French Road Trip Hotel Review

Since we were staying in so many different places, we needed to book four different places.

Lyon was an easy choice - they have a Hilton. We used points. It was one of the nicest Hiltons we've stayed at, partly because of the room, and partly because we suspect we were the only ones on the floor.

Since we have the nifty Hilton card, we automatically get a bump to the executive floor with access to the lounge. The room was a junior suite with TWO bathrooms!

When we got there we knew we were in for a good time, because there were macaroons waiting:

Here's the bedroom...

And also the sitting area....

Both of which face the Rhone river.

After checking in, we walked down to the lounge where it was tea time. When the Hiltons have an executive lounge, you're in for a good time. Not only are there breakfast and free drinks throughout the day, but they also have sweets setup for tea time in the afternoon, and then assorted happy hour treats (including booze) for the evening. Really, there's so much to eat that if you wanted to, you could totally just nibble throughout the day.

The lounge, of course had views of the river as well...

And this awesome statue. I feel like I need this in my life.

For breakfast, they had some of the best scrambled eggs I think I've ever had. The French really know what they're doing, because their eggs turn out so uniformly fluffy and in small bits, it's simply perfect. Paired with some sliced ham, bacon, assorted cheeses and your choice of Nespresso coffee, it was an outstanding way to start the day. And since we were some of the only people on the floor, the lounge felt like it was our personal space.

I didn't partake, but Matt tried out the whirlpool one evening and really enjoyed it.

Avignon:
I didn't post any photos from Avignon, but we stayed at the Hotel Danieli, which was smack dab in the center of town. You really couldn't beat the location, but the room was on the lower end of the spectrum of niceness. It was only a three-star, which in European jargon meant that it was on par with a lower-end U.S. hotel (Days Inn, anyone?). The bed wasn't great, you only got two teeny pillows (very common in Europe), and the room itself was slanted. What was nice was the size of the bathroom, which was spacious unlike other similar hotels. I wish the towels weren't so scratchy, though...

Matt picked it, and I picked the next one.

Montpellier:
Which was better? This one. While it wasn't in the center of town, the Park & Suites Elegance was really nice for the price we paid. This chain of hotels caters to the business crowd and those on extended stays, so each room has a little kitchenette, including a microwave. Since we don't have a microwave, this was a novel thing for us, and I was more than happy to heat up my banana bar for breakfast. Mmm.

This guy was also a three-star, but you wouldn't guess it. It's very new, bright and airy. Overall, I liked it.

Beaune:
Oh, Beaune. We wanted to treat ourselves for the last night and decided on the four-star Abbaye de Maizieres right in town. I mean, why pass up the opportunity to spend the night in an abbey from the 12th century?!

I mentioned it in an earlier post, but it was incredibly nice. When we checked in the receptionist walked us upstairs and explained the history of the building along the way.

I loved the exposed brick in the room...and what girl doesn't love a unicorn on tapestry?

Coolest bathroom ever....

And can we talk about the linens and towels? All logoed and the best quality I've ever had anywhere. I felt like a medieval queen sleeping on such a comfortable bed on top of the finest sheets.

All in all, France has some nice hotels if you look for them. We just started using Hotels.com to book because when you do 10 nights, you get one for free. I really like incentives to continue traveling...

All about French Wine

I get it now, guys. I have a basic understanding of French wine.

You know how you find a bottle of French wine and you have no idea what's going on? It's not because it's in French (probably doesn't help the situation), but it's because it's in this weird coded language that you need to understand in order to figure out what's inside the bottle.

This is why Matt and I paid a visit to Shannon via her company, From Vine to Wine while we were in Lyon.

Shannon is actually a California girl- grew up in the Napa region, surrounded by wine, decided she loved wine, and up and moved to France. She also married a Frenchman, which made it much easier to stay in France and truly enjoy wine even more.

Anyways, even though I originally signed up for the regional tasting, upon our arrival Shannon said we'd probably be better off getting an overview of all French wines. Matt and I agreed, since our biggest frame of wine reference was of the Italian variety. That and the Champagne region of France, which is small in comparison to the other wine regions.

This and more is what we learned!

So basically, what appears on the bottle is the vintiner for the wine, and based on this, you should know where the wine is coming from. Location, location, location. Based on where the wine is coming from, you should THEN know what kind of grape is being used.

This is the overly simple version. When you start thinking about it, you go wait- how am I supposed to just KNOW that? And the truth is, you're not. You just learn. Or bring your phone with you into the store and Google search.

The top foil also contains clues- apparently the green stands for appellation d'origin controlee (AOC), or something about having a geographic indication, and the blue is for vin de pays (VdP) and vins de table (VdT), both of which allow the contents to be from different areas in France, as long as they actually come from inside France.

Still with me?

Shannon also had these spiffy maps and posters up in her tasting room which Matt and I must have, including a periodic table of wine. Oh man, she really brought out the nerd in me that day.

Here's the setup we had. Note the yummy sausage and cheese. Not pictured- a basket full of crusty bread. Mmm... oh hey, she put our names on the chalkboard, too!

Do you know what is going on here on the chalkboard? No? Better call Shannon so she can explain it all.

I seriously found this all fascinating. I really liked the classroom environment, especially since I could sip and take notes. Definitely a great way to learn.

Since she knew we would be driving, Shannon also suggested that we visit one of the producers that we tried, so the next day we had a great tasting at M. Chapoutier and walked out with even more wine.

Here we are at the store, filling out our selections...

Oh wine, you tasty thing, you! I'm glad that I started to demystify French wine during this trip. It really makes it all taste better when you "get" it. We even felt confident getting some boxed wine!

Happy sipping!

Eating in France: My picks

It's no secret that I love eating. Matt does too. That's how I know we're so well matched- we sometimes don't share food with each other, which is a mutually understood and accepted thing.

I tend to give myself a lot of freedom when I go to France, because they do a lot of things very, very well. Here's what I love to savor.

Beef Tartare.


Starting out with the scary stuff right away!

This one takes some getting used to. It's finely chopped raw beef that is seasoned and mixed with equally fine onions, sometimes capers, and possibly some other things. It's served cold, but more on the room temperature side of cold. This is typically served with french fries, and ohmygosh, can I just tell you the insane levels of pleasure you can have with one bite of cool beef and a hot french fry in your mouth?!

I'm drooling a little just thinking about it.

Café Gourmand.


This is probably my favorite way to end a French meal that doesn't involve cheese. The idea is that you get a little coffee (an espresso) and then the chef plops down any number of tiny little desserts onto a plate. Sometimes they're just petite versions of the regular size desserts they have, but oftentimes it's filled with stuff not even listed on the menu.

It's a mystery dessert tray! Oh yum!

And most places will offer a tea version if the espresso isn't your thing.

Foie Gras.

Definitely the most controversial thing I eat, I know. It's goose liver that is super fatty, lending to its rich and buttery consistency. It's pressed into a mold and sometimes served with bread and jams, and sometimes is seared. I had it on our most recent trip as an appetizer and it was accompanied with fruit-specked bread wedges and drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

Orangina.



It's so very French. For those who don't know, it originated in France and it's a slightly carbonated citrus-y soda. It's not overly sweet, which makes it perfect for sipping at an outdoor cafe with lunch.

Badoit Sparkling water.

I'm a water snob, it's no secret. I'm also an Evian-lover, too. I don't know what it is about French water, but the stuff is good. This one in particular is sparkling, and its carbonation comes naturally from traveling through gas and rock deposits. Until the 1950s, you could only get it at pharmacies. How elite. There is just enough carbonation to give it a nice taste, but not so much that it comes across as salty.

Truffles.

One of those mushroom-y things, the truffle is prized in French kitchens. They're found in specific areas and aided by truffle hogs, who have an ingrained truffle sense. It's so aromatic and wonderful in a variety of dishes. I like it in the form of a risotto, or, as was the case on our most recent trip, in the form of truffle oil drizzled over my creamy cauliflower soup. I even got Matt into it the first time we went to France.

It goes without saying I adore eating all the French cheeses, croissants and macaroons, as well as sipping all the wine I can get, too. But the above stuff is a bit harder to come by when you're not literally in France. Next time you're there, consider trying one of these tasty treats.

Salzburg Austria and some guy I know.

On Saturday, Matt and I drove to Salzburg. It was a long trip, but there was a good reason.

My bestest friend in the entire world, Nathan was there!

I've known Nathan since middle school, so a good more than half of my life. I haven't seen him since last July, so I was super excited we could meet up with him and his girlfriend, Sarah, who I hadn't met yet. They were coming from Vienna by train (about 2.5 hours) and we were hightailing it across Germany. After crossing the border Salzburg is the first major city.

Upon arrival, we first started with some lunch. Nathan and Sarah had heard about this wurst, the Bosna, that was supposed to be the best since it's from the area. So, we stood in a line....

And it was excellent. Bravo. It was gone before I could take a picture.

Next, we decided to check out the Fortress Hohensalzburg, which is this huge monstrosity that sits atop the city. Instead of taking the funicular up, we decided not to be lazy and walked up instead.

Some of us were a little enamoured to be in a fortress...

We all had to take multiple pictures, or pictures of us taking pictures....here is Nathan and Sarah. I've seen this shot from multiple angles now and it's super.

Oh, and there were pretty views as well.

They had a ton of fortress-y stuff and museum-like items inside. Along with views of the Alps. Those things were all over the skyline!

After exploring the "B" side, we wandered over to the "A" side where we got to climb to the tower for even better pictures.

A few of my dinos ventured out to take a look as well.

Aren't they cute?! (Sorry Nathan for that random person in the shot... next time I'll take the picture instead of Matt).

Nathan got a good one of us, too.

After exploring and taking the funicular back down, we stopped in a cafe for beers and a late lunch snack. We introduced them to the joys of goulash and dumplings, mmm.

Lastly, our travel buddies for the day told us about this Mozart chocolate ball that's also special to the area, and when we went to the store, they were kind enough to let us try one...

Upon enjoying it, we later came back for some more.

After having another drink, we parted ways, with them heading to the train station and us back to the car. I was volunteered to drive by Matt, who was really enjoying the beers. We were staying in Munich that night before driving back on Sunday, so it wasn't far (maybe an hour and a half?) But it was dark, started raining, and my contacts were causing my eyes to be super dry. (Side note: Europeans don't seem to use a bright white as lane markers... not cool).

Having said that, I'm SO happy we got to hang out! I hope they come visit us soon, this time with a direct flight to Germany.

Beaune, France: So much adorableness.

On our way back to Germany, our last stop was Beaune, which is about 30 minutes south of Dijon. Beaune is the capital of the Burgundy wine region in the country, and totally quaint. It's also a walled city.

We parked the car and headed to the hotel. Since it was Monday, the weekend recycling was out and ready. I get what they mean about the city being a wine region capital:

Part of the appeal of this last night was staying at Abbaye de Maizieres for the evening. It used to be an abbey, and now it's a hotel! One of the nicest hotels we've ever stayed at, I might add.

When you first arrive, you have to open this double door that looks too short for you, until you realize there are stairs leading down, descending into this gorgeous lobby that used to be the abbey cellar. After checking in, the receptionist took us up the stairs, along the way explaining the history of the building. I've never had that before in a hotel - but maybe all the others just weren't as interesting!

The room was cozy and beautiful. There was even a tapestry on the wall, with a unicorn on it! Oh, heaven... That bed was one of the more comfortable of the trip, too. (Did I mention the linens were custom with the hotel logo and everything? Super nice.)

 The bed faced a super pretty exposed wall and even had a stained glass window!

 My favorite thing, though, was the bathroom. Tiny yes, but check out that sink!

The shower had a decadent waterfall showerhead, which when paired with above average water pressure, made for a perfectly indulgent experience. The tub had a headrest too, although we didn't have time for a bath. Probably would have been great.

Even the towels were logoed! (And fluffy and nice).

Once we dropped our stuff and moved the car to a closer parking area, we walked around and found a cafe to have some wine and do what the French do so well: people watch.

After we had a little buzz going (and made it through the entire time in all French, yay me!), we decided to venture over to a mustard store and see if they were still open.

They were! And oh, we got to sample ALL THE MUSTARDS! And buy some, of course. This is the nifty tasting station where we could squirt some out and try.

The only sour note of the day was not being able to find an Italian restaurant that looked good online. It being a Monday evening, many restaurants were closed. No worries though- we made up a tasty meal of supermarket treats like cheese, ham, baguette, and wine. And eclairs.

In the morning before hitting the road, we got two chocolate croissants for breakfast (fresh off the oven rack at a bakery). I'd love to come back to this city - their Saturday markets are supposed to be amazing.

And that restaurant we couldn't find the night before? We totally drove by it on the way out of town. Blast!

Definitely have to go back.

Montpellier, Bridges & Beyond: Southern France (Provence)

***WARNING: If you don't like lots of pictures of bridges and the like, this post is not for you.***

Departing from Avignon, it was a short distance to Montpellier, but before our arrival there, we wanted to see a few things along the way.

The first stop was Matt's choice, to Pont du Gard, which is the highest Roman aqueduct bridge and one of the best preserved. They made the thing in the 1st century and it's still hanging in there!

Here I am walking up to it after we went through the museum. The whole thing is cool because when you drive in, your parking lot ticket is the ticket to everything. Too bad we didn't have a fuller car, it would have been even cheaper to split.

 (One of many shots that Matt got, part of his "Through the Trees" series. He's artsy like that.)

 You get to walk on it!!

 Matt inspecting things...

 More through the trees...

 We also decided we had to take pictures on the other side, too...

 This is me. Thumbs down for walking up this hike "path" - we opted to walk around and up to get some more pictures instead.

 ... and I asked Matt to take a picture of me in this cave thing.

 Gosh, what awful weather we had, huh?

 I spy a castle in the distance....

 Here's me, holding the thing up. You're welcome.

 Matt doing his part. By the time we left (I think we spent a good 2+ hours there?), it was getting windy and crowded, so on to the next fun!

 But first we crossed over another bridge, so I took a picture.

Our second stop was my idea, the Carrieres de Lumieres. This place was so neat!

It's essentially an art gallery inside of a cave. But the art changes because it's projected onto the walls and set to music. It's a music-art show!

I like museums as much as the next guy, but sometimes I feel like I don't "get" some of the art. This place, though, I got. In fact, I found it very moving being immersed in the show.

A bit difficult to see, but here is what it's like inside. The caves are huge so you are really a part of the art, and the projections run ceiling to floor.

(If you check out the website, you can get an even better idea.) I'm so glad we went!

After our artscapade (hee!), we headed over to an abbey but didn't feel like spending more cash to peek inside. We opted instead to sit outside and have some lunch before making our way to our hotel out the outskirts of Montpellier and checked in just in time for a nice afternoon nap.

At night, we had reservations at L'Oracle, which I think was one of my favorite meals of the trip. I was able to communicate the entire thing in French, which was awesome for me. We split a carafe of wine, and I started with foie gras, followed by a calf fillet with risotto and a super tasty Tea Gourmand (which is tea with a bunch of little desserts on a tray).

For our second day in the Montpellier area, we hopped back into the car to see the Millau viaduct, the tallest bridge in the world. It did not disappoint. Here's a short video we took on the drive up to it.

From a distance...

And then some shots upon arrival underneath, looking up at its awesomeness. Through trees, of course.

 Here we are from the parking lot, next to the tiny visitor's center.

 We had fully prepared for this day with copious amounts of car snacks to keep us going. We hit the grocery store and had yogurt and yummy wraps in the car for lunch, mmm....

Oh - we also drove to Roquefort. It's a town. And a cheese. Hence, it's a cheese town. They only make this kind of cheese there, and so of course we had to check out the cheese caves.

That's right, CAVES filled with cheese. A cheese lover's dream. Or worst nightmare if you don't like caves, I suppose.

We arrived a little early before they re-opened for the afternoon, so we walked around to take in the views. We also checked out the remains of an old church.

 Here's Matt in what once was a church.

 Such a cute town!

 Really was too bad the weather was so, ugh....

But yes, into the caves we went! We didn't take pictures inside, but what we did do was go on a guided tour. In French.

Completely in French. Matt was lost. I was half-lost. But I knew enough to laugh along when someone made a joke, and nobody suspected we didn't speak French since I'm the one who bought the tickets. Take that, France! We fooled you!

As any good food-related tour has, there were free samples at the end. Matt was a little bummed we didn't get some to take with us, but we did find some in our big grocery bonanza on the drive back to Germany on our last day.

And thus endeth a weekend filled with bridges and sunshine. My next post will cover our final city on the journey, Beaune, which is on the way back home to Germany.