2018 France

In September-October 2018, we took a vacation to France. Our itinerary took us to Paris and three regions: Burgundy, Normandy and the Loire Valley.

We’ve been to Paris several times before – so we decided to visit some of our old favorites like the Musée National Piccaso, Musee d’Orsay and Musée de l’Orangerie; try different restaurants such as Le Bistrot Paul Bert and Les 110 de Taillevent; and hang out with friends. We did a day trip to Château de Fontainebleau as well.

In Burgundy, we joined friends on a barge cruise aboard the Andrienne operated by French Country Waterways, Ltd. The trip took us south from Fragnes on the Canal du Centre; east on the Saône River; and north on the Canal de Bourgogne to Dijon. Michael and his staff did a fabulous job – first class. We would highly recommend them.

After returning to Paris, we headed towards Normandy by way of Giverny and Honfleur. We were met by Sharon and Edward Parks, our hosts at Chateau de Beaulieu. Our visit here was focused on the detailed history and locations of the D-Day invasion. As a Lieutenant Colonel Royal Marines (Retired), Edward was very knowledgeable of the events of the period and the daily tours were highly educational. We would highly recommend them.

Our guides for the Loire Valley were Simon and Susan of Loire Valley Time Travel. They drove us through the region in a beautiful, classic 1950’s Citroen Traction Avant. We visited several chateaus and learned not just local history, but French history. We would highly recommend them.

From a photography perspective, I used a single camera and lens combination, specifically a Leica ME with a Summicron 35mm f/2 ASPH lens. It was the first time that I used the Leica as my travel camera. I was taking what I call “walk about” photos – images that I found interesting as we walked around. I found the experience to be very enjoyable.