Paris and the Heart of France, April 3-13

Friday: Flowers, creatures and the tour begins. After breakfast and jenga-ing my stuff into suitcase and backpack, I checked out of the lovely, quiet (v. impt) hotel, leaving my luggage, and set out for the Jardin des Plantes. The weather remains cloudy, chilly and windy, but the flowers are glorious.

The Jardin and its various buildings are a combination of a sprawling botanical garden, natural history museum and outdoor menagerie. It was busy — lots of school children in their bright yellow safety vests and visitors.

I admired the many, many tulip varieties in bloom, along with a venerable plum tree before handing over 13€ to see the menagerie, where, alas, most of the animals were wisely tucked away into their nests. I imagine when it’s warmer and they’re friskier that it’s more fun. There’s a big emphasis on species preservation and habitat endangerment through the signage and I saw notes about animals I’d never ever heard of.

Back through the garden to the museum of l’Evolution, a five-story, glass-roofed extravaganza of taxidermy. It’s arranged geographically and quite something. There’s a big narwhal! A dinosaur skeleton of some kind. So many birds. An entire African savanna display. Lots of people.

Anyhow, back to the hotel, into an Uber driven by a patient, pleasant fellow, and through some truly impressive gridlock punctuated by horns blowing (the national language, according to my driver) and finally to the tour hotel in Montmartre. Not quiet — traffic noise, etc.

We had our intro meeting, led by our guide, Arnaud, and Steve, who's accompanying us as a refresher before leading this tour soon, took a loop through the neighborhood and finished with a lovely dinner together at a stylish restaurant. This group has a lot of Rick Steves first-timers, many of whom are also on their first visit to France. This occasioned a Metro lesson and Navigo card for each of us as that’s how we’ll move about the city as a group. Also, Arnaud invited us all to join a What’s App group chat, which was super helpful as the tour progressed.

Saturday, church day. We set out early and hustled, by Metro, to Notre Dame to beat the inevitable crowds. Arnaud, our guide, gave a talk outside to share some history and context, noting that we should look for the rooster that adorned the steeple and somehow survived the 2019 fire, and also the artwork commissioned to hold the crown of thorns.

We filed in and found ourselves watching the solemn service of Holy Week Saturday, both in person and on lots of TV monitors set up among the pews. I’ve been in this beautiful, venerable church a handful of times over the years, and it’s always awe-inspiring. (By the time we left, there were hundreds of people queued.)

Off we went, on foot, to Saint Chapelle, for a history lesson and chance to marvel at its beautiful arches and rose windows. The winding stairs to go from the lower story to the soaring chapel are narrow, stone and steep.

Thence we walked to the Latin Quarter for an annotated wander and some lunch recommendations; I’ve not spent much time there, so that was fun.

I’d booked a food tour with Paris By Mouth in the Marais so got myself there by Metro (the super-crowded line 4; do not recommend), met the guide, a good-natured Brit who has lived in Paris for decades, working in restaurants and wine shops, etc., and my companions — two related couples from Salt Lake City and three lovely daughters, two teens and a 10-year-year-old.

The tour covered bread making — croissants and baguettes; a primer on cheeses (of which there are thousands across France); charcuterie; chocolate and, of course, wine. It was fun to stroll the neighborhood and stop at top-notch shops for explanations and tastes. A very nice few hours in the afternoon, and a good start to the tour.

Con't

Slightly random summary of Sunday: Scenes from here and there in Paris and then a couple of hours in the Louvre with many, many, many people.

Side note: I’m writing this from Bourges, our landing spot on Monday, in my hotel room that mysteriously has no electricity at 5:45 a.m. I’m awaiting the arrival of the hotel technician at 7.

Anyhow, on Sunday we spent a few chilly, misty hours with a local guide, Natasha, exploring the 1st and 2nd arrondissements, including the area around Les Halles, which was new to me. Among the things I learned: There is a lot of excess, unused underground parking that is now home to mushroom-growing enterprises.

We stopped at Gallerie Vero-Dodat, where Christian Louboutin began his flashy shoe-designing career, and Rue Montorgueil, a lively street in the 1st arr with lots of cafés, bakeries, cheese shops, fishmongers and so forth. By now, the mist had become rain, not so pleasant.

Onward toward the Grand Palais and Louvre, passing through Gallerie Vivienne, which I’d visited a few years back. These beautiful, glass-roofed passages are a favorite.

Finalement, the Louvre, for two hours with a young guide who led us to a handful of must-see artworks, including the Mona Lisa. Two of our group walked with the aid of a cane and our guide persuaded the guardians to allow them inside the perimeter to see Mona up close, a lovely moment for us all. By now, some of us were staggering toward the finish line, so we made a quick run through the gift shop and then homeward via Metro. An early dinner near the hotel (limited choices, so a burger and red wine) and early to bed, with an 8 a.m. morning departure in the offing.

Monday, off we go: Starting early (8 a.m.), we boarded the bus and progressed, through mostly empty streets, out of Paris to Guédelon, where a 13th century castle is being built using mostly medieval tools and material. We had an extensive look around— it’s pretty amazing what they’ve built in 30 years, with about 10 to go, after which they intend to build a village outside the walls. It’s in the middle of nowhere, but go if you have a chance.

By the way, we are all deliriously happy that the weather has improved to warm sunshine and cool breezes.

Our bus driver, Walter, is a retired Belgian pressed into service because the bus company is so very busy; he skillfully steered us down narrow country roads, over a bridge that spans the Loire River, and finally to Bourges, once the capital of France during the 100 Years War. (I think… there was a lot of info hurled at my head).

We had a guided visit of the famous cathedral known for its stained glass windows, then walked through the streets of half-timbered houses and along the remains of the Roman wall before dinner together. We will have a few hours in the morning to look around, collect something for our lunch at the next stop and off we’ll go.

Meanwhile, I’m sitting in the dark, hoping the technician can restore power to my hotel room. Yikes.

Tuesday, wine and cheese and a very very big chateau. Off we went from Bourges on our way through the Loire Valley to a little village called Selles sur Cher (the river is a tributary and occasioned a lot of Cher references from our guide, Arnaud) and a chateau of the same name. It’s owned by a jovial French fellow named Nicolas who has a passion for wine-making (and for dinosaurs, of all things.)

The chateau, as is true of almost all of these old, old castles, has a long history of changing hands, destruction and rebuilding and varied fortunes. This one dates to 935 and its lore includes invading Vikings who came on the river beside which it sits; a butler who inherited and rebuilt; a sale to a U.S. luxury hotel company whose leadership died on 9/11, leaving it in the hands of a bank until the fellow who’s building Guédelon bought it, restored it and opened to the public. NIcolas bought it on 12/12/2012. Whew! Also, it was a billet for U.S. soldiers during WWI.

It’s hard to comprehend, as an American, how long and tangled such stories are — and how far from unusual they are in Europe.

Anyhow, we had a wine-tasting lesson, along with the town’s famous goat cheese, wandered a bit, lunched on sandwiches or whatever we’d bought in Bourges that morning and returned to the bus for the drive to Chambord, the chateau famous for its 365 fireplaces and mammoth size.

Chambord has 32 km of stone walls surrounding it and is a game preserve, home to 900 wild boars and 700 wild deer. This seems apt, as it was built as a hunting lodge for Francis I, who spent a grand total of 79 nights here. Its architecture is notable for the double helix staircase at the center of the main building and a beautiful vaulted room. It’s also home to some gorgeous horses who perform, although not for us; they were practicing on the long grassy promenade behind the chateau and seem akin to the famous dressage horses of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. The chateau sat mostly empty of royal visitors through the centuries but now is a very popular destination for both visitors such as ourselves and many, many school children of varying ages.

The day was very sunny and very warm and, while I enjoyed the opportunity to explore the highlights of the chateau, I was happy enough to roll into Amboise, have a nice dinner with our group and head to bed.

Wednesday’s agenda is a visit to the Chateau Chenonceau, which I saw on last May’s Loire to the South of France tour, and an afternoon at leisure in Amboise, and I have given myself a day off, to be alone after a lot of peopling for this introvert.

Wednesday: An introvert takes a day off, and it’s perfect.

One of the things I most appreciate about RS tours is the ability to do your own thing. So, while our group set off to visit the beautiful Chateau Chenonceau, I had a lazy morning of reading and researching a lunch destination. Reservation made, in late morning I took a leisurely wander around this appealing town, stopping to take photos, browse little shops, buy a scarf (because it’s France) and then made my way to the restaurant, La Planque.

They’re serving in the garden, shaded by trees that have just leafed out, and it’s lovely. I had a long, delicious lunch with wine (because it’s France) and then a little nap. The restaurant has a thing for burgers of various kinds; mine was duck confit and it was great. The afternoon was for reading, needlepoint and figuring out what to put in my backpack for our overnight on Mont St-Michel, one of the main reasons I booked this trip.

I had a pizza — chèvre et miel, or goat cheese and honey (because it’s France) with some vin rouge de moment, which turned out to be a juicy primitivo from Puglia.

I enjoy getting to know my fellow tour members and having experiences together, but at heart, I like to be alone. This day was exactly what I needed. Onward!

Thursday, lots of miles, lots of tasting: We left Amboise at 8 for a long drive to Brittany, stopping at a big AutoGrille near LeMans for the mandatory two-hour driver break. We reached Dinan, a busy little town on the Rance River, for a look around and lunch. It has ramparts, lots of half-timbered houses, so very many galette and crepe cafes and the famous Steve McKouign pastry shop. That’s a play on Brittany’s pastry claim to fame, the butter cake called Kouign Amana. Super delicious.

After two pleasant hours, we headed to Cancale for a lesson in oyster farming and the proper French way to eat them. This involves dumping out the sea water inside the shell, perhaps a drop of fresh lemon juice, then into the mouth, mandatory chewing and voila. I found them way too salty for my taste, but others enjoyed them. It’s a beautiful place – a wide beach with oyster racks, restaurants with views and so many options from which to buy oysters.

Our final destination for the day is the utterly breathtaking Mont St. Michel, the island abbey that dates to, oh, 700 or so. We spend the night in a quaint hotel that has multiple wooden spiral staircases and sound effects provided by seagulls. I’ve never seen anything like it.

Friday: Sunrise, sunset, 1000 steps on Mont Saint Michel, an organic apple orchard visit, a new and delish drink, a bus situation and we land on a Normandy beach.

Mont Saint Michel is one of the world’s wonders — a medieval abbey /fortress built on a soaring granite rock in the middle of a vast tidal bay. It’s one of the most popular sites in France, with 3 million visitors a year and thousands by the day. We arrived in late afternoon, when most people had left, and departed in late morning, when the streets were filling with people (and their dogs and their babies in strollers).

The Mont has been home to Benedictine monks and nuns for centuries, but now fewer than a dozen total live there, maintaining the practice of work and prayer.
Our tour with a local guide, Maud, lasted two hours and totaled, she said, 1000 steps. I believe her.

To reach the Mont, you must leave your vehicle in one of seven vast parking lots offsite and crowd into a shuttle bus — they are built to run back and forth without turning around — and walk across a long bridge to reach the flats that lead to the abbey. The tidal swing is impressive— 15 meters — and the flats have patches of quicksand, both factors in repelling invaders, such as the British during the 100 Years War. We only saw the place at low tide, but I’d love to see it surrounded by the sea. That only happens during a king tide, I think.

Off we went through the gorgeously green countryside to a little town for a lunch stop, then on to a Norman apple orchard and cider / calvados operation, where we learned about organic farming, sadly did not meet the 90-year-old owner but enjoyed the quirky and funny fellow who showed us around; tasted two kinds of cider, a delicious concoction called pommeau and sipped 10-year-old Calvados with cheeses and bread. Pommeau, which sadly is not exported because it wouldn’t be profitable, is a quarter Calvados and three quarters apple juice or cider, blended and barrel aged before bottling.

Meanwhile, we discovered on arrival that our shiny new bus had developed a flat tire, which occasioned phone calls, a visit from a nearby tire repair shop and ultimately a good-enough fix to allow us to proceed to Arromanches and our hotel. It’s right on the waterfront and you can see the remains of D-Day fortifications just offshore. We will spend today with a local guide on various Normandy beaches; the forecast is cold, windy and rainy, typical weather for here.

Saturday, the longest day, in which we travel 100 miles to visit four D-Day and related sites, receive a veritable firehose of historical detail and are reminded of the immense courage and sacrifice needed to liberate France from the Germans.

Our guide, Sylvain, is a history buff with an impressive command of detail and, while I appreciate that, after several hours, it began to blur. This day’s outing was one of the main reasons for booking this tour and I’m so grateful to have had the experience.
We began with a stop at the German Cemetery, where 21,200 Germans are buried, along with soldiers from 16 different nationalities. Many of the grave markers show only a German soldier, no name.

From there, on to St. Mere Eglise, the first town liberated at 4:30 a.m. on June 6, 1944, by paratroopers, a couple of whom got hung up on the church steeple. One was shot and the other played dead and survived.

Our misty morning continued down little roads through the green, rural surrounds of Normandy, as we went next to Utah Beach, where there’s an awesome museum and memorial. For me, this was the high point of the day — an excellent short film provided context, and there are exhibits of ephemera, recreations and actual equipment— a bomber, a tank, a landing vehicle and a jeep, among others.

Details from Sylvain: The battle of Normandy ended on Aug. 22, 78 days after it began, followed three days later by the liberation of Paris. Some 20,000 civilians died during the invasion and following days, 60% due to air bombardment. Both sides understood, said Sylvain, that who won this battle would win the war.

We passed fields defined by hedgerows — thick, brushy, all but impenetrable— and listened to an oral history of a U.S. soldier who fought among them. In many ways, this is a story of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

We proceeded to the American cemetery, where we were fortunate to witness the daily Taps ceremony and flag lowering and made our last stop at Omaha Beach. There are four entry points and the one we used offers lots of sporting equipment — kayaks, etc., — for rent, which is a little jarring.

Seeing these places and hearing the accounts has made me eager to read more about WWII and watch Band of Brothers for the first time. An exhausting but oh so memorable day.

Sunday, flowers and finality. We wrap up our twirl around France with a visit to Giverny to see Monet’s house and gardens, get stuck in the Paris Marathon traffic/crowds crazy and say farewell to a fabulous group of traveling friends. And our awesome leader, Arnaud, and fellow guide, Scots Steve.

We left Arromanches early for a drive of several hours to Giverny, uneventful except for discovering that the toilets were out of order at the first rest stop we tried. No worries! We climbed the stairs to a colorful pedestrian overpass across the highway and visited the stop on the other side.

In Giverny, we found so many flowers and so many people, though I’m sure nothing compared to later in the season. The house is small, charmingly French and filled with reproductions of Monet’s paintings. The gardens are extensive, kept in order with gravel paths roped off to prevent unwanted wandering. The beds are planted by color and are gloriously alive with tulips and other spring blooms. Stunning.

You walk through a tunnel under the road to reach the water lily pond, around which you can stroll and stop for a rest on benches placed for optimal views. It isn’t peak water lily season but I saw a few; my husband and I loved L’Orangerie when we were there last fall, and it’s lovely to be in the place that inspired those amazing murals.

Onward to Paris, where we stalled in the madness occasioned by the marathon, which draws about 50,000 runners from 111 countries. Finishers and supporters and gawkers clogged the streets around the Arc de Triomphe, so we inched our way through and finally reached our hotel near the Eiffel Tower. We said a fond goodbye to our driver and headed into the last tour hotel. I took off immediately by Metro to the big, busy CitiPharma to get yet more sunscreen to jam into my suitcase (I brought home enough to open a store) and later joined the group for our last dinner together, though I exited early thanks to travel fatigue and un estomache bouleversé.

On Monday, homeward bound: A taxi ride to the airport (a solid hour), the VAT tax refund process, a pleasant 90 minutes in the lovely Air France lounge and an uneventful flight home.

I enjoyed my two weeks in France, especially for the chance to see friends and explore on my own before the tour. I knew much of the tour would cover familiar ground from previous visits but chose it for the added context of a guided experience and the rare opportunity to spend a night on Mont St. Michel, spend a day on the Normandy beaches and visit Giverny. As a plus, our group was the most compatible and congenial of any Rick Steves tour I’d experienced. Arnaud, our guide, is a character – funny, knowledgeable, opinionated – and a rock star.

Thank you for this great trip report! I enjoyed it immensely.

Happy travels!

Thanks so much Felicia, what a fun and diverse TR. I really enjoyed the pace of your stay in Paris, wandering and going back for more sunscreen, taking your time and recovering from jet lag before the start of the RS tour. Your hotel location - Rick's book sniffs at it as rich, boring, residential, but I loved its quiet walkability and relative lack of crowds. Thanks, have made a note. I’ve been to some amazing places Rick scorns, good to have the Forum for diverse opinions. And it's funny you're as obsessed with French sunscreen as I am with the Swedish stuff, already bought 2 bottles since Easter here.

An introvert takes a day off, and it’s perfect - EVEN this extrovert would have needed a day off at that point.

Thanks for the trip report, Felicia! I really enjoyed reading it, and it sounds like a wonderful trip, and I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one with a bag obsession. 😊

I'm also glad I'm not the only one to forget about taking photos when I meet up with people. I get so caught up in the moment and having fun with my friends that I totally forget, which I guess is not a bad thing. It sounds like that's what happened with you, but I always regret it afterwards.

An exceptional trip report. Thank you from a fellow introvert. I've taken this tour (with Arnaud) and it reminded me of all the things I saw and experienced. I don't think I read why you like French sunscreen so much. Will you tell us? I SO wish I could taste Pommeau. It sounds like something I would enjoy. My last visit to Paris in 2023, the Jardin des Plantes was on my list, but it rained for 3 days. I hope to get to Paris again and see it.