France | Cliff Jumping in Gorge du Verdon

Days 5 & 6

The highlight of our trip was the decision to go to Gorge du Verdon, in a large national park in the South of France.

We had only seen pictures and a few videos before making the choice to drive there, and we can certainly say they do not do the nature and views justice.

We stayed at a B&B just outside of Bauden, France. 

The view from our room was incredible and we spent the majority of time on our balcony. (Though we could've done without the tall grass right in the middle of our view...)

On our one full day in the area, we headed to the Gorge to rent a kayak and swim. Unfortunately, the storms in the forecast (which, may I say, never occurred) prevented the kayak rental shop from opening, but that didn't keep us out of the water.

We jumped off the cliffs and swam in the bluest freshwater I've ever seen in my life. It was magical.

Thoroughly exhausted, we took our car up the road to Moustiers Sainte-Marie, an adorable little French town carved into the mountain side. I finally found my french scarf souvenir and some delicious coffee to boot - so I would consider the stop in the town successful! Of course, we weren't tired enough from the morning swim, so we hiked up the mountainside.

The paths were friendly for the not-so-experienced hiker, but be warned...it was almost pure uphill paths. At the top, a medieval church greeted us and offered a bit of refuge from the climb.

Home from our trip now, we talk all the time about our highlights, where we would go again, where we wouldn't bother stopping at, etc.... And Gorge du Verdon always wins the competition. We will definitely be taking the entire family back someday!

Pictures don't do the beauty justice, so check out the travel vlog we shot! Scroll up and click play!


Next stop: Driving the perilous road (not for the faint of heart) to Nice to catch a bus to Italy!

Driving the South of France

Our Europe adventure continues!

After hopping on a bus in Barcelona, Spain, we arrived in Perpignan France 2.5 hours later. We followed the little conspicuous signs (that we later decided was a French-thing) and found our Europcar rental.
An insider tip: our German friends we were traveling with would of had to pay double for the same booking. We're not sure why (and we didn't want to ask!) but booking from the US saved us 150 euros.

From there we decided to "wing it". We had a few checkpoints in mind, such as Montpellier, Marseille, and Nice (where we were scheduled to drop the car to), but other than that, we spent each night setting a game plan for the next day!

Day 1
From Perpignan, we drove to the coast and followed it until we saw something of interest.
Not too much longer, we stumbled across Beziers. We found parking, took our own tour of the city on the hill, and bought picnic supplies.

Banquette, cheese, meat, and wine. After a fisherman helped us open our bottle of wine, we shared our splendors and became friends with no common language. We watched him fish and soaked in the afternoon sun.

By nightfall, we realized no wifi meant no place to sleep...
We fled to our "oasis", as we joked, of McDonald's for a coffee and free wifi.
The accommodation we found, Le Gambetta in Vias, France, was wonderful. The B&B owner greeted us warmly after the reception hours had closed. Our only complaint was the 100 Euro/night cost on our traveler's budget. However, that may have been our own fault for waiting two hours before we needed a room to book one.

Day 2
After a lovely croissant breakfast on the terrace, we departed for Sete, France. A bustling fisherman's village flowed with tourists. We did a little (chocolate) shopping and enjoyed the scenery for an hour or so before departing again.

A short while later, we arrived in Montpellier, France. The afternoon hours were spent walking the city. We found some pasta and made a picnic on a set of stairs and settled in to people-watch.
Back in the car, we kept our journey moving. After an unsuccessful time in finding a beach, we decided to head to Arles, France for the final stop for the evening.

Arles was a beautiful small town I wish we would have had more time in. It seemed shops all closed (even though it was maybe 5:30/6pm) so we settled for finding dinner and drinks instead.
A delicious Le Burger, a drink at a 3-story Irish Pub (which, sadly, I'm blanking on the name), and we found our way back to our hotel.

Day 3
And we're off to Marseille!
Traffic: Terrible.
Parking: Terrible.
City: Beautiful.
We spent all day and evening in Marseille, which I believe was a good choice. By just walking around, we visited a few monuments and churches. Marseille also has a pretty beach, although a little chilly on the day we were there. The beach is certainly not able to walk to...Thankfully we had our rental car.
At night, we decided to walk and see where the roads led us. We ended up in another Irish place (go figure), but this time, with karaoke!

1.5 Days In Barcelona, Spain

The start to our Euro-tour took off from Chicago with a 9 hour flight to Berlin. We met up with some old friends, and boarded a plain to Barcelona! 

Getting Around

Once we were in the airport, we quickly found the signs for the train and took it to the station closest to our apartment.

 A local gave us a tip: buy the T10 ticket (10 Euros = 10 uses) which can be shared among your group...saved us some money in the end!

Aside from taking the metro to different areas in the city, we just walked. Barcelona is easier to navigate than you may imagine, so unless you are completely lost, don't bother with a taxi!

Accommodation

For Barcelona, we used Airbnb.com to find somebody's apartment for rent. Airbnb is a great website if you are looking for more bang for your buck. For a full apartment (2 rooms, kitchen, living room, and bathroom) we paid 60 Euros a night. 

Tip: Airbnb is better if you plan ahead of time as the host often has to accept your request before it's certain. So if you have short notice or limited phone/wifi use, maybe use an instant booking website (like booking.com)

Sights

You can check out all the sights we chose with our limited time in the video above! 

My recommendation if you also have limited time is to choose more of the free sights (the Gaudi museum and Sagrada church are ones we chose to walk and take pictures of in place of paying 15 euro a person to get in) 

If you're a beach goer, Barcelona is the place for you. The water is incredible (even in September) and the sun is always shining. We spent only a couple hours here, but if you have more than 2 or 3 days in Barcelona, make the beach a destination.

Tip: There are many hustlers on the beach selling water, beer, mojitos, sunglasses, etc. Don't be afraid to haggle with them. The mojito man asked for 5 Euros a cup, and we got it for 2 Euros. If they say no, 1: they will most likely give in and sell it to you, and 2: another mojito man will walk by willing to take your deal.

Food

Tapas! Tapas! Tapas! 

....When in Rome...or I suppose, Barcelona!

Find a restaurant with 2/3 Euro tapas and order a few for yourself. You can share with the table (and most restaurants will offer a larger portion for a couple more euros) and order more if you are still hungry.

California | Part 3

The last few days in California!

We explored Monterey Bay and Alcatraz Island.

Part 3 Sights:

Monterey Bay Aquarium, 17-Mile Drive, Carmel CA,

Golden Gate Bridge, & Alcatraz Island

Next up: Europe!

California | Part 2

Part 2 of our California Adventures! On this leg of the journey, we headed north on Highway 1 to see the Redwoods. Then, we took a drive back south to Monterey Bay, CA and the surrounding areas.

Enjoy!

Part 2 Sights:

Highway 1, Chandelier Tree, California Redwoods,

Monterey Bay, Fisherman's Wharf

Next up: Monterey Bay & Alcatraz Island

San Fransisco | Part 1

This August I visited San Francisco, California with my family. We had an amazing time in the city and driving along the coast. I thought I'd mix it up and try my hand at film making. It's a bit rough around the edges, but it was a blast making each video.

Without further ado...here's Part 1 of the California triology...enjoy!

Part 1 Sights:

Fisherman's Wharf, the Piers (39), Sea Lions on Pier 39

The Real SF Walking Tour: Chinatown, North Beach, Downtown, Macondray Street, Lombard Street, Ghirardelli Square, The Painted Ladies, The Mission

Haight Ashbury, Union Square, & the Golden Gate Bridge

Next up: Driving Highway 1 north to the Redwoods!

What To Do In Door County, Wisconsin

I've listed just 5 of the MANY fun things to do in Door County, Wisconsin. If you're interested in some good eats, see my previous post, "What To Eat In Door County, Wisconsin"

Walk The Towns - Fish Creek, Egg Harbor, & Sister Bay

These three are my recommendations if you want to walk and shop. All three towns are along the coast of Lake Michigan, so those tired of shopping can grab an ice cream cone, and sit by the docks!

Visit ALL the Country Markets

Yes, they all sell the same essentials: cherry-flavored EVERYTHING (cheese, salsa, mustard, wine, juice, jelly, etc.), but stopping by multiple on a rainy day will keep you full and happy. All have free samples of almost everything!

State Parks: Biking & Hiking

-Peninsula State Park - west side of the peninsula

• best for biking
• has a small beach to swim, rent kayaks, paddle boats & boards,

 -Whitefish Dunes and Cave Point - east side of the peninsula

• best for hiking

Go-Karting

In: Egg Harbor, WI - Egg Harbor Fun Park

The park is recently built and in business and is therefore modern and up to date. Because it has become more popular, expect many people enjoying all of the parks amenities, and thus some lines.

In: Sister Bay, WI - Johnson's Park

This park is a little older, but the go-karts are excellent and most nights the wait is not too long. These karts are reasonably priced and offer a double-kart for young riders with their parents.

PLUS there is a mini-golf course next door.

Drive-In Theater

One of my favorite Door County past times is the Drive-In theater, Skyway Drive-In, just outside of Fish Creek. They are extremely well priced and include 2 movies. The first is generally family-friendly and the second is rated PG-13 or R. 

My family loves to pick up pizza on the way for the first showing and buy popcorn from the concessions stand for the second showing munchies.

And overall...just enjoy! It's easy to drive from town to town along the shoreline exploring and finding special places of your own.