Pack Your Bags: Carcassonne France

We were eating dinner tonight

and in the middle of my (second) bowl of soup,

a thought appeared in my brain

out of nowhere:

I never blogged about Carcassonne!

I'd been so excited to share 

this hidden gem

tucked in the Southwest of France

with you & the rest of the blogging world...

I edited the pictures,

I put them in a folder on my desktop,

and then...

well, honestly, who knows.

But here it is today!

Better late than never, right?

With a place this special,

the answer is: absolutely.

*      *     * 

It was about 1.5 hours drive

from where we were staying

(remember the crazy-gorgeous-yet-affordable Chateau Les Carrasses?)

to Carcassonne....

On our way towards the Spanish border,

I grew increasingly allured to drive

to Barcelona for dinner.

{Tyler did not, however, or this Carcassonne adventure would have ended here.}

All I knew about Carcassonne before arriving

was that it was a medieval city...

which, to me, meant

it was a city during the medieval times

and not today.

So imagine my surprise when 

we walked through the city gates

and then realized:

it's still an active/real place!

The flavor of the city

(and yes, I believe that cities have distinct flavors)

was undoubtedly French...

with strong Spanish notes.

A crepe stand would sit next 

to a store selling handmade espadrilles...

A cafe sign would have the price

for une biere & una cerveza.

It was one of those days in traveling

when you are left totally refreshed

even after a long day out.

The four of us

(Tyler, Lauren, Viola & our dear friend, Kyla)

wandered through the cobblestone streets,

explored the gorgeously preserved castle overlooking the valley,

and, obviously, ate enormous crepes

stuffed with nutella, coconut & almonds.

I've tried to say it in previous posts,

but I'll say it again:

the southwest of France

is one of the best-kept secrets there is.

Affordable, stunning, rich with history & gorgeous.

It's waiting for you.

*   *   *

More Southwest France posts here

for your drooling pleasure!

Chateau Les Carrasses | Baby's First Swim

Baby's First Swim... a la mode.

Did you know "a la mode"

means "in the current style or fashion?"

While I may actually prefer

the Americanized version

that involves a mound of ice cream

being sat alongside- or on top- of something.

I mean, how did that become the term for 

adding ice cream to a hot dessert?

In the current fashion of... childhood obesity?

Not sure...

but I'm thankful someone made it happen.

I'm also thankful that my dear friend, Kyla,

snapped these pictures of Viola

having her first swim...

in an infiniti pool....

.... at a gorgeous chateau

sat amongst a vineyard

in Southern France.

That, my friend, is swimming in style.

If we keep up these kind of moves,

this baby's first words are going to be

"Treat Yo'self."

Moving beyond the ridiculousness of this girl's short life,

can I once again sing the praises of this gorgeous chateau?

If you missed it,

my full review is here.

You can go check it out

while I stare out the window

at the grey skies of London

bemoaning the pseudo-summer.

{Yes, the fairy tale is over and we are back to living in reality!}

*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy.

Pack Your Bags: Staying at Le Chateau Les Carrasses

I stumbled across this gorgeous chateau

while researching a place for a work project.

{Yes, I know- best job.... but it is a lot of work!}

Like most places online,

it looked too good to be true.

Which, as a traveler, can be a common disappointment

after arriving to find the location of your vacation

less than it looked in the photoshopped pictures online.

So while these photos are, indeed, photoshopped-

don't worry,

I've taken the risk and checked it out myself:

Le Chateau Les Carrasses 

is not only as amazing 

as it is in pictures...

but it's better.

Here's what I loved about it:

1. First things first, 

it's affordable for people like me....

which makes me think

that you can afford it, too.

For a two bedroom apartment in high season,

we paid 280euro a night.

Split up between friends staying with us,

 this wasn't bad pricing...

especially when you consider how luxe the property is!

2. You have your own kitchen

so you can keep food costs down.

Not only does each place within the property have a full kitchen,

but they also have a terrace or garden 

with outdoor dining & a barbecue. 

You can shop at the market in town

and make your own outdoor dinner party...

or head to the chateau's terrace restaurant 

for a gorgeous night of being pampered.

3. The staff is wonderful.

A common complaint from American travelers

is that while the destination is gorgeous,

the service is lousy....

but guess what,

not here. 

I was blown away by the kindness and attentiveness of the staff.

From the initial inquiry I made online 

that gave me an immediate email & call back

to the sweet waiter who laughed off 

the pool of baby poop our daughter left on a chair cushion.

Viola didn't seem to mind, but Tyler & I were horrified. 

Nothing says "classy" like pooping on a chair.

{Plus, they offer good free wifi... major plus in rural France.}

4. It's so easy to get there.

To reach the Chateau,

you fly into Beziers...

a little under 2 hours from London Luton

if you're flying RyanAir or Flybe.

From there, you hop in a rent car from one of the companies sitting in the small airport

and drive 43 minutes- according to our Garmin route- to the Chateau.

5. The pool.

This pool will receive it's own post later this week...

but let's just say,

I was in heaven....

And I wasn't the only one

with such affinity for the infinity. :)

6. The possibilities it offers for day trips.

The Chateau sits in a great point to explore the region.

If it's vineyards, castles, churches, rivers, beaches, hillside towns... 

whatever,

it's not too far away.

The medieval city of Carcassonne is about 1.5 hours away.

The gorgeous hillside city of Roquebrun is 40 minutes away.

Montpellier is an hour away... 

and the smallest city in the world 

to be the home to a cathedral sits at the footsteps

of the chateau's vineyard...

And for everything else,

the chateau leaves extensive/honest book of options

in your apartment to let you choose your fun.

****

So if you're looking to stay somewhere amazing, affordable & accessible in France-

this is your place. 

Made up of private apartments and "maisons" that you can rent,

I have no doubt that you'll be as smitten with your stay 

in the Southwest of France as we were.

*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy

Bonjour, Y'all.

Where have you guys been lately?

I mean, day after day, 

I've been checking in to the blog

and nothing is here.

Oh wait,

I guess that might be my fault.

But I have a good excuse...

and it's that 

I've been in France.

{Southwest France, specifically.}

 I discovered a whole new area 

that I'm ridiculously excited to share with you.

It was a game changer for us

for future travels to France.

Just a couple of days there,

 opened up a whole new travel destination for me,

and I'm pretty confident that it will do the same for many of you

who are looking to get an amazing European vacation

in a spot that is untouched by the chaos of so many popular places,

is easy to get to...

and, oh yeah, is actually pretty affordable.

{Which, let's be honest, is the most important factor when we typically travel.}

But I can't do that quite yet.

I've got my best friend in from college

who is lifting my spirits in a way that only she can do,

I've got Regent Tweet happening this weekend

and get to see Megan & Stephen because of it,

and I've got a group of students that are touring London this week

that will land me in the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch in about 35 minutes.

So, do you know what all that means?

That it's time to get out of my pajamas,

brush my teeth,

and get the heck out of here.

Au Revoir for now!

PS. It is widely accepted that the pistachio macaron is supreme flavor, right?

I thought so, too.

*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy

Pack Your Bags: Nice, France

Everyone should go to Southern France at some point in their life...

because the French Riviera, 
in all it's sparkling blue glory,
 is pretty fabulous.

And in the middle of the cities dotting the coast sits Nice.

Nice is the largest, most affordable, and easily accessed city along the Riviera.

This famous city has loads to do for every interest & age,

and for practical purposes-

it is my recommended city for where one should stay
when visiting the French Riviera.

Read below for my recommendations for a great trip.

The water is amazingly blue

{hello, Côte D'Azure!}

and the backdrop is perfect,
but I've repeatedly tried (four different times) to visit in late winter months
with hopes of lounging on the beach...
and each time, I realize how ridiculous I am.

So if it's the beach you want, come at the right time.

{Which, by the way, is May-October.}

Be warned though-

the beaches are not sandy,

they are rocky.

Bring comfortable & padded mats to lay on.

And, if you have kids, be prepared to explain 

why the woman next to you is topless.

EAT SOME SOCCA

This chickpea crepe is the speciality of Nice.

It's cheap, it's light & it's quite common.

Try Renee Socca or Lou Pilha Leva for the favorite local choice.

Grab a socca for the road for around €2.50,

or, if you're feeling adventurous,
 sit down and try a huge plate of local fare (including a socca) for €10.

*To be honest, I could have been happy with just the socca.

VISIT OLD NICE

While the new town is lined with promenades and high-street chains,

the old town is a small labyrinth of winding streets & small cafes.

They have some great salt & soap shops...

and if you walk out just a bit to the new town,

you'll find yourself in the famous flower market of Nice.

The flower market has two long aisles of brightly colored booths

welcoming those passing by with buckets of local flowers...

which are better than reasonably priced.

For those wanting to indulge more than just their senses of smell & sight,

there are also a smattering of stalls filled with sugar-drenched confections mixed in the scene.

Old Nice is the eastern part of the city that is closest to the hill.

(Basically, if you're looking at the water- it's all the way to the left.)

Head up a bit North of the old city to the Chagall Museum
where permanent pieces hang yera-round in giant, oversized grandeur.

TAKE A HIKE

Oh, and that hill? The big one at the end of the city?

It's called Colline Du Chateau- which means, the "Castle Hill," 
though the Roman castle for which it was named has been long removed.

Today it is simply a great (not-too-difficult) walk up to the top
 that rewards you with a sweeping view of the Riviera,

cool sea breezes, & a giant park full of locals.

The next time we visit Nice,

I foresee a picnic & lazy afternoon of reading up there.

GET A ROOM

My group stayed at the Citadines in Nice.

Good rates (about €60 pp), good location, 

free internet, free coffee & tea available all day...

and if you want to save some money,

the rooms have small kitchenettes.

However, if I was going to splurge...

I'd stay at the Hotel Negresco.

The famous hotel 20th century hotel 

sitting prominently along the Promenade.

The eclectic interiors are for everyone, 

but I think I could be up for it for a couple of nights.

Oh, and one more perk of visiting Nice?

With Nice's quirky history of being it's own province nestled between Italy & France
until only 150 years ago when it chose to be a part of the latter...

makes Nice one of the only places in France where you can get a good cappuccino.

***

While Nice may be nice

{couldn't make it an entire post without that joke},

it'd be a shame to miss the other gems of the area.

I'll post more on my favorite surrounding cities later.

What are your favorite spots in Nice?

*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy