Chamonix, a small French town at the foot of Mont-Blanc might lack historic buildings and cultural places, but it more than it makes up for it with the incredible beauty of its surroundings and the many outdoor activities on offer.
With a soaring mountain range, ancient glaciers and a fresh alpine vibe, it is a mecca for people who gather here from all over the world in the Winter to enjoy some of the best skiing in Europe, but also in the Summer for mountain climbing, trekking, cycling, paragliding
Setting off from the UK on September 2nd, 2020 we are back on the road again, crossing the Chunnel (Channel Tunel) into France.
We are currently overlooking Lake Annecy from our campsite Le Panoramic, up on the hills above the lake (GPS N45.8428, E 6.14129).
Our European motorhome tour 2020 has started well. Our plan is to explore a little bit of France, mostly around the Mont Blanc area, and then cross into Italy, where we intend to stay for most of September and October. If time and COVID allow
Like so many other fascinating historic places, they often hide a dark past of political mishaps, rivalry, jealousy, revenge and great love affairs. As we explored the stunning Château de Chenonceau the plot of an intriguing Royal love triangle started to unfold.
Henry II married Catherine de Medici, who was a member of the powerful ruling family of Florence, they were both fourteen years old when they got married.
The following year, he became romantically involved with the thirty-five-year-old widow, Diane de Poitier, who was beautiful, well educated, and politically astute. She influenced many of the decisions made by the King who was madly in love with her. Her powers of persuasion did not take long to convince the King to gift her the charming Château de Chenonceau.
The charming town of Amboise has been a great place to base ourselves whilst exploring a little bit of the Loire Valley. We have been here for the last three days enjoying a peaceful location a stone’s throw from the banks of the Loire River and a short walking distance from the town.
Great food, wine, chateaux galore, and fascinating history is what brings hordes of tourist here to the Loire Valley every year. We have beaten the crowds by arriving earlier…in the low season and we got fabulous weather to boot.
Many years of planning and talking about a tour of Europe in a motorhome has brought us to this exact moment when with a mixture of excitement and apprehension we are finally on our way.
It is a short distance between our home in Bournemouth and the ferry port of Poole, with light traffic for a Monday morning, albeit quite early – we arrive and board the Brittany Ferry without a hitch.
The crossing with Brittany Ferry from Poole to Cherbourg along the cold waters of the English Channel also known as Canal De La Mancha took us about four hours of a reasonably pleasant crossing.
We are sisters that love spending time together, but we live many miles apart and therefore we grab every opportunity for a get-together. Although Virginia and I were not surprised that our baby sister chose to visit us in England to kick off her honeymoon, we were delighted ( if with a little trepidation) that she invited us to come to Paris and Amsterdam with them for the next leg of their honeymoon.
Who could possibly refuse Paris?