful pictures, I'd say WOW as well...
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Post by Oz-T on Mar 25, 2015 20:26:01 GMT
It's amazing how simple it works, Tiffany. The main meal at lunch allows the processed carbohydrates to be utilised by the body. If you consume them at dinner they're not needed whilst sleeping soon afterward so the body stores them as fat. We like bread, pasta, rice and potatoes, but now we try to not eat them later than lunch. Sometimes you have to break the rules a bit, such as when you're at a restaurant or somebody's house, but we mainly stick to our routine.
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Post by Oz-T on Mar 25, 2015 20:27:46 GMT
I just had time to browse and saw the wonderful pictures, I'd say WOW as well... There's a final, massive 'WOW' to come in the photo department, Californian. Not today, but tomorrow.
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