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France Travel: Paris, Amboise, Mont Saint Michel, Nice & Monaco

France was pure magic! Simply put, each day felt like we were in the scene of a movie. At times we were in a romantic comedy sipping red wine watching the Eiffel Tower glitter after dark. At others it felt like an epic war film as we toured enemy bunkers off the coast of Normandy and walked the same footpath followed by U.S. soldiers during WWII. We even had moments while exploring the many castles and chateaus where it felt as though we might either be royalty during medieval times or…perhaps, a wizard searching for the Sorcerer’s Stone. Nerd alert.

In each of these movie scenes… and for the last 10 years of our lives… the characters have remained the same. It’s been me and Jeff for a whole decade of happy (and fun) marriage and while our trip to France was one for the record books, the last 10 years together has provided us with so much more. This life we’ve built is a true gift and one worth celebrating even beyond a trip to France. So, as we continue to celebrate each and every day together, here’s a glimpse of our romantic getaway abroad!

Paris was our overall favorite city during our trip. There was so much to see and do, and eat and drink too! On our first afternoon in the city (and in many places we visit for the first time) we booked a food tour. Our guide took us to a handful of local shops including a bakery, a cheese monger, a chocolatier (where, I kid you not, we saw Steve Carell and his family), a patisserie and a wine shop where our guide unloaded our grocery bags in the basement cellar room lined with a long table and chairs and we dined on what she called the ‘Trinity of French Cuisine’ … bread, cheese and sugar. She paired the wine with the cheeses (which were incredibly stinky but so-so good) and got to enjoy an authentic, local dining experience.

After the tour we seized the night and headed toward the Louvre where we grabbed a beverage in the pavilion with a front row view of the famous glass pyramid because art museums are always more fun after a glass of bubbles. We saw the French Crowned Jewels, the Coronation of Napoleon, the Venus de Milo (aka the armless lady statue), the Sphinx and the Mona Lisa - although the picture below was as close as we dared to get to Mona… the crowd was hilariously large and it was more fun to see the chaotic scene from afar. Our first night in Paris ended as many of the rest of our nights in France did… with a bottle of wine and French fries. We ate so many French fries… and Caesar salads too. The best!

While in Paris we visited the Cathedral of Sainte Chapelle and holy moly was it cool! It was small but mighty with incredible stain glassed windows that each told a story from the bible. It was gorgeous. We also saw Nortre Dame which was still under construction but getting there. We visited the Rodin Museum which was once his personal home now dedicated to his works where the main attraction is the very famous The Thinker statue. Then we checked out Napoleons Tomb and it was ridiculously over the top in size - we found it amusing.

After lunch on Rue Claire (super cute street filled with shops and restaurants) we walked the promenade leading to the Eiffel Tower and onward towards the Arc de Triomphe. Somewhere in there we started popping into places for a beverage or two leading into dinnertime. We got tickets to Le Duc which is, according to local sources, thee jazz club in Paris - it was a fantastic time. Later we wandered by our hotel and found ourselves on the steps in front of the Basilica of Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre drinking ‘purse wine’ with all the locals watching the street performers - pure magic!

So, you guys… the Palace of Versailles is huge. I mean, gigantic. In all the palaces we’ve toured this was by far the largest. However, we’d argue - and maybe against the popular opinion - it wasn’t the most impressive. The audio guided tour had much room for improvement - we kept referencing our audio guide from the Biltmore Estate two years ago because it was awesome. We also missed out on seeing the full display of fountains throughout the gardens during our visit because they were conserving water. Nevertheless, the size of the palace and the gardens alone is well worth the visit.

Our favorite part about our train ride outside of the city to see Versailles was more likely the random lunch we wandered into on our way back to the train station. As we exited the grounds we took the long way back and stumbled upon a neat little farmers market where we grabbed an incredible lunch at a mom and pop Italian restaurant. It was midday on a Sunday so the square was bustling.

The grand finale, and certainly the highlight of Paris was our river boat dinner cruise along the Seine River. The cruise began and ended directly in front of the Eiffel Tower and was beginning to end the most romantic dinner we’ve had yet.

The next few parts of our trip required a couple trains and a tiny little European car that I drove while Jeff navigated us through both the French countryside (as for the tiny little city streets filled with heavy traffic… I blacked those parts out from my memory). We were a good team! First stop was Chateau Chenonceau - we loved it! So pretty and such a great audio guide that was narrated from the viewpoint of a women who lived their for 25 years and restored the Chateau to it’s true glory. It was known as the “House of Ladies’ because it’s where all the royal women stayed for long terms during their reigns.

Next up was the small city of Amboise where Leonardo Da Vinci both lived and was buried. We spent the evening exploring the city, shopping and of course toured the Chateau Royal d’Amboise which was more true castle-like than it was a chateau.

Another incredible castle we visited was Chateau de Chambord. We loved the exterior look of this castle because it was most like something you’d see in a fairy tale. It also had a trippy staircase in the center of the cross floor plan that had two winding ways up that mirrored one another. We learned that during WWII a large body of French artwork including the Mona Lisa was hidden here to prevent it from being damaged. Which obviously worked because we saw Mona earlier in the week in Paris.

What came next was truly a unique experience… Mont Saint Michel and island that sits off the northwest coast of France and is a must see when touring Normandy. We got the good advice from our guy Rick Steve’s to stay a night on the island and boy did he deliver on his word. We arrived late afternoon as the crowds were just leaving. It was a similar experience to the one we had on Mackinac Island a couple summers ago where you basically have the place to yourselves when the day trippers head back to the mainland.

We loved visiting Mont Saint Michel for a handful of reasons, but mostly because from the moment we started the 40 minute walk across the footbridge towards the island we felt as though we were going back in time. Finding our hotel alone was an adventure because the streets are so narrow and winding. The signage is ancient and the buildings (that all seemed to be leaning in one direction or the other) are stacked one on top of the other climbing all the way up the mountain toward the gravity defying abbey at the top. We toured the abbey where practicing monks and nuns still live today and we had an incredible dinner at the Michelin star rated restaurant La Mere Poulard who are famous for their insane truffle omelettes. We absolutley tried one and it was amazing.

The next morning we enjoyed a slow cup of coffee at the hotel restaurant before exiting the city just as the rest of the tourists bustled in - a perfectly executed plan. Back on the road again, we off along the coast of Normandy for a history lesson of June 6, 1944 - also known as D Day. We visited Utah Beach and stepped foot through thresholds of Natzi enemy bunkers and walked through the Memorial Museum there. Then onto Omaha Beach and the Normandy American Cemetery where we walked the beach where US soldiers had landed. It was shocking to see the bomb craters and the bunkers that still remain today and was an extremely valuable experience to see in person versus through our history books.

Onward to Rouen where our long day of driving was well rewarded with a super cool hotel room view. Facing the Cathedrale Nortre-Dame de Rouen, we were surprised by the light and sound show that plays each night after dark and was visible from our hotel room balcony. After a fantastic dinner at Cafe Hamlet (one of the few reservations we made during our trip - Jeff said it was his favorite meal) we stumbled upon the crowd forming in the square outside our hotel. We did a quick google search and realized we had just enough time to grab a bottle of wine from the corner store before the start of the show. The photos don’t do this experience justice!

Rouen was great. We felt like it was the Grand Rapids of France because of how young the city felt. It was full of families strolling the streets, had lots of great restaurants and had an overall welcoming feel to it. There was also a ton of shopping there and a fun mixture of old and new structures.

Then it was off to Nice for the next three days where we end capped our whirlwind tour. Nice reminded us of Barcelona because of it’s beachy, more laid back feel. Here we had our second dinner reservation at the local hot spot Bocca Nissa. Perched on a rooftop above the main tourist street sits a little Mediterranean piece of heaven where we dined on a giant pan of paella.

We rented bikes for a day and rode along the Mediterranean coast until our legs could take us no further! We stopped along the way to take in the views and enjoy a cold beverage and around mid afternoon we rented chairs at one of the local beach clubs. We spent the extra euros and got the front row view to the gorgeous French Riviera. We ordered bubbles and a split a cheeseburger and fries. It was the perfect afternoon.

Our last day in France was spent in Monaco. We took in all the sights of the incredible Monte Carlo Casino and walked the city harbor that was lined with the largest yachts we’ve ever seen. And can we talk about the money that is in this city?! Because… wow. Monaco drips from every edge in wealth. In fact, we looked it up… Monaco is actually it’s own independent state separate from France and is home to just over 38 thousand residents who have the highest GDP per capita in the world. We toured the castle (which is where the actual prince of Monaco lives today), had a wonderful Italian dinner with yachts views of the harbor and ended with a Monaco futbol game which was high energy - they won!

France delivered. Our most favorite part was just being there, together, and celebrating in a new part of the world we’d not yet visited and experiencing the deepest gratitude for our village back at home that allowed us the time away. This life is the most incredible gift.

Last, for those who also noticed… we realized early on in the trip that with only the two of us that our selfie game would have to be strong. We embraced it.

***Our quick hit travel tips for France: eat the stinky cheese, pack a purse umbrella (it’s very common to have light sprinkles mid afternoon), wear comfortable shoes (everyone wears sneakers - even locals), do the river boat dinner cruise in Paris, have a croissant from a boulangerie (where they are made and baked fresh), bring a strong selfie game! And enjoy!

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