We will spend two months in each of five regions in France: Brittany, Périgord, Narbonne, the Loire Valley, and Lyon. Plus an initial week on the Ile de Ré, as a “vacation” before the hard work of our French stay begins. Some of these areas we’ve visited before and some will be all new – hope we like them!
That first week on the Ile de Ré… it’s J’s favorite spot in France (so far at least). The bike riding is fantastic, the beaches are beautiful, and the mussels are in season – what’s not to like?
September and October in Brittany: We have visited Brittany twice before (Plouguerneau and Plozevet) and are really looking forward to hiking the coastal trail again. The rocky coast is supremely photogenic… and we can hike on all of it, all the way around Brittany. The French have so much better public coastal access than we do at home in New England.
November and December in Périgord: Our first trip together to France included a week in the Dordogne region and we loved the food and the scenery, not to mention the walnut liqueur.
January and February in Narbonne: We’ve never visited the city, but it looks inviting, and the winter weather should be good…though we hear there’s a wind with a name – if they’ve given it a name, it’s probably a frequent visitor.
March and April in the Loire Valley: The chateaus and good bike riding beckon. We did a bike trip here a few years ago. Our accommodations won’t be quite so plush this time, but it’ll be great to spend more time seeing all the sights.
May and June in Lyon: We haven’t been to this city that supposedly has the best food in France, so we’re looking forward to some fine dining… and hoping the apparently now annual heat waves hold off until after we leave!
Our French Adventure 