A New Adventure Calls to Us- a Disneyland Paris TR extravaganza! COMPLETED 3/15

[pkondz]

“English??”- Paris Day 1

Curious to see how your experience with that was...

If you don’t know much about France,

I think it's on the other side of the ocean. Could be wrong.

Most of the French (particularly Parisians) take either the entire month of July or August off.

I did not know this! Huh!

if you happen to visit in August you’ll hear more English than French being spoken.

Interesting... I didn't experience that, but... I wasn't really listening to others, anyways.

Beautiful.

[Do you see them??]

only the Eiffel tower, I'm afraid.

Back story: I knew more than a year in advance that we were going to France so I started learning French by using Duolingo and listening to some podcasts. I spent almost exactly a year trying to learn enough of the language and I was really excited to not have to rely completely on people knowing English. And there were several cases where we encountered people who did not know English and my French was enough to get us through.

Impressive! Good for you!

[Our cute hotel]

With balconies, too. Just like the name says.

We walked into the lobby and approached the front desk and it all left my brain in one sudden whoosh. I swear you could actually hear it go.

Oh my. I did the same thing in Venice. I practiced all the way there "I would like four vaporetto tickets, please."
Yup. Whoosh.

I opened my mouth with every intention of saying, “Bonjour madame, nous avons une reservation.” But what came out was…

“ENGLISH??”

[Right outside the hotel]

Nice view!

So what did we do on our first day in Paris? A heck of a lot of walking, that’s what.

Did much the same.

[The ad pillar looks just like the one in Epcot!]

I think you mean... the pillar in Epcot looks just like this one.

The Pantheon

I didn't go in, but knew who was interred there.

Notre Dame

So sad... I'm glad I got to see it before the fire.

Great shot of you!

If you read my TR then you know that I cried watching it burn back in April

I didn't... but I do remember exclaiming (about the bell tower), "Oh no. It's burning... it's going to fall..." and then it did.

We had to decide whether to eat at Esmeralda or Quasimodo and eventually went with Quasimodo.

I had a hunch you would.

What better first meal in Paris than a baguette next to Notre Dame??

That's what we did! Well... croque monsieurs but on a baguette.

Sainte-Chapelle

Gorgeous church. I liked the interior of it more than Notre Damme.

Pictures don’t do this justice, guys.

No. And not your fault. It's... stunning in person.

Fat Bike Tour of Paris

We used the same company (except we did segways.)

[Could this bike's name BE any cooler?]

The segways were named as well.

La Louvre (hmm we came back here, too…I’m sensing a trend)

I love Anastasia and even wrote a research paper on the real Anastasia Romanov in junior high for a history competition

How did you react when she was finally found?

She said she was born in South Africa, but moved to France as a young child and attended the international school which had a lot of Americans, Canadians, and Brits. So yeah, quite the cocktail.

Whoa!

The gardens are filled with statues of all of the queens of France.

I'm surprised they weren't destroyed in the revolution.

By this point I had recovered my knowledge of the French language and put it to the real test, since our server did not know (or refused to speak) English.

How did you do?

 

[dolewhipdreams]

What a packed fun-filled first day in Paris! It is my dream to visit one day - my son and bride visited France and Italy on their honeymoon and their pictures of the cathedrals and museums were amazing just like yours. To see the beauty that Paris offers in person must be such a thrill Can't wait to read more!

There really is something so special about seeing it in person!

 

[dolewhipdreams]

Could be wrong.

You are not wrong.

only the Eiffel tower, I'm afraid.

Yeah I realized that Sacre Coeur got cropped out. Oops.

Yup. Whoosh.

Glad I'm not the only one!

So sad... I'm glad I got to see it before the fire.

So lucky!

I had a hunch you would.

croque monsieurs but on a baguette.

Mmmm croque monsiers

How did you react when she was finally found?

How did you do?

Tres bien, merci!

 

[dolewhipdreams]

Angel of music, hide no longer- Paris Day 2

Day 2 in Paris dawned bright and beautiful, as most of our days in France would. Our itinerary was pretty simple: visit the Palais Garnier, do some shopping, visit the Eiffel Tower.

​

First stop: The Palais Garnier! This beautiful structure was built in the mid-1800s (by one of the Napoleons) to be the home of the Paris Opera. In the late 1980s a new opera house was built and now the Palais Garnier is used mostly for ballet, although they do still perform a few operas throughout the year.

​

Not only is the building absolutely stunning (it is lavishly decorated and my jaw actually dropped multiple times during the tour), but it’s also the setting and inspiration for the story of The Phantom of the Opera. As a huge Phantom fan, this was on my must-visit list.

And let me tell ya, the Palais Garnier did not disappoint.

​

We took a guided tour in English (book in advance- the English ones can fill up) and we got to see the majority of the building. The only thing we couldn’t access was the auditorium, because they were conducting rehearsal for their upcoming opera. However, our guide let us know that we could get our tickets stamped and then come back on another day to see the auditorium, free of charge. We didn’t end up having time to come back but it was good to know that we could!

​

Of course we made a stop at the Phantom’s box.

​

The building was housing a temporary art exhibit to celebrate a major anniversary of the Paris Opera. Some of it was cool, like the colored lights in lobby and beneath the staircases. Some of it was not cool, like the massive golden tires on the grand staircase.

​

One other thing that I thought was super cool (but then again I’m a history and music nerd so maybe I’m alone in this) was that they have a library with almost every libretto of every opera since the 1600s. How cool is that??

After our tour it was time for a little lunch and a lot of shopping. Luckily we could do those both in the same place- at the Galeries Lafayette (which is right next door to the Palais Garnier). But before we did either one of those things we had to make a couple of pit stops.

The first was a glass walkway that extends out into the open area below the dome. There was a little bit of a line but it was so cool!

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After that we went straight up to the roof to catch some amazing views of Paris.

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Pro tip: If you want a stellar view of the city skyline, I highly recommend popping up to the roof of Galeries Lafayette. It’s completely free and also completely breathtaking.

We grabbed a quick lunch from the cafeteria at the top (they have multiple restaurants, some of them really nice, but we just wanted something fast). And to my surprise they even had a bottle of this:

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I was worried about the lack of Coke Zero in France but it was absolutely everywhere!

The shop is set up where each floor is kind of its own department. The top floor was home goods and novelty-type things, the next floor down was kids stuff, including a Disney store, then there were a few floors of women’s clothing, a floor of men’s clothing, the ground level was makeup and accessories, and the basement was shoes! There was also a level of luxury designer stuff. $12,000 dress and the like.

It’s absolutely massive so Jon and I created a plan of attack where we would go one level at a time. Jon would sit in a designated area while I shopped, then I would come collect him and we would move down to the next (God bless my husband and his unending patience).

The Disney Store was fun and had pretty much the same stuff as Disney Stores in the US, except they were playing Disney music in French which was super cool.

​

There’s a lot of high end and luxury brands but there was also some more affordable stuff and I made it out of there with a few things (one of which is a beret that I have yet to wear).

We went back to our hotel to change and make a pit stop for some groceries at Monoprix.

Monoprix is a Paris staple and I highly recommend a visit, if only to see what they’re like. It’s not too different than a corner grocery store you might see in a big city in the states but there were a couple of differences. The first is that you have to weigh your own produce before you bring it to check out. The second is they don’t give you a bag unless you ask for one, and then you have to pay for it.

[Check out these amazing Pringles flavors]​

After that little excursion we went to our final activity of the day- the Eiffel Tower! We took the bus to get there but didn’t realize that the entire Eiffel Tower is fenced in. It only had one entrance point and our bus stop was on the opposite side, so it took a while to walk to the correct side. Then once we got there the security line was horribly slow (my notes say “slower than Disney,” which is saying something).

​

I had pre-booked our tickets to be able to catch sunset. The upside of pre-booking is that you are guaranteed to get in and you can skip the ticket lines (which can be as long as an hour and a half during peak times), but the downside is if it’s not a clear day then you’re stuck with a lousy view.

Lucky for us, it was a beautiful day!

We got through a little after our official ticket time but luckily they didn’t seem too strict about that. We took an elevator to the second floor and took our time walking around.

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Side story: I was chilling and taking photos and overheard a girl who was on the phone telling a story about a friend who was killed in a drug deal gone wrong. Who talks about that kind of stuff in public??

We took our time on the 2nd floor then went all the way up to the summit. I think we were only up there for about 15 minutes. It’s really crowded and super windy, plus the view isn’t that much better compared to the second floor.

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Once we got back down we staked out a spot and waited for the sun to set and enjoyed the view. As it was setting we did a loop around the 2nd floor to see different views. It was so amazing.

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We made it back to the ground right before they started their first light show so we stopped on the way out to watch it sparkle!

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All in all, I definitely recommend trying to book sunset times for the Eiffel Tower. Get there early enough to see the city in full light and plan to spend at least an hour and a half to take it all in and watch the sunset. There’s something so magical about watching the city come alive for the night.

We ended the night with a lovely dinner in a restaurant a few blocks away and went back to the hotel for an early bedtime since we had an early wake-up call set for the next morning.

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Following along! Sounds like an amazing trip.

 

[dolewhipdreams]

Following along! Sounds like an amazing trip.

Yay thanks for following! It was truly incredible and I'm so excited to relive it here

 

[HomeSweetDisney]

Oh man, what an amazing day!
Paris is definitely on my bucket list. I think we are going to try to do Germany in 2 years b/c we want to go at Christmas. Germany at Christmas is my #1 travel bucket list item, followed by Paris and then Ireland. I hope to check all 3 off in the next 5-6 years!

I keep hearing from (killjoy) people that Paris is "overrated." But I've never been to Europe and the people who say that are people who have traveled a LOT. And it annoys me to hear that b/c I don't care how overrated it supposedly is, I still want to go to Paris. I love history and food and for those 2 reasons alone, Paris is in my top 3 places I want to visit. So those people can go kick rocks.

Anyway, totally got sidetracked there

Love the pictures & definitely will have to plan to be at the Eiffel tower for sunset. It looks AMAZING. I can't wait to read more about your trip!

 

[dolewhipdreams]

I keep hearing from (killjoy) people that Paris is "overrated."

Those people are WRONG.

Honestly, I heard some of the same. My mom especially did not like Paris, but she was only there for two days as a stopover before heading on to Germany. She also doesn't like big cities and only did the most tourist-y things, so it makes sense. I think if you're smart and you stick to things that you really want to do (rather than just ticking things off a list because you feel like you 'have' to) and you set realistic expectations, then you'll have an amazing time.

And some places just aren't for some people. That doesn't mean you shouldn't visit!

So those people can go kick rocks.

YEP

Love the pictures & definitely will have to plan to be at the Eiffel tower for sunset. It looks AMAZING

It's fantastic! I recommend getting a ticket for about an hour before expected sunset so that in case there are issues with long lines or something you will still catch it!

 

[pkondz]

You are not wrong.

I am seldom wrong.

Except for those times when I am.
Which is often.

Yeah I realized that Sacre Coeur got cropped out. Oops.

Have any idea how long I spent looking for it???

Mmmm croque monsiers

Tres bien, merci!

Bravo!

visit the Palais Garnier

Oh, man... I loved visiting there!

Not only is the building absolutely stunning

(it is lavishly decorated and my jaw actually dropped multiple times during the tour)

As did mine.

but it’s also the setting and inspiration for the story of The Phantom of the Opera. As a huge Phantom fan, this was on my must-visit list.

The first time I read Phantom of the Opera, I was probably about 10. Read it several times.

And let me tell ya, the Palais Garnier did not disappoint.

I am so not surprised you said that.

The only thing we couldn’t access was the auditorium, because they were conducting rehearsal for their upcoming opera.

Oh! That's too bad.
I took these when we went:

And the ceiling with that chandelier. All 7 tons of it.

And in the museum part of the Palais is a copy of the original ceiling painting. (Which I prefer.)

Of course we made a stop at the Phantom’s box.

Oh, cool!!! I didn't know they had that.
We didn't have a tour, just free to roam at will.

they have a library with almost every libretto of every opera since the 1600s. How cool is that??

That is very cool.

the Galeries Lafayette

I liked it there. So unique!

The first was a glass walkway that extends out into the open area below the dome.

I don't think this was there when we were there.

After that we went straight up to the roof to catch some amazing views of Paris.

We did too. Great views!

And to my surprise they even had a bottle of this:

Coke... it's everywhere.

It’s absolutely massive so Jon and I created a plan of attack where we would go one level at a time. Jon would sit in a designated area while I shopped, then I would come collect him and we would move down to the next (God bless my husband and his unending patience).

Good of him.

Monoprix is a Paris staple and I highly recommend a visit, if only to see what they’re like

Didn't know this. Didn't see one... or at least it didn't register.

[Check out these amazing Pringles flavors]

Huh! Interesting. Wonder what they taste like.

We took the bus to get there but didn’t realize that the entire Eiffel Tower is fenced in.

They were just putting that up when we visited.

Then once we got there the security line was horribly slow (my notes say “slower than Disney,” which is saying something).

Oh, Lord. I remember that.

Side story: I was chilling and taking photos and overheard a girl who was on the phone telling a story about a friend who was killed in a drug deal gone wrong. Who talks about that kind of stuff in public??

We took our time on the 2nd floor then went all the way up to the summit.

We couldn't. It was too windy. Then when they finally opened it, everyone wanted to go. The line for it stretched all the way around the 2nd level.

the view isn’t that much better compared to the second floor.

And that's why I'm not upset we didn't make it.

We made it back to the ground right before they started their first light show so we stopped on the way out to watch it sparkle!

Isn't that pretty??

 

[dwonderz]

I just started following along! All of the pictures look amazing - looks like it was a fabulous start to your trip!

 

[buzzrelly]

Not only is the building absolutely stunning (it is lavishly decorated and my jaw actually dropped multiple times during the tour), but it’s also the setting and inspiration for the story of The Phantom of the Opera. As a huge Phantom fan, this was on my must-visit list.

Absolutely stunning!

We took a guided tour in English (book in advance- the English ones can fill up)

Adding this to the list

Some of it was not cool, like the massive golden tires on the grand staircase.

​

What the???

One other thing that I thought was super cool (but then again I’m a history and music nerd so maybe I’m alone in this) was that they have a library with almost every libretto of every opera since the 1600s. How cool is that??

Pretty cool!

The first was a glass walkway that extends out into the open area below the dome. There was a little bit of a line but it was so cool!

​

Eek! But nice photo!

It’s absolutely massive so Jon and I created a plan of attack where we would go one level at a time. Jon would sit in a designated area while I shopped, then I would come collect him and we would move down to the next (God bless my husband and his unending patience).

What a good guy

The Disney Store was fun and had pretty much the same stuff as Disney Stores in the US, except they were playing Disney music in French which was super cool.

​

How fun!

Lucky for us, it was a beautiful day!

We got through a little after our official ticket time but luckily they didn’t seem too strict about that. We took an elevator to the second floor and took our time walking around.

​

Just gorgeous

All in all, I definitely recommend trying to book sunset times for the Eiffel Tower. Get there early enough to see the city in full light and plan to spend at least an hour and a half to take it all in and watch the sunset. There’s something so magical about watching the city come alive for the night.

I need to get a bigger notebook for all these awesome tips

 

[dolewhipdreams]

Except for those times when I am.
Which is often.

Have any idea how long I spent looking for it???

Sorry

Bravo!

Hey bro that's Italian!

Read it several times

I haven't read it yet, but I've watched the musical more times than I can remember.

Oh! That's too bad.
I took these when we went:

And the ceiling with that chandelier. All 7 tons of it

So stunning!

I don't think this was there when we were there.

It looked new-ish!

Coke... it's everywhere.

Ah but Coke Zero is not (except at Disney parks). But I think it's a lot bigger in France since they are so down on sugary beverages.

Wonder what they taste like

We didn't buy any of these but we tried some different chip flavors later on in the trip. There are some good and some not so good haha

They were just putting that up when we visited.

It's sad but it makes sense with everything that's been happening there recently.

Isn't that pretty??

So beautiful! Lots of oo-ing and aw-ing from our direction.

 

[dolewhipdreams]

I just started following along! All of the pictures look amazing - looks like it was a fabulous start to your trip!

Oh hey thanks for joining in!

Adding this to the list

Yes- the tour is so nice!

What the???

Right?? Our tour guide was so over it. He was like, "I don't know what huge gold tires have to do with French Opera and I just want them to go away."

What a good guy

The best

I need to get a bigger notebook for all these awesome tips

Hahahaha I'm glad this is helpful! As always if you have any specific questions let me know

 

[pkondz]

Sorry

Hey bro that's Italian!

Hey girl, "Bravo" is also French.

I haven't read it yet, but I've watched the musical more times than I can remember.

I've seen it performed on stage twice. Loved it.

Ah but Coke Zero is not (except at Disney parks). But I think it's a lot bigger in France since they are so down on sugary beverages.

Ah. I only drink high-test Coke... and that's available everywhere.

We didn't buy any of these but we tried some different chip flavors later on in the trip. There are some good and some not so good haha

I bet!

It's sad but it makes sense with everything that's been happening there recently.

Unfortunately.

 

[dolewhipdreams]

Hey girl, "Bravo" is also French.

But only because they stole it from the Italians!

and that's available everywhere.

So true. We went to the Coca Cola museum in Atlanta and they've got stuff from around the world. It's insane. And to think it all started when one brave man decided to add hard drugs to carbonated water...

 

[pkondz]

But only because they stole it from the Italians!

True!

So true. We went to the Coca Cola museum in Atlanta and they've got stuff from around the world. It's insane. And to think it all started when one brave man decided to add hard drugs to carbonated water...

Funny how that would make it popular....

 

[dolewhipdreams]

Nous sommes perdus- A walking daytrip through the French countryside

Our plans for our third day in Paris were centered around…getting out of Paris. But it was for a really good reason!

Way back when we booked the trip I thought we would only have the vacation days to go to Paris and DLP, so I did a lot of research on day trips from Paris so we could at least get outside the city a little. Well obviously we ended up with a lot more time in France but I fell in love with this day trip idea and knew we had to do it.

So what’s the day trip? Why all the suspense? Let us know already!!

Chill guys.

The day trip was a little bit of countryside exploring via something called the Baladobus. About an hour outside of Paris is a park called Parc Naturel de la Haute Valee de Chevreuse. It’s a regional park with historic sites, hiking trails, farms, and forests.

Every Sunday from April to October the Baladobus runs a route around several of the sites and for €4 you can buy an all-day pass for the bus. So we took an early morning train to Saint-Remy-les-Chevreuse (which is the start of the loop for the Baladobus) for a day of exploration!

We arrived in St Remy a little early so we did a short walk to fill the time. The woman at the tourist center warned us that part of the walk was through a field, but what she failed to mention was that it was someone’s personal cow pasture. We were kind of worried that we were trespassing because we were quite literally walking through someone’s farm.

​

It felt very Fellowship of the Ring. Just call me Pippin.

​

The bus was ready to go when we got to the tourist office so we paid our fare and went off to our first stop- the Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay. It’s the site of an abbey built in the 12th century. A lot of the original abbey is still standing and a hotel was built on the (extensive) grounds. This place was stunning and peaceful and calm. There were lots of walking paths, ponds, random old buildings…

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We took our time walking around and soaking it in before going to our next stop, which we would reach via some walking paths.

It took a moment for us to find the path we needed, even though I had a map with some directions. The directions were in French but we used the Google Translate app to translate (pro tip- Google Translate has an amazing feature where you can use your camera and hold it up to whatever you need translated and it will ~very roughly~ translate it for you). The directions were still a little vague and after walking around for a bit looking for the trail I finally had to admit defeat and approach the gate attendant for the abbey with a humble “Nous sommes perdus” (we are lost).

He didn’t speak a ton of English but thankfully we had that map he could point to and I knew enough French to tell that he was saying we needed to go further on and we would find the path. So we went further on and guess what we found- the path. Who knew.

Our next destination were some moulins (or mills) set further down on the river. It was about an hour-long walk through the forest, which was once again stunning and peaceful and calm. It took us a little while to find the path, but once we did we realized that it was well-worn and had plenty of markers. I may or may not have eaten a baguette while hiking in a French forest and it may or may not have been one of the highlights of the trip. There were a few other groups exploring that day but most of the time we were completely alone.

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There were two major moulins, the grand moulin and the petit moulin. The grand moulin was near a wide spot in the river that had been dammed up to control the water flow and was surrounded by abandoned farm buildings. It was a tiny bit creepy. There were plaques around describing what the area looked like when it was in use. We paused here to relax before moving on to the petit moulin.

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The petit moulin was really close by and had a little museum near it. The museum required a fee but you could hang out on the water for free. There were lots of families out playing and relaxing. The water was full of little kids splashing around and having fun. A lot of the families brought things for a picnic and it looked like they were there to make a day of it.

​

We found a nice rock of our own to chill on for a bit and eat some snacks.

Chilling on French rocks next to French water eating French snacks. 10/10 would recommend.

​

After our rest we made our way to the next and final destination on our countryside tour. It was about an hour and a half walk, first through the woods, then along the road next to some farms, then back to the woods. We made up some fun games to help pass the time and before long we made it.

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This is Chateau de Breteuil. It was built in the 1600s and the only way to see the inside is to take a guided tour. We got a ticket, even though the tour was in French, and walked the grounds while we waited. There was a group of people waiting when we came back so we hung out with them and followed them when the group started moving.

I noticed quite a few very small children in the group and thought how cool it was that French families take their kids on historical tours and such. The guide led us into a room with a bunch of benches and instructed us to sit down. I thought, “Okay weird way to start a tour but alright.” Then all the kids went up to the front and sat on the ground around her. It was at that moment that I began to think that maybe we weren’t on the tour after all.

Nope. Not at all.

I had mistakenly taken us to fairytale story time. Which was 100% in French and 100% for small children. Jon was bored out of his mind but I was trying to follow along as best I could. She was telling the story of Sleeping Beauty so thankfully I knew the story well enough that I could kind of sort of keep up. Although she mentioned a magical baguette multiple times and I definitely do not remember mystical bread as part of the story.

Side note: I very recently learned that baguette is literally translated as “wand.” So though we think of bread, in the story I think they were actually referring to a magic wand. Which make much more sense.

Anyway, because we were sitting in that show we missed the last tour (which we had paid extra for, womp womp). We walked around some more since the bus wouldn’t be back for a while. The chateau has extensive grounds with a pond and a hedge maze and gardens and it’s just beautiful. There were lots of families out enjoying a Sunday afternoon together and it was really nice, especially because it wasn’t really crowded.

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When we walked out to the bus stop there were some men showing off their very fancy cars for no apparent reason so we surreptitiously snapped some photos. Soon the bus arrived and we gladly rested our feet and enjoyed some snacks on our way back to the train station.

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After changing at the hotel we took our famished selves out to dinner. Jon had found a place called Bistro d’Henri that looked yummy so we went there. It was absolutely tiny. It could maybe fit 20 people, but the street front wall opened all the way up so there was fresh air coming in. We squeezed into some seats and ordered a delicious meal! This was one of my favorite meals from Paris and if you’re heading that way, I recommend giving it a try!

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We finished the night with gelato from the famous Amorino, which was fine but honestly not amazing.

Exhausted we fell into bed to get rested for another day in the City of Lights.

 

[heaven2dc]

What a delightful day out! I would have gotten lost so many times even with a path lol The scenery and buildings are exactly what I would think of when visiting the French countryside. Love how the baguette played into two times on your outing - snacking and especially the storytelling

 

[dolewhipdreams]

What a delightful day out! I would have gotten lost so many times even with a path lol The scenery and buildings are exactly what I would think of when visiting the French countryside. Love how the baguette played into two times on your outing - snacking and especially the storytelling

Wow I didn't even think about baguettes being such a big part of our day. But they definitely were

 

[pkondz]

So what’s the day trip? Why all the suspense? Let us know already!!

Chill guys.

Tease!!

About an hour outside of Paris is a park called Parc Naturel de la Haute Valee de Chevreuse. It’s a regional park with historic sites, hiking trails, farms, and forests.

Sounds wonderful!

for €4 you can buy an all-day pass for the bus.

That sounds pretty reasonable.

The woman at the tourist center warned us that part of the walk was through a field, but what she failed to mention was that it was someone’s personal cow pasture

Don’t step in any cow patties!

​

Love this shot.

the Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay. It’s the site of an abbey built in the 12th century.

Cool!
And holy picturesque!

pro tip- Google Translate has an amazing feature where you can use your camera and hold it up to whatever you need translated

I finally had to admit defeat and approach the gate attendant for the abbey with a humble “Nous sommes perdus”

Oh no!


Been there!

Our next destination were some moulins (or mills) set further down on the river.

Also cool.

I may or may not have eaten a baguette while hiking in a French forest and it may or may not have been one of the highlights of the trip.

Sounds... heavenly.

​

We found a nice rock of our own to chill on for a bit and eat

He looks sooooo relaxed

Chilling on French rocks next to French water eating French snacks. 10/10 would recommend.

I’m in!

This is Chateau de Breteuil.

Gorgeous!

I had mistakenly taken us to fairytale story time.

Oh, no!

Although she mentioned a magical baguette multiple times and I definitely do not remember mystical bread as part of the story.

Anyway, because we were sitting in that show we missed the last tour (which we had paid extra for, womp womp)

Crap. No see the interior.

Jon had found a place called Bistro d’Henri

Food looked good, too!

wonderful photos! Enjoyed that very much!