On a recent trip to Paris, Dan and I wanted to spend our last afternoon in Montmartre, specifically Sacre Coeur. Why? One of our favorite breweries made a Belgian Quad called Sacre Coeur and we wanted to drink Sacre Coeur at Sacre Coeur! Great success!
Sacre Coeur at Sacre Coeur!
Earlier this year, I flew into Paris’ Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport and needed to get from CDG to La Rochelle, France via train. I knew that it could be done, but had a difficult finding an easy guide online. And then again, earlier this month, I needed to get from Strasbourg, France to CDG, and it was so much easier and less stressful having already figured it all out. So, here is my guide!
CDG is Paris’ largest airport and an ideal entry/exit airport for Western Europe. CDG is served by its very own SNCF train station in the middle of Terminal 2, called CDG-Roissy, that serves destinations throughout France, and even further into Europe. In addition, CDG has a local, cheaper train, called the RER, for venturing into Paris proper for even more connections!
The entrance to CDG-Roissy’s tracks
When Dan and I arrived in Bordeaux for a long weekend, we ended up with about an hour to kill before meeting our Airbnb host in the Saint-Michel neighborhood. Bordeaux’s Saint-Michel neighborhood is located just south of the main tourist area. Saint-Michel is beautiful, charming and eclectic part of Bordeaux, with, in addition to French, a mix of Middle Eastern, North African and Latin influence.
After disembarking the tram at the Porte Bourgogne stop, we walked up and down Cours Victor Hugo in search of a sit down restaurant that could accommodate our luggage. As a side note, I LOVE planning meals and not having a set place to go with good reviews was really stressing me out! After passing many, many take out Turkish restaurants we stumbled upon Los Dos Hermanos, what appeared to be a Spanish restaurant with a hand written menu and outdoor seating that would accommodate our luggage – sold.
Although I have traveled extensively throughout France, I had never been it to Bordeaux! So when Dan and I spent 10 days in France this past summer, we made Bordeaux the highlight of our trip, spending 4 days and nights exploring Bordeaux and the surrounding area. We had a wonderful time, and found Bordeaux to be a lovely, beautiful and manageable city!
Gorgeous Bordeaux streets!
Bordeaux is sizeable city on the Garonne River in Southwestern France. In additional to being what many would call the wine capital of the world, Bordeaux is a university city that has a very young and very French feel – and in a great way! Despite its wine fame, Bordeaux is not overrun with tourists and offers a realistic French experience, especially as opposed to many of France’s other big tourists sites.
Outdoor cafeing in Bordeaux!
Of the countless wine-related activities available to tourists in Bordeaux, France, one of the most worthwhile wine-related activities in Bordeaux is a wine course, and preferably early on in your visit to Bordeaux! Dan and I commenced our four-day stay in Bordeaux with a wine course at Max Bordeaux Wine Gallery and our experience certainly shaped our time in Bordeaux! Here we are entering Max Bordeaux, and is fabulous wineglass ceiling is featured in the cover picture!
