Tackling A Via Ferrata in Haute Provence
What is a Via Ferrata you ask? It is one of those walks that you have seen so many times on photos on the internet. The photos where people call this hike the most dangerous hike in the world or the craziest trail in the world. We always wondered what these people were thinking walking along cliffs until we realized that they were simply doing a Via Ferrata. A Via Ferrata is a lot like rock climbing but you don’t have to have any technical skill or training. If you know how to attach a caribbiner to a steal cable and climb a ladder, you can do a Via Feratta.
A Detour to Italy’s Riviera. A Treat for the Taste Buds
We couldn’t waste any more time relaxing on the beach and we had to get ourselves to the Cinque Terra in Italy. It is a beautiful piece of the Mediterranean where one can walk and hike along a gorgeous path on the coast. The minute we entered Italy we fell in love with it. The language is music to my ears, the food is heaven to the taste buds and the people are friendly and passionate.
The Dragon Fountain of Versailles – Snapshot Sunday
The Palace of Versailles was something we had always ended up missing on our trips to France. Not for any particular reason it just ended up that way. So we made sure to make a detour this time. To my dismay is was cloudy and stormy that day so I thought photographs would not be very interesting. I decided to make it a black and white day. But after looking at the images when we got back to the hotel the skies were so dramatic I had to keep them as colour. The Dragon Fountain of Versailles caught my eye. It is not as famous as the others but just as impressive! What do you think?
Dave and Deb StumbleUpon the Via Ferrata in France!
We have StumbledUpon sites in both Paris and Barcelona and it was time to don our new StumbleUpon T-shirts for an adventure. If there is one cool and unique adventure to do in this part of the world it is to tackle a Via Ferrata. We are going to be writing more about our time in Digne Les Bains but for now enjoy our shots of Dave and Deb StumblingUpon the Via Ferrata, Rocks of Nine Hours. If you have never rock climbed before but have always wanted to see what it is like to hang off of the side of a cliff, a Via Ferrata is for you. It has all the thrill of rock climbing without needing the skill of mountaineering. No need for technique here. Just rent a harness and clip yourself into cables as you climb ladders and scale bridges through a high route.
Hotel Hunting in Marseilles
Driving into Marseille was a nightmare at Friday night rush hour. We couldn’t find a campground to stay at near the city so we decided to stay at our old standby hotel for budget accommodation in Europe. We punched in The Ibis Hotel into our GPS and found one near the train station in Marseille. We thought that would be a great location and probably a little out of the downtown area. Boy were we wrong.
Marseilles, French Port at it’s Finest
We had no idea what to expect from Marseille. We had read that it was busy and crowded and a little rough around the edges. We had known about it from history and movies and we had been excited to finally make it to the French Riviera. Our first impression of Marseille was a busy one. We drove in on a Friday evening during rush hour and the confusion and traffic was unbearable. We almost decided to drive right on through and leave the hustle and bustle behind. Thank God we Didn’t.
Belle Provence, Following the Footsteps of Cezanne
I can’t remember when I read a A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle, but I knew that I wanted to go to that quiet corner of France one day. Many years have past and we have finally made it. There is something magical about traveling through places that you have read about in literature that had a great impact on your life.Provence is filled with beauty. Rolling hills, blooming flowers and quiet medieval cities scatter the landscape of this province located on the Mediterranean.
Colza Flower Field in Central France
As you drive through the French countryside almost everywhere you look you will see the Colza flower.
This is harvested mostly for it’s oil which is used in animal feed and can be used in the production of Biofuel. But for us it just makes for a stunningly colorful photo.
Camping Tips for Spain and France
Camping through France or Spain is quite different from camping in Canada. Here’s list of what items to bring to camp comfortably through France and Spain.
Dave and Deb’s Misadventures in Europe – Driving with no Direction
Give us a car and we run wild. We are not sure if it was a good idea to rent a car for our travel around Europe or if we would have been better off taking trains. We have never planned so much for a trip as we had for this travel through France, but as soon as we got behind the wheel of our car, the itinerary went out the window. It all started with the bad weather in France. But then the rain came.
The Poppy Fields of France: Snapshot Sunday
Driving through France has afforded us the luxury of seeing some great out of the way places. I am always on the lookout for something interesting to photograph. So as we were driving through Provence in France the other day I caught a flash of red out of the corner of my eye.
We Love our GPS on the Iphone
It one of those moments, the moment when we said, “How did we ever manage without this?” Thanks to our friend Bobby who strongly suggested that we buy a GPS for our trip through France to avoid toll roads, Dave set up the TomTom on our Iphone. For some reason we have resisted the GPS. We had been living in the Dark Ages.
Camping in France
One of the best ways to save money and enjoy everything that France has to offer is to rent a car and camp your way through the country. With a bit of work before leaving you can find great deals on car rentals. Finding all of our campsites online we managed to make an excellent route. We packed our trusty North Face – two man tent, and made our way south.
Chateau de Chambord, Loire Valley France
The Loire Valley is a beautiful place to visit in France and for Chateau perfection, the Chateau de Chambord shown in the photo above is a castle that you must visit. It is considered one of the finest in France.
Three Days in Paris
Many people don’t spend a lot of time in Paris. Accommodation can be expensive, eating out is expensive and people only have a set amount of time before they would like to move on to see the rest of France. While it would take years to really experience everything that Paris has to offer, you can see many of its sites in three days. It will be a busy three days and you will need a vacation after running around the streets of Paris, but it can be done.
Dave and Deb StumbleUpon Sites in Paris!
StumbleUpon is one of our favorite websites for sharing great blogs, articles, information and photos with everyone on the Internet. When we were asked if we would like to have a couple of StumbleUpon T-shirts to wear in front of some major tourist destinations during our travels we said yes immediately.
Visit Paris on a Budget
As travelers that tend to visit less developed countries, we were a little apprehensive about coming to France. We were excited to hear that our blog was chosen by Air France and the winner of free tickets on their Premium Voyageur Class, but at the same time, we had to cut our very cheap travels through central Asia short to make our way to Europe.
Free Things to do in Paris
Paris is an expensive city. That is all I ever hear when talking about traveling there. “You don’t want to spend too many days in Paris, it is too much money.” But did you know that there are many free things to do in Paris? Here is a list of free things that we found to do in Paris. You can actually have a great time in Paris and not spend a penny.
Bonjour Paris
We arrived on a windy day in Paris feeling well rested on our upgraded Air France Business Class Flight. We were supposed to be flying on their new Premium Voyageur Class, but due to a last minute switch, we ended up on the more luxurious business class. We won’t bore you with the details; we already did that on our Qatar Airways post where we were upgraded less than a month ago, but let me tell you this, the food was amazing.
Dave and Deb StumbleUpon The Eiffel Tower
It was a cool day in Paris but you would never know it from our photograph. We braved the wind and cold to show off our new StumbleUpon Tshirts. When we were asked if we would like to have a couple of their new stylish shirts to take along with us during our travels we happily accepted. We were surprised to see just how subtle the logos on the t-shirts were. They were even nice enough for us to wear around Paris and feel right in place with the good looking Parisians. So where did we head to first with our new duds? The Eiffel Tower of course!
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