Exploring France by Train What an adventure! By Tour Guide Extraordinaire Dianne Gowder
Exploring France by Train What an adventure! By Tour Guide Extraordinaire Dianne Gowder
In mid May I embarked on a three-week adventure exploring France by train starting and ending in Paris.
I was pretty flexible but one of the things I wanted to do was visit Monet’s Garden in Giverny and I was lucky to have a friend take me there. What a gorgeous place, we toured his house also.
My second stop was the beautiful Loire valley with it’s chateaux, river and vineyards. I chose the lovely city of Amboise as my base there and I was not disappointed.
If you are wondering about my accommodation I stayed a few nights with friends along the way but mostly I stayed at Airbnbs. Pictured below is the chateau royal in Amboise.. not my Airbnb! Also a view of the Loire river and a little know pagoda that is located just outside the city
My next stop was the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and I stayed with friends who very kindly showed me some of the most beautiful countryside! If you visit France and you like Nature this is a less touristed area and they have some wonderful cheeses as well.
After the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region I headed south. My other must see on this trip was the famous white horses of the Camargue, so I stayed in the city of Arles, also well worth a visit, and did a half day tour to see the horses. Arles is the city that Van Gogh lived and painted in for many years. I had to go look at the café that inspired his famous “café terrace at night” painting!
I then visited a couple of the stunning hillside towns in Provence. I should have rented a car it was extremely difficult trying to get around that region on public transportation.. especially on weekends! I stayed in Roussillon with it’s famous ochre cliffs, and the lovely people where I was staying kindly gave me a ride so I could visit Gordes, which is one of the most beautiful towns in the region.
Moving on to Colmar in the eastern part of the country was quite different, it is a medieval town very close to Germany and has changed hands several times over the centuries. It is quite charming.You can see the German influence in the architecture.
After Colmar I did a quick trip, three days, to Luxembourg, that will have to be a separate piece, then spent my last two days in Paris.
It was a wonderful trip and I met so many delightful people, my French skills improved and I hope,if you go, that you will not just visit Paris but see that France has much more to offer.
Dianne Gowder Bio:
Here is a link to my Facebook photography page
https://www.facebook.com/Walking-About-Photography-by-Dianne-Gowder-105661514321435/
Also I can be found on Instagram @dgbrit
Originally from England, but now long time San Pedro resident..
Credit for bio picture: Arturo Garcia Ayala
Dianne loves to walk and she tries to do at least 3 miles every day before she heads out to work. Her love of photography evolved from her walks.
“ I have always been amazed by scenery here and more and more I found myself stopping to capture the beauty of my surroundings. As I shared my work I realized that very few people were even aware of what they have on their doorstep!”
Dianne has made it her mission to share the beauty through her photographs and she takes her friends on walks as often as possible.
