I am requesting input on not-to-be-missed places and suggestions on where/with whom to stay, and since I (ahem) have so many international blog readers now (soon to catch up with the international blogger phenom Lady Jane Moxey!), I thought you guys might have some great input!
Here's the preliminary plan:
9/11/09 - fly from Phoenix to Florence, Italy. See David.
9/12 to 9/13 - Take the train to the walled Tuscany city of Lucca, Italy.
9/14, 9/15, 9/16, 9/17 - CinqueTerra, the car-free cliffside towns on the Italian Riviera, getting there perhaps by fishing boat.
9/17, 9/18 - through Monaco & Nice, en route to Lyon, France. Spend the day and overnight with Ken's friend Francois at his home in Lyon.
9/19, 9/20, 9/21, 9/23 - Travel with Francois to his farm in Provence. Stay at Francois' family's retreat house in Mirabeau. Spend time in La Tour d'Aigues.
9/24, 9/25, 9/26, 9/27, 9/28 - Train to Breve. Spend time in central France with Ken's British friends Simon and Clare on their farm 'Evening Glow' in the Dogdogne.
9/28, 9/29 - Paris
9/29, 9/30 - London
10/1 to 10/4 - Ken will be in Dorset co-chairing the World Elder Gathering for The ManKind Project. I will have 5 days on my own. I am thinking Devon, or Wales, or Ireland (my heritage -- could find out from my aunt where to visit in terms of my geneology) or I have friends in Amsterdam -- any input on destinations or places to stay is invited, especially art quilting or textile arts-related!
10/5/09 - Meet up with each other and fly home out of London.
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What a fantastic itinerary! Since Ken is going to Dorset for his 4 days, I'd like to suggest you visit the city of Bath in Somerset! I went to boarding school there. There are Roman baths to see, great shopping and lovely Regency era buildings. The West Country in the UK is so gorgeous. You could put Stonehenge on your list if you went thataway. Wales is wonderful too, but a bit harder to get there from London. My cousin is in North Wales, near a town called Wrexham. It's at least a 4 hour drive from London and I have no idea how you'd get there by train, although I know that's a possibility. Riding the train is a great way to see the English countryside.
ReplyDeleteIreland is FUN! We had a great time driving around and staying at bed & breakfasts (don't go with the vouchers - you don't need them and the B&B owners prefer guests who pay over voucher bearers). Our favorite B&B: http://www.sandycovehouse.com
ReplyDeleteIf you feel like splurging, there's the Dromoland castle: http://www.dromoland.ie/
They have an incredible rose garden.
A site to see: http://www.cliffsofmoher.ie/default.aspx