Bergen

On Saturday, we set foot in Norway for the first time. We were in the southwestern town of Bergen, in preparation for heading out on a cruise north along the coast. So, apparently, were lots of other people – I never expected so many other tourists! The old town Bryggen area along the harbor was […]

Out and About

We’ve visited several of our favorite spots – the beaches at Cameros and Pentrez, which we can easily walk to, Pointe de Dinan and Cap de la Chèvre – and enjoyed a new one – a hike at Pointe du Van, about an hour away by car. So many beautiful views, it’s hard to choose […]

Crêpes

We were very pleased when the gîte owner asked if we would like to get together for a dinner of savory crêpes, made right here in our rental. We have few in-depth interactions with locals when we’re traveling, unfortunately – we’re taking in the culture at a distance. Interacting in French and eating crêpes sounded […]

Temptation

France is full of temptation. Most of it’s food – for me, at least. Everyone knows the baguettes and croissants, but there are so many other delicious things. The local farmers’ markets have incredibly fresh fruits and vegetables And there are so many things you can cook with such great ingredients – or, even easier, […]

It’s good to be back

We’re starting a trek through Europe (M likes to call it the great circle route) with two weeks in Lézargol in Brittany. This is our third time at this rental, and it’s just as delightful as ever. As we drove into the familiar beautiful countryside after a night in a hotel in Brest, we breathed […]

A Taste of the Black Forest

Our arrival in Titisee did not look promising. It was hot and the small town was packed with tourists. Our lunch was okay, nothing special. But then we checked into our hotel, Treschers Schwarzwaldhotel. Ahh. Despite being right in the center of town, the hotel blocked the noise from the street completely. Our room had […]

A Little More Bodensee

We recovered from our bike trip with a stay in Immenstaad am Bodensee at the Heinzler am See hotel. Ahh, sleeping in! Actually, the first day we got up relatively early to catch a ferry to go see the dahlias. There are ferries between many of the towns – it’s a great way to travel! […]

Soooo Many Flowers

If you don’t like dahlias, this is not the post for you! Last Monday we went to the Insel Mainau, an island in Lake Constance (the Bodensee). It’s known as the Blumeninsel – the Flower Island – and it’s not hard to figure out why. 12,000 dahlias in over 250 varieties – wow! – You […]

Biking the Bodensee Part 3

The interesting public art kept coming. Not really sure what the inspiration for this fountain in Friedrichshafen was – steam punk? shipwrecks? – but it’s cool! I wished I could fit some of the garden ornaments in my luggage… From Friedrichshafen we biked to Lindau, which has a very scenic old town and harbor. We […]

Biking the Bodensee, Part 2

We left Schaffhausen by boat, a two-hour trip back to Stein am Rhein. The Rhine has a pretty strong current – I’d guess two to three knots. So we were surprised to see, along with half-timbered houses, modern homes with big balconies, and lots of waterfowl, these water creatures: The river was not very wide […]