C’EST BON, DEUX
A TRIP THAT NEARLY WASN'T
Lisa and I couldn't wait for the opportunity to travel abroad again after a long, long 2020 and 2021. For too many reasons to list here, we were so excited for chateaus (big "C" and little "c"), being the first people to sit down for dinner at restaurants, and of course, jambon.
We were originally planning on going to Sardinia after visiting France. We had picked Sardinia for almost no other reason than that we had spent a sizable period of the lockdowns cooking through "Bitter Honey," a cookbook written by British transplant Letitia Clark. As it would happen, the minor regional airline we had planned on flying with from France to Sardinia changed their schedules to only fly there two days per week as Summer season hadn't yet started, and we'd have had to dramatically adjust our itinerary, lose one to two days through inconvenient connections, or risk a four-hour ferry that would without a doubt make Lisa woefully seasick.
We decided to change plans somewhat last minute and charted a new route from Fontevraud to the coast in Basque Country, through the Pyrenees, and finally to Toulouse.
With our newly-laid plans in place, we then faced one more plot twist: Matilda, our then ~18-month old puppy, ate my passport 15 days before our flight. Through a healthy dose of luck, convenient proximity to one of the country's 26 passport agencies, and possibly a bit of magic, I was able to pick up a brand new U.S. passport 24 hours before our flight from SFO. For a number of reasons, one in particular, it was important that I get on the plane with Lisa. More on that later.
With that, here's a collection of memories and moments that caught the light just so.
Not pictured: the jambon.
ABBAYE FONTEVRAUD
Fontevraud was many things. A monastery founded in 1101. The final resting place for Eleanor of Aquitaine, King Henry II, and their son King Richard the Lionhart. A prison from 1804 to 1963.
To us, it feels like an art gallery.
Today, Fontevraud is a historic monument, a modern art museum, and home to a hotel and restaurant.
Lisa and I visited Fontevraud in late 2019 on our first trip abroad together (and our last trip abroad together before the pandemic). On first arrival, we were immediately struck by it's magic and extended our stay by a night, cutting out the last stop on our trip.
I gifted Lisa another stay at Fontevraud for her birthday in January, 2020, that we could use anytime in the next two years. Easy, right? While they kindly extended the expiration date to May 2022, they couldn't go any further. This is one of the reasons we really wanted this trip to happen.
After landing in Paris, we immediately took a train from CDG to Tours where we picked up our rental car (an electric DS 3!) and went straight to Fontevraud.
The restaurant at Fentevraud is worth a visit on its own. We ate there for two of our four dinners, and enjoyed their breakfast buffet while reading each morning. The Abbey and restaurant are committed to sustainable practices and their menu is designed around local, seasonal ingredients. The Abbey grows its own herbs and produces honey from on-site hives.
THE BELLS OF FONTEVRAUD
The Abbey commissioned six new bells to create a sound "worthy of the bell ensemble which punctuated the daily life of the monastic inhabitants until the Revolution." One new bell is cast each year, and until they are all hung in the bell tower they will be on display around the gardens.
THE ABBEY TOMBS
Eleanor of Aquitaine was Queen of France from 1137 to 1152 as the wife of King Louis VII. Their marriage was eventually annulled, and she would go on to become the Queen of England as the wife of King Henry II. He would eventually imprison her for supporting the revolt of their eldest son, and she would not be released until Henry II's death and the ascendency of their third son, Richard I, 16 years later. Eleanor acted as queen regent while Richard I, known as Richard Cœur de Lion or Richard the Lionheart, was away on the Third Crusade. Eleanor, Henry II, and Richard I were all entombed at Fontevraud, where Eleanor spent the last years of her life.
This must be one of the best photos I've ever taken.
THE KITCHENS OF FONTEVRAUD
The Abbey is home to the only preserved Romanesque kitchens know in France, and they've recently gone through a restoration and are open to view. The community of nuns surrounding the Abbey grew to a population of 3,000 at its peak, and the kitchens were surely bustling to keep all the Abbey residents fed.
OUR ENGAGEMENT
On the night of our first full day at Fontevraud, after a dinner at the Abbey we'd been looking forward to for months, Lisa and I made our way into the Abbey and I fumbled through a proposal.
This is the other reason why I really needed to be on this trip with Lisa. Right before picking up my passport 24-hours before our flight, I also picked up the engagement ring Lisa and I chose together earlier in the month.
We both knew with this trip coming up that the Abbey would be a magical setting for an engagement.
CHÂTEAU DE VILLANDRY
Constructed in the 14th century, the Chateau is especially known for its Renaissance gardens, which were created in the early 1900s.
Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte gifted the Chateau to his brother, Jérôme Bonaparte.
CHÂTEAU D’AMBOISE
While this Chateau was stunning through and through, the most surprising thing we learned is that Leonardo da Vinci is believed to be buried in the Chateau at the chapel of Saint Hubert.
Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte gifted Amboise to a politician, Roger Ducos.
CHÂTEAU DE CHINON
King Henry II used Chinon as his primary residence in France from 1156 until his death in 1189, after which his body would be taken to Fontevraud Abbey. The Chateau has plenty of deep underground stairwells and escape tunnels, and a number of cells deep in the dungeons.
To our knowledge, Napoleon didn't gift this Chateau to anyone.
CHÂTEAU DE BRÉZÉ
This is another beautiful Chateau, but what's particularly unique is that there are over two miles of underground tunnels, cellars, and defensive features in the surrounding limestone. It also features one of the deepest dry moats in Europe! Parts of the underground complex predate a Chateau, and in fact an entire community of inhabitants lived in the caves and tunnels as far back as the 9th century. As the Chateau developed, the cave network was extended to include wineries, stables, a silkworm farm, and the largest underground bakery in France.
MUSÉE DES BLINDÉS
For a different bit of history, we took a look at the largest tank museum in the world, which traces the history of armored vehicles from their earliest days in WWI through present day. The tanks were a sight to see, but the biggest surprise was the extensive display of Playmobile dioramas. Wonderful.
BIARRITZ
A friend from France referred to Biarritz as "the most Californian part of the Atlantic coast" and I can't argue with that. California, but sprinkle a bit of royalty on top. The most imposing structure is the Hôtel du Palais, which was originally built in 1855 as a summer villa for Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III. Located in the French Basque Country in southwestern France, it's a stone's throw from Spain and home to a relaxed seaside surf culture that was on display even in late April.
We stayed at Le Régina Biarritz, which was built in 1906. The lobby atrium is decorated with artistic surfboards and complete with a delightful cocktail bar, and being there in shoulder season we were able to get a room with a view of the Biarritz lighthouse, built in 1834.
Biarritz was a perfect transition town from the Fontevraud Abbey in the Loire Valley to the next stage of our trip in the Pyrenees.
LARRUN
Larrun is a mountain along the border of France and Spain with, on a clear day, stunning views of the ocean (from what we've seen online, anyways). We were given a much moodier atmosphere and got to enjoy the cloud cover in the company of some ponies and sheep.
LANUZA, SPAIN
Lanuza is an absolute anomaly. We couldn't figure out just how far back its history goes, but in 1978 the inhabitants were force to to leave the town because the municipality was constructing a new dam that they thought would completely flood the small town. Somehow, they were wrong, and in the early 1980s the former residents began a petition to allow them to return to the town. They were able to repopulate the town in the 1990s, and we found it miraculously just by looking at the region on the map. A ski area in the winter and a popular destination in the summer, it was nearly empty in April. Our first night at Hotel La Casueña we were the only guests in any of the eight rooms.
The hotel is run by a husband and wife duo, and she was the most understated, casually gifted chef we could imagine. The food and attention to detail was excellent, and it was a fun adventure to dust off my Spanish.
We went on a hike that gave us wonderful 360º views of the surrounding Pyrenees range.
LOURDES
After Lanuza we returned to France, stopping through the city of Lourdes on the way to our next destination to look at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes. It's a destination for pilgrimage, with many pilgrims coming to drink the Lourdes water which flows from a spring in the Grotto of Massabielle. The site is also home of the Basilica of St. Pius X, an underground basilica built in 1958 that can hold 25,000 worshippers.
LAC BLEU D’ILHÉOU
Another hike, this one in the French Pyrenees, took us up to a crisp frozen lake. In March 2022, a massive sandstorm from the Sahara deposited sand across Europe, leaving a strange orange dusting on the snow leftover from winter.
SAINT-SAVIN, HAUTES-PYRÉNÉES
We stayed in this beautiful small town–population 360–in the foothills of the Pyrenees at Le Viscos, a sixth generation family-run hotel and restaurant. They were warm and welcoming and prepared delightful meals. Located in striking distance to several iconic cycling climbs including Col du Tourmalet, this would be a fun town to visit again with bicycles. One of the other hotels in town is the Pyrénées Cycling Lodge, suggesting it's a popular plan.
PIC DU MIDI DE BIGORRE
At the top of Col du Tourmalet is a ski area and a historic observatory dating back to 1870. Visibility wasn't on our side that day, so we'll have to go back to see the views.
TOULOUSE
With nearly 500,000 inhabitants, Toulouse is the fourth-largest city in France, but it felt incredibly walkable and relaxed. The historic old city was young, vibrant, and heavily tattooed. We had ambitions of trying to stay out and enjoy the nightlife with the locals, but unsurprisingly couldn't make it too far past nine o'clock.
We also happened to be in Toulouse on May Day (Labor Day) which, to say the least, is very different from Labor Day in the US. While Americans are sleeping in and barbecuing, the French are often found demonstrating in the streets with trade unions and various political parties.
It was interesting, and unexpected, seeing the extreme police presence at the demonstrations. There were dozens of fully equipped riot police as well as plenty of undercover and plainclothes police that stood out like sore thumbs, seemingly hoping for an opportunity to have a confrontation with the Antifa contingent. We didn't see any signs of conflict though, thankfully.
