When we learned that we were in the Ardèche gorges, C., JB’s great cousin and tour guide, strongly advised us to visit the Chauvet 2 cave. Without her encouragement, we probably wouldn’t have taken the plunge because we had planned to visit Lascaux IV and had planned to visit only one cave. Finally, we did well to visit the two caves which are very different. Note: this blog article is part of the “Road Trip in France” made in August 2020. To read the previous parts, click here : #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11 and #12 Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips…

I am very excited to discover for the first time the Gorges de l’Ardèche. I’ve heard so many good things about them that I wanted to see them with my own eyes. Note: this blog article is part of the “Road Trip in France” made in August 2020. To read the previous parts, click here : #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10 and #11 Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary Route Clermont-Ferrand – Gorges de l’Ardeche We make a stop at Le Puy-en-Velay (see the travel diary), then a stop for lunch at Pradelles, a “most beautiful village in France”,…

Well, for once, I’m going to mix up the order of visits because I don’t want my childhood memories of Lavoûte-Chilhac to be told at the same time as the other visits. Before going to Lavoûte-Chilhac, we made a stop at a producer of Saint-Nectaire, one of the 5 AOP cheeses in Auvergne. Note: this blog article is part of the “Road Trip in France” made in August 2020. To read the previous parts, click here : #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9 and #10 Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary A Saint-Nectaire with too much protein There are 5 PDO…

When I was little, I won several singing and electronic keyboard competitions in Vietnam. The rewards were not huge, except in 1997. This one was organized by the French Embassy in Vietnam, on the occasion of the Francophonie Summit in 1997. The prize was a one-month trip to France. Note: this blog article is part of the “Road Trip in France” made in August 2020. To read the previous parts, click here : #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8 and #9 Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary Of course, I participated… and won! We were about twenty of us, including 6 minors,…

This is only the 2nd time I visit the Auvergne, but the landscapes are so breathtaking that I don’t understand why there aren’t more inhabitants. I hope that there will be more jobs to develop the region because both in terms of gastronomy and visits, we have been spoiled. While researching the places to visit, I was completely overwhelmed because there are too many things to do and see here. Too many things to eat too 😀 So I chose the best of the best: the Puy de Dôme. Note: this blog article is part of the “Road Trip in France” made in August 2020. To read the previous parts,…

After a week of intense visits comes finally the rest in Vichy, a spa town known and recognized for the effectiveness of its water. Note: this blog article is part of the series “Road Trip in France” made in August 2020. To read the previous parts, click here : #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6 and #7 Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary Route Colmar – Vichy The trip from Colmar to Vichy is long, very long (5 hours estimated but in reality we drove more than 6 hours). We stop at the city of Pesmes, one of the most beautiful villages in France…

I have always dreamed of going to Colmar and Antwerp (Belgium). In my former life, I was Community Manager for a hotel group and these two destinations were often put forward because they were easily accessible and too beautiful. I realized my dream for Antwerp only a few months ago. And this time, it’s Colmar’s turn. For this, we have reserved two nights! in the city center. Note: this blog article is part of the series “Road Trip in France” made in August 2020. To read the previous parts, click here : #1, #2, #3, #4, #5 and #6 Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel…

We take advantage of our road trip to discover as many “most beautiful villages of France” as possible. I find that this classification, although very heterogeneous, still offers some nuggets and it would have been a pity to miss it. Note: this blog article is part of the series “Road Trip in France” made in August 2020. To read the previous parts, click here : #1, #2, #3, #4 and #5 Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary As we stay 3 days in Alsace, we could make a small tour of the “Most Beautiful Villages of France” in the area. We could have followed…

3 hours of driving are waiting for us between Verdun and Alsace. Our first stop in Alsace : the Haut Koenigsbourg castle. The road between Verdun and Alsace is very pleasant because we only take departmental roads. There are no highways connecting the two. Note: this travel diary is part of the series of blog articles covering our 4-week road trip in France. To read or reread the first parts, it’s here : #1, #2, #3 and #4 Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary Lunch in Nancy We stop in Nancy instead of having lunch in a small village because I have a whim:…

After champagne tasting in Epernay, we take the road again to Verdun. Not being very sure of what we want to visit there, we go there without any reservation, except the hotel, in “come what may” mode. Note: this travel diary is part of our blog series “4 weeks of Road Trip in France”. You can read the previous parts here: 1st part, 2nd part, 3rd part. Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary Day 3 (Continued) Chattancourt Trenches Being Vietnamese, I feel a little less concerned about World War I than JB. My knowledge about World War I is limited to the rather boring…