An Afternoon in Chantilly, France

One of my favorite solo day trips during our week in Paris was visiting Chantilly, France. I hadn't prioritized this spot on previous trips because the "only" things to do in Chantilly were visit the castle and stables, learn about lace, stroll through the forest, try the infamous Chantilly creme... Basically, there's plenty to do …

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Day Trip to Angers, France

Despite my best planning efforts, sometimes our travel adventures do not go according to plan. That was the case during my first free day in Paris, France, while Brian was attending his tradeshow. I had mapped out several day trips to towns across northern France, but when I showed up at the Montparnasse train station …

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Things to Do in Normandy, France

I've accompanied Brian on his work trips to Paris several times, often exploring new places downtown and taking day-trips to nearby cities and countries. During our recent trip, he needed to stay a second week for customer meetings so we spent the weekend in between exploring the Normandy region of France. Normandy is a region …

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Normandy, France: WWII Sites

Visiting the World War II sites in Normandy, France has been on my bucket list for years. We finally made it happen, and it exceeded my expectations. By far, one of the most memorable days of our trip. To get a guide or not to get a guide? I read and researched extensively about whether …

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An Afternoon at Mont Saint-Michel

I was thrilled to explore Normandy during our recent trip to France and to cross a couple items off my bucket list - one of which was touring the famous 1,200-year-old abbey at Mont Saint-Michel. We rented a car at Charles De Gaulle airport on Friday morning and set off on a four-hour drive through …

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Rouen: The City of Joan of Arc and the Half-Timbered Home

I had never heard of the 2,000-year-old city of Rouen prior to our latest trip to France. I'm glad I stumbled upon this cobbled old town where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake so I could learn more about its history and significance to the Normandy region. It was a perfect day trip …

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C’est Paris, oui?

When Brian found out he was headed on a two-week work trip to Europe, including a week in France, I quickly booked my own tag-along flight to Paris. It's been several years since we were in Europe and nearly 10 years since I was in France (Mon Dieu!). During prior trips to Paris, I saw …

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