Edda

Provence and Northern Spain in May 2005
First of all I want to thank all the Fodorites who helped me plan the trip and for all the wonderful suggestions for hotels, restaurant and sights.

Transportation:
The flight to Paris and return flight from Barcelona were uneventful and at $780 roundtrip reasonably priced. The car rental through AutoEurope for the entire trip exluding Paris to Avignon and Barcelona was again the best deal, even with a one-way drop off charge of $270. A superdeal was the 1st class TGV promorate of $39 per person from Paris to Avignon.

Hotels:
All the hotels were wonderful. At Hotel de L'atelier in Villeneuve Lez Avignon were we stayed the first five nights, we had a huge room with double door opening to a charming small, walled garden. The room had a third bed which we used as a convenient luggage rack and a very large bathroom. The hotel reception area is charming and there are several cozy rooms and spots perfect for catching you breath or simply taking a short break. We especially enjoyed a walled, outdoor dining area perfect for long breakfasts with lost of coffee. The owners and staff were very helpful and friendly. Only parking which was across the street inside an abandoned chrch made my husband a little uneasy-not so much on religious grounds but due to the usual European phenomenon of parking places which are exactly one square centimeter larger than the footprint of the car. Fortunately, the hotel staff attended (and sometimes participated in) every entry to and/or exit from the church-often with much Galic handwaving of questionable efficacy. Once out of church, we found Villeneuve Lez Avignon to be a very pleasant little town and a very convenient base from which to visit the Provence and Languedoc.
On our way to Northern Spain we stayed one night atthe Casa Pairal in Collioure, a very pretty harbor/resort town where the British author Patrick O'Bryan spent the last years of his life. This rather large hotel is tucked away on a side street close to the harbor and we had to ask directions before locating the narrow alley leading to the reception area. Despite being rather large, the hotel is very comfortable and inviting and, although the rooms are small, the location close to the water, shops and restaurants is a real plus. Unfortunately we were not able to get to the hotel until 5PM because of the Collioure triathlon required the entire harbor area to be blocked off. To wait out the sporting event, we drove up the coast a bit and caught the tail end of a town square musical performance featuring American pop music. It is amazing how getting out of a car after a long drive and having a beer improves my husband's music appreciation.

Next, we stayed five days at the Parador de Aiguablava on the Costa Brava; the hotel, as we've come to expect of the Paradors, is an absulate, very modern paradise. The view of the Mediterranean is breathtaking; the rooms are superb and the senior rate provides a real bargain.

The recommendation which identified our hotel in Brcelona, the "Hotel Hispano 7 Suiza" located a block from the Sagrada Familia, was another winner. This hotel appeared to be very new and we found it to be very comfortable with an extremely friendly staff.

Restaurants:
No doubt, the lunch at "La Chassagnette" at La Sambuc on the Estside of the Carmague was the highlightt of our trip. It is an amazing place and beautifully located. The meal was incredible. After lunch we had coffe and desert in the beautiful garden; a sheer joy and perfect ending to this exceptional dining experience. Other restaurants we liked very much were the "La Banaste" in Villeneuve Lez Avignon (I still remember the rhubarb with raspberries and warm cheese sauce). The Bistro de Paradou everyone recommended was full but the La Vallee in neighboring Maussane-les-Alpilles was a very nice alternative. In Collioure we had a very good dinner at "The Neptune" atwo-star restaurant with a wonderful view of Collioure bay. We also enjoyed the restaurant at the Parador and their breakfast buffet was outstanding: a mile long with every food imaginable. In Barcelona, we had wonderful meals at the Hotel 7 Suiza restaurant "La Cupula" and the "Seven Ports". Also, after a lot of unexpected difficulty and frustration, we found a good Tapas Place: "Sagardi".

Sights:
Our favorite places in the Provence included the charming little city of Villeneuve Lez Avignon (the monastry, Tower Philip with a view to Avignon and Fort St. Andre) and the City of Avignon (the Papal Palace, the beautiful gardens, and the city center), Arles (the Roman Amphitheatre and several beautiful churches), Pon du Gard (unfortunately our planned picninc was rained out, but they have a very nice cafeteria), the castle in Beaucaire, the Le Baux castle grounds and the town of Isle du Sorgue (we had lunch at a place with an "A" for atmosphere, but "C" for food), as well as the Luberon towns of Gordes and Roussillon. Collioure was a jewel with its beautiful bay and beach, old town, market and very nice shops. The most memorable awestruck scenery was of course the Costa Brava and we also enjoyed visits to Tossa del Mar and little medieval towns like Pals. The highlights in Barcelona were the Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell and all of Gaudi's remarkable architecture throughout the town.

Shopping:
I loved the boutiques in Villenouve Lez Avignon and in Avignon and I am glad I followed Stu Dudley's recommendation to visit the market in Carpentras. The shops and ateliers in Collioure were wonderful as were the pottery shops on the Coosta Brava.

Disappointments:
After having visited California's wine country, wineries around Chateauneuf du Pape were not only hard to find but also not set up for visitors. It took us a long time to find the Beaucastel winery, which Stu Dudley recommended, only then to discover that they were closed (we had the wrong phone number and were not able to call ahead; the correct number is: 04-90-70-4100). The towns of St.Remy, Uzes, Aiges Mortes and LeBaux (the town itself) were too touristy; St. Marie in the Carmague, even though beautifully located, was too loud and dirty. In the Carmague, we did not see any horses, flamingos or any other animals and luckely also no bugs! Barcelona is a very interesting, vibrant city, but we did not enjoy the Rambla.A return trip to the Provence is not in our plans, and I know many of you will say that we did not appreciate the real beauty of this part of France. Although the Provence is very charming, we found our trip this year to Normandy with stops in Giverny and Chartres to be significantly more rewarding. I will post my report on this trip later tonight.

Edda

Moselle and Normandy in May 2006
Again, I want to thank all the Fodorites for their help in making this a wonderful trip.
The journey started out promising by getting exit row seats with frequent flyer miles on American Airlines, it sure makes a difference to my 6'5" husband David. I would gladly pay an additional charge for these seats, if the airlines ever comes through with such a plan. We arrived in Frankfurt ahead of time and passing through customs and retrieving our luggage was quickly and efficiently accomplished. Our rental car pick up also went smoothly. We have gotten our European trip rental through Autoeurope for the past three years and perhaps this was the reason for the upgrade from a VW golf to an Audi A4 Diesel; whatever the reason, we were very pleased with this excellent car which we would have loved to take home with us. After we purchased a very detailed map of the area at the airport, we were off to our first destination: Beilstein on the Moselle. What should have been an easy Sunday afternoon drive with a good map-me being German and my husband having driven a lot in Germany-did not turn out that way as we got lost and were driving for over an hour through the mountainous area of the Hunsrueck. Even though the countryside was very pretty with tucked away little villages, we were much more interested at the time in getting to Beilstein and our hotel. When we finally arrived in Beilstein, we fell in love with this beautiful town and the hotel House Lippman certainly did not disappoint either. The room was large and comfortable with a nice bathroom and a small terrace with the view to the Moselle river. We took a walk through town, had some coffe and cake at the Klostercafe and went back to the hotel for a short nap. We decided to have dinner at the hotel restaurant which was highly recommended by other travelers and, as expected, was very, very good! We had venison creme soup, goose fat with black bread, venison ragout, spaetzle and to top it off: apple cake with ice cream - a set menu for 19 Euro and a bottle of Beilsteiner Schlossberg Kabinett for 3.90 Euro. The beds were very comfortable, even for my husband who complains about the pillow and cover in most hotels. Breakfast gave absolutely no cause for complaints either and was easily the best we had on the whole trip; fresh rolls and an assortment of breads, cake, cheese, cold cuts, jams, fruit and, of course, a soft boiled egg with lots of wonderful German coffee. Our first full day in Germany (May 1st) was still cool with short periods of rain but not unpleasant und just perfect for a climb up to Burg Eltz which is truly one of the most beautiful castles in Germany. From the parking lot (coming from the "other" side) you descend into a valley with a creek flowing through the woods and the castle rising on a cliff. The tour of the castle was very informative and interesting, old crests and weapons, beautiful paintings and furniture. It was restored to its original look by an Eltz son in 1900 and is still owned by the Eltz family in the 33rd generation. After a walk around the castle we relaxed at the terrace with a beer where David could finally use his favorite German saying "Bitte ein Bit", It was quite a strenuous walk back to the car for two senior citizens but we had enough energy to take a stroll through Cochem, which was charming but too busy, probably because of the German holiday. Cochem is very close to Beilstein and we decided to come back later that night for dinner at the Hotel Romantik & Restaurant Weissmuehle on the outskirts of Cochem. What a find this restaurant turned out to be. The food was simply delicious and beautifully presented and served by a very gracious young lady. We started with a champagne and peach liquor cocktail and both had the same dinner, a salad of asparagus and crawfish, rabbit with broccoli mousse, noodles and mushrooms and crepes with fruit and vanille sauce as dessert. The total bill including a bottle of wine was 87 Euro. The following day we had planned to take a bus tour organized by a Cochem travel agency to Trier and Luxembourg. Since it was cancelled, we decided to do the trip ourselves by car. Not a good decision; Trier is a busy town with little public parking and we drove around in circles for two hours to find a space in a parking garage. After finally parking we took the train to Luxembourg-a trip of little more than an hour. The walk to the town center from the train station is somewhat longish and although the route passes over a beautiful gorge in the center of the city and past a number of interesting monuments, there is too much construction and traffic to really enjoy the experience. Plus we didn't really allow enough time for our outing. We stopped at a pleasant looking square for some lunch in an outdoor seating area but after an hour wait for service which included being given someone else's sandwich and a subsequent disagreement with the waiter, we decided to take the train back to Trier-almost but not quite as fugitives from Luxembourgian justice. Safely back in Germany, we stopped for some wonderful potato soup and Weizenbeer at a place across from the Porta Nigra and, after a walk through town, a visit to the cathedral and some shopping, proceeded to wind up this rather unsatisfactory excursion by getting lost and having a hard time finding our parking garage. We had been in Trier before and all in all did not enjoy Luxembourg (obviously an unfair criticism given our miniscule visit) but, at least, back in Beilstein we had a lovely dinner on the terrace of Hotel Lippman. Wednesday we stayed in Beilstein and explored the area which included a visit to Burg Metternich and an interesting Jewish cemetery up on the hill behind the town and a walk through vineyards with beautiful views of the Moselle valley. If you ever in Beilstein, have some dessert at the Metternich Castle Terrace; I am still thinking about the delicious rhubarb cake. In the afternoon I was in for another treat, a European haircut; so wonderful, it was worth the airfare. After some more shopping in Cochem, we again enjoyed a nice dinner-this time the typical asparagus meal available in May-at what was rapidly becoming a favorite and comfortable diningspot-the terrace of the Hotel Lippman.
Thursday we left early and drove over six hours to Les Andelys. The hotel "La Chain d'Or was highly recommended by Fodor travelers and it is indeed beautifully situated. Our room was large and elegant with the Seine flowing right below the windows. However, the hotel was the only bright spot in this part of town. We looked for an outdoor cafe and all we could find within walking distance was a rather sleazy bar where we had a kir served in a dirty glass on a busy dusty street. We spent some pleasant time on the banks of the Seine and then went back to the hotel for that special dinner everybody raved about. Unfortunately, our waitress was very rude and only reluctantly translated fragments of the menu for us. We had the dinner with a different wine with each course and ordered as the main entreee what we believed were veal steaks but which turned out to be veal sweetbreads. These we ate but without excessive enthusiasm. In hindsight, it is clear that we were woefully unprepared to deal with the French menu and should have at least brought along a small dictionary to double check our menu selections. Even so, the wonderful apple tart dessert accompanied by Calvados enabled us to pleasurably wind up the meal in good form. Actually, due to all the wine served with each course, we wound up the meal in great form and had long since forgiven the sweetbread bearing wench. The next day, however, our excesses of wine and rich food came home to roost and I was in some distress for several hours until a fellow traveler saved the day by giving me some miracle stomach drops. Due to the previously mentioned upset stomach, we cancelled our visit to Lionheart's castle but still had a wonderfull afternoon at Monet's house and gardens in Giverny. The gardens, grounds and ponds provided a magnificent display of flowers in bloom and the gardens, while somewhat crowded on the cool but ultimately sunny day were not really that busy. The same night we continued on to Bayeux and to save time we took the highway which was a bit frustrating with all the tolls but very manageable. We found the Hotel D'Argouges with no problem given all the signs pointing out the way. We liked the charming hotel except for the steep stairs to our room on the second floor; the room was comfortable (the bathroom a little small with no shower) and the staff were extremely helpful. Since we had a full day ahead of us, we just went out for a baguette across the street and went to bed early. On Saturday we visited Mt. St. Michel in the morning and the Caen D-Day Memorial Museum in the afternoon. It started out raining in the morning but as soon as we got to Mt. St. Michel the sky cleared and it became warm and sunny. What an amazing and awesome place. I have wanted to visit Mont St. Michel for a long time and it was more beautiful than I ever imagined. Our next destination was the Caen D-Day Memorial. Shortly after leaving Mont St. Michel, we stopped at a German Cemetry/Ossuary, which contains the bones of over 12,000 German soldiers. Such a place, off the beaten path and almost completely deserted, leaves one feeling somber and shaken. We went to Caen Memorial to learn more about the D-Day battle before visiting the beaches and other locations. The museum is very, very large and impressive and provides an extensive and detailed introduction to the Normandy campaign as well as an insightful overview of the French political and cultural situation between the wars. After spending much of the afternoon at the museum, we tried to find the Le Bouchon du Vaugueaux restaurant Grandmere recommended but were unsuccessful and soon gave up and drove back to Bayeux for dinner. On the next day, Sunday, we took the all-day D-Day beaches tour with Roel of Victory Tours. My husband is second generation Dutch and was excited to have a Dutch guide. Roel did not disappoint us in the least. He is very knowledgeable about the D-Day invasion and, in addition, regaled us with many anecdotes about Aberican and German soldiers and various battle incidents. He was eager to show us as much as possible with the result that our tour lasted considerably longer than planned. However we still had plenty of time on our own to visit the very moving American Cemetery. We happened to walk into the cemetery with three uniformed American veterans of the battle whom Roel knew and the opportunity for even a brief exchange with these men was a real treat and privilege. Roul had been liberated by the Americans as a teenager and his never-ending gratitude for that deliverance was very evident in the affection and respect he showed to these men. The next morning we walked through Bayeux, visited the cathedral and had the pleasure of listening to organ music and a choir singing as the towns people celebrated Victory Day. Of course, we had to see the famous and beautiful Bayeux tapestry and we fully enjoyed the experience which was enhanced with an audio tape guide. After purchasing some delicious baguettes, we had lunch on the terrace of our hotel and then took off for a ride along the cidre route with an initial stop in Bevron-a very picturesque, small town. There happened to be an antique car show underway which created considerable activity in what would have otherwise been a very quiet, off-season holiday afternoon. We walked around looking at all the charming houses and, of course, doing a little shopping. We ended our visit with a dessert and the first good cup of coffee (in our opinion) of the trip. As we continued along the cidre route it became clear that we were too late in the season to see the apple trees in bloom. Also, the town of Cambremer mentioned by many travelers was deserted and pretty grey looking. Not so our next stop Honfleur; what a pretty seaside village! We did a lot of walking which included a visit to an interesting seaman's church. As usual, we stopped at a cafe to people watch and simply enjoy the atmosphere. There are wonderful restaurants in Honfleur, but we felt more comfortable driving back to Bayeux before it got dark. We decided to try the "Fringale" restaurant which is recommended by many Fodorites. It was a very satisfying and reasonable meal consisting of sole and a delicious beef dish, a pork sausage appetizer and cheeses for dessert. The entire meal was only 14 Euros. My husband didn't appreciate all the people smoking so close at hand, especially when we were sitting in a non-smoking area but than again we were in France.
We left Bayeux the next morning for Chartres and found our hotel, the Grand Monarque, very easily. The parking was tricky but the hotel wonderful and comfortable with large bathrooms containing thick towels and a real shower. The hotel is very centrally located and just a short walk from the cathedral. We were eager to experience Malcolm Miller's famous tour but just on that day the tour was cancelled. We compensated by renting the video guides and toured the cathedral, which was enormously interesting, by ourselves. We spent over three hours and obviously just scratched the surface. After visiting the cathedral, we walked around town which has some lovely shops as well as very long lines at the post office where I mailed postcards. The decision for dinner was easy, because the hotel's little bistro looked very promising. I had "fruits de la mere", scrumptious scallops, shrimps and several other kinds of fish in a cream sauce while David (perhaps remembering the sweetbreads) had a steak which he ultimately did not care for that much. But, we both liked the passion fruit sorbet desert. The hotel also served a wonderful breakfast-at least compared to all our other hotels in France.

Our next stop was Laon, north of Paris. We arrived at the hotel "La Banniere" early and the receptionist, an older gentleman refused to let us have our room even though I showed him our reservation. I was able to reach the owner by phone and finally was admitted-a little French would have helped here! The room and bathroom were adequate and the old wooden floors squeaked throughout the hotel. The old city of Laon is situated on a steep hill surrounded by a city wall with many interesting buildings and a beautiful cathedral. The place oozes history. Compared to most of the towns we visited, however, Laon is a little run down with many shops boarded up. Something for the Chamber of Commerce to consider. A fun experience was the funicular roundtrip to the new city in the valley. The hotel's restaurant was also recommended and we were not disappointed. After an appetizer of pork gelee with avocado sauce, we both choose the lamb with young vegetables which proved to be very tasty and tender accompanied by an excellent red wine. A mango cream dish with raspberry sauce for dessert topped off a very enjoyable evening meal. Not so the breakfast which was very skimpy and served by our "friendly" receptionist.

After leaving Laon, we spent two days at my girlfriend's house near Cologne where we enjoyed the warmest and sunniest weather since Beilstein. After hundred of kilometers of hard driving and much experience dragging heavy luggage up and down tiny and steep stairways, my husband observed that reclining in a lounger in a sunny, tidy German garden might be the vacation he had anticipated all along. I guess I expect more variety out of my vacations but I must agree that it is wonderful to be able to visit all the historic and beautiful places but it was also good to get back home and relax.

maitaitom

Just found this today. Good stuff. Starting to plan huge France trip already for (yikes) Spring 2008. Thanks for the info. Glad you liked the Haus Lipmann. Still one of my favorite stops.

Sue4

I was happy to come across this report - especially the Normandy part, as I am beginning my planning to a trip there next April/May. Hope I won't be too late for the apple blossoms! I'm still trying to decided where to pick up my car - Rouen or Chartres. Maybe I'll return it at Chartres, as I've never been there (after many trips to France).
Thanks for the detailed report.

grandmere

Edda, I'm glad you had such a great trip, and I'm enjoying reading your report. You write in such detail.
I'm surprised that we have stayed at 4 of the same hotels, although my stay at Hotel de l'Atelier was in 1989 and at Casa Pairal in 1988. It's good to know they are still the same charming places. I, too, think Villeneuve-Lez-Avignon is an excellent base. We were at Chaine d'Or and d'Argouges in 2005, and I agree with your positive comments about both of these. It is easy to mistake "Ris de veau" for something else; I always have to remind myself that ris is not rice!

artlover

Edda,
Thank you for this trip report. We're going to be staying at the Parador in April and in Barcelona, so it was very helpful. Do you recall the address or approximate area for the Sagardi?

Edda

Maitaitom - I am glad I am not the only one planning a trip early. I just booked a Danubecruise in October of 2007, followed by a week in Palatine, which is also called Germany's Tuscany. We will be there during all the wine festivals!! (I just loved your last trip report--so funny!)

Sue4 - I was told the peak apple blossom time is the beginning to the middle of April. I have not been to Rouen, but I would think Chartres is smaller and therefore it would be easier to locate the car rental place. You obviously will be taking the train from Paris to Chartres?!

Grandmere - my trip report might have been too detailed and not as entertaining and funny as most of the reports of the Fodorites. I hope I was not too negative about Chain d'Or, because I know you really enjoyed your stay there.

Artlover - you will love the Parador. If you have not yet reservations in Barcelona, I also recommend the Hotel Hispano 7 Suiza very highly. The Sagardi tapas place is located in the Barri Gotica on Argenteria 62. Their website www.sagardi.com/eng/sagardibcngotic.htmwill give you more information, also a map. On virtualtourist.com they have a lot of reviews of the Sagardi tapas places. Have a wonderful trip!

cigalechanta

Edna, I stayed alone almost three weeks in Villeneuve. Often took the boat from the Tour Philip to Avignon
We stayed the same hotel in Collioure.
Sorry you missed the attractions of the Camargue, the white horses, black bulls and pink flamingoes. Maybe it's the roads we traveled? But you seemed to enjoy the places and I'm another who loves Honfleur and Bevron-.
It's always interesting to read someone's impressions of places I visit no matter what they are.
I thank you I enjoyed your report.

hopingtotravel

It sounds like that during your stay in Bayeux you visited a lot of the places I would like to see. Did you feel you did a lot of backtracking by staying there while you went to Mont St. Michel and Honfleur, and the D-Day beaches?

Edda

Cigalechanta -
if I would go back to Southern France, I would choose again the Avignon area; I found it to be the least touristy. I followed the advise of other travelers which roads to take in the Carmague and was quite disappointed not to see even one of those wonderful animals.

Hopingtotravel -
I still think Bayeux was an ideal place to stay. Mt. St. Michel is only an hour from Bayeux (about 60 miles) and Mt. St. Michel to Caen another hour. Most D-Day Beaches Tours leave from Bayeux and I think contrary to the advise by Robespierre taking a tour is far better than hiring a driver at the train station.

grandmere

Edda, I think your attention to detail is admirable! And you liked the Chaine d'Or, just not the waitress!

The Chaine d'Or, IMO, is a lovely place, but my especial enchantment with it was probably in part due to the fact that it was our first night, and we were traveling with my cousin and his wife, who had flown on a different airline, arrived at different terminal, and had never been to Europe before. I was just grateful that all had turned out well, from meeting them, renting car, to arriving in Les Andelys, and I was eager for them to like France as I do. Chaine d'Or seemed like a good start for our 10 day trip.

hopingtotravel

Thanks Edda. Had been dithering between 2 nights Bayeux and 1 MSM or 3 in Bayeux.

My husband really enjoyed L'chaine d'Or because our Paris hotel room was small. We had a large room overlooking the Seine in Petit de Andelys and, as he's a boater and water-oriented, he absolutely loved it.

artlover

Thanks Edda. When I saw the address of Sagardi I had to laugh--I've booked us at Banyns Oriental which is just down the street!