Florence and France... | Syracusefan.com

Florence and France...

Forza Azzurri

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Just FYI...spent some time recently in Florence, Loire Valley, Mont Saint Michel, Normandy and Paris...

Happy to give info on where to stay, eat, what to see, how to travel, what to watch out for in those locations or France & Italy in general...

I also used to live in Florence so know it really well...
 
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Just FYI...spent some time recently in Florence, Loire Valley, Mont Saint Michel, Normandy and Paris...

Happy to give info on where to stay, eat, what to see, how to travel, what to watch out for in those locations or France & Italy in general...

I also used to live in Florence so know it really well...

We're headed to the South of France next May... I saw that Bourdain and other have said that Marseilles is very underrated but not as picturesque as Nice. My wife would like to go Menton if we'll be in the Nice/Monaco area. We also would consider going down to Corsica depending on how the reliable/enjoyable the ferry ride is. Any preference between Marseille and Nice? We are 30, enjoy going out for cocktails, going to the beach, short hikes and good but not super fancy restaurants.
 
We're headed to the South of France next May... I saw that Bourdain and other have said that Marseilles is very underrated but not as picturesque as Nice. My wife would like to go Menton if we'll be in the Nice/Monaco area. We also would consider going down to Corsica depending on how the reliable/enjoyable the ferry ride is. Any preference between Marseille and Nice? We are 30, enjoy going out for cocktails, going to the beach, short hikes and good but not super fancy restaurants.
Confession. Last time in Nice was in 1986 while in college and on a shoestring budget...

Nice was very nice but beaches were rocky and not sand - if that makes a difference to you...

Do not know Marseille at all. Never been to Corsica.

I would recommend a trip to Monaco if staying in Nice. You could even cross over into Italy and go to Portofino or the Cinque Terre...
 
Ha, on a train from Paris to Bayeux now. Paris is stunning and was epically hot.
 
Ha, on a train from Paris to Bayeux now. Paris is stunning and was epically hot.
We got lucky with the weather. It was beautiful the entire time.

We dropped rental car in Caen and took train from Caen to Paris.

Bayeux is a neat little town. Worth a visit.

Stayed in Audrieu while in Normandy.

Did one of the obligatory Omaha Beach tours...

If you have time, Mont Saint Michel is a must-see...Absolutely stunning.
 
We got lucky with the weather. It was beautiful the entire time.

We dropped rental car in Caen and took train from Caen to Paris.

Bayeux is a neat little town. Worth a visit.

Stayed in Audrieu while in Normandy.

Did one of the obligatory Omaha Beach tours...

If you have time, Mont Saint Michel is a must-see...Absolutely stunning.

On my way to the tapestry then mont saint michel. And yet somehow still check this board...
 
We did the 3 city (Rome, Florence, Venice) Italy tourist tour back in 2007. Most of the time was spent in Florence, which my wife and I loved. Very cool, laid back city. Great eats, great wine. An easy city for people who might be intimidated by foreign travel. Everyone there speaks English if you really want them to.

We took day trips from Florence to Siena (amazing), Pisa (which sucked other than seeing that tower). Gorgeous views of Tuscany on those trips.

Highly recommend.
 
Ha, on a train from Paris to Bayeux now. Paris is stunning and was epically hot.

One of my direct reports works out of Paris. At the office, the temperature outside is 48 C / 118 degrees Fahrenheit. No exaggeration.

Unbelievable.
 
We did the 3 city (Rome, Florence, Venice) Italy tourist tour back in 2007. Most of the time was spent in Florence, which my wife and I loved. Very cool, laid back city. Great eats, great wine. An easy city for people who might be intimidated by foreign travel. Everyone there speaks English if you really want them to.

We took day trips from Florence to Siena (amazing), Pisa (which sucked other than seeing that tower). Gorgeous views of Tuscany on those trips.

Highly recommend.
Agreed. If Pisa's tower didn't lean, nobody would go there.

Siena is beautiful and much more interesting than Pisa...

Florence is an unbelievably beautiful city. And everything, except for Fiesole and Piazzale Michelangelo, are, at most, a 20 minute walk...and most things are 5-10 mins...
 
On my way to the tapestry then mont saint michel. And yet somehow still check this board...
We did it in reverse...Loire Valley, Mont Saint-Michel, Bayeux and Normandy and then train to Paris...Let me know your thoughts on MSM...we ate at La Mere Poulard...overpriced but the omelettes were very good...
 
We did it in reverse...Loire Valley, Mont Saint-Michel, Bayeux and Normandy and then train to Paris...Let me know your thoughts on MSM...we ate at La Mere Poulard...overpriced but the omelettes were very good...


Actually I don’t think msm is going to happen. I got it confused with notre dame de Bayeux. Tomorrow is all WW2.

A wind just whipped up here and it’s cooling fast. The candle we lit in the church worked !
 
One of my direct reports works out of Paris. At the office, the temperature outside is 48 C / 118 degrees Fahrenheit. No exaggeration.

Unbelievable.

It was unreal. To the French’s credit they looked pretty good dealing with it.

Very little is air conditioned.
 
It was unreal. To the French’s credit they looked pretty good dealing with it.

Very little is air conditioned.
And their A/C is not like our A/C - not nearly as efficient or as powerful...tough to run duct work through stone...

lots of portable units that, frankly, don't work very well, especially at those temp levels...
 
Actually I don’t think msm is going to happen. I got it confused with notre dame de Bayeux. Tomorrow is all WW2.

A wind just whipped up here and it’s cooling fast. The candle we lit in the church worked !
If you have a car and have the time and are foodies..

Chateau Audrieu

This place is about 20 mins from Bayeux and the food is worth the trip...
 

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