Europe Travels – Part 1 {France}

My wife, Caitlin, and I had the amazing privilege of going on a three week adventure in Europe. It was March of 2014 before our summer wedding season really kicked in. It was absolutely wondrous and enchanting.

I know our my posts are usually of captured weddings, love, and all that falls in between. Nevertheless, I thought it’d be nice to share some work that hopefully captures the magic of Europe, and lets you follow along the mini journey as we did.

Things may  have started out a little disheartening with a delayed flight, which led to a missed flight, which led to a lost bag… But once you’re in Paris complaints quickly to vanish. We spent a few days in Paris, then hopped a train that weaved it’s way down to Bordeaux. From there we rented a car and wandered east through the French countryside. I surprised Cait with a night in an amazing French chateau, Chateau de la Treyne. This mini castle breathes the meaning of romance. Highly recommended! We then continued our trip on to Carcassonne, (a walled medieval fortress city!). All of our accommodations, and hosts in France surpassed expectations. As we continue our voyage, our next post will take us to Spain. So stay tuned, but for now… enjoy!

 

Our arrival in Paris. We stayed at Cecilia’s Guest House.  Such a warm and spirited woman! Instantly put our hearts in the right place with her hospitality… Fresh pastries each morning may have played a small part as well…
Paris Train Station…Metro musical entertainment. What a magical scene, slowly descending underground as soft hints of strings start to evolve. You can actually feel the energy of music grow stronger as you wander deeper into the tunnels. We rounded the right corner and found ourselves living a scene from Phantom of the Opera.Arc Du Triomphe

Tourists…

The Notre Dame Cathedral. Pretty cool to stand before something that has had such monumental in size, history, and beauty throughout its life. 

 

Fasten your love lock, and to the river with its key, now  your love will always be….

La Tour EiffelThe Louvre MuseumThe Mona Lisa, and its viewers.Paris at night, my favorite dessert… Crème Brûlée… in Paris! You can understand my excitement.The metro station and the view from the top of the Eiffel Tower

My bride…. straight out of a movie scene. 

A stop at a winery on our drive through the countrysideWhat you find with a little adventure… orchards in full bloom, a sea of flowers, and hand laid stone houses.  The Chateau de la TreyneAn epic fireplace and some good scotch. Ever seen Downton Abbey? Pretty much our life for a day…
Our rental car, appropriately named “Le Petit”… Not made for someone 6’3”.

Carcassonne… a medieval fortress city. Yes, I acted like Robin Hood… yes, I charged the castle… and yes, I stood victorious. It’s basically an adult playground. 

“The fortified city itself consists essentially of a concentric design of two outer walls with 53 towers and barbicans to prevent attack by siege engines. The castle itself possesses its own drawbridge and ditch leading to a central keep.”

– Wikipedia 

We followed signs off the road to a little Chèvre (goat cheese) farm. We were met by this lovely girl who served us this incredibly fresh, handmade Chèvre. It was a perfect paring with the handmade sausage we had picked up earlier.