Moulin de Bourgchateau in Louhans

The night before starting our canal boat leg of the trip we stayed in Louhans, a beautiful little town close to Branges where the boat was moored. Moulin de Bourgchateau, our accommodation for the night, is a former grain mill built in 1778 which operated until 1973 before being transformed into accommodation and a restaurant serving

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Our home for the next 7 days

A 42″ Royal Mystique A to cruise the French canals with Capitaine Mal (and depending on who has had the most wines, Capitaine Michael who can park backwards (!!!), deck hands Ros and Michael and on board cook and bottle washer (as she doesn’t want to jump from boat to jetty, Kathy). Wines on the

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Pont des Arts

Our best night in Paris! We went to the Louvre and a beautiful little cafe in the side streets of the Left bank, Cocorino (which will be a separate post) and then walked across the Pont des Arts which is not only the bridge linking the Louvre to the Insitut de France but is also

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The Eiffel Tower

I know, everyone who has been to Paris has photos or blogs about the Eiffel Tower but its not just an icon, it is a presence, felt across the whole of Paris – you know that just over your shoulder or around a cobbled corner, that it is there, watching over the city like a

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Escargot

Yes I did it, I actually ordered and ate escargot in Paris!  Before ordering we asked the waiter what they were like and he said he didn’t know as he hadn’t tried them. He then asked another waiter who said he didn’t like them and that Parisians didn’t eat them much at all.  I was starting

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Montmartre, Paris

Montmartre, an area in the 16th arrondissement (district) sits high on a hill above Paris. Its known for its arty, bohemian lifestyle, having been home to some of France’s most well known artists – artists such as Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh, Monet, Renois, Picasso – and the list goes on. Montmartre actually dates back until

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The Louvre

I expected this to be a museum, albeit a large one with works of art that I have only heard about in history lessons at school so long ago. I expected to see the glass prism at its entrance, the long lines of people and a bit of artwork. What I didn’t expect was the

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The feeling of Paris

Wow! Not the best articulation of my feelings for Paris I know, and whilst I could use every superlative I can think of – words like magnificent, exciting, beautiful, overwhelming, awe inspiring, amazing, unique – not one of these words does justice to all of the feelings that being here invokes, so for now, a

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Day 1 in Paris

Its currently 3.30am in Paris. Having gone nearly 40 hours without sleep for the journey here, we made the mistake of having a nap when we arrived (which we promised ourselves we wouldn’t do) so haven’t fully adjusted to our new time zone yet!  Its the perfect time though to start putting some posts together.

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