Author: John

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The Canadian Rockies – Icefields Parkway

Moraine Lake and the Moraine Lake Lodge

One of the most beautiful drives in North America is between Banff and Jasper, in British Columbia, called the Icefields Parkway. Spectacular mountain range that offers plenty of incredible viewpoints. We were blessed with great weather during the whole trip.

We’ve got a photo in here of Clearwater, which isn’t along this route, but we started our trip in the Okanagan, headed north through Kamloops, over to Jasper, down to Banff, and then through the Kootenays, returning to the Okanagan. About a 12-day trip.

Places to see:

  • Peyto Lake: Just off the Parkway and a short walk up to a incredible viewpoint of the lake.
  • Moraine Lake and Lodge: Just beautiful. Great, although a workout, trail along the left side of the lake to a high viewpoint (photo below of the lodge was taken from there. Great for canoeing and lots of trails.
  • Maligne Canyon Trail: Very nice walk along the canyon, incredible viewpoints.
  • Athabasca Falls: Along the Parkway.
  • Johnston Canyon Trail: Beautiful, great walk/hike, but as most places, get there early to beat the crowds.
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Top Things to do in Paris

The Louvre

Here’s a few of the things we enjoy doing while we are in Paris. As we frequent Paris often we’ve done most of the tourist things, and actually prefer to avoid those the areas that are overwhelmed by tourists (around Notre Dame and L’Isles de la Cité and Saint-Louis especially) and get out and explore other parts of the city.

First Things – Getting to know Paris

  • Cruise the Seine: great way to see Paris *
  • Double-Decker Bus Tours – great way to get to know paris
Things we enjoy in Paris:
  • Bike Rides (especially on Sundays when the closed the roads along the Seine) Note: its been recently announced that Paris is going to go back to having these roads closed permanently and just be available for pedestrians and bikes.
  • Walk the Seine
  • Walk the Marais
  • The Louvre
  • Versaille
  • D’Arcy Museum
  • Museum Carnavalet
  • Eiffel Tower & Gardens
  • Luxembourg Gardens
  • Street Markets, numerous of them throughout the city, held on different days.
  • Jardin des Plantes
  • Montparnasse Tower
  • Walk Tours – for a deeper understanding of Paris and more specific
Fun Streets to Walk
  • Rue Saint Andres des Arts
  • Those off of  Bl. Edgar Quinet, especially around the Metro entrance/exit, such as Rue de Montparnasse, Delambre, d’Odessar, Maine and Vandamme. Lots of creperies, good street nightlife, good cafes and brasseries facing each other with not a lot of traffic.
  • Rue Mouffetard, Val de Grace, 5th Arrondisement. Plan to have lunch or dinner there as there a numerous restaurants. Visit rue de la Montaigne, just behind the Parthenon, the steps of the Saint-Etienne-du-Mont church may look familiar. Stand on them and look back down the road. This was used frequently for scenes in Midnight in Paris. To get to it just continue down Mouffetard and it turns in rue de Descartes. Look for Montaigne on your left; it leads up to the Parthenon.

Eiffel Tower Alternative Option

The line-ups at the Eiffel Tower can be very long with waits up to an hour or more. And goo alternative is the Montparnasse Tower, which rarely has long line-ups and has a view that is at least as good. What’s nice is that you can look back at the Eiffel Tower, seeing it lit up at night. You can go just up to the top and enjoy the views, or have breakfast, lunch or dinner at the restaurant one floor below (Le Ciel de Paris). Food is good but it is the view that you are there for. What makes this tower restaurant unique is that in other cities that offer this, you are still surrounded by other towers. Not in Paris, the Montparnasse tower is all by itself, no other high-rises around, so you view is really exceptional.We have enjoyed dinner there, but would recommend lunch, or even breakfast, which are very well priced. It’s also an interesting place to people watch, wondering what there story is and reason for being there!

Seine Cruises *

There’s are numerous cruise lines that tour up and down the Seine, allowing you to see the many monuments along its banks. Here’s some tips when making your choice.

  • Stay away from the “cattle ships” such as the Bateaux Mouches, where you are loaded on with hundreds of people. They are just so many better options with smaller ships with more personalized service.
  • If its hot out, a day-cruise can be uncomfortable, especially if its not covered.
  • The evening tour is nice, especially when partnered with dinner. We have done the “El Calife” dinner cruise and very much enjoyed it. They can open up the roof and side windows for better views, or close if its cold out, without blocking your view. And the food was quite good (47 Euros per person for dinner and cruise).

Favorite Restaurants

Our experience with restaurants in Paris is rather limited, for how much time we have spent there. When we do eat out, it is usually just at a local bistro or brasserie. Here’s a few, however, that we have enjoyed and do recommend:

L’Entrecote (or Le Relais de L’Entrecote) – (Steakhouse) This is our favorite restaurants, a family favorite, which is usually high on our list for the first restaurant we go to when in Paris. They serve just one dish, steak with french fries, so if you aren’t interested in that, choose another restaurant. What makes it special is the secret sauce (yes, secret, the don’t disclose what it is made up of) that is served with the steak, which is just wonderful and goes great with the french fries. It is very popular now with tourists so there are usually line-ups, especially the one in St. Germain. Best to try the one on Montparnasse where there usually is not much waiting time.

La Divina Commedia – (Italian)Located on an interesting street in St. Germain, near the restaurants Cafe les Deux Magots or Cafe de Flore (two very touristy restaurants on St. Germain that are over-priced and not really recommended) near Place St. Germain-des-Pres. On the street are a number of other Italian restaurants that we hope to try in the future, but Commedia caught our eye because of the decor, the posted menu, and the pleasantness of the owner, Leonardo. We started with an appetizer of Calamari and artichoke hearts, which was excellent, followed by a homemade ravioli dish for Flo (which she said was the best ravioli she’s had) and I had risotto with scallops and strawberries (yes, strawberries! which went very well with the scallops). There are also other pasta dishes and pizza, and a good wine list. Excellent service and value for the price.

Le Ciel de Paris – (See mention above un Eiffel Tower). Exceptional views, good food with very good service (at least when we were there).

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Avignon and Montpellier

Montpellier didn’t do much for me. The hotel was stayed at, The Royal, was decent and the location was good. Its a short walk to the train station and the main square of La Comedie. But there being so many wonderful towns in France, I felt this one lacking. I think if one is limited on time, skip Montpellier and move on to other towns, such as Aix-en-Provence and Avignon. It seems to be a town for young people, coming to life especially after 9PM. Been there, done that, moved on. But we did enjoy the small squares of plazas squeezed in amongst a few buildings, usually with shade from large trees; they are scattered throughout historic Montpellier. A nice shopping walk is ??? with its marbled walkways and high-end boutiques.

However if you are going to go, the Royal Hotel is a great place to stay, especially if you are arriving by train as it is so close to the station. Its also very close to the main plaza Comedia and all of historic Montpellier.

On the way up to Avignon we stopped in to Tavel, having heard so much about its rosé. Not much to the town, except the Caveau San Vicente which has samples from 27 local wineries, and a cooperative store at the beginning of town where you can sample its wines. Personally, we prefer the lighter rosés of Provence. We purchased a few bottles, but felt they were too close to reds, and if we want a red, we’ll drink a red. So unless you are a really big fan of Tavel wines, not really worth the stop.

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Le Viel Audon – Ardeche

Shoreline in front of Audon

When visiting the picturesque hillside village of Belazuc, we found out that there was a very interesting smaller village on the other side of the river, accessible only by footpath, not by car. Here is how it is described on their website.

The site of Le Viel Audon has been inhabited since Prehistoric times by people who have enjoyed its mild climate, a river full of fish, a spring with constant temperature as well as rich fauna and flora. In the early 19th century, when silkworm breeding was a successful activity, the inhabitants of the hamlet left it to build large silkworm breeding houses on the plateau overlooking the village. After being deserted and forgotten for a century, all that was left of it was a heap of ruins buried under ivy. In the 1970’s, a handful of “utopists” put it into their heads to revive Le Viel Audon. They created an association and organised international volunteer work programmes for young people. Over 10,000 volunteers took part in rebuilding the hamlet, and some of them decided to live there too.

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Lyon, France

Lyon, a city which just seems to get better the more you get to know it. At first, it was one of those towns that didn’t really appeal to me very much when I arrived. Perhaps it was the backed-up traffic getting into town by car. And perhaps because I was looking for what is best to appreciate Lyon in the wrong places. In many towns you go to the old part of town to experience the place. But not in Lyon. The old part is nice and quaint, but you can find more to explore and enjoy in the 2nd Arrondissement called Bellecour.

Lyon is France’s second largest city, after Paris of course, and its geography is quite unique. It is where two rivers meet, the Saone and the Rhone. However the meeting takes place at the south end of Lyon, creating beforehand a narrow stretch of land with water on either side which is central Lyon. In this center section of land is Place Bellecour, the third largest plaza in France. Surrounded by beautiful buildings, it also hosts a huge parking lot below it, which has diminished traffic significantly in the area and allowed for many of the streets to be pedestrian only. This area is extremely bike and pedestrian friendly. Its a great shopping and dining region, especially rue de  la Republique (“rue de la Re” to locals) with many name-brand stores and department stores. A wonderful street for restaurants is rue Merciere, and then also the area of rue Garet and Rue de L’Arbre.

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Annecy, France

Annecy

We arrived in the afternoon to Annecy, after driving up from the Ardeche region. Beautiful day with lots of people on the beach of the lake, the shoreline walkway or walking the streets of the old town. What a place! We liked it immediately and it just go better as we found our hotel and check in. The Hotel du Palais de L’Isle is in the middle of old town, perhaps the most photographed place, next to the prison. And our room was the only one with a balcony overlooking the canal and prison. Lovely spot and probably the best room. For our first time here, I can’t think of a better spot to be or room to have.

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Chateau Clement in Ardeche

Chateau Clement

Our stay for our time exploring the Ardeche region was in Vals-les-Bains at the Chateau Clement. This beautiful chateau was built in 1870 by a mineral water magnate, who had traveled the world extensively, and brought back architectural ideas as to how he wanted to build his home in the forest on a hill above Vals, overlooking the Ardeche River. It has gone through a few transformations since then, including being a prison during the 2nd World War, being abandoned in the early 90s, until purchased by the current owners, the Chabot’s, completely renovated to restore its original splendor and then becoming their home as well as a charming Chambres d’Hotes.

As you can see from the photo, the chateau is original and beautiful. Easy to take a picture of the outside, but more difficult inside with its dark woods and low lighting, although the finishing is amazing. The double winding staircase is quite something, and the woodwork on the ceiling is something else. Quite a work of art and hats off to the Chabot’s for bringing it all back to life. And each room has been uniquely decorated, with a name to back-up the deco style.

We did not partake in the special dinner that Eric Chabot prepares, but we heard excellent comments from the other guests. He cooks it all, using local products, served in multiple stages. It sounded wonderful.

Staying at the Chateau Clement is like staying at a very high-end classy hotel, but without the price (and the fact that you are still living in someone’s home, with four (well-behaved) children). Full amenities in the room include large living space, wonderful robes, expresso machine and beautiful views. There’s a common area pool and spa facilities on the ground floor. We’d certainly return.

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Following the Ardeche River

Ardeche Gorge natural arch

Today we checked out from the Auberge du Vin and headed north towards Ardeche. We took the D70 out of Mazan to Caromb. In Caromb we turned west on D55 (lovely drive) to Aubignon, then D7 northward. A quick stop in Aubignon, which was okay, but much preferred Seguret, on next stop. Seguret is situated on a hillside just off of D7, you can’t miss it traveling up the highway, on your right. Small and quaint and clean, we enjoyed walking its narrow streets, up to the church and the chateau. Wonderful views looking back towards the Rhone river.

After Seguret we continued on D7 to Vaison-la-Romaine, which was definitely worth visiting. The town is divided into two parts by the river that flows through a narrow gorge, with just a narrow bridge, dating back to the time of the Romans, to connect the two together. The southern part would be the original medieval town whose streets wind their way up to a chateau at the top of the hill.

On the northern side is the more modern part of Vaison, but just as lovely with narrow pedestrian streets, and a large plaza lined with restaurants and cafes.

After Vaison we continued north, in search of lavender fields. Its a little early in the year for lavender, but we heard there were some fields near Vinsobre, so that’s where we headed. And we were in luck! One field was blooming and we found out way up to it and took a few photos.

From there we headed west crossed the Rhone river, to the Ardeche Gorge and river. An amazing drive with some incredible scenic and photographic viewpoints along the way.

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Canoeing the Ardeche Gorge

Balazuc and the Ardeche River

The drive up the Ardeche Gorge is simply stunning and very much worth doing in you are anywhere near the area. The drive offers plenty of viewpoints and the opportunity to pull over and take in this deep canyon with steep rock walls and a river running through it. Its meets the Rhone just outside of Pont-Saint-Esprit on highway D290 and the most interesting drive starts about 40 km up at Vallon-Pont-D’Arc. At the viewpoints you’ll see many people who are kayaking or canoeing (most in kayaks these days) and there’s really no better way to see the Gorge than while floating down it, rapids and all.

We went through here in late June and it was already getting quite busy. We had planned to do the Gorge by kayak but by the time we got to Vallon we were overwhelmed by all the people, camping, rental places and decided to just drive through to our hotel. However, the next day when we were out exploring towns, we really enjoyed Balazuc, situated along the Ardeche river, where there weren’t nearly as many people, so we rented a two-person kayak. 35 Euros for the kayak and pick-up at the end of our trip, which was about two hours long. A wonderful float, with flat spots and minor rapids, nothing too challenging, surrounded by steep rock cliffs. Choosing to do this in the afternoon was also a good idea as we got more of a break from the sun. The company we rented from was Fazao, located right under the bridge at Balazuc, with parking spaces for your car. Definitely something worth doing, we really had a good time, swimming, lazing along the shoreline, and running the rapids when they appeared.

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Provencal Markets

Market day at L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue

Going to a market in Provence is a must as there is just so much to see and Provence has so much to offer with herbs, flowers, fruit, vegetable and handicrafts. We went to the market in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue on Sunday and it was packed with both people and stands. L’Isle is also an amazing town for antiques, not just on Sundays at the market but all year round with many, many antique stores. I’m sure much of what ends up decorating the newly purchased homes of expats comes from here. If you go, make sure you also visit Fountaine-de-Vaucluse, which is at the base of the mountain where the Surge river begins. Very cute town with the river running through it, and a great place to have lunch, especially if its hot out. Route de Fountaine, which takes you from Sorgue to Fountaine, is a beautiful drive, lined with tall, shading Sycamore trees.

Here’s a list of the some of the markets and the days on which they happen:

Monday: Bedoin, Cavaillon, Mazan Tuesday: Avignon, Beaumes de Venise, Gordes, Vaison-la-Romaine Wednesday: Avignon Thursday: Avignon, L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Orange, Robion, Roussillon Friday: Avignon, Bonnieux, Carpentras, Cavaillon, Chateau-Nuef-du-Pape Saturday: Avignon, Cadenet, Menerbes, Mirabeau, Pernes-les-Fountaine Sunday: Ansouis-Avignon, L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Maubec