The High Gothic chapel (think light, spindly, and upwards) was constructed in the 13^th century (that’s the 1200s) by Louis IX (Saint Louis) to house the Crown of Thorns, a fragment of the True Cross, and other Christian relics. What I can’t believe is that they built this intricate masterpiece in only SEVEN years! Considering Notre Dame took almost 200 years, this is mind-blowing to me. Granted, Notre Dame is enormous, and Sainte Chapelle is quite small in comparison, but the intricate details – how was it only seven years!?

During the Middle Ages, having a collection of Christian relics was a way to bring prestige and pilgrims (aka tourists) to your chapel, cathedral, or city. Pilgrims = money = pretty things. In other words, relics were big business; I mean, have you seen or read Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett? I’m not exaggerating. Louis IX collected 22 relics and housed them at Sainte Chapelle upon its completion. This put Paris at the forefront of Western Christianity and Paris quickly became a “new Jerusalem” gathering pilgrims from across the world, filing into Saint Chapelle, and allowing Louis to pay off the debt he had acquired by collecting these relics and build pretty things. Most of these relics disappeared during the Revolution, but the Crown of Thorns is now part of the treasury of Notre Dame Cathedral (and, thankfully, was saved during the fire in April 2019).

While the relics have disappeared over the years, the architectural wonder that is this Chapel remains. Though Sainte Chapelle has not been used for worship since the Revolution, it has been open to admirers. And admire it we did!

The windows create a vibrant rainbow of light inside, capped by a painted starry night sky. Don’t be distracted by the arcs of colored light flowing all around you: the real treasure is in the stories depicted within those vibrant panes of glass. The intricately carved stone walls hold immense walls of stained glass telling the story of the world from the Old and New Testaments in 1113 scenes. The Apocalypse is documented in the rose window above the entrance of the chapel in just as many colors. It is truly breathtaking. From the moment we entered the chapel, I’m sure my jaw was on the ground until Jason pulled me out. I could have stayed all day and come back the next. So many colors, so much detail, so much light – a wonder.

The breathtaking chapel is actually the top floor of this monument. Below is another chapel that has a much heavier feel, more like a basement. In fact, this chapel is also ringed in stained glass, though it’s a bit less awe-inspiring than its upstairs neighbor. This chapel was used by the staff of the nearby Palais de la Cité, and its walls and pillars support the heavy lead and glass above, leading to its heavy, basement block feel. Today it houses a collection of artifacts and the museum’s gift shop.

Speaking of today, if you are planning to tour the chapel (of course you are, right?), I highly recommend purchasing your tickets online ahead of time, right here. It is possible to…stand in line all day hoping to get in after all the ticket holders…but we don’t recommend that. Once you have secured your ticket and time, we also recommend taking up your place in the ticket holders line for your designated time only 15 minutes or so before your scheduled time. They don’t let anyone in early, and rarely let anyone in late, so make sure you are in your line when they open the barrier to let your time slot in. No matter how long the line is, if you have a ticket, you’ll get in. We came an hour early and stood at the front of our 1 p.m. scheduled ticket line and made friends with the lady running the barricade, but there was no way she was letting us in early. So much for friendship, amiright? We know the rules of the line very well now.

I highly recommend visiting Sainte Chapelle on your trip to Paris. It’s a quick visit, especially if you can’t get ahold of one of the cards explaining all of the windows to read (there are nowhere near enough, I managed to snag one in Spanish and stumbled through – you’ll never get one in English). Maybe check this link out before you go, or bring it with you to explain each window while you’re there. Or if that’s not your jam and you just like pretty things with no context, you hopefully have a little context now (knowledge is good). If nothing else, you can go walk through a rainbow, and who doesn’t like that idea? It’s a true masterpiece.

The post Basking in the Glory of Sainte Chapelle first appeared on The DeBode Way.

I confess the majority of my familiarity with the Cathedral of Notre Dame comes from the Disney movie, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. This basically means I knew nothing about it other than the fact that it was on my list of must-sees (I love church architecture), it’s in Paris, enormous, gorgeous, and many cathedrals across Europe are modeled after it (thank you, Ken Follett). Oh, and it burned in a horrible fire in 2019. So imagine my cathedral-loving glee when we stumbled upon an outdoor exhibition at the Cathedral while it was undergoing its massive renovation following the fire. And here I was just banking on imagining it through scaffolding.

The construction of Notre Dame began in 1163 under the reign of Louis VII and was mostly completed by 1350. That’s almost 200 years of construction! I could bore you to death with all the details of its construction, why it was built the way it was, the materials used, the craftsmanship, the reasons for every single feature, and why a stone building had a flammable roof – but I won’t (Jason says: you’re welcome). Even though I REALLY want to – nerd alert. I’ll just post some of the photos I took of the boards and you can decide for yourself how interested you are and zoom in (or not). Deal? Deal.

What I will tell you is in the fire in 2019 the entire wood and lead roof and spire burned, then collapsed into the vaulted stone ceilings below, collapsing a portion of the vaulted stone ceiling and showering debris into the nave of the church. Suddenly the nave was open to the heavens for the first time in centuries. Once the fire was put out, support poured in from around the globe to restore the cathedral. After two years of careful inspection, planning, and cleaning, the restoration began in 2021.

Now how about this shocker – they plan to have the roof and spire completed in time for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris!  I was completely floored to read that. How in the world? The building is currently covered in scaffolding and wide open to the heavens! They’ve barely finished removing the debris from the fire, shoring up the walls, and cleaning the fire damage. As I read a little farther along the board displays surrounding the cathedral, I learned that the intent is for the outside of the building to be complete (or at least look that way) in time for the Olympics. The inside will not be completed until December 2024 (or later) to be open for services and tours, but I would imagine you will be able to find plenty of tours of the façade and someone willing to bore you with the details of why it is the way it is next summer. Woo!

Who is headed to France for the Olympics? Or just for the summer in 2024? I’ll need an update! I’m completely blown away by how quickly they plan to have this completed, especially since it looks like they’re planning to use the original medieval plans (thankfully) and building techniques (amazing) to do it. There are obviously many 21st-century construction capabilities in use alongside the medieval techniques, from power tools to gas-powered cranes and metal scaffolding. However, the scale of the damage was immense, and the details being reproduced are so intricate that I just can’t believe the quick restoration rate even with our modern tools. When you’re there standing next to the building and get a sense of the sheer magnitude of its size, this really becomes an almost unimaginable timeline.

We later learned once we were home there is also an underground exhibition in front of the cathedral with artifacts from the fire and things that have been discovered in the restoration process (mysterious sarcophagi). This exhibition is currently open and there are plans for it to remain open through the Olympics next summer. I’m sure that would have been fascinating as well. It looks like we’ll be planning a return trip to Paris sometime in the future!

So, is Notre Dame open? Well, kind of. There’s plenty to see as you walk around the outside, surveying the damage and impressive plans to get it back in tip-top shape. But if you’re wanting to explore the interior, you’ll have to wait a little longer. In the meantime, if anyone is headed there soon, let me know! I’m very curious how the restoration progresses and turns out!

The post The Remarkable Notre Dame: An Unbelievable Timeline to Reopening. first appeared on The DeBode Way.

The Conversation

One of our last mornings in Paris we woke up, had breakfast, and had a conversation that went a little something like this:

            Tasha: So, whatcha wanna do today?

            Jason: Umm, I’m not sure. Any ideas?

            T: The Pantheon keeps popping up on the map…any interest?

            J: Um, sure, but isn’t Athens a little bit of a jaunt for a day-trip?

            T: …

            J: …

            T: Seriously, what are you talking about?

J: The…Pantheon…the temple of the gods, right? The one in Athens? With all the
other ancient temples?

            T: *sigh* Do you mean Rome? That’s in Rome.

            J: Sure? I thought it was in Athens.

            T: No, not Athens (that’s the Parthenon). It’s in Rome.

            J: Oh, okay. So…you…want to go to Rome today?

            T: No. The other one.

            J: ???

            T: …

            J: There’s another one? Another Pantheon?

As it turns out, there is another Pantheon in Europe, and it’s in Paris. Who knew? So, after a little Googling to figure out when it opened, ticket prices, entrance times, and the like, we headed out for a short 30-minute stroll to visit the Pantheon, home of the Gods. Only, that’s not exactly what we ended up finding.

The Other One

What we ended up finding – and Tasha knew about in advance (obviously) – was the other Pantheon, which has a pretty cool story. Let’s ‘splain.

The site of the Pantheon has a LONG history in France and has been occupied by a series of monuments throughout the years. It was original burial place of Saint Genevieve who led the resistance to the Huns threatening Paris in 451. In 508, a church was commissioned there by King Clovis as a basilica and tomb for he and his wife Clotilde. Once complete, the King turned over regular care of the basilica to a chapter of the Genovefains, a group – some would call a cult – affiliated with Saint Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris. Her relics were kept there.

Fast-forward about 1200 years and in 1744, King Luis XV (that’s the 15^th Louey, if you’re keeping track), who inexplicably recovered from a serious illness after asking for help from St. Genevieve, decided to dedicate a basilica to the Saint. Heck of a thank you, no? He never saw the completion of the basilica in 1790 when the building was formally declared the St. Genevieve Church.

Okay, now hang on, because this gets a little hard to keep track of. A year after its completion (so we’re now up to 1791), the building was converted into a national necropolis during the French Revolution, which was to house the remains of ‘dignitaries of the empire’ (read: only men, at least until much, much later). But, in 1806, Napoleon Bonaparte disagreed with this decision and converted it into a Catholic church, though he opted to keep the dignitary-stuffed-crypt below for its stated purpose.

In 1815, the entire basilica became a church (including the crypt) but was returned back into the Pantheon 15 years later in 1830. In 1851 the Second Republic converted the building back into a church, and it remained as such until the death of Victor Hugo in 1885, at which point the Third Republic again considered the building the Pantheon – a monument to the heroes of France. Thus, it has remained ever since. Good grief.

So, in sum, at times the basilica has been a church, and at times a secular monument. In its current format, the Pantheon is dedicated to the memory of French citizens who have made a notable contribution to humanity. So, if you’re looking to rub elbows (not literally, that would be both gross and highly illegal) with the likes of Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, and even Marie Curie (you know, the famous double Nobel Prize-winning FEMALE scientist?), this is the place to go.

Things to See

All that history aside, the Pantheon ended up being a pretty neat place to visit. The main level is constructed in the formation of a cross, as with so many other Church-related buildings. As you walk around the interior, there are murals and paintings of various important parts of French history. And, true to the history of the building itself, some of those histories are more religious in nature (e.g., some tell the life story of Saint Genevieve and Saint Denis, the patron saint of the French people) while others are slightly more secular, depicting famous French battles (and, presumably, victories were such a thing to exist. I kid, for much of its history the French military was a literal force to be reckoned with), the stories of Kings Clovis, Charlemagne, and Louis IX, PLUS the epic of Joan of Arc – which in the end all have a religious component.

After you’ve had your fill of French history, murals, and art displays, you can descend the stairs to the crypt and stand alongside the giants of French history, several of whom we named above. What’s neat is that you don’t really need to understand how each person contributed to history, as there are little iPad-looking things all over the place that show pictures and tell each person’s story. Very helpful. Lots of good information about folks we had and hadn’t heard of before our visit. And of course, no visit would be complete without snapping a few pictures of our favorite philosophers and writers.

Once you’ve had your fill of time with the dead, up you go, to the heavens, so to speak. Go back up the stairs to the main level, and then follow the winding staircase at the side of the building behind the guard to go even further up (if your name is on the list – get the dome view ticket). At the top of the 206 spiral stairs, you exit out onto the walkway around the Dome. The cool thing about climbing the stairs is the 360-degree, panoramic view of the entirety of Paris you get from here. Keep in mind, it’s not the tallest building in Paris (at least not anymore, though it was for a time), but the views are still pretty impressive. Not sure what you’re looking at? No worries, there are signs at each viewing outcrop that outline the cityscape in view and help you to identify the main buildings. Cool.

Our Conclusion

So, if you’re looking for a fairly low-key place to go the next time you’re in France, we can’t recommend this place enough. It wasn’t super busy (we walked right in with tickets in hand), but it has an impressive amount of information and all things French packed into a relatively small building. To clarify: the building is decently huge, but most French architecture is absolutely ginormous. So, in a comparative sense, this wasn’t that. But that’s okay because it lets you see what you want without spending all day doing it.

Admittedly, I’m not a history fan – it’s in the past, let it go! That said, this was a different way to display history so it was more of a narrative, not history lesson after history lesson, if that makes sense. At least for me, that made it more interesting. The Crypt has a semi-creepy vibe, but it is still interesting and definitely worth the stroll through its pristine stone caverns. And of course, if nothing else, go upstairs to the Dome and get those spectacular views.

And all thanks to the Pantheon. Just…make sure you’re in the right one.

The post The Paris Pantheon, the Temple of the…French Gods? first appeared on The DeBode Way.

We spent three full days in Paris in August and honestly, we’re not sure we loved it. WHAT!? Hear me out…

First Impressions

We buzzed into the city in our little Uber and were dropped at the door of our hotel, the Hotel Vinci Due, a block from the River Seine in the 6^th Arrondissement, in a quiet back alley of a street. It was in a great location, quiet, close to everything we wanted to do, but on my gosh, SO so so so small. The lobby barely had room for the desk, us, and our two suitcases. Once we checked in we were told our room wasn’t ready, so we had to leave and come back later (no waiting around apparently). They immediately took our bags and shuffled us downstairs to the basement to use the facilities (like they read my mind) and then out the door.

We had planned to take a few minutes in the hotel to get our bearings and make a plan, but there we were standing on the street, so we started walking. I knew where we were and what general direction everything was located in (study those maps folks!), so we started off towards the island in the middle of the river where Sainte-Chapelle and Cathedrale Notre Dam de Paris are located. It only took us about 20 minutes to find ourselves on the island, but it was HOT, we hadn’t eaten yet that day, and it was well after noon. So, after seeing the extremely long line for Sainte-Chapelle, we decided to find a café and get something to eat. Just at the end of the Pont Saint-Michel bridge was Le Soleil d’Or, a café with excellent avocado toast and burgers. Perfect.

Revived from the food and people-watching, we set off to find Notre Dame. We didn’t have to go far! The twin bell towers, scaffolding, and crane were visible as soon as we rounded the corner of the café. It was surprisingly busy there considering the cathedral is closed for renovation after a massive fire in 2019. There was a great display on three sides of the cathedral explaining what the workers were doing, how the cathedral had been constructed, and how they were adhering to the original methods to restore it. I found it extremely fascinating, but I’m a giant nerd. We’ll tell you more about it in next week’s post.

The hotel called while we were at Notre Dame to tell us our room was ready, so we headed back to unpack and make a plan for the evening and the next day. We smashed ourselves into the hotel’s tiny elevator – two people, no bags (they’d been delivered to our room), we were on top of each other, and I was having flashbacks to our elevator entrapment last summer in Spain (#claustraphobia). Oh dear. We made it to the top and took the stairs after that. It was only the 5^th floor…exercise.

N. B. In the US, folks often prefer higher floors in their hotels for the great views. The same is true in Europe, but keep in mind that the elevators commonly don’t go all the way up to the top floor. For whatever reason, they’ll go to the second-highest floor, after which you’ll take the stairs up to the top, dragging your luggage behind you. Not usually a huge issue, but don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Our room…so unique, so tiny. It was gorgeous, but oh mylanta, there was barely room to turn around. The bathroom was located up a tiny set of stairs and the room itself had enough space for the bed, barely. It was quite the circus act finding places to put our things and move around each other (seriously, are the French that much smaller than us?). But, there was a bottle of prosecco on ice and two glasses waiting for us, so we sat on the bed and got to work on that.

Is this the Magic?

We went for a stroll a few hours later looking for a place for dinner. We found ourselves in Saint Germain Des Pres and located a little Italian Restaurant, Chez Bartolo (because when in France, one eats…Italian, right?). We ordered pizzas after a short wait and barely managed to sit down before the sky opened up and poured the entire time we were there. Luckily, our outdoor seats were covered by the awning and it was just our feet being sprayed with rain bouncing off the cobbles as we ate. It was bliss. The rain stopped just in time for our stroll back to the hotel after dinner. We were hoping to find some macaroons, but no luck that day. Instead, we crossed the bridge by the Louvre and stood in its courtyard as the sun set. That place is absolutely massive (the Louvre, not the sun. Well…okay, the sun is pretty big, too).

The next day we went for a very lengthy walk. After breakfast in the tiniest breakfast room ever – it was adorable, but it made me feel like a giant American – we laced up our shoes and set off in the direction of the Eiffel Tower. It took us about 30 minutes before it was suddenly before us, along with a massive crowd of people. Busy day for the tower. Also, it’s brown, I totally thought it was red or gray. We opted not to stand in line all day to ride the elevators to the top and continued on our walk. Next up, the Arc de Triomphe. We found it rather quickly and walked all the way around it snapping photos. They appeared to be filming something that day, so there was a lot of green screen and production vehicles about. We also chose to not go to the top of the Arc.

We wandered back towards our hotel down the Champs Elysees. Busy busy busy. We veered off on a side street when Jason mentioned wanting to see where the US Embassy was. It turns out, it’s right next to the Elysee Palace, and they are NOT fans of you taking any photos near there. Whoopsie. Just to clarify, they’re perfectly fine with you taking pictures of the Palace, it’s just the US embassy you can’t photograph. Who knew? We wandered along the Place de la Concorde and back across the river bridge to find a late lunch. We ducked into a corner café (Café Concorde) for some goat cheese rolls, French fries, and a glass of well-earned wine – bad decisions were made in the dairy department, especially when I got overzealous and snagged a strawberry crème tart at Boulangerie Eric Kayser before we went to the hotel. It turns out I am STILL allergic to dairy in France – oops.

After putting in 11 kilometers (just shy of 7 miles for our non-metric-using American friends), this was the day we took some of the afternoon to get some work done. Jason had new classes to prep and I started writing for you all and updating boutique spreadsheets. In fairness, we didn’t work at all for almost a week. That is a record for both of us! That evening we had reservations at Les Antiquaires for dinner. We recommend this one – great food and service with a smile (which is hard to come by in France)!

Finally Settling In

Another day! Zero plans. We stewed over what to do for the day during an extended breakfast. Sometimes the best plan is no plan. (Jason says: this is what I’ve been saying!) I kept seeing the Pantheon pop up on the map when we were looking for restaurants, so we booked a time slot with a rooftop viewing and set off on another walk to give it a gander. Honestly, I thought we were booking a tour of a cathedral, but it turns out, the Pantheon is a museum to the heroes of France. Yes, it has been a church from time to time, but the majority of its lifespan has been as a museum. A museum with a crypt. Perfect. After a few hours of admiring the paintings and statues, and saying hello to Victor Hugo and Pierre & Marie Curie in the crypt it was our turn to climb the spiral stairs to the rooftop dome. Subconsciously, this is why we didn’t go up in the Eiffel Tower or the Arc de Triomphe. However, the staircase conquered, we’re happy to say this is the best view in Paris! Highly recommended.

After walking the entire perimeter of the dome, we climbed back down the spiral stairs and went in search of bookstores (Tasha) and lunch (Jason) on our way back to the hotel. There are a ton of bookstores in Saint Germain! Unfortunately, I didn’t buy any because my suitcase was already too full. Also, many were closed as the owners were away on holiday. We settled on Leon for lunch (which it turns out is a seafood chain) because they had mussels and that sounded delightful. Well, after they brought us a basket of bread that we devoured while scanning the menu, they informed us they were out of steamed mussels. Poo. So we again ended up with French fries (why the obsession with fries?? [Jason says: because we were in France, obviously!]) and a little salad with cold, shelled mussels. It was the perfect little snack to share. We had big dinner plans.

During our breakfast planning session earlier that day, we decided to go all out and take a river dinner cruise. This turned out to be the best time. We only had to walk a couple blocks to the river to get on the boat. There are TONS of river cruises to choose from. We noticed a few the day before that were loaded down with so many people we truly had no idea how the boat was floating. The one we chose, Le Calife, turned out to be the perfect size, had amazing food, and got us to the Eiffel Tower JUST as it started to sparkle at 10 PM. I have to admit…it was kind of magical. There’s nothing like standing on the front of a boat with the wind in your face, sailing into the sunset [*spreads arms wide apart*…*cues up Titanic theme song*]. Plus the food and company were great, so it turned out to be a pretty great night for our last night in Paris.

A Final, Dreamy Stop

The next morning we checked out of the hotel after breakfast and had them hold our bags. We had one more stop to make. Remember how I said the line for Sainte-Chappelle was insanely long? Well, I managed to snag us some tickets for a time slot right before we had to head to the airport hotel. This was the ONE thing I wanted to do in Paris in case we never came back. We went about an hour early since the line had been so crazy a couple of days before, but it turns out that is completely unnecessary if you have tickets. You can show up about 15 minutes before your time slot to get in line and they will let you in at your reserved time. We made friends with the gal manning (erm…womanning?) the line since we stood there for so long. Her job was frustrating (seriously, just read the signs, folks), we shared lots of eye rolls and shrugs with her at the questions she was asked. People are funny.

We finally were let in, went through security, and walked into Sainte-Chapelle. Oh my glorious stars. It was everything I had ever dreamed of. (Jason says: do people really dream of random medieval chapels? That’s a thing? [Tasha says: um yes, I do]) The colors are magnificent! I wanted to read about each and every window, but I could only find a card in Spanish (which I can pretty much read, but slowly), and Jason was reminding me we needed to catch a ride to the airport hotel. Sigh. Fine. I snapped a photo to read later. I did manage to snag a book, my only souvenir, about the symbolism in the construction of cathedrals. I can’t wait to read it and have it as a reference as we continue to visit churches and cathedrals in Europe. (Jason says: sigh…more churches).

We went back to the hotel to collect our bags after another quick lunch at Le Soleil d’Or. Then we tracked down another Uber and were off to the airport Hilton Hotel (which was thankfully MUCH bigger) to organize all our stuff for our flight home the next morning. The Hilton is right next to the train station that takes you into the airport terminal, so it was the perfect location. It has a great restaurant and breakfast as well.

So, How Was France in the End?

The final verdict: Did we enjoy Paris and our time in France? Complicated answer.

We thoroughly enjoyed the slower pace of the French countryside. Our favorite hotel was the Hotel Domaine de la Tortiniere just south of Tours. Versailles was a dream and a great slow integration into the city from the country. Paris was a lot. It was a complete 180 compared to the slow pace we had been operating at. While I didn’t particularly love it, we did have a good time. Would I go back? Probably not by choice. If it happens to line up with a trip somewhere in the future, sure, we’ll go, but we won’t be seeking it out again. The only thing I wish we would have done is go to the Louvre, but that would have taken DAYS to see and that’s not the kind of time we had this trip.

To be fair, the architecture in Paris, and really in France in general, was unique and pretty neat to see. Everything, at least in Paris, was built on such a grand scale it really does put most other European capitols to shame. Most major European cities feel very…city-ish. Most look like they could be anywhere, at least for the most part. But Paris was different in this regard; we’ve never seen buildings like we saw in Paris. So, from that standpoint, Paris was pretty cool and stands apart from other cities we’ve been to in Europe.

We ate enough food in two weeks to cover us for a month at home and I still managed to lose about 10 pounds. I can never rave about the quality of the food in Europe enough. It’s just something we don’t have easy access to at home. I hope that listing out all the places we ate gives you ideas for places you would like to try on your trip to France. The options are endless and Europe is truly a friendly place for all diets…although they might scoff a bit when you ask for gluten or dairy-free in a place known for their bread and cheese! But, you get used to it, and they’re very accommodating.

The rest of our blog posts about out trip through France before Paris can be found here.

Holy Smokes, 2023 is Winding Up in a Hurry!

We’re headed back to Scotland in November. I can’t wait to tell you about the weather, what is open that time of year, and what it is like trying to navigate the shorter days in the highlands.

But first, a trip to New York City for a wedding, Pennsylvania to meet our newest niece, and Branson for our final boutique show. It’s been a wild year. Thanks for coming along with us!

The post Paris: City of Love and…Food? first appeared on The DeBode Way.

Now, you may think that Versailles is JUST a Palace. Well, friends, you would be wrong. While the Palace of Versailles does exist here, so does an entire city built to support it. When Louis XIV moved his court out of the center of Paris and into the ENORMOUS Palace he built, an entire village moved there too. You see, someone had to feed all those people, clean, run the government, scoop horse poop, pull weeds, fix carriages, polish the gold, etc. And, if prominent courtiers weren’t living in the Palace, they would build their own grand houses as close to the Palace as possible, meaning more properties needing workers. It is a bustling and growing city to this day.

After a series of train rerouting and cancelations, we found ourselves driving into Versailles from Tours, which was perfectly fine. We enjoyed the drive and kept remarking on how very similar France looks to Iowa in this area. After a stop at the busiest rest stop in France (seriously, it was wild), we soon found ourselves pulling up to the Hotel Le Louis Versailles Chateau, which so happened to be just down the street from the Palace of Versailles. Oh yes, we would have had VIP status staying this close to the Palace in the 18^th century to go nibble cakes with Marie. Sadly, Marie lost her head and we’re not nobles. Fortunately, it’s now 2023 and not…whenever that was.

We dropped our bags at the hotel, returned the car, and walked back to the hotel. It was somewhere around 3 PM by now and we were hungry, so we went off in search of some late lunch or a snack. We ended up at Positive Café, just a few blocks from the hotel, for smoothies. We had planned on sandwiches or salads, but they only seemed to be serving smoothies when we got there. That works too. We went for quite a long walk after that.

Originally, we had planned to get tickets for the night fountains and fireworks show at the Palace that evening, but instead opted to get an early dinner so we could get an earlier start at the Palace the next day. This turned out to be a great idea for multiple reasons. First, we found an amazing Indian restaurant for dinner and had some of the best food we had had on the trip so far. Second, the fountains and fireworks show ended very late and would have left us tired for the next day (which would have been really bad). Third, because we called it an early night, we had an early morning the next day and there were SO many things we ended up loving about that.

Here is where our advice for touring the Palace of Versailles begins.

Go early. 8 am early. We got there right as the garden gates opened for the day and it was perfect. The morning air was delightful, you could hear the birds singing, and the complete lack of people was heavenly. I got some of the best photos on our trip in the hour between when the gardens opened and when the palace opened at 9 am.

After you’ve had that hour to yourself, go get in line for your palace tour (you did remember to get your tickets in advance, right?) – after a quick stop at the restroom in the gardens along the Allee Royale. You’ll thank me later.

Book your palace tour first thing. 9 am is best, but our 9:30 was just fine as well. After that, the line will literally circle the courtyard. There is no shade. Everything is cobblestones. It’s hot. Make sure you get in line at least 30 minutes before your timeslot. I can’t speak for the tours after 10 am, I just know by the time we went in at 9:30, we had been standing in line for 30 minutes and the line was so long I couldn’t see the end.

Wear. Comfortable. Shoes.

I can’t tell you how many people I saw in heels or ridiculous sandals. What are you doing? Honestly. We walked 10 miles the entire day. I would not want to do that in heels! I get it, it’s a palace, and you want to do its grandeur justice. So, wear a cute dress and some fabulous fashion sneakers that will allow your feet to survive the day. Be smart. I love fashion, but fashion over functionality on this day – no.

I’d tell you about our fabulous tour of the Palace, but you need to experience it yourself. There are no words (Jason says: but you just called it fabulous!). It’s over the top in every way. The Hall of Mirrors is everything I dreamed of. The King’s rooms were very crowded (again, go early). There are so many wings and rooms that were dedicated to each of the King’s children. The galleries are endless and full of statues of so many people you learned about in history class and loads more you didn’t. I promise you’ll recognize at least one. Na*ahem*poleon.

Our Palace tour was self-guided and took about three hours. We downloaded both the Palace of Versailles app and Rick Steve’s Europe app (we love Rick for his honest and entertaining commentary) and jumped back and forth between the two for explanations in each room. That beat standing in line to get a headset and paying for that too. You can probably do the tour in about two hours, but you’d really have to hustle, so don’t plan on that. It’s Versailles, slow down and drink it in.

After our Palace tour, we headed back to the gardens to a MUCH different atmosphere than we had encountered earlier in the morning. It was hopping! We decided to grab some lunch at one of the café stands and sat on a bench to eat. At Versaille. Wild. I wonder who the last person was to sit on that bench before the Palace was raided during the French Revolution. This is what I mean by slow down. You’re walking in some mighty big footsteps (Jason says: I always thought they had little feet)…or sitting where a rather large hoopskirt once sat.

After lunch, we went for a long walk from the Palace to the Grand Canal, and all the way to the end of the Allee Sanit-Antoine before realizing we couldn’t access the Queen’s Hamlet from there. So, we backtracked a bit to the entrance of the Petit Trianon. (Jason says: gosh, aren’t we fancy?!)

The Petit Trianon is where Marie Antoinette spent most of her time outside of the Palace. While it’s still a grand house, it’s tiny compared to the Palace or even the Grand Trianon next door. However, she was a lover of the quiet country life (I can relate) and so would spend her time here and in the Queen’s Hamlet which was a grouping of small buildings around a lake she had built beyond her garden for relaxation and agricultural experiments. The buildings are very rustic compared to everything else on the estate. (Jason says: Keep in mind the rest of the estate is literally gilded with gold, so…’rustic’…yeah) Very charming. Her isolation here led to MANY rumors about nefarious acts and had no small part in the French Revolution (Jason says: I swear I smelled cake in her kitchens).

Next, we wandered over to the Grand Trianon. This is a much larger, pink marble “country villa” where Louis XIV spent his time away from the Palace pursuing various affairs. (Jason says: leave it to the French to build a house on the other side of your yard to get away from your other house). Many different portions of the royal family have lived here over the years or stayed there while visiting. It was also occupied occasionally by Napoleon’s second wife, Empress Marie Louise, during the First Empire and refurnished by him as all the original furnishings were sold off during the Revolution. Its last occupant was Queen Marie Amelie, the wife of Louise Philippe I, the last Queen and King of France (they added the plumbing). It has been used by the State for various events since. It was opened to the public after a massive renovation in 1963 and is still used today as an official residence of the French President to host foreign officials.

After the Trianon Palaces, we wandered back towards the Grand Canal and encountered so many people in boats on the canal that they could hardly move. Comical. We opted for more walking through the various gardens and wound our way through the grounds to eventually exit near the Neptune Fountain. It was nearly 6 pm by then, so we walked back through the city to our hotel to make a plan for dinner.

We did it! Almost 10 miles. 24,000 steps. And so much left unseen. The estate covers 2,014 acres today, a bit down from the 37,000 acres during its height. There’s no way you could ever see it all in a day!

What must you eat in France? Crepes obviously! We headed to BleNoir Family Creperie for dinner. We both inhaled a savory and a sweet crepe before taking the long way back to our hotel since it would be our last stroll through Versailles. We waved goodbye to the Palace from outside the gates and went to pack.

The original plan was to take the train into Paris the next morning, but once again, strikes and construction foiled our plans. Unfortunately, the carriages were all booked, so we got an Uber instead. We’ll tell you all about Paris starting next week!

What do you think? Did we love it or hate it?

The post Versailles – The Glitz, Glam, and Surprisingly Peaceful Grandeur first appeared on The DeBode Way.

Let’s Have A History Lesson

During this height of excess in France (we’re talking right up to the First French Revolution), the Kings and courtiers of the realm built their summer homes, country homes, hunting lodges, and villas in the Loire Valley. This was an escape from the cities (mostly Paris) for a slower pace, hunting, and general visiting and lazing about. The Loire River itself was instrumental in the ease of movement of supplies and people both for the building of the chateaus and habitation.

But even farther back, during the 100 Years’ War between France and England, the French Kings had lost much of their realm and Paris to the English and lived in the valley ruling what was left of France. This was around the time the first stone medieval fortresses were constructed in the valley. Once the Kings were able to return to Paris to rule, their valley fortresses were transformed into lavish country escapes.

Many of these chateaux were ransacked during the French Revolution when the working class rose up and threw out the monarchy and ruling merchant classes. Today many of the chateaux have been restored and if they are still owned by an aristocratic family, they receive financial assistance for upkeep from the government as long as they open them to the public. And so, we have an overwhelming number of chateaux to choose from today when visiting the Loire Valley.

Some last fun facts – the Loire Valley was the dividing line between Nazi Germany and the Vichy Government of France during World War II AND it was as far north as the invading African Moors got before they were pushed back into Spain. So you won’t see much of the Moorish architectural influence past this valley and the Nazis didn’t destroy the chateaux in the war. This area’s historical influence is immense and it has largely been preserved. Ok, I’m taking off my history nerd hat now (Jason says: I didn’t know it came off!). Let’s talk travel!

Time to Choose a Chateau

It is absolutely overwhelming trying to choose a historic chateau to visit when you’re in the Loire Valley of France. Do you pick the biggest? Obviously. The smallest? The closest? A cluster of them? (Jason says: what do you call a cluster of chateaux?) Gah – decisions! In the end, we picked one of the closest that had something I love – gardens. Did we know anything else about this place? Not a thing.

We only had to drive about 20 minutes from our chateau hotel (another chateau!), Domaine de la Tortiniere, to the village of Villandry, which just happens to also be the name of the chateau there. This estate covers 15 hectares (about 37 acres), 7 of which are gardens. It is surrounded by cute shops, churches, stone buildings, and fields that make up the support that keeps the estate running.

More History

History hat back on (Jason says: ugh). The chateau itself was originally a Medieval Fortress. Its significance? Henry II of England signed the Peace of Colombiers here (Colombiers being the original name of the fortress), admitting his defeat in 1189 to the French King, Philippe Auguste. This was BEFORE the 100 Years’ War, so this fortress was already established when the French Kings were later forced out of Paris and into the Loire Valley. AKA – It’s OLD. (Jason says: pshaw, she’s still in her prime).

The fortress was razed to the ground in 1532 during the Renaissance and rebuilt on its foundations as a chateau. This is when the extensive gardens were added along with the façade that you see today. The entire estate continued to grow and change until the 18^th century. In the 19^th century, it had a number of owners, including Jerome Bonaparte, the younger brother of Napoleon. Does this make it an Imperial Chateau? Not sure.

All these owners gradually made the chateau more modern and “English” looking. In the 20^th century (1906 for those keeping track), husband and wife scientists from Spain and America purchased the chateau and began restoring it to its original Renaissance style. The gardens were redesigned, taking them back to 16th-century French style, which is what we see today. The current owner is their great-grandson.

So How Was the Chateau?

Whew, history hat off. So after all of that, we thought the chateau was interesting but not particularly overwhelming. My favorite part was going up the skinny medieval spiral staircase in the keep and out onto the roof where you could look out over the entire estate.

There were lots of bedrooms, but it didn’t seem like there were a ton of living spaces and social areas on the ground floor. That seemed odd to me. Maybe they just didn’t allow us to see more. We weren’t supposed to take photos, so I don’t really have much to show you. Bummer. I did snap some of the views from some of the bedrooms though! Not a bad thing to wake up to.

Once we had stuck our heads in all the available rooms, we headed for the garden. Unfortunately, we chose the hottest day of our trip to visit, so we spent most of the time in the gardens jumping between shady areas. The gardens are beautiful, peaceful, and extensive! I can’t believe how many types there are – ornamental gardens, a forest, greenhouses, a water garden, a sun garden, a maze, an herb garden, and an ornamental kitchen garden just to name a few! The grapes were ready to be picked and I marveled multiple times over the 1015 lime trees that all looked EXACTLY alike. Fantastic pruning job.

For me, the coolest part of these gardens (beyond the fact that they just look amazing) was that they are completely maintained by only 10 gardeners, and no chemicals are used. They dig and hoe everything by hand and I didn’t see a single weed. Amazing! Due to these practices, biodiversity has flourished and the gardens have been certified as a refuge by the League for the Protection of Birds (LPO).

Once we were thoroughly sweating from our lengthy walk in the gardens, we checked out the garden shop and the gift shop before heading back out the gates to grab a sandwich from the café outside for a late lunch. It was time to mull over the whole experience. In all, we were there maybe three hours.

How about you? How will you choose which chateau(x) to visit in the Loire Valley? The possibilities are endless! We could have spent an entire month here and barely made a dent jumping through all the chateaux. We can’t wait to hear what you choose!

The post Why are There so Many Chateaux in the Loire Valley? first appeared on The DeBode Way.

One of the reasons we like getting out of the city is it lets us find smaller, local companies that give us a completely different experience and perspective on things, even things we *thought* we already knew. Case in point: our new friends at the Château de Minière winery in the Loire Valley of France.

All Day and Nothing to Do

If you’ve been reading along about our most recent adventure throughout France, you’ll know one of the areas we visited was Tours, a few hours almost directly south of Paris in the Loire Valley (you can read about our incredible hotel in Tours here). We had a few days in Tours with not much planned and, as we were in France, it seemed appropriate to find a winery to visit and…do…winery things. Naturally, I picked up my phone and headed to Google for a quick search. Turns out we were close to a few wineries, and by ‘a few’ I mean a ton. Gosh, how to pick?

The Hidden Gem

As I scrolled through the results looking for something unique, I stumbled across Château de Minière. What initially seemed to be just another winery quickly became something super interesting and, eventually, a really neat wine experience.

In looking over their website (and TripAdvisor reviews, obviously), we learned the Château wasn’t far from where we were staying, only about a 30-minute drive through the rolling French countryside of the Loire Valley. There’s worse ways to spend a half hour, right? As the name of the vineyard suggests, the property boasts an impressive château that was built back in the 15^th century. What was once a family home on a fortified farm (yes, evidently that’s a thing when you take your wine as seriously as the French) is now available as an Air BnB. How cool is that? Seriously, go look at the pictures.

Buildings aside, we also learned the vineyard has been women-owned for the better part of two centuries, that the vineyard is certified organic, and it’s making impressive strides in the field of biodynamics. Not sure what that means? Yeah, me either, but was curious to learn more. Oh, and did I mention there was wine? Need we say more? Obviously, they had our interest, so off to the car we went.

A Neat Learning Experience

After arriving at the winery, we were a little concerned: there was only one other car in the parking lot. In fairness, it’s a very small operation, with an even smaller parking lot, so maybe it wasn’t fair to expect it to be full. It also might have been a little early for a wine tasting – stop judging, we were on vacation and about to have a learning experience. And remember: grapes are a fruit, just like strawberries, which are appropriate for breakfast, right? Right. In any case, bolstered by the confidence from our last wine experience in Champagne, we pulled in and headed for the main building.

Over the next few hours, we learned that it’s fairly uncommon for a winery to be totally women-owned. It’s also not common for wineries in this part of the world to be organic. What makes it complicated is that what one winery does impacts the wineries around it. So, one winery can go through the effort of using organic methods, but if their neighbor to the North is spraying pesticides all day… All that’s to say, being able to get their organic certification was a really big deal for them (and, of course, the environment).

We also learned about a process they call biodynamics. In a nutshell, this means letting nature do most of the hard work to grow their grapes. For example, they grow grass between the rows of vines, which is in stark contrast to the carefully-manicured lanes we saw at every other winery. They had also recently started keeping bees to ensure proper pollination of their grape vines. Our host also told us about the use of more traditional farming methods that encourage more wildlife and insects on the property. You know, letting nature do what it does best. Very neat.

This isn’t to suggest their method of farming is easy. Quite the opposite, in fact. They’re still at the mercy of the climate and environment. And, because they aren’t spraying pesticides, that does mean they lose some of their crop to disease and pests. However, the wine they produce is really good, and because it’s more environmentally friendly, we felt better about drinking it. Or maybe that was the effect of the wine… Either way, it was good all-around.

The Wine

That’s all fine and well, but what about the wine? We’re happy to say that all this time, expense, and work translates into some pretty amazing wines. Before our tour, we tasted somewhere around eight of the Château’s wines and all were very good. The whites were crisp and fruity, but not overly sweet. The reds were deep, juicy, and velvety. We even tasted a wine that had been aged 40 years (!) that was rich, smooth, and sweet. Very different from most of the wines we’ve tasted. Obviously we brought some home AND we figured out we can order a few of their wines online. Loire Valley to Missouri! #winning

Along the way our host did what hosts always do: explained what was in each wine, how long it had aged, what we should be tasting, and so on. But what was new for us was, after talking about each wine, she’d turn around and point – yes, literally point – to the group of vines that produced the grapes (most were the ubiquitous Cabernet-Franc varietal) that went into the wine we were drinking. So cool!  And all this for €15 per person, about $16 for our US friends.

Go Explore!

In the end, we had a great time learning new things, supporting a small local business, and, yes, drinking some tasty wines. So remember: the next time you go out for an adventure, see if you can find the unknown, or at least the lesser-known. Odds are you’ll be glad you did, you’ll help support a small business which is always a good choice, and you might even learn something new to share with your friends and family. Even if none of that happens, you still might get to enjoy a glass of wine with some new friends, which is still pretty cool.

The post An Exceptional Effort in the Loire Valley – Château de Minière first appeared on The DeBode Way.

It got a little wild once we got off the train. You may recall that our train was over an hour late, which meant by the time we arrived in Tours the car rental company was locked up tight. Crap. We were about to order an Uber and just deal with the car in the morning (read: tired and hungry) when Jason spotted a tiny note on the door. (Jason says: Yes, tiny. As in, almost the size of a Post-It note. Okay fine, maybe it was a bit bigger, but honestly: this must happen often enough for them to put up a sign, so why not make it a sign we can actually *bleeping* see?!) It said something along the lines of, “if it’s after hours, go to the Kyriad Hotel to pick up your keys.” What? Again! Yes! Also, our thanks to Google Translate. #lifesaver

Sure enough, our keys were waiting for us at the hotel across the square. They handed them off with no additional anything beyond an ID, we found the car, and were on our way! This picking up cars at a hotel is working out great for us. This time, with Hertz.

The drive to the hotel was only about 20 minutes out of town and into the countryside. We arrived at Domaine de la Terraine, our chateau home for the next four nights. Yes, that’s right: our chateau; it’s okay to be jealous. It was gorgeous! We declined help with our bags (does anyone else feel bad about having someone else try to move your ridiculously heavy bag?) and rolled along to our flat in the old carriage house (did I take a photo?…no…dummy). It was HUGE! The receptionist was strangely apologetic about not reserving us a room in the chateau, but this was golden. We had room to spread out, get organized, and for the only portion of our stay in France, not constantly bump into each other. It was heaven.

We wandered back to the chateau shortly after for our dinner reservation, which they told us we could fudge a little, so we had drinks on the terrace first. Gorgeous view. This became a nightly routine. Is this really our life?! However, this was the only night we dined in at the hotel restaurant. I can’t recall exactly what we ordered but it was probably salmon for me and beef for Jason (he also says he had fois gras). All I remember is the giant cart of cheese they were rolling around for dessert (Jason says: yassssssssssssssss!). My cheese-loving husband was delighted for a chance to try all kinds of French cheeses while his dairy-allergic wife went for the fruit dessert. It was going on midnight by the time we finished and strolled back to our room for the night.

The next morning, we were up early for breakfast. (Jason clarifies: “early”) You had to be done eating by 9:45 here, which…is early for me, especially on vacation. We wandered back down to the restaurant (weren’t we just here a couple hours ago? [Jasons says: yassssssssssssssssssss]) and were pleasantly surprised by the amount of bread, fruit, and proteins to choose from. I may have had lemon bread, salmon, and a giant bowl of raspberries and strawberries every morning. Both coffee and tea flowed aplenty, and we were ready for the day once Jason had his fill of bread and cold cuts (#wheninEurope).

Our first full day in the area we decided to venture just 20 minutes away to the village of Villandry to tour the chateau and gardens there. It was quite busy, and hot for the first time on this trip! We immediately went for the chateau tour when we got there, hoping it would be a bit cooler.

The Loire Valley is known for the outrageous number of country chateaus that were once summer homes to Kings and courtiers. The chateaus are enormous (Jason wonders: it’s almost as if they were compensating for something…), the gardens are breathtaking, and the restoration and upkeep budgets must be in the billions every year. You could spend months here and never see them all.

We chose one of the closest chateaus to our little chateau hotel because of its extensive gardens. Chateau Villandry’s restored Renaissance chateau was a marvel, but the gardens. Wow! The entire estate is surrounded by perfectly manicured gardens that are maintained by the digging and hoeing of ONLY 10 gardeners. No chemicals are used, and biodiversity is flourishing, which means they’ve introduced different bugs for pest control, let them do what they need to do, and the gardens are home to over 100 different species of birds enjoying those bugs as well. It’s amazing. Everything is watered by an underground system and looks so effortless. I was blown away. We try hard to implement this at home, but I can tell you by the time the end of August rolls around every year, the bugs are huge, it’s been too hot for too long, and I’m over it. At this point, we call the garden done and wait until the first freeze kills off the bugs before we clean it up for the following year. So hats off to these guys – it’s hard work!

After a quick run through the gift shop, we decided to get sandwiches at the café, stop at the grocery store for a few things on the way back, and then bring it all back to the hotel for a champagne lunch on the lawn (one of our bottles of Champagne Gardet didn’t make it home). Pretty perfect. Hey, it’s a rough life sometimes, but someone has to do stuff like this, right?

After lunch, we decided on a short hike through the hotel’s wooded grounds. We had heard a tale of a boat you could take out on the river, so we went in search of it, but came up empty-handed, only to see it from the terrace later that evening. We never did get a chance to take it out on the water, but I’m sure it would have been lovely.

Since we hadn’t booked another night at the restaurant, we decided on bar snacks for dinner, which turned out to be huge! We ordered a quiche and a salad to be delivered to our room later and were very surprised by the size. It was not snack-sized and more than we needed at that moment, but easily plenty for dinner as an alternative to the restaurant, especially when everything always comes with a basket of fresh baked bread. Yum.

Our much earlier, low-key dinner allowed us time to get some laundry done that evening. We had a huge towel-warming rack in our bathroom plus two other areas to hang things, so we decided to take advantage of it and wash some of our larger items. Since we had both packed checked bags on this trip, there was really no reason we needed to do laundry, but we were so used to washing and re-wearing on previous trips that we did it this time too and ended up not wearing half of what we packed! Lesson learned! I feel like we talked about this somewhere else, long ago. Apparently it’s not sinking in.

The next morning after breakfast we decided it was time to check out a winery in the Loire Valley. Jason had found a small, local, organic winery the previous evening, so we set out to find it. After a 40-minute drive through the beautiful countryside, we pulled into Chateau Minière. It is a gorgeous old 15th-century estate completely surrounded by vines anywhere from 3 to 100 years old! This former fortified farm has been managed by women since the 18^th century. It is currently owned by Kathleen Van den Berghe, who has decided to live off-site and rents the beautiful chateau and its apartments for guests! What a dream!

The vineyards have been completely organic since 2010 but are currently in the process of transitioning to biodynamic (zero chemicals). The introduction of bees and natural flora and fauna in the chateau’s parkland has earned the League for the Protection of Birds refuge status. It is difficult to create biodiversity in a mono-crop environment, and I can see many efforts being put forth to achieve it.

But enough of that, how was the wine? I honestly can’t remember how many wines we tasted (Jason says: 9), but I can tell you that each one was a unique ride. They were all very different! We grabbed three to bring home: a red that I think will be wonderful with venison (must smuggle this one to Scotland), a white that will be great with seafood, and a bubbly that I can’t wait to break out with some dark chocolate or tart berries.

After our outdoor wine tasting under the trees, we got a private tour of the vineyards and grounds after our wine tasting where we asked all sorts of nerdy farm questions. I always try to stump our tour guides, but she was very good. The gal we toured with had only been there since July, but she knew her wine!

Afterward, we headed back to the hotel for another lunch on the lawn after a quick stop at the health food store. I like this routine. There wasn’t really a plan for the rest of the day, so it included a nap, another walk, and an aperitif on the terrace. We skipped dinner in favor of an early night. Neither of us had been sleeping well, so we decided to try our jetlag remedy – Sleepsana – so we needed a full 8 hours.

On our last day, we had a quick breakfast and then sat on the terrace for quite a while drinking tea and coffee. There wasn’t a plan for this day. After a week on the road, we needed to get a little work done, and we thought maybe we would try out the hotel’s pool later. But then it decided to rain and there were a LOT of kids around, so it was rather noisy. It was Friday, so many French families had escaped to the countryside for the weekend.

Somewhere in the middle of our caffeine (which we had moved to the table outside our room), I got a notification saying our train for the next day was eliminated, then rerouted (we needed to go to another station to get on), and then our second leg was canceled altogether thanks to the strikes going on. The SNCF website was very unhelpful as far as trying to figure out how to reschedule all of this, so we decided to skip the train, get a reimbursement, and keep the car an extra day. Our confirmation number for Hertz wasn’t working to extend our rental (ugh), so we ended up venturing into town to see what could be done.

In the end, Hertz was happy to extend our rental, but we had to trade cars. As it turns out, at least in France, the rental locations usually have two different types of cars: some the location owns (like the hybrid Renault SUV we’d rented) and others the rental company owns (like the DS crossover they traded us). Naturally, they wanted to keep the cars they own close to home, and so needed to swap cars with us – so we had a company-owned car – for our trip up to Versailles in the morning.

Our final night at the chateau looked very similar to the rest. We were rained out on the terrace, so we had our aperitifs inside the beautiful chateau and ordered snacks for dinner again, eating in our room when the rain continued and we couldn’t sit at our table outside the room. We went to bed not having packed a thing because our timetable was suddenly much looser the following day since we were driving ourselves to Versailles. One more yummy breakfast in the morning, a small walk in the woods, and then we finally admitted we needed to pack, check out, and be on our way.

We truly enjoyed the slow pace of Domaine de la Tortiniere and Loisium Champagne (which we told you about a couple of weeks ago). When traveling, we highly recommend getting outside of the cities. It’s easier to meet locals, it’s beautiful, peaceful, and there’s just so much to see! Our trip is about to kick up the pace a couple of notches: we’re leaving the peaceful countryside and heading into the city. We’ll tell you about Versailles in three weeks, and finally, Paris after that. Stay tuned!

The post Living the Exclusive Chateau Life at Domaine de la Tortiniere first appeared on The DeBode Way.

You prop yourself up and have the following conversation with whoever you’re there with:

• You: So, what should we do tomorrow? I think I’ve been at the spa too much and need to do something.
• Them: Well, we are in Champagne, France, so maybe…go taste some champagne?
• You: Sounds great. Where should we go?
• Them: Dunno, let’s look around and see what comes up.

The Research

So off you go, Googling and checking TripAdvisor for recommendations. You visit the hotel’s front desk and get some suggestions to head into town and visit the most famous of the champagne houses (yes, that’s what they’re called) like Moet (maker of Dom Perignon) and others. Seems right, so you start to build the following day’s schedule around that. But first, let’s check Instagram just to be sure we’re not missing anything #fomo. And much to your surprise, someone from a champagne house you’ve never heard of has sent you a message inviting you to their house for a unique champagne experience.

Most folks might be leery of such offers, and not without good reason, as it does check a few of the ‘be cautious’ boxes your parents warned you about when you were younger:

i) someone we don’t know,
ii) contacted us on social media,
iii) invited us to a place we’d never heard of, and
iv) our hotel front desk had similarly never heard of them and it’s 20 minutes from their front door.

Yeah, we’ve seen those movies, too, and had some pause. Still, our curiosity got the better of us and we did a little more looking around and everything seemed legit: they had amazing reviews on both Google and TripAdvisor, and many of those reviews said they’d been contacted the same way we had. That made us feel better: either someone went through an awful lot of work to lure us in, or it was legit and could be a good time. Never afraid of an adventure, we decided to take our chances and go the route unknown – always in support of smaller, local businesses!

The Adventure

The next day after breakfast we headed out, but not before asking the front desk, again, if they’d heard of the place. Still no. Okay, well, we’re going to give it a try. In our minds, this was our way of telling people where we were going, just in case. Whether they picked up on that is a different matter. Just, let’s not tell our mothers, mmk?

About 20 minutes after leaving our oasis of a hotel, we arrived at our destination: Champagne Gardet in the village of Chigny-Les-Roses (between Epernay and Reims). If you’ve never heard of this champagne house, do yourself a favor and take a look. And if you ever find yourself in the Champagne region of France, we’d definitely recommend stopping in for a visit, oh and a tasting, obviously.

Francois!

Immediately upon arriving at the house, we were greeted by the very same Francois who’d reached out on Instagram. He took us to a table on the back patio of the house, gave us a sheet of paper that explained their different champagnes, and said he’d be right back to get us started.

These Aren’t the Same

For people who aren’t really champagne lovers, believe us, you’re in good company, or at least you were. However, this was such a cool experience! Francois first asked whether we liked champagne, and when I said no, he asked why. It’s usually too sweet for my liking, I said. He asked what champagnes I’d tried, and, with no small amount of hesitation, my only reply was Andre. I was a little surprised he wasn’t familiar with the mainstay champagne – sorry, sparkling wine – of many a US-hosted event, so he looked it up. That was unfortunate. His reaction is hard to put into words, but it was somewhere between shock, disgust, and irritation. That’s not champagne! He exclaimed. Okay, fair enough; show me what is. What ensued was one of the most impressive wine tastings we’ve ever experienced. We hesitate to call it a ‘tasting’ because most of the champagnes were full pours. Also, there were eight of them. Also, no food. Yeaaaa. #donttellmyparents

I should say that despite the sheer volume of fizz we consumed that morning, it was all amazing. I don’t know if it was the setting, the explanations from Francois, the wine itself, or a combination of all three, but he was right: this wasn’t anything like what I’d had before. Most were drier than I was expecting, even the rosé was pretty good, and if you know me you know I do not like rosés.

Interesting Information

One of the things we really appreciated about Francois was that he really knew his product. He thoroughly explained each champagne we tasted: what grape varietals were in it and in what quantities. He’d even explain how they got the juice from the grapes (evidently not all juicing methods are the same…who knew?), whether they left the skins on, and what kind of barrel the wine was aged in. He’d tell us what to expect with each wine and, sure enough, that’s what we got. Such a cool experience!

What Francois also explained was that his champagne house sells their wine under its label and brand (in the US too!). Obviously. What wasn’t quite so obvious, at least to us, was that he also sells his grapes, their juice, and even his finished product to some of the larger, more famous champagne houses. They blend it with grapes/juice from other vineyards and put their label on it, selling it for a higher price point because they have more brand recognition. Interesting, right? So, the next time you’re drinking that fancy, expensive champagne, just know it might have come from a much smaller operation you’ve never heard of.

Cool Business Practices

Some major highlights for Tasha were the company’s commitment to the environment and the melding of traditional and modern practices. They’ve been a family business since its start in 1895 and maintained all that time, so they must be doing something right! You can read about some of that here to get into the nitty-gritty. Another high point is their wine also contains very low amounts of sulfites (preservatives), the things that lead to that headache you typically get the next morning after a night of too much wine. Thank goodness because…

So, after a few hours, eight – yes, eight – glasses of champagne (stop judging) we said our goodbyes to Francois and the Gardet house of champagne. Obviously, we bought some of their product to take home with us. Sadly, not all of it made it back across the Atlantic, as we had a champagne picnic the following day at our hotel. #fancy
Oh well, when in France…

Merci

A huge shoutout to Francois for reaching out to us in the first place and for encouraging your guests to leave reviews. Without those reviews, we’d have likely wound up someplace else, spending far more money for a less impressive experience, though still drinking his champagne most likely. And for our friends reading this post, make sure you see the major sites when you’re out exploring, but don’t forget to look into the smaller, more local businesses, too. In our experience, they usually have better experiences, lower prices, and top-notch service.

Just, you know…make sure you do your homework before setting out on your adventure.

The post Champagne Gardet – An Enchanting Time in Champagne Country first appeared on The DeBode Way.

Let’s Get This Party Started

I flew out of Springfield at the beginning of August to meet Jason at the airport in Paris. In all our travels, we have yet to spend time in France, AND United had a great deal on reward flights to Paris this spring, so we abandoned our plans for the Alps (for this year) and booked flights to France.

My flight to Paris was FAR less eventful than Jason’s trip to Madrid (you can read about that here and here) since I only had one layover in Chicago. That layover was scheduled to be only an hour long and then we were delayed leaving Springfield! Eek! I got off the plane in Chicago with 13 minutes until boarding and basically walked right onto the plane to Paris. Whew! Made it! So did my bag, no idea how!

My flight from Chicago ended up being delayed as well for an hour once we were on the plane and about to take off (nothing like a “do not fly” maintenance light coming on when you’re sitting on the runway). So instead of waiting 5 hours in Paris for Jason, I was down to only 4. Works for me. Thankfully the rest of the flight was uneventful. I sat next to two gal pals headed to Paris for a month before they started their first after-college jobs (ahh youth). They sure had a lot of questions about travel and I was happy to help them out. Yay, I know things!

Once I was through border control and found my bag in Paris, I had used up about another hour. With only 3 hours left until Jason’s arrival, I spent the rest of my time writing, catching up on messages, making sure our new farm help was okay, and making sure all the transportation links in our trip were still going to work. Jason finally found me in Terminal One after flying into Terminal Two on Air France from Madrid in the early afternoon (in business class! More on that later). Then we were off to the train station for the first leg of our trip.

And We’re Off!

We grabbed the high-speed train at the airport TGV 2 station (booked ahead) and headed into the countryside immediately, in first class. Swanky. We got off at the Champagne-Ardennes TGV station just outside of Reims, which feels a bit like the middle of nowhere and has the longest ramp from the platforms up to the station that I’ve ever experienced. I was huffing and puffing by the time we made it to the top with our bags.

For the record, we packed WAY too much. Both of us. We’re so used to operating out of just a carry-on that we were both ridiculously overpacked. I swear I’m never checking a bag again. I bring too much stuff because I have space. And why did I even check one? Honestly, I have no idea. Although it did come in handy later on…

Luckily, we had planned ahead and had rented a car with Sixt, so we went off to find that. Turns out, there are ZERO signs for Sixt or any other rental car company at the train station. Thanks to my over-preparedness and Google Mapping everything before our trip, I had a pretty good idea where they were located, so we set off on an adventure to find them.

Come to find out (thank you Google reviews), the pickup location for Sixt is IN the B&B Hotel across the street from the train station. There are NO signs for Sixt anywhere outside or in that building, so just go to the front desk for the hotel and ask for your car and they’ll hand you your keys. You must book ahead at this location and pay online. While it was a bit frustrating that there were no signs, I have to say that picking up a car at a hotel is super convenient. Since the front desk is always open, technically, you can pick up your car no matter what time your train gets in. Plus, they just handed us the keys and made us sign a form – no back and forth about adding on unnecessary insurance (our reservation credit card has its own coverage) and other things we don’t need.

Don’t Trust the GPS

Once we had the car, we had no idea the adventure we were about to embark on to finish our journey to the hotel. We plugged in the hotel address into the GPS – it seemed the correct general area – so we headed down the road, blindly trusting the GPS and chatting about our flights. This meant we ended up in the middle of a vineyard (gorgeous) on rock roads with huge ruts in a car clearly not meant for off-roading. Should have paid extra for the SUV upgrade. *shrug* Whoopsie.

Two cautions if you ever head for this hotel.

1. Look at the GPS route before you leave, not just the destination.

2. Do NOT go through the tunnel in Mutigny, it heads straight for the vineyards and their rocky, rutted access roads. Instead, drive through the town and stay on the paved roads.

Shockingly, we didn’t blow any fancy high-performance tires on our Audi. We got high-centered once (oops) and had to back down the insanely steep hill to completely reroute ourselves to get back on the paved road. By this point, I was delirious from a lack of sleep and this entire situation was hilarious (upon reflection). I suggested just pushing our little car up the hill a few times since we seemed so hopelessly lost in the vineyard maze and we could SEE the hotel but not get to it. Jason was less amused but stayed fairly positive. I did actually get out of the car at one point to move some big rocks. Hahaha! We eventually found the way back to the paved roads and lo and behold – a paved road went right to the hotel! In our defense, we’re pretty sure we passed another car – in the vineyard – that had done the same thing, so it wasn’t just us!

Once we finally got to the hotel, we may or may not have sat on the patio giggling at the other travelers trying to drive through the vineyards. However, many of them made it up the insanely steep and rocky hill and actually got to the hotel that way! We didn’t thanks to the car’s low profile. What’s even more funny is, typically, we rent with Hertz and get an SUV upgrade from them since we have President’s Circle status. However, we have yet to run into a time we actually needed the SUV (even in Scotland), but this time…of course that’s not what we booked and we could have actually used it! Figures.

We Found It!

We finally found our hotel – Loisium Wine & Spa Hotel at the top of a hill, completely surrounded by champagne vineyards. My Iowa farm girl self couldn’t help but think the rolling hills of vines looked an awful lot like the rolling hills of corn where I am from. It felt very much like Iowa, which is probably why we settled in so quickly.

We booked a Prestige Double Room that gave us a view of the vineyards, but no private balcony. While the room was comfortable, it was very dark and a bit cramped. We had trouble finding a place to open our bags to organize the plethora of unnecessary things we packed. The entire color scheme of the hotel was in tans, black, grays, and natural light. While this gave a sense of calm, it wasn’t super practical for seeing what you packed in the depths of your bag.

Let’s Get Some Grub!

Once we found and steamed some clothes that weren’t dowsed in airport grime, we headed to the hotel’s restaurant for dinner, as we had reservations on the first and last nights of our stay. Anywhere we could on this trip, I booked into the hotel’s restaurant on our first night after a busy day of travel because I knew we would be tired from navigating an unfamiliar world. Of course, this meant we spent more money than we typically would for a meal for convenience, but the goal of this trip was to relax, so we tried to make things easy. And the food was fantastic!

We ate from the bar menu the other two nights we stayed here. This was about half the price of eating in the restaurant for us, but still more than we would have liked to spend. I will say this though, we never had a bad meal. The food was phenomenal for ALL our meals and we always walked away full.

Each morning there was a HUGE breakfast buffet with everything you can imagine for options. I had no problem staying dairy-free and I even saw a few gluten-free options (but I can eat wheat bread in Europe, so didn’t have to worry about this). Plus there were plenty of vegetarian and even vegan options – I think almost anyone could eat here since it seemed like they were accommodating many different diets.

Finding a Routine

On day two we decided to go for a walk in the vineyards after breakfast before checking out the spa. The year-old hotel is literally surrounded by vineyards as far as you can see, and the farmers don’t mind you strolling through the vines if only you look and don’t touch. This became part of our morning routine and we managed to get some really cool drone footage flying over the vines. Watch for it on Instagram and YouTube.

The next item on our daily agenda involved early afternoon champagne (obviously since we’re in Champagne) and snacks from the hotel bar after our walk. They had amazing snack options, and we became huge fans of the white sausage and fries. After our snack, we would wander back to our room, change into our swimsuits and robes, and head to the spa. Included in our stay was access to the hotel’s THREE saunas and pool. I felt so fancy.

Each sauna in the spa operates at a different temperature and humidity. The humidity and aromatherapy of the Hammam sauna were a particular favorite since Jason was fighting off a bug he caught in Spain (we truly have the worst luck staying healthy in Spain) and it helped to clear his lungs and suppress his cough. It’s funny that we spent so much time in the Hammam because the heat and humidity were exactly what we were trying to escape from in Missouri!

We spent less time in the dry saunas but still utilized them. One operated at 75-100 degrees C – that’s 182-232 degrees F! It felt a bit like we were slow-roasting. I think we only used that once. Otherwise, we spent some time in the sauna operating at 45-75 degrees C (122-182 degrees F). I loved the whole sauna experience and felt so revived after each session. I’m thinking I need a sauna in my life. *adds to Christmas list*

We didn’t get in the hotel’s pool until the very last day. It was actually quite cool, cloudy, and rainy our entire stay, and the pool itself was not heated, so it was pretty shocking to get in the water. The sun finally came out on our last day, so we decided to brave the water and it was really refreshing. Once we were in the water, we didn’t mind the cold and got a fair number of laps in before getting out for a little sunbaking before we went back inside for spa snacks and a nap. Yes, this was really our lives.

Oh yes, there were spa naps every day on their comfy little plush beds overlooking the vineyards. It was pretty lush and heavenly and not our typical style. So nice.

You Know Those Things They Tell You Not to Do…

On our last full day in Champagne, we took a bit of a risk and took off to find a champagne house we had been invited to visit via Instagram. Typically, I just ignore any spammy-looking communication we get there, but this message caught my eye because the owner invited us via a comment on a post that wasn’t about France. He had seen a story I had posted about the vineyards in Champagne and did a little work to comment on a different post on our page, so I looked him up!

His champagne and the tasting tour had glowing reviews, many of them also mentioning being contacted via Instagram. Okay, maybe we won’t get kidnapped. Let’s go check this out! We ended up having the best time, learned a ton, and it landed in the top three things we did on this trip. We’ll tell you more about Champagne Gardet and the charming little village of Chigny-les-Roses next week. It was that good. Thanks, Francois!

Time to Pack it Up

After four nights, tons of food, walks, and spa time, it was time for us to check out, return the car, and get back on the train for our journey to Tours for the second leg of our trip.

We had a few hours between checkout and when our train left, so we decided to drive into Epernay to visit Rue du Champagne and the big, fancy, well-known champagne houses. Unfortunately, many of them were closed due to most of France being on holiday in August. Only Moet & Chandon (home of Dom Perignon) was open for tours and shopping. We ducked into the shop but didn’t go on the tour since we didn’t have much time. Um no…we didn’t buy any. The price was a bit steep.

We wandered up and down the Av de Champagne in Epernay admiring the buildings before finally heading back to our car after about an hour.

We headed back towards the train station but stopped to grab a sandwich on the way. It seemed the French thing to do. We ate our sandwiches quickly before dropping our keys off at the hotel’s front desk and dragging our bags back up the hill to the train station. Yes, dragging; at this point, one of the wheels on Jason’s suitcase was nearly falling off which made things…challenging.

Our train was over an hour late, which put us in a bit of a panic about making it to Tours in time to pick up our next car there and get to the next hotel before our dinner reservation. Despite this, that leg ended up being our favorite. Yes, even better than spa life. I can’t wait to tell you about it in a couple of weeks!

The post Unforgettable Luxury and Relaxation at Loisium Wine & Spa Hotel first appeared on The DeBode Way.