Out of This World

 

 

 

 

                    Pool deck at the Sofitel in Biarritz - great weather for the end of September Rain was in the forecast on Sunday when we left the castle and headed further south to the San Diego of France.  I call it such because it is in the southwest corner of the country, has sunsets on the ocean, has the warmest climate, and borders a Spanish speaking country to the south. Again, toll roads were available about half the trip, the rest to be driven on local roads. As most of France is when you drive the back country in dry weather, the scenery is picturesque with a thousand shades of green and quaint villages dotting the hillsides.                               For kilometers, all you can see are hillsides of vines Passing through the Bordeaux wine region, we saw nothing but vineyards: long strings of grape vines climbing symmetrically up the slope...

  If you’re traveling in France, you can go by train, plane, automobile or ox cart. Trains to major cities are in the network of their high-speed TGV and will get you a comfortable ride quickly to the center of town.   Buy your tickets ahead of time (even from the US) and take advantage of discounted hours and senior discounts.   Plane fares can be cheap with a variety of discount carriers and national companies. You’ll want to book direct flights as the connections can take an entire day of travel, especially for the discount airlines. Carry-on luggage requires smaller bags than the US; checking your bags can add to your costs – with the discounters making their profits on bag charges and seat assignments.   Driving is the most practical if you want to go many out of the way places, but drop off your rental before going to Paris or other big cities.   You do not want to drive and park a car in metropolitan France. If you visit mid and smaller cities, ma...