Today we arrived in Lendou-en-Quercy, France where we will spend the next few days, On the way we made several fun stops for food! First up, we had a quick croissant in Pontorson on our way out of Normandy. Next up was an amazing pizza lunch just outside the gates of Château de Villandry. And last, but definitely not least, was lunch in Ségur-le-Château at La Part des Anges. The food was fantastic and we were lucky they were willing to stay open a bit late to serve our group (I’m still thinking about the butter sauce they served with my salmon). Bon appétit!
Château de Villandry
Walking through the interior of the Château de Villandry was truly inspiring! Having just moved into a historic home in Kansas City and working on a gallery space celebrating archival imagery at work for the first half of the year, I was delighted around every corner. From color to pattern and texture there are so many details I’m going to want to look back on.
The Gardens of Château de Villandry
En route to the South of France we made a stop at the beautiful Château de Villandry! I’m going to dedicate an second post to the stunning interiors, but the gardens were incredible. We spent quite awhile wandering around admiring from every angle.
The Mont Saint-Michel
After packing up and saying au revoir to Paris (via the Arc de Triomphe to Dale’s delight as our driver) we headed to Normandy to visit the Mont Saint-Michel. We booked a lovely Airbnb with a view of the medieval village and abbey and after checking in and dropping off our luggage we headed straight to the tidal island! Our group made our way up through the winding streets towards the abbey, it really feels like you have stepped into a Harry Potter movie! The views are spectacular and after exploring we enjoyed a great dinner before heading back to the house. This stop was a bit out of our way but well worth a visit if you ever have the chance!
Seine River Cruise
Our last night in Paris ended with a beautiful boat cruise down the Seine. Immediately after dinner we made the trek to catch our boat and once finally on board saw all the sights as the sun set. While our time in Paris was short, I hope we will get back as a family (or maybe just Dale and I) someday and really dive into all the museums, shopping and more.
Notre-Dame de Paris
After our trip to the museum Sophie, Alex, Winston, Dale, Grant & I walked to Notre-Dame. Visiting the cathedral was a highlight of my very first trip to Europe in 2009 and we were all eager to see the reconstruction after the devastating fire in 2019. We weren’t able to get tickets to go inside but I loved seeing all the work that had been done to restore the building from the outside. After exploring for a bit we headed to lunch at La Dame de Paris before heading back for a few minutes of rest at the hotel before dinner. Both boys did remarkably well with a busy, hot day!
