En français

From Geneva, we took a train to Lyon, France. We stayed at the InterContinental and I think it was the most beautiful to view from outside. The hotel room itself was very spacious, had a bath and a double shower with BYREDO products in their Bal d'Afrique scent! The restaurant at the hotel, Epona, had some really nice food and the kindest staff. The hotel is situated in a building that used to be a hospital. It had a small chapel and many restaurants, shops, and cafes attached to it. I enjoyed being in the centre of the town.

After exploring the area, which was absolutely stunning, we hired a car to take us to the various villages we wanted to visit. The road trip was from Lyon to Châteauroux with many detours into little villages. During this road trip, we stayed at a restored chateau in Ussel and a castle somewhere near Theneuille. It was the most adventurous drive. Meals were not the best during this road trip but the bread? Oh my. Nothing compares to the bread and pastries we picked up. Sometimes, they substituted for lunch or dinner. Best part was that supermarket bread tasted as good as from a boulanger.

The most beautiful part of this road trip was the changing colours of the leaves with the autumn temperatures. Summers are beautiful but the past few summers in Europe were scorching and without the privilege of air conditioning, they are way too difficult for me to handle. So while I didn't get lush, green gardens and roads, we got the amazing weather and beautiful yellow/orange/red foliage that was a feast for my senses.

After we returned the car in Châteauroux, we took an intercity train to Paris. We spent the best day in Paris. It was sunny, joyful, and a beautiful day to shop and run around Paris. (My poor husband's card is a bit damaged from overuse, I think. Bless his heart, he spoils me.)

We stayed at So/ Paris Hotel. It was a clean, new, spacious hotel room. Perfect for when we needed to clean up, pack, and leave the city at 5AM for our flight back to Bahrain.

Such a surreal moment seeing the Water Lilies.

Of course, Barthélémy.

Le Bon Marché where we had the best lunch.

People watching as the sun sets.

Husband has coffee and I have wine.

Best onion soup I have had in 10 years.

Gosh, I love France!