"A Week in Paris"
Destinations: France, Bruges, Amsterdam
Traveler’s Library: Growing Daily with guidebooks, maps, notes….
It occurred to me that you might be interested in the trip planning process that goes on in our book-filled house. So here goes.
We are going to France in September. I have been talking a lot about French books and movies here at A Traveler’s Library, and I hope if you are new here, that you will do a search for France to see how many great sources I already have for my trip.
- Our first purchase was a Lonely Planet Guide to France, because we had no idea where exactly we wanted to go, and this would give us an overview and some specific explanations. I like L.P. guides and find them reliable, but did not like the maps in this one. We still needed an overall map of France.
- We knew that we wanted to spend several days in Paris because we have never been there and because, well, it is Paris.
- Ken is interested in the Viking history in northern France and has read a lot about WWII, and I am interested in the countryside that inspired Monet’s art and Flaubert’s writing, so Normandy was a must.Et Voila! I learned on their web site that Noramandie is having an Impressionist Festival that lasts into late September!
Poppies Field in Normandy France
- Because I do not know a lot about Brittany, and it is one of the lesser visited areas of France, we added that to our list.(And no, Google I don’t want Britney Spears!)
- Having seen the movie Bruges, we simply HAD to see that charming city.
Bruges, Belgium
- As long as we were going north, we figured we might as well fly out of Amsterdam, giving us a brief look at that city and another country to check off our travel list.
7. Since most indications were that airline tickets are not going down in price by September, we went ahead and took the jump. I spent an evening on the phone with American Airlines figuring out how best to use my frequent flyer miles (not enough for the whole trip for two, unfortunately) and booked tickets into Paris and out of Amsterdam for an 18 day trip.
So now our travel plans include a beginning date, an end date and airline tickets.
I have followed several French-related tweets on Twitter, and searched out some web sites and ordered some books and maps.
In my next trip planning post, I will talk about the itinerary that is taking shape, more books, and finding a Paris apartment.
I am happy to answer your questions and all suggestions are most welcome!!
Photos from Flickr through Creative Commons. Click on the photo for more information. Every comment you leave, or tweet with the special message on the contest page gives you one entry in the drawing for today’s prize. (Don’t forget to add to your chances by sending a tweet!) But if you subscribe by e-mail, I send you an update every time I post, AND you get TWO chances at a prize. All prizes are chosen by random.org.
PDF Tags: Brittany, France, Giverney, guidebooks, Normandy, travel books, travel planning
Twitter: lhartness
says:
Wow– you sure are organized and will certainly be well prepared for your trip. I think Italy has always trumped France as a place to visit (among other places), but this brings France up a little bit on my list. Be sure to post pictures when you get back!
Laura
.-= Laura Hartness hopes you will read blog ..Contest Winner Announcement, Plus Upcoming Giveaways! =-.
Twitter: WanderingEds
says:
YAY!!! i am so excited about your trip! we’re headed to ireland and scotland in september, too – i can’t get enough of the guidebooks! looking forward to following your trip.
.-= jessiev hopes you will read blog ..Recipes from Italy: Poached Pears =-.
Very excited for you. My one view of France was from Charles DeGaulle Airport in route back to the US. :^(
Mark Greenside’s “I’ll Never Be French (no matter what I do): Living in a Small Village in Brittany” is an excellent book on Brittany. And “Paris, je t’aime” is a great film with twenty filmmakers with five minutes each depicting the themes of love in Paris. Keep us posted!
I did like France- although, I must admit, Italy is more my ‘style’- the French countrysides are absolutely lovely.
Looking forward to your post on how to find an apartment in France.
Twitter: colleeninca
says:
I celebrated my 40th AND 50th birthdays in Paris! I love that city so much … Normandy is really special, too ~ in 2007 a friend and I spent a week in Honfleur. (It has a small and lovely art museum you might like.) We made a few day trips – Etretat, Bayeux, and the D-Day beaches. Normandy scenery is dramatic, and the coastline views are pretty spectacular. Calvados makes a nice souvenir.
Very exciting! I wish you ash-free travels as they are predicting that the Icelandic volcano will remain active for at least one year.
.-= Laura B hopes you will read blog ..Shelter blog =-.
Twitter: tweets2go
says:
Oh, DO keep us posted, Vera! I love Paris, have never had ENOUGH time there, only a few days per visit. It’s fun to walk around the Left Bank neighborhoods and to eat at an outdoor bistro and people watch. I, too, have wanted to visit Bruges since the movie (I thought the movie was stupid, but loved the scenery). Tell us more!
Twitter: pen4hire
says:
Rosemary: I promise to use a broader vocabulary than they used in the movie.
Laura: Oh, I am floating lotus blossoms on the pond below the volcano goddess’ statue and praying hard!
Colleen: This is a very big celebration for us, too, and since we had never been to the City of Love, it seemed so appropriate.
Anjuli: My heart is with any Mediterranean country, too.
Richard: Oh THANK YOU for those recommendations. Getting them right away.
Jessie: e-mail me if I can give you any suggestions for Ireland. I love,love,loved our road trip there.
Laura: I am rather compulsively organized, but also just love the trip planning process, it prolongs the feeling of being there. My head gets firmly in a place months before the rest of me is there.
Twitter: colleeninca
says:
This afternoon I remembered another guide you might like for Normandy – the Insight Guide. My traveling companion and I both read it before our trip, and thought it provided a well organized background on the long history and diverse allegiances of the region. Having recently read its history, it made the Bayeux tapestry especially meaningful when we saw it.
TIP for viewing the tapestry: Once you look at it with the (free) audio guide, turn around and follow it again. All sorts of new details will pop out!
Twitter: kerrydexter
says:
two thoughts: Amersterdam is worth spedning time in, for me that is because of the art (van Gogh and Rembrandt for two) and the music (Concertgebouw is main hall for classical music, but churches too)
also, Brittany is a center of Celtic music — has its own style altogether, and is a place where many artists from other parts of the Celtic world pass through to play, learn, or collaborate. If you are not familiar with Breton music, happy to say a bit more or find examples for you. by the way, not at all the same thing as Cape Breton music, a wonderful music from Atlantic Canada.
.-= Kerry Dexter hopes you will read blog ..Road trip music: Kentucky =-.
Twitter: pen4hire
says:
Well, I had discovered in my early reading that Brittany was Celtic country, so figured you might have something to say about the music, Kerry.
I agree about Amsterdam, but we’ll only have one full day (and a little of another. I love van Gogh (and am practicing the Dutch pronunciation) and think the whole Dutch period of painting with the way they capture light and detailed interiors is amazing.
I know it will be yet another place that I wish I could go back to, alas.
Dear Vera,
We are delighted to hear you are planning a trip to The Hexagon.
If you [or your avid readership] decide to venture south, and would like to hike for a few days, please look us up.
Our site section at:
http://www.enlightened-travell.....px?pgId=14
is hopefully all you need to plan your hiking tour in France.
All the best,
Steve
Twitter: pen4hire
says:
Steve: Thanks so much for the hiking site. I’m sure that will be valuable to the traveler more active than I am. And you have taught me something. This is the first time I heard France called the Hexagon.
Personally, I find France to be much more interesting and beautiful than Italy! I go there every year, if possible, and will also be going this September. Here are two tips for your time in Normandy:
1. By all means, book a guided tour of the D-Day beaches. You will get SO much more from your time there if you do. I very much recommend the company called Battle Bus, which employs very expert British guides. You can find them at http://www.battlebus.fr
2. Bayeux is a wonderful small city, and the hour spent viewing the Bayeux Tapestry and listening to the audio guide is very interesting. A recommendation for a great B&B in Bayeux is Le Petit Matin. It is a very old home, in perfect condition, very well located near the cathedral. The owner is very French, very charming. I can’t find a website for the property, but it’s on the government website at this very long url:
http://www.normandie.visite.or....._1143.html
I envy you experiencing France for the firt time, and I look forward to returning myself. Expect arrogance from waiters and hotel clerks — don’t expect it from anyone else, especially outside Paris. If you are friendly and polite, everyone you meet will be very kind to you.
One tip for Bruges: a hotel called Duc de Bourgogne was just named one of the 3 best located hotels in all Europe. They have a room or two in the attic which were not expensive when we stayed there a few years ago. You might want to check it out. http://www.ducdebourgogne.be/ If you stay there, for every after when you see a picture of Bruges, you’ll say, “we stayed there!”
Libbie
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Twitter: pen4hire
says:
Libbie: Thanks so much for these wonderful suggestions.
hey.. came here from imambara.blogspot.com
This is a great post. Liked most of the posts I read here.
Catch you on FB
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pag.....7730749029
.-= Sneha hopes you will read blog ..Summer in Tea Plantations =-.