My weekend in Blois & the memorable light show at Château de Blois

After these famous châteaux, I was back to my hotel around 5:00 pm, I thought to invite my companion for dinner but then I changed my mind. I felt exhausted after a whole day exposed on the sun, carried a heavy camera bag with tripod...I didn't feel like to eat anything. No appetite at all.

              Hotel's breakfast room, cozy, ideal place for train traveller, just across the street from station

Château de Chenonceau and a weekend in Blois - Part One

I left Château de Chambord around 1:00 pm, 40' later I reached the other one, also very famous in this "Vallée  de la Loire" - Château de Chenonceau. When I first saw this architecture on the internet, it didn't blow my mind right away like the Chambord, but when I arrived and saw it my eyes...what I could say was just "Wow"!

              Château de Chenonceau - the famous eastern facade of the castle over the river Cher.

Blois and Château de Chambord - one of the largest châteaux in Loire Valley

The difficult thing in my preparation for my journey around France was how to select a good place that I really want to see, but also with good train connection with my previous stay or with the next one, I don't want to spend too much time in the train. So from Pontorson (Mont St Michel) to Blois was around 6 hours, it was the maximum travelling time with two-time change of the trains. Everything was perfectly on-time. I highly appreciated the French railway system!

              Château de Blois with the statue of Louis XII, this palace was his favourite royal residence. 

Baguette sandwich in Vietnam by Tùng Xích Lô - my guest posting

I'm not a big fan of Facebook, but I do use it to share info, to chat with friends within my small circle. From time to time just by chance I found someone interesting, we are probably sharing same interest, same thoughts - I follow. Tung Xich Lo is one of few personalities that I found in Facebook and I quite like his posts about "bánh mỳ in Việt Nam" (i.e. baguette sandwich in Vietnam).

With Tùng Xich Lô's permission, I share with you some of his Facebook posts about "bánh mỳ" that he tried during his trip around Vietnam over the past few years. There is no geographical or chronological order. All photos were taken by him with his witty comments, some with funny story and all in Vietnamese. Sorry for those who can't read Vietnamese, I did add some headlines, photo captions, hope you can get the basic idea, and wish you to have a chance to try the varieties of baguette sandwich in your journey in Vietnam.

                  One of Tùng Xich Lô's favourite baguettes sandwiches in Đà Nẵng. 

Mont Saint Michel - 3rd destination in my train journey around France

I never heard about this place before, I only found it while preparing my journey. Seeing this site on the internet, I was so surprised and wondering why I never ever knew about its existence!
I was hesitating a bit as I couldn't decide from where I better depart for Mont St Michel. Right from Paris? Or from Rouen? Rouen was also my top choice due to my wish to see Claude Monet's garden, but unluckily one day before my departure for Rouen, I had to cancel my short trip to Givenchy-Vernon to visit the famous impressionist-painter's house.

From Rouen to Mont St Michel was a 4-hour long ride in the train plus another 15' in the shuttle bus from Pontorson to this site.Anyway I was so excited to see the sight of MSM (i.e. Mont St Michel) from far in the train and then from the bus when it was approaching. It looked so stunning on the blue sky background!

                         I couldn't believe in my eyes - Mont St Michel was right in front of me 

Rouen - the 2nd destination in my train journey around France - Part 2

After three days in Paris, I boarded my first train to Rouen. To be honest I don't know why I chose this town, I probably think that would be a better place to go to my next destination - Mont St Michel - the second famous site in France after Tour Eiffel, and on the way to Rouen I may visit Claude Monet's garden at Giverny Vernon. But I was wrong - from Rouen to Mont St Michel - a long ride, but I was not wrong about Rouen - a beautiful old town with amazing Gothic cathedral. Unluckily I skipped my visit to Claude Monet's house due to my "ambitious" plan!

                  Vieux Rouen - the old town with many half-timber houses dated back in 16th century.

Paris - the return and my train journey around France - Part 1

I'm so sorry that I didn't have any review for over a month! Because I'm traveling in Europe, to make one of my dream trips come true - traveling around France by train, visiting some of the most beautiful villages in France!
France and Paris, these two words I already learnt by heart when I was a little kid. Both of my parents  used to speak a perfect French, when they were not in peace, my mom argued with my dad in French, not to let us understand.
And then my turn - I also studied in French school but...as my destiny turned into anther way so all of my university's years and later the long years of my career - nothing related to this country, to this language! My French was deeply sleeping in my mind, but I never forgot those images of Paris from my old school books, those names of provinces or cities, or small towns or rivers that our teachers forced us to remember by heart!

              Hotel de Ville - early in the morning and the famous Notre Dame de Paris not far from here!