Tour Auto France 2004

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Tour France 2004, Loire - Brittany South - Camargue
of (bianucci@micronet.it)

TOUR FRANCE 2004
Participants: Rossana and Fabrizio Bianucci
Period: July 31 - August 28, 2004 (duration 29 days)
Km.percorsi: about 4500
Car: Citroen, Berlingo 2.0 HDI, Multispace Chrono with Medion GPS Navigator Microsoft Pocket PC 2003

Main goals: CASTLES OF THE Loire VALLEY and, SOUTH BRITAIN, CAMARGUE
E 'a classic French tour, which we have repeated a distance of many years, this time having a lot of days and without children, who are now ultraventenni and go away on vacation right on their own.
We have revisited the places of historical memory archeologica, as the area of the castles of the Loire and Brittany South (from Lorient, Carnac, Quiberon up down south of the Gulf of Morbihan) and characteristic places of naturalistic and more fun as the Camargue and the Provence SouthWest, Aquitaine and Languedoc, remembering Carcassonne, the medieval town heritage of Humanity.
A maximum common divisor of all these areas: the French roads are exceptional (things already known) and in urban centers as the most popular in remote corners of Britain. Roads, highways and autoroutes excellent, with signs very precise and clear. It 'difficult to get lost in France. Many places of refreshment facilities and motorway, often also equipped with hotel accommodation accessible for all pockets (Hotel Ibis, Formule 1, Campanile, Etap etc.) Valid and chambres d'hotes (B & B), always numerous in the vicinity of motorway junctions.
The fuel near them better distributors attached to shopping centers (such as Auchan, Intermarché, Super U, Carrefour), which are everywhere, with high density even in villages of 5000 inhabitants! There the average fuel cost (I am referring to the data in August 2004) at least 10 euro cents less, or the costs are at or above the already dear price ipertassati Italian.

Hotels: We stayed in three hotels, as the base camp of the three main areas visited, more or less located in the center of to visit.

Loire Valley, at Amboise, at the "de l'Arbreille Tomorrow", a valuable and charming Logis de France, a "3 houses," but also "Hotel de charme", set in a fairy-tale forest, 1km outside the city center, on the way to the famous castle of Chenonceau, with a pleasant swimming pool, park, and vast gourmet restaurant. Price per room, including petit dejeuner, 84.00 euros. Un'inezia for the class of the hotel, when compared to the relationship between quality and price of our hotel italiani! Excellent restaurant inside, with various menus, 22:00 euro on average, about three to four classic French (entrée, main course, dessert and fromages). Any information you can easily find it on the site through Google. And Amboise will visit all the castles 38/45 (if one wants, has patience, is not "stove" and devotes significant resources to economic inputs) in the range of 80/100 km .. For us the most beautiful of all are (even though all have distinct characteristics and unique): Chenonceau, Azay-le-Rideau and Amboise.

South Britain, a Ploemel, near Carnac (the megalithic monuments, dolmens and menhirs) we stayed at the Blue Marine, at Golf de St.Laurent. A three-star very decent, dare I say, but not unbridled luxury, with pool and various facilities customary, appointed to the Golf Club Also this hotel is surrounded by secular woods, on the road that leads down to erdeven Carnac. The restaurant, however, there was enthusiastic, in fact ... maybe because we are not fans of coquillages cruditèe and sea! Cost: 86.00 euros for the bedroom.

Camargue at Aigues Mortes, Camargue Petit, 6 km from the sea at Le Grau du Roi, Port Camargue.
Here we risperimentato the delights and comforts of a motel, HOTEL DES 4 VENTS, American style, with swimming pool, private parking, small bungalows, very rational, very organized and comfortable, just 1km outside the walls of this unique medieval citè that is Aigues Mortes, the fantastic, along the Rhone-Sete canal. Almost ridiculous price, unmatched (even for the kindness, the discreet and exquisite Messieur manager Patrick): 49.00 euros only the bedroom, air conditioned room (but this year we just used the air conditioning), various facilities and "petit dejeuner (optional) to 6.00 euro per person.
And from Aigues Mortes, the choice of routes for travel within a radius of 30/70 km is long: Montpellier, Avignon, Nimes, Pont du Gard, the whole Camargue, Les Baux de Provence, Martigues St.Remy, Arles, Les Saintes Maries de la Mer, etc .... and the sea just 6 kilometers away! Canals and ponds to gogo, nature, bulls and horses, nature trails, horseback riding, pink flamingos everywhere. So for us it is a Paradise!

We are lovers of French cuisine and we also recognize the limitations in some prices just have to choose - ever the paper, apart from exceptional cases of pellegrinaggio.gourmand-famous restaurants - and only between the many offers of the "guided" and is unlikely will have economic surprises. 16/25 euros with an average in this range, there is an excellent attorney enoculinaria experience. Much less than in Italy, always on equal standing / rating of the enclosure.
One in all: "The Gastounnade", de La Tour restaurant CARBONNE, just outside Aigues Mortes: 22:00 only for euro by grand gourmet delicacies in an exceptional environment. But do not leave as "The Centuries", in the vicinity, a typical restaurant for truck drivers, complete with menu and excellent even at 13 euros! Weird but true.

For details on hotels and restaurants mentioned, you can navigate easily on the Internet because they are all present with their websites ... unless you want to seek directly to the depth tour of the trip (I have a detailed travel diary) that I will be happy to make common.