Jul 1, 2012 - Happy Canada Day From Orleans France

Arrived in Orleans (population 113,000) about 1:30 on Sunday. The “City of Roses” was the capital of medieval France until the mid 18th century. Did a fair bit of walking – saw a gorgeous cathedral and several monuments to Joan of Arc. Spent the early evening sipping refreshments in the town square. Ended up drinking something we thought was “red beer” but which turned out to be a sweet fruity concoction. Guess our French needs a little work . . . There is,an astonishing range of ethnic restaurants – we ended up at an Italian one, sharing...

May 23, 2012 - Orleans

Putting this in to keep the trail on the map! Stayed at a Comfort Inn in south of Orleans. Left next morning to drive through Loire Valley. DIDN'T stop at any chateaus. Saw some pretty villages. For me the most lasting impression was when we began going across the valley rather than down. I didn't expect miles of flat land. Not an animal in sight, not a fence in sight. Lots of green crops broken occasionally by stands of trees. Except for types of crops changing, there was no way to say where one field/paddock ended and another started or...

Mar 1, 2012 - Aujourd'hui a été tellement stressant

Eh bien, aujourd'hui n'a pas été le meilleur. Ce matin je suis allé à la cathédrale d'Orléans et je me suis perdu. Je suis descendu dans la rue tort et je ne me souviens pas comment j'y suis arrivé en premier lieu. Après 2 heures, j'ai finalement trouvé la cathédrale, et il faisait tellement chaud à l'extérieur. Je vais écrire une lettre à mon copain maintenant .. Ici, il est! Cher Léon, tu me manques tellement et je voudrais que vous fussiez ici avec moi, à Orléans. Je m'amuse à ce jour, mais Paris était mieux. La nourriture ici est très...

Feb 28, 2012 - Mon premier jour à Orléans!

Quand je suis descendue du train, j'étais si mal. Les sièges ne sont pas à l'aise. Je suis arrivé à ma chambre d'hôtel d'abord, puis commencé ma journée. J'ai d'abord rencontré Ghislaine, la dame je suis resté avec il ya quelques années lorsque j'ai visité la France. Elle est la plus douce femme. Il ya une photo d'elle! Nous avons déjeuné à La Petite Marmite. C'était un joli petit café, la nourriture très bonne. Après je l'ai quittée, je me suis rendu Place Jean d'Arc et de la bibliothèque à proximité. J'aime la petite communauté d'Orléans....

May 11, 2011 - Good Cycling to Orleans

Day 11-14 May 8 – 11th Just missed Johan D'Arc but every thing else has worked out well these last few days. Two lovely days of cycling, good weather -rather too hot on one day at 26C - and great cycle routes. Vinyards, orchards, rivers, beautiful meadows in full flower, and some lovely towns and villages. Amboise stood out with its medieval church and towering castle and quaint streets. The trees and their blossom are worth mentioning at this moment. Camped at Montlouis-sur-Loire for 1st night (74k). Met a couple of nice English ladies...

Dec 12, 2010 - Orleans

Today we leave Burgundy and head for the Loire Valley and Orleans (http://www.tourisme-orleans.com/en/orleans-jeanne-d-arc/12-orleans-jeanne-d-arc.html). A definite change in scenery becomes apparent as we head across the Loire Valley - (http://www.westernfrancetouristboard.com/loire.html) a broad flat landscape, with the main use being livestock instead of grapes. A couple of coffee stops are needed to break the journey and keep from falling asleep. speaking of coffee - how come the French can't seem to make a decent cup of coffee? Ever...

Dec 12, 2010 - Orleans

Today we leave Burgundy and head for the Loire Valley and Orleans (http://www.tourisme-orleans.com/en/orleans-jeanne-d-arc/12-orleans-jeanne-d-arc.html). A definite change in scenery becomes apparent as we head across the Loire Valley - (http://www.westernfrancetouristboard.com/loire.html) a broad flat landscape, with the main use being livestock instead of grapes. A couple of coffee stops are needed to break the journey and keep from falling asleep. speaking of coffee - how come the French can't seem to make a decent cup of coffee? Ever...

Oct 21, 2010 - Loire Valley - Orleans

Loire Valley Orléans – Turns out the Loire is not navigable; so much for my idea of travelling by boat. The closest we managed was to treat ourselves to an afternoon coffee and crêpe break on board a boat-restaurant on the bank of the river in Orléans. We seem to be travelling in the path of Joan of Arc… First encounter in Eu, then of course in Rouen where she was put to death, and now in Orleans, the city she saved. We visited the cathedral dedicated to her, and a cute little museum (where we were given free admission, since there was...

Jun 21, 2008 - Orleans, France for a week

We took the high speed train, TGV, to Paris. Normal trains are 5 ½ hours and the TGV is only 1 ½ hours! I expected to be plastered in my seat when we got rolling but it was so gradual that I didn’t even notice the speed differential, until we got off the train that is. We both felt slightly dizzy for a good two hours and it wasn’t until the following day that we made the connection. It was very similar to getting off a boat and getting ones sea legs back! Side note; I curse my decision to bring my whole wardrobe! It is quite a chore...

Jul 6, 2006 - Viva la France

Our night bus trip from Amsterdam to Paris wasn't too bad but also could have been a lot better. The 8hr trip turned into 9 when we had to stop at customs and a few people on the bus didn't have the right paper work so had to be fingerprinted etc. Wow! Paris is everything we expected. Apart from the fact it's a little dirtier and smellier. We managed to master the metro here so we made it easily to our hotel. We're staying in the Monmatre district and we (of course) got a room on the 4th floor which is around 60 steps that we have to lug...

Jun 23, 2005 - So long, Slovenia!

OK, here we go! We have everything packed and are just waiting to be on our way. I didn't believe I can get everything four of us need into two backpacks. If it weren't for nappies and first aid kit, I could squeeze it all into just one! Well,wish us luck - the next entry will be from Vietnam!