by Helen Kain | Apr 4, 2020 | Towns & Cities
St. Malo, a town in Brittany on the northwestern coast of France, has some of the biggest tides in Europe. They can vary more than 40 feet from low tide to open sea, as you can see from views of the national fort, which becomes isolated at high tide. St. Malo is just...
by Helen Kain | Feb 3, 2019 | Cathedrals, France, Towns & Cities
Just a whiff of warmer weather and the piles of snow are rapidly shrinking. Water is splashing down the gutters in a happy symphony of gurgles. Yesterday the Groundhog predicted an early spring – fingers crossed he’s right. While we wait, though, let’s...
by Helen Kain | May 20, 2017 | Chateaux, France, Gardens, Towns & Cities
The Loire Valley is utterly gorgeous in the spring – abundant lilacs, colourful bulbs and tumbling wisteria. I’ve done a quick recap of some of my favourite spots from our trip a couple of years ago. In putting together the collage, I noticed I chose...
by Helen Kain | Apr 22, 2015 | France, Towns & Cities
The final leg of our journey took us down to Aix en Provence, where we rented a very comfortable two bedroom apartment, within easy walking distance of all the sights. We had been fortunate with unseasonably warm weather in the Loire Valley, and looked forward to...
by Helen Kain | Apr 16, 2015 | Towns & Cities
The following day we set out for Sarlat, in the Dordogne. Loading the luggage into the car, we bid farewell to the wonderful staff at Hotel de Minimes and settled in for the drive. The town of Sarlat has been around since Roman times, its fortunes waxing and waning...
by Helen Kain | Apr 11, 2015 | Chateaux, Towns & Cities
Our base in the Loire Valley is the Hotel Minimes, from which we venture forth and explore the Chateaux in the region. We are determined to visit no more than one per day, as we are given to understand the condition of Chateau Fatigue from overindulgence is common,...
