My Chateau Luxury Travel

The Charming Auberge du Bon Laboureur, Chenenceaux

2018-11-22T12:09:00.000-08:00

Auberge du Bon Laboureur

37150 Chenonceaux

+33 (0) 2 47 23 90 02

Fax: +33 (0) 2 47 23 82 01

http://www.bonlaboureur.com/en/

The Auberge du Bon Laboureur is the perfect place to set up your ‘base camp’ while you explore the Chateaux of the Loire. We were enchanted with the French charm, atmosphere, historical importance of the building, a delightful and helpful staff plus a location so close to Chateau Chenonceau, we are already thinking about returning one day in the future.

Since 1793, the Village of Chenonceaux population has only grown a little more than 100+ people. It will never obtain the fame of the Chateau Chenonceau and her magnificent presence there and the prime reason people flock to this small commune.

You are taken back in time when you can experience the village at night. After the tourists have left, the streets empty, no sounds to be heard, one can almost transport themselves back in time as you imagine what village life was life for those who walked these streets, lived life here and were the support and help keeping the Chateau running properly.

An interesting fact why the spelling of the village and Chateau differ, during the French Revolution, the owner of the Chateau was very respectful of those in the village and removed the ‘X’ at the end and replaced with ‘U’. Because of that, the Chateau was spared the kind of damage other Chateaux and institutions suffered during the French Revolution.

We enjoyed driving 15 minutes to Amboise where the choice of menu was almost endless. The only downside of the village, there is nothing open at night and no place to get a snack or go have a drink or hear music, etc. Amboise offers so much, including the Chateau you can easily go there during the day and head back at night for dinner.

With our preference of fall travel, rarely are their crowds to fight or lines to stand in. To visit Chateaux and not feel as though you must rush from room to room because of large crowds or a tour group coming through makes the visit that much more enjoyable.

For the best rates the hotel would love to hear from you direct rather one of the online booking sites. Why pay a third party when the hotel will give you the best deal.

In the Loire Valley

2018-10-16T03:05:00.001-07:00

Nothing is quite comparable to enjoying the Chateaux of the Loire Valley. As most people never have the quality time to really explore this region we find 3 days is not enough. We do know that visiting in the fall you will not experience crowds and will not run into the traffic that would surely slow down any summer visit.

This year we enjoyed Chenonceau, Amboise and Villandry, which blew us away! Posting a few photos of our days here.

A Life By Design - Funding the Perfect Life

2018-10-07T11:46:00.021-07:00

As we are about to embark on 4 weeks abroad, there is the realization falling upon me that life as it is today is about to be put on hold.

Having responsibilities and those who look to you for guidance on a daily basis makes it much more challenging to step out of 'the present' and allow yourself to totally disconnect and live the life you planned for two years.

As the Managing Broker of a very large Real Estate office in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago, I am surrounded by some of the most brilliant minds in the business, coupled with THE most brilliant leaders in Real Estate (Technology) industry today.

We have been abroad many times since 1982 however this is only the third trip since 911. We had returned from France 9-10, the night before life as we knew it changed forever. It took us until 2004 to work up the nerve to go back. Then the economy tanked, real estate markets collapsed and those in my line of work had to be serious and not waste further time.

With economic improvement in 2016 we found ourselves returning to France and vowed we would not allow another 12 year gap pass not going anywhere.

To begin our next adventure in the Loire valley, we are excited to return there having been their last before digital photography was created.

As guests at our first French wedding will surely be one of the highlights we look forward to.

I eagerly await the scenery and new stories that will greet us in every direction.

A French Frye in Paris

2018-09-02T18:38:00.002-07:00

As there are many travel bloggers out there a true favorite is Corey Frye, AKA, A French Frye in Paris. I am not alone as his followers are fully committed to his cause as am I.

Long overdue for a post to my blog, I have never been so excited to promote another blogger as I am today.

As it took years to gather the knowledge we do have with respect to our travels abroad, and specifically France, but never did I realize how much I didn't know about Paris thanks to Corey Frye, an American in Paris.

Married to a Parisian and father of two, Corey is a tour guide, photographer, blogger and one of the most brilliant minds/walking-pedia of Paris.

Not sure if that was gramatically propper but the past year has been an eye-opener for my husband and I thanks to his weekly live-stream walks through the streets of Paris.

For us, the education and insights of a city we thought we knew well has been profound. When I think of the books in our home library on Paris and France, Corey has taken us into places we could never find in a tour book.

Corey takes you to the corners and neighborhoods of Paris one may never see especially those with less than a week in this magnificent city that can never be compared with any other across the globe.

I strongly encourage you to follow Corey on Facebook, and his Blog and consider watching his Saturday morning LIVE STREAM walks from Paris that begin at 10am CST.

So many of us who follow Corey now feel like he is our (little) brother helping us get to know our favorite city in a light that few are able to see.

He has created this unmatched niche of bringing Paris to you in the privacy of your home. Once you join Corey on one of his walks you will not want to miss any future walks.

You can not only find his past Paris walks on his Facebook page but also on his YouTube page. For his Patreon subscribers, there are additional benefits. Below are links to get to know Corey better.

If you love Paris this is the place for you. Ron and I look forward to meeting Corey in the near future and know that because of his Parisian brilliance we will be enjoying Paris like we have never done before.

Visit Corey's Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/AFrenchFryeInParis/

For detailed maps of Corey's Video Tours & other exclusive Paris content: https://www.patreon.com/afrenchfryeinparis

Corey's blog A French Frye in Paris: https://afrenchfryeinparis.com

Book a walking tour: https://afrenchfryeinparis.com/guided-tours-of-paris/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/french_frye_in_paris/

Replays of previous Live-stream tours:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfrkg0WfgjM_rh9YOoXfuhw

There’s a 'Secret Versailles' Right Outside Paris

2017-11-29T12:53:00.003-08:00

http://www.travelandleisure.com/culture-design/secret-versailles-chateau-near-paris

A must see for the Paris area.

Le Tour de France 2018

2017-05-12T15:58:00.001-07:00

If you have plans on watching next year's TDF in person, in the coming weeks we will be posting some of our favorite picks of hotel accomodation's in all locations for all stages including the start in Vendee, France.

Enjoy the Good Life France Magazine

2017-03-05T12:45:00.002-08:00

In English, you will enjoy all that this magazine has to offer. http://joom.ag/o0p

CARNEVALE VENEZIA 2017 by Roberto conte

2017-02-26T17:02:00.001-08:00

L' expérience client chez Keller Williams.

2017-02-05T18:04:00.001-08:00

The Best Lavender Fields of France

2016-12-17T13:07:00.004-08:00

In my opinion any lavender field no matter the acreage will be significant eye candy for me but truth be told there are some fields that are simply more magnificent over others. One of the best areas in the Provence is the region of Avignon. We are including a few different websites offering their picks for ‘the best’ lavender fields around.

These include actual maps describing specific routes you can follow to not miss many of the best fields around. There are specific tours one can take just to view these fields but our opinion is do the research on your own, rent a car and start discovering the region on your own. You can participate in harvests but you will need to determine which region you want to explore and make certain the timing of your holiday coincides with harvest time.

Avignon is just one place to make your base camp for your tour of the lavender fields. Don’t cheat yourself by limiting a morning or afternoon for adventure but allow 2-3 days if you’re truly the lavender hound you say you are. Below are a few different websites to give you more insight on planning your discovery of the lavender fields in the Provence.

From Travel France online find out educational facts about this brilliant plant that enriches our lives in so many ways. http://www.travelfranceonline.com/lavender-fields-in-provence-origin-facts/

The Luberon.com offers helpful information and maps to plot your tour of some of the most beautiful lavender fields in the Provence. http://www.theluberon.com/activities/lavender-provence

Another great site is Provence and Beyond. I really love their color coded map that highlights in great detail all of the possibilities to explore. http://www.beyond.fr/themes/lavender-fields-provence.html

Finally, I recently stumbled on the website ‘Your Private Provence’. Emily, the host, offers custom itineraries from a few days to a week. She can introduce you to lavender growers, tour the distilleries and visit ‘off-the-beaten path’ walks. Want to hunt truffles? Emily can help you. 2017 bookings are being accepted now. http://yourprivateprovence.com/

Utrecht, Netherlands (A hidden jewel)

2016-12-15T18:51:00.004-08:00

Prior to any hotel or chateau booking vast research is done as we want to know as much as possible about our destination, including the full history, which is typically what drew us there in the first place.

There is so much more to the Netherlands besides Amsterdam and tulips and windmills. Yes these mentions offer rich enjoyment and numerous adventures but the Dutch people, so modern, open and a tolerant society, we found the people to be one of the most charming things about the Netherlands.

We are also intrigued with their canal system and wharfs, endless bicycle enthusiasts and charm of the university town of Utecht just south of Amsterdam and much easier to navigate in and out of the city by car. Fourth largest population in the Netherlands and also the capital of this brilliant Dutch country.

Many of the historic city houses go back to the middle ages.

According to BBC Travel it is said Utrecht is the 4^th happiest place in the world. I would not dispute that. Like most Dutch cities, Utrecht offers an vast network of cycle paths, which makes cycling much safer. Driving a car you must always pay attention to the humans in their bike lanes with signals and all.

Most amazing 33% of all city journeys are by bicycle, (cars account for 30% of trips). Bicycles are used by young, old, and families. The variety of bikes you’ll see including the most traditional upright, steel-framed bicycles, (with few or no gears) is most fascinating. Thousands of bicycles are parked in town lining the canals which to us is part of the allure that calls you in.

The continuous activity in the city center offers so much from sidewalk cafes to boat rides, museum's and shopping. The canals are most beautiful and being there in fall added that much more color to the slightly rainy day we visited. The Domtoren, a 14th-century bell tower with city views, stands opposite the Gothic Cathedral of St. Martin on central Domplein square. The city center is small enough to explore on foot but we could have used 2-3 days more to explore further as 1 really wasn’t sufficient.

One of the highlights for us was bike riding on some of the designated trails in a small village of Soestduinen, and Soest north of Utrecht. Our lovely hotel provided us with free bikes and as it was a very cool day there may have been a fee if we had been gone for 4-5 hours. I have attached a link to a video we made during the ride. The video is a bit rough but hope you enjoy. The bike paths are endless and there are countless ways and opportunities for anyone to ride a bike in Holland (as Americans seem to only want to call the Netherlands, urrrr).

Our Bike Ride Adventure Link:

https://youtu.be/3GgLAXMjEE0?list=PL9GqKQz7yABOBe67ytD-FnPvAEHyNSmyY

Sedan, France and Hôtel Le Château Fort de Sedan

2016-12-13T18:11:00.001-08:00

We began this adventure with a one night stay in Sedan, France mainly as a ‘stop-off’ point for our trek to Utrecht. Secondly, we love French history. Chateau Fort de Sedan offers its own significance in the rich history of France.

Heading to the Netherlands to meet up with old friends we wanted to evade from the drive the six+ hour drive after an overnight flight and Sedan was a perfect stopover. This website will offer much more about the region should you want to utilize Sedan as a base-camp to explore the area.
http://www.chateaufort-sedan.fr/en/region/nearby-activities-and-recreation

The town of Sedan surrounds the Fort but within those walls you’ll discover Hôtel Le Château Fort de Sedan. 54 rooms in total, the Fabert Building houses 40 rooms spread over four stories with four room accessible to persons with reduced mobility. These rooms are small but offer much character. The Casernement, are thirteen large Superior Rooms and Suites, seven of which have two levels, and all of which have access to the castle’s ramparts. The South Tower houses the only suite with a completely independent access, a cosy nest for romantic stays.

The decor is contemporary, but the atmosphere truly peaceful. You are brought back to the Middle Ages, into the time of the Principality of Sedan. We loved the stone exposure in our room but would have worried if the temperature was below freezing.
We thoroughly enjoyed our brief stay here but suggest you don’t plan more than one night as there is not that much to see in the town itself and be certain to avoid holidays and even Sunday’s as the town has limited restaurant establishments and there is limited availability to room service for those who are used to late night service.

From the Chateau website, the History of the Castle of Sedan has merit and unknown to us at the time, is the largest medieval castle in Europe.
In 1424, in the early 15th century, when there was but an obscure village, Evrard d'Arenberg, Count of Marck, began building a very powerful castle on a rocky outcrop around the remains of the church of St. Martin. This castle, consisting of a large number of towers and buildings built over several centuries, was part of the Principality of Sedan where several La Marck princes succeeded each other over half a century.

Henri Robert de la Marck and Françoise de Bourbon created a sovereign principality whose territory spanned twenty-two municipalities and abutted the prestigious Duchy of Bouillon. Henri La Tour d'Auvergne and his son Frederick continued their work. Henri added the lower castle, called “Palais des Princes.” Frédéric participated in the March 5th conspiracy against Richelieu and Louis XIII, and to save his head, had to give over the castle and the Principality to the Kingdom of France in 1642. Marshal Fabert, the first governor named to Sedan by the King, remained there for twenty years, and was universally missed.

Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, Sedan was a major industrial centre of metallurgy and textiles. Sedan overcame the great upheavals of the Revolution, the wars of the empire, and the political crises of the 19th century. After the war of 1870, Sedan lost its fortifications. The last two world wars affected the city, which is undergoing reconstruction now.

In 1870, Napoleon III was surrounded and defeated at Sedan by Prussian troops. The battle took place near the citadel. Intense fighting took place in the streets. These skirmishes are symbolised by the episode of the "house of the last cartridge.” Fighters who had taken refuge in a house surrendered only after having exhausted their ammunition and weapons. Other battles took place during World War I, in August 1914 and November 1918. In May 1940, the German army made a decisive breakthrough by crossing the Meuse near Sedan (the Sedan breakthrough). The city was partially destroyed, and later rebuilt after World War II under the direction of architect Jean de Mailly.

The castle of Sedan, the largest medieval castle in Europe (35,000 m²), fully classified as a French Historical Monument, was returned to the city in 1962 and welcomes 80,000 visitors each year. It has housed a museum and a unique hotel facility since August 2004.

SANEF – The French Autoroute Toll Authority

2016-12-13T16:28:00.000-08:00

Anticipating a desire to upload daily posts during our fall holiday something miraculous came over me (us) that hadn’t happened in almost 12 years. We totally ‘let go’ and almost didn’t care about time except for check-in times. Even got lost a bit along the way and found ourselves undisturbed by these events with a strange sense of calm. Even missing exits and having to drive sometimes another 10-15 kilometers before the ability to turn around never took away the sheer joy of traveling together again in France and beyond. Accept having to pay another toll, LOL.

This first entry was meant to be general in nature and not detail adventures along the way. I’ve always looked at this Blog as a place to share the good and sometimes not so great occurrences along the way.

With that in mind while proofing this post the title actually became obvious as we have a bit of a love-hate relationship with SANEF. The French SANEF Autoroute network of highways, as lovely as they are, were probably the single most annoying part of France travel this time around especially on day one or any day that a toll had to be paid.

Keep in mind one can drive through Belgium and the Netherlands and even Switzerland without paying a toll (was shocked about Switzerland) but Italy and France whoya! Keep the credit card or debit card handy.


TAKE A TICKET

Ignorant of their now unmanned 'peage' toll booths, add some jet-lag and not reading signs clearly because of heavy traffic all contributed to our 30+ minute ordeal for a three euro forty cent toll. In essence SANEF will pick your pocket unless you realize that there are many alternative roads that often run parallel with the ‘pay’ Autoroutes.

The last time we drove through France tollbooths were still manned by living, breathing people. Today there are a few ‘persons’ walking about when you can spot them, like a rare species, but you are truly on your own if you had something occur as it did to us… and pressing the assistance button will only help if you understand fluent French.

1 PLACE TICKET IN SLOT; 2 ENTER CREDIT CARD

If driving on the toll roads pay close attention to these photos. What you shouldn’t do is allow this post to keep you from driving period in France as it is one of THE biggest thrills you can experience. However, Getting in the wrong lane entering the ‘peage’ (where there are only 25+ lanes and truck lanes) can cost you time, frustration, and anger from not only yourself but dozens of drivers behind you and maybe some euros as well.

If closer to a major city upon entering an Auto route, you may just be asked to pay a toll and the amount will be displayed immediately and may or may spit out a ‘TICKET’. Hopefully you paid attention to whether you can pay in cash OR credit card. Typically when just asked to pay a toll you most likely have NO TICKET, but there will be either a credit card slot OR a place to enter bills or euro change. No big deal.

Additionally you should know when entering the Auto route you may see toll ‘peage’ area where signs say ‘TICKET’. As you roll in to the lane behind a gate down across the path of your car you will press the button that says TICKET, should it not just spit out at you automatically. Don’t lose this TICKET under any circumstance or you won’t get off the Auto route! LOL

At some point whether it is the exit you want or travels take you far enough that it is time to pay the toll, be certain the lane you enter takes credit cards OR CASH. More lanes will take cards over cash. And should you get in a credit card lane only even though there is a slot to enter euro change the change will spit right back out to you. HA. Tough luck since you put your ticket in the slot and it is now gone forever.

I go into such detail as we entered a credit card only lane and stubborn hubby refused to use the credit card in the toll system (this untrusting American with new chip card actually forgot we had the credit card) we entered our TICKET that we obtained about 25 km back.

There was a place for euro bills and change but it would not accept them initially. Then we started entering euro coins again and it kept them but the gate would not go up. The toll was 3 euros 40 cents. The machine has just taken about 8 euros in change. In the meantime, at least 5-8 semi’s were behind us and after 15 minutes they began backing up. We ultimately backed up ourselves and drove about 4 traffic lanes over. As we had already entered our TICKET in the truck lane we now had NO TICKET to enter in this lane. More traffic lined up behind us, people got out of their cars and came up to try and assist and then THERE WAS THE SANEF PERSON…standing in front of our car asking where our ticket was. Explaining in poor French and excellent English that the TICKET was 4 lanes over, after another 15 minutes they were SO concerned we might have driven further then we stated, hence could be losing precious tolls they actually went to the other lane to get our ticket and then let us pay AGAIN (after feeding the other lanes coin box) 3.40 euros. It was actually more than 30 minutes getting through that ‘peage’.

In hindsight we take most of the blame for this one but it certainly nailed the point to pay close attention to what lanes we entered. Had no further problems after that and ended up using my debit card. Also managed to collect receipts by pressing the receipt button to match up with my statement. These helpful website will assist in planning your next driving holiday in France.

http://www.francetravelplanner.com/trans/car/tolls.html

http://www.autoroutes.fr/index.htm?lang=en

https://www.sanef.com/

Traveling Through France in Fall

2016-10-18T10:26:00.001-07:00

In the coming weeks we'll be posting along the way as we travel through France and Northern Italy. So looking forward to 'Fall Colors' in France as well as Northern Italy.

Tour de France 2016 - Everything you Want to Know

2016-07-04T15:54:00.002-07:00

http://www.letour.com/le-tour/2016/us/
See the route, teams, videos, history and all else on TDF website.

Château de la Lorie

2016-07-04T12:31:00.004-07:00

Open from the beginning of June to the end of September, le Château de la Lorie is yet one more unique example of French architecture.

Paris Maps

2016-07-04T10:36:00.005-07:00

The 22 key maps that paint a picture of Parishttp://www.thelocal.fr/20160704/the-maps-that-paint-a-picture-of-paris

Christo's Latest Art Project Will Let You Walk on Water

2016-06-18T16:38:00.001-07:00

Paris - Euro 2016

2016-06-09T18:49:00.005-07:00

A French guide for how fans should behave at Euro 2016

http://www.thelocal.fr/20160609/how-euro-2016-fans-should-behave-in-france

Retiring abroad: ensuring your health is covered

2016-05-12T11:43:00.003-07:00

We speak with many people interested in retiring abroad. Make sure you have your health insurance in order. Seek out the many companies out there offering health insurance. Find out if it is still necessary to keep your Medicare Part A premium in place. Many issues to resolve before 'heading as the crow flies'. http://www.thelocal.fr/20160413/retiring-abroad-ensuring-your-health-is-covered-cignaglobal-tlccu

Le parcours 2016 en 3D / The 2016 route in 3D

2016-05-05T14:28:00.001-07:00

Traveling Abroad for Months as Working Adults

2016-05-02T18:20:00.003-07:00

I recently posted a detailed account from friends who spent several months enjoying the world on their own. Check our their new BLOG and get even more insights to their travels abroad. http://jasonzissman.blogspot.com/2016/05/travelling-abroad-for-months-as-working.html

Hiking from Spain in to France via the Pyrenees

2016-03-03T16:06:00.006-08:00

Cosy inns, good food and aching legs on a hike from Spain to France through the Pyrenees

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-3469315/Taking-high-road-border-Cosy-inns-good-food-aching-legs-hike-Spain-France-Pyrenees.html

Renting property in France and your rights as a tenant | Housing | Expatica France

2016-03-03T06:20:00.001-08:00

Renting property in France and your rights as a tenant | Housing | Expatica France

Consider a Homestay when in Paris

2016-03-02T15:59:00.001-08:00

This could be an alternative to short term apartments or airBnB. Also good for students and tourists alike. http://www.homestay-in-paris.com/