We enjoyed a short but sweet visit to Denmark in 2018. Our goal was to see some Viking historical sites, so we decided to bypass Copenhagen and go directly to the town of Roskilde in our rental car: driving in Denmark is very easy with light traffic and wide, smooth roads. Signage is good and […]
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Category: Europe
Beautiful Brittany, France
The western-most edge of France is a world apart from the big city experience of Paris that most of us associate with a visit to France. Brittany (Bretagne in French, Breizh in the local Breton language) is small-town and rural with many sea-side vacation spots popular with the French people. (As in most rural areas, […]
Greece: the Peloponnesian Peninsula and Hydra
If you have the time to explore further than Athens, consider renting a car and driving south to the Peloponnesian peninsula: the pretty little town of Nafplio is just 2 hours drive on good roads. We rented a car at the Athens airport: from there you get directly onto a freeway to bypass the traffic […]
Athens, Greece
Athens is a beautiful, friendly city and we spent our time in the vibrant old town centered around the Acropolis. We enjoyed a lovely three lovely days there, exploring the city on foot from our centrally located Hotel Hera: which is highly recommended for excellent rooms, service and a lovely rooftop restaurant with views of […]
Garden of the Monsters, Bomarzo, Italy
If you want inspiration to really go wild with your own unique garden ideas, the Garden of the Monsters is a place you should definitely visit! Known in Italian as il Sacro Bosco (Sacred Wood), or Parco di Mostri (Park of the Monsters), this totally unique and unusual garden is located just outside the hill […]
Versailles
Our great Paris home exchange location near Versailles gave us a wonderful opportunity to explore and enjoy in detail the amazing 2000 acres of gardens designed by Andre Le Notre for King Louis XIV in the 1600s. Royalty of that time viewed their gardens as a demonstration of man’s conquest of nature, with tightly controlled […]
Giverney: Monet’s Home
Just outside Paris, we spent a day at the wonderful gardens of impressionist painter Claude Monet in Giverny. This lovely spot (designed by the artist in the late 1800s) is a totally different experience from the formality of Versailles. Smaller and more intimate, in perfect relationship to the charming pink and green house, this garden […]
Loire Valley
While visiting the Loire, we enjoyed the hospitality at the delightful B & B Le Clos Rabelais, in the charming little town of Langeais. Clean and quiet, and walking distance to excellent French bakeries and restaurants, we found it the perfect place for us to relax. Check out their details at bedandbreakfast.com We particularly enjoyed […]
David Austin Roses
Greetings from sunny England! After three weeks of generally rainy and cold weather, we are enjoying a week of sun and the gardens are lovely! We were lucky enough to visit the birthplace of our favorite rose breeder, David Austin. On the outskirts of the small town of Albrighton, this nursery that produces roses enjoyed […]
Barrington Court
Barrington Court in Somerset, England, is one of our very favorite gardens. On your visit we recommend you investigate the gardens, have tea, and stroll the grounds. The lovely walled gardens were designed by Gertrude Jekyll and include a delightful white garden. The beautifully tended kitchen garden is full to over-flowing with vegetables and berries, […]