The Holiday Thread

[dan]

Sirmione……

Stayed there for a few days last year, lovely place.

Getting on the Eurotunnel tomorrow morning at 7:30 to start a 2 week euro trip, stopping at verdun on the way down tomorrow before an overnight stop in Nancy followed by 3 nights in the alps and then 5 nights on lake como. Heading to monza next Friday for practice day too, tickets were only 50 euros.

[Rich B]

Sirmione……

Stayed there for a few days last year, lovely place.

Getting on the Eurotunnel tomorrow morning at 7:30 to start a 2 week euro trip, stopping at verdun on the way down tomorrow before an overnight stop in Nancy followed by 3 nights in the alps and then 5 nights on lake como. Heading to monza next Friday for practice day too, tickets were only 50 euros.

Sounds perfect! If you haven’t already booked somewhere to stay in Verdun, i can recommend the Jardin du Mess. it’s right on the river with a secure carpark and unbeatable VFM. we stayed there last night and it was £85 for a massive corner suite with 2 balconies overlooking the river (booked same day online.)

[Jobbo]

Cool post, we’ve been doing European road trips as family holidays for the last few years too. we were in Belgium last easter and I saw that zoo but we’d already been to an amazing one in Loire valley so didn’t think it would match it - it looks incredible!

Was that the zoo at Doue La Fontaine, near Saumur? I’ve been there twice and it was great but last time was about 2012.

Yes, that’s the one - in the caves. The aviary section is amazing, set below ground level in the collapsed caves.

Fantastic - it is such a good use of the land and old mines and quarries.

Here’s a photo from within the aviary area from 2012:

[V8Granite]

Some excellent trips there

Dan, make sure you go to Bellagio when you're there, it's stunning.

Dave!

[dan]

I shall!

In verdun right now but not stopping, already had accommodation booked in Nancy tonight.

Stopped at the big American cemetery just up the road, quite an incredible place.

[Rich B]

That area is pretty civilized for a 1 night stop on the way to italy - we did Reims once and it was way too early and we’d wished we’d knocked another few hours of driving off before the next day. Somewhere between Verdun and Strasbourg is about right.

We thought about Strasbourg on the way back but did a big first day across to Milan and up through Switzerland (though you need a vignette) all the way up to Verdun again (around 10 hours) and it worked well because we had a lazy start and got back to the tunnel 2 1/2 hours early and got straight on a crossing.

I’ve enjoyed driving in Europe in the van - it’s supremely comfortable and the French motorways are brilliant for covering distance. Though i think i have a speeding ticket coming - i was only doing about 135 kph (in a 130) when i saw it flash, which was lucky as i was doing 150 kph about 2 minutes earlier.

[dinny_g]

Cool idea…

https://www.saillink.co.uk/

Travel to France by sailboat

[JonMad]

Was that the zoo at Doue La Fontaine, near Saumur? I’ve been there twice and it was great but last time was about 2012.

Yes, that’s the one - in the caves. The aviary section is amazing, set below ground level in the collapsed caves.

Fantastic - it is such a good use of the land and old mines and quarries.

Here’s a photo from within the aviary area from 2012:

I remember the giraffes in particular at the Doue la Fontaine zoo - as they are lower down you are at head height to them when you walk around.
There's a really great sweet wine place in Doue as well - Moulin Touchais. It looks like someone's garage but there's miles of cellars underneath and you can buy the wines from them priced based on how many they have left, very reasonable at 10-20EUR for a bottle, vs £80 or so here. https://dreyfus-ashby.co.uk/moulin-touc ... -du-layon/. I'd love to go back and get some more.