Day 4: Medieval Guédelon and Bourges
Rose: A lighthearted "name game" to review names with our tour group in the garden at the Bourges Cathedral.
Thorn: It was rainy and cold, which makes a walking tour not very enjoyable!
This morning, the tour group departed Hotel B Montmarte at the stroke of 8:00 AM. The bus we are riding is wonderful. It smells brand new and is kept immaculate. One of the best parts of a Rick Steves tour is the size of the group, and we are relishing the fact that each tour member gets two seats instead of being stuffed like sardines!
We spent two hours on the bus admiring the French countryside as we drove to the Château de Guédelon. There were lots of trees, fields of wheat and barley, and charming towns. It was exactly like I imagined, and I really enjoyed seeing how French life, in a way, is actually quite similar to American life. Throughout the entire tour, we also enjoyed listening to Graeme educate us with the history of France and its monarchy.
We stopped quickly at a rest stop to use the restrooms, and Graeme surprised us with "petit ecolier" cookies to try on the bus afterwards. They were so yummy that Susan and I picked up a few boxes at the next rest stop! Finally we arrived at the Château de Guédelon. It is so hard to believe that a castle can be built using thirteenth century building techniques. Everything, even down to each individual brick, is handcrafted. Unbelieveable! We had a very informative tour at the château before enjoying a picnic lunch and time on our own to explore.
Off to Bourges next! Once again, we enjoyed pleasant countryside views of the Loire Valley. We saw fields upon fields of grapevines and many rolling hills. Graeme talked all about the Loire Valley as we drove along. We arrived at the Best Western Hotel d'Angleterre in the afternoon. It was a long walk over cobblestones to the hotel, which made me very grateful for my carry-on suitcase. Graeme has been teaching us French, so every tour member had to guess their hotel room number using French. What a great way to embrace the culture and language!
After a quick refresh in our hotel room, we went on a walking tour of Bourges with our local guide, Helene. Bourges is an adorable town with half-timbered houses and one of the best cathedrals I have ever seen. It is one of the largest catherdrals in France, and it took my breath away! Plus, the stained glass windows are at eye level, which is makes it much easier to view their intricate details.
The tour group played a name game to make sure everyone knew each other's name before enjoying dinner together this evening. Each course was bigger than the previous one, and we all enjoyed great food and conversation late into the night. Following dinner, Susan and I took a few wrong turns and got "lost" in Bourges. It was then that I realized I miss the hustle and bustle of Paris (and here I thought I could never be a "city" girl!). Fortunately, we made our way back to the hotel just in time for the power to go out! Haha, thankfully the power was quickly fixed and we were able to get a good night's sleep before our drive to Amboise tomorrow.
Thorn: It was rainy and cold, which makes a walking tour not very enjoyable!
This morning, the tour group departed Hotel B Montmarte at the stroke of 8:00 AM. The bus we are riding is wonderful. It smells brand new and is kept immaculate. One of the best parts of a Rick Steves tour is the size of the group, and we are relishing the fact that each tour member gets two seats instead of being stuffed like sardines!
We spent two hours on the bus admiring the French countryside as we drove to the Château de Guédelon. There were lots of trees, fields of wheat and barley, and charming towns. It was exactly like I imagined, and I really enjoyed seeing how French life, in a way, is actually quite similar to American life. Throughout the entire tour, we also enjoyed listening to Graeme educate us with the history of France and its monarchy.
We stopped quickly at a rest stop to use the restrooms, and Graeme surprised us with "petit ecolier" cookies to try on the bus afterwards. They were so yummy that Susan and I picked up a few boxes at the next rest stop! Finally we arrived at the Château de Guédelon. It is so hard to believe that a castle can be built using thirteenth century building techniques. Everything, even down to each individual brick, is handcrafted. Unbelieveable! We had a very informative tour at the château before enjoying a picnic lunch and time on our own to explore.
Off to Bourges next! Once again, we enjoyed pleasant countryside views of the Loire Valley. We saw fields upon fields of grapevines and many rolling hills. Graeme talked all about the Loire Valley as we drove along. We arrived at the Best Western Hotel d'Angleterre in the afternoon. It was a long walk over cobblestones to the hotel, which made me very grateful for my carry-on suitcase. Graeme has been teaching us French, so every tour member had to guess their hotel room number using French. What a great way to embrace the culture and language!
After a quick refresh in our hotel room, we went on a walking tour of Bourges with our local guide, Helene. Bourges is an adorable town with half-timbered houses and one of the best cathedrals I have ever seen. It is one of the largest catherdrals in France, and it took my breath away! Plus, the stained glass windows are at eye level, which is makes it much easier to view their intricate details.
The tour group played a name game to make sure everyone knew each other's name before enjoying dinner together this evening. Each course was bigger than the previous one, and we all enjoyed great food and conversation late into the night. Following dinner, Susan and I took a few wrong turns and got "lost" in Bourges. It was then that I realized I miss the hustle and bustle of Paris (and here I thought I could never be a "city" girl!). Fortunately, we made our way back to the hotel just in time for the power to go out! Haha, thankfully the power was quickly fixed and we were able to get a good night's sleep before our drive to Amboise tomorrow.