FRANCE

Champagne region & Paris, France 2014

It was time to visit Paris. To visit Paris but do not stay in Paris overnight.
We found a nice camping located in Champagne region where we booked 3 night in a bungalow.
Website: http://www.lanouedesrois.com
Camping La Noue des Rois is located in Saint Hilaire sous Romilly, about 44 km from Troyes.
From here it is only 120km to Paris which makes a day trip o Paris short and pleasant. There are direct trains from Saint Hilaire sous Romilly to Paris.

Camping La Noue des Rois

Church in Saint Hilaire sous Romilly

Lake area at the campsite

Bungalowas along the lakeshore

Our sons with their new friends in Paris

Eiffel Tower

Time for something sweet ! A these are really, really sweet ….

The Champ de Mars (Field of Mars). Parc between the Eiffel Tower and the École Militaire

Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris

The entrance to Cathédrale Notre Dame

Inside the cathedral

Me and my boys 🙂

Monument in Saint Hilaire sous Romilly

Franche-Comté, France 2013

We rarely visit the same place for the second time but this year we decided to spend first week of July at Camping Val de Bonnal where we stayed in a tent last year.

The Val de Bonnal is an immense aquatic and nautical area on 4 lakes near the river Ognon, offering all the pleasures of the sea in the countryside. It is an ideal place to explore the south of the Vosges, Alsace and the Jura area.

Aerial view of Val de Bonnal lake area

Val de Bonnal is a 5-star family campsite, and is a member of the ‘Les Castels’ chain. The campsite is an exceptionally beautiful estate of 150ha of green and peaceful nature. This year we stayed in a Ecolodge on stilts which is a mix between a bungalow and a tent. This house was just perfect for us !

Info about the house copied from the website:
ECOLODGE ON STILTS
A canvas-covered lodge with a washroom and toilet, halfway between camping and rental.
– A surface area of 19m², 2 bedrooms + covered terrace measuring 10.50m² with patio furniture, 2 deckchairs, 1 bbq (wood fuel).
– Kitchenette with an electric (or gaz) hob, 2 burners, sink with hot and cold water, 1 tub, top fridge, microwave, 1 electric coffee-maker, 1 kettle, 1 toaster.
– 1 parents’ bedroom with bed, 140×190
– 1 children’s bedroom with 2 beds, 80×190
– 1 wash room with shower, sink, heating
– toilet not separate
– Sheets and household linen not provided, linen kits can be hired but please let us know at the time of booking.
– continental quilts and pillows provided
– crockery for 4 people

More information about the campsite and Franche-Comte province here:
Tourist information about Franche-Comte province: http://www.franche-comte.org
Camping Val de Bonnal: http://www.camping-valdebonnal.com
Les Casteles official website: http://www.les-castels.com

3D view of the Ecolodge house

Ecolodge occupied by our Familienbande

Cycling trip to Rougemont. There is a nice cycling route from Camping Val de Bonnal to the nearest village Rougemont. The route is 90% off-road and goes through the beautiful wood surrounding the campsite.

Funny lantern at the Église Saint-Georges (Church of St. George) in Vesoul

The Franche-Comté region offers major, must-see UNESCO World Heritage sites which you can discover by visiting the cities of Belfort, Gray, Dole and Besançon:
– The Royal Saltpan of Arc-et-Senans
– The citadel of Besançon
– Notre-Dame-du-Haut at Unesco
– The Saltworks of Salins-les-Bains

We visited only one of them: Citadelle de Besancon. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Vauban’s 17th century masterpiece, the Besançon Citadel, is considered to be one of the finest in France. The fortifications cover 11 hectares and lie more than 100 metres above the old town sitting in a loop of the River Doubs.

It is also a very special place where the history is mixed up with nature – the Natural History Museum so well built into the Citadelle that you might think that it has always been there.There is also a very interesting Museum of the Resistance and Deportation.