Our Rough (and Evolving) Itinerary

I started out wanting to reclaim (with my kids) some of the the spirit of the free-form travel of my younger days. But doing so --while also intersecting with the many friends we plan to connect with along the way, and in light of Joe's stateside work responsibilities-- has been challenging. Because I continue to discover that our wonderful friendships and growing community add much richness to my family members lives, giving up some of the freedom of my past is more than worth it.

Roughly, plans are as follows:

Aug 24th to Sept 2: Lisa, Kai, Soleil stopover in Toronto (and Picton) to shorten the flight, reduce the time difference, visit family and begin the transition from regular life to Travel Schooling

Sept 2: L, K, S fly from Toronto to Barcelona with a day-long stopover in Bruxelles

Sept 3-5: L, K, S tour Barcelona

Sept 5-9: L, K, S visit a family-friendly campground on the coast of Spain, hoping to meet up with old friends SoulTravelers3



Sept 9-11: L, K, S pick-up leased car and drive from Barcelona to Bordeaux, couch-surfing with a French family of five near Toulouse en route.


Sept 11-25: L, K, S meet Joe, the C/S's and ABCD in Bordeaux where we've rented a 4 bedroom chateau to gleefully celebrate the life of the first demi-centurian in our midst.




Sept 25-Drive to Morbilou, near Vannes in Brittany and stay with CS'ing mom and her 16 year old son.


Sept 27- Stay at Keravel in Plouha


Sept 28: Visit Mont St Michel



Sept 29-Oct 6. Paris, stay in an apartment in the Latin Quartier

Oct 6- Oct 17th. L, K, S, J travel foot-loose and fancy-free southward, possibly through Burgandy and the Alpes towards Provence. En route L will dove-tail off to Italy to meet A and friends for a few days

Oct 17: J heads back to the US for work and L, K, S explore the south (Languedoc, Pyrenees/L'ariege, Aquitaune perhaps) for three weeks until heading back towards Paris to meet J there

Oct 17- Nov 9 - Lisa and kids are free to roam the south.

Stop at Puy du Fou near Les Eppesses


Nov 9-16: Paris again (with J making soujourns to Berlin and Brussels to talk on Research for startups). Reunite with Micha from Nov 12-15! Pick-up K's friend J from CDG on the 16th.

Nov 16-30: Free again to roam again until departing from Barcelona on the 30th.

We've got fingers crossed about connecting with Barbara and Ramona as well!! TBA

The "You Really Must" List

This is an ongoing compilation of ideas from friends and others who have been-there-done-that. If you things to offer, I'd love to know about it. In particular I'm looking for unusual learning and fun opportunities which will fit with our intention to live on less than we do at home. (Granted this isn't a huge stretch when you live in California...)

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Paris Ideas from Victoria F-L

Directly following our many high school adventures my friend Victoria lived in Paris in order to attend the Sorbonne for a year. I visited her there at the time.

On our stop-over in Toronto en route to Europe she suggested a few itinerary items:

-subway Ecole Militaire (which is the 7th arrondis.) will put you between the Tour Eiffel and Les Invalids. Rue Clere, which is a pedestrian street with a market is nearby. Purchase bakery items, fruits etc., wine and go to the Tour Eiffel for a picnic
-have ice cream at ile Saint Louis Bertillon, a famous ice cream place in the Latin Quarter
-Centre Pompidou, of course
-Bateau Mouche (the Seine); touristy but some great history
-Monmartre, Sacre Cour, Musee D'Orsey
-definitely visit Versaille (outside of Paris)
-Rennes is a nice old town
-Bois de Boulogne

General France Ideas from Arancha:

-stay in a rural gite (a "cabin" in a farm), a great way to visit rural France & connect with the locals

http://www.gites-de-france.com/gites/uk/rural_gites/know_more/what_is_a_rural_gite

-fluvial tourism: tour France by peniche (canal river boat)

http://in.franceguide.com/Along-the-Canals-and-Rivers-of-France.html?NodeID=1&EditoID=36702

-follow the "Chemin de Compostelle", the French leg of the "Camino de Santiago" & one the many long-distance hiking trails across France called "Grandes Randonnees" or GRs. The Chemin de Compostelle is GR65. The GRs are an awesome way to discover France & make friends with your fellow hikers

http://www.chemindecompostelle.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Way_of_St._James

http://www.gr-infos.com/

-take a ferry to Corsica, an idyllic Mediterranean island & not as touristy as the others (Napoleon was from Corsica)

http://www.corsicatravelguide.com/

-visit the prehistoric cave paintings of Lascaux, about 17,000 years old & also discovered by children! Together with Altamira's, they are the most famous cave paintings in Europe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lascaux

And from Yen:

Ooh yes, Lascaux II you must not miss. Gouffre du Padirac for the
underground river boat tour, Rocamadour and Basque villages, stay in a
troglodyte, visit mushroom caves, tour the salt ponds and marais. We
visited a prehistoric cliffside grotto in the area but I can't recall
the name right now. Limoges (enamels and porcelain, tapestry too),
Oradour-sur-Glane, and Sarlat!
http://www.la-couleuvrine.com/gb/index.htm