Travel & Hotspots

video: road trip in France

As promised, you received a video from me about my trip to France. Together with my father, I zoomed through four French cities in four days; a father-daughter weekend. Besides the piece I wrote about earlier this week (read it here), I also wanted to make a video, because my dad's laughter and the impressive cathedrals of France are hard to capture in text. So, here it is. And since you are all so used to those endlessly long videos from almost every vlogger in the world (seriously, what's up with those 40-minute vlogs? I find it intense), these 10 minutes are of course child's play. Moreover, there is a surprise performance by Poes Disco in it, and you don't want to miss that. For those who want to know where we all slept and ate, see below. And don't forget to save these posts because the addresses below are extremely important for when you head to France yourself. Bon voyage!

Nantes
We stayed at Hotel Pommeraye, a nice hotel with spacious rooms in the heart of the city. Lunch was at La Cigale, as you saw in the video, a stunning place with good service and a deliciously typical French menu. In Nantes, you can shop quite well, there is a Maje, Zadig & Voltaire, Sephora, numerous small boutiques, and for those who want a truly expensive souvenir: a Hermes store. Further on your program: a visit to Ille de Machine, where gigantic hydraulic artworks can be seen, including a 12-meter-high elephant (which can actually walk) and a mega carousel (where you can actually ride). We had dinner at La Comédie des Vins, a small place where you sit at the bar and order platters of cheese and cold cuts, take a glass of wine, and look around at the constantly coming and going French people. For me, this place was a highlight; I could eat there every evening.

Rennes
We prefer not to choose a favorite (because they were all so nice), but we both secretly found Rennes the most fun and the prettiest. Our hotel rooms were in Le Magic Hall, a newly opened hotel in a perfect location. Instead of a standard lobby and reception, there is a large communal kitchen with a living room, making you feel incredibly at home. The hotel is adjacent to a recording studio, and they have carried that atmosphere into the hotel as well. In that living kitchen reception lobby (new word!), there is a real music room, completely soundproof and equipped with a drum set and other instruments, where small concerts are regularly held. The rooms are also all themed musically; my room was a DJ room while my father's had an illustration of the rumba on the ceiling.

We had lunch at Le Café Breton, another hit. A small place with a delicious menu and a kitchen where they perform wonders. There is also plenty to do in Rennes in terms of shopping, but don't forget to admire the old streets, unique architecture, and of course, very importantly, hop from terrace to terrace and order those delicious French wines.

Agners
This hotel was also a winner because it was an old castle with a super cute courtyard. It's called Hotel du Mail, and the rooms are classic and beautiful, making you really feel like a resident of a castle. We walked from the hotel to the center in a few minutes and had lunch at Place du Raillement, in Brasserie du Theatre. Perfect steak tartare was served, and dad told an extremely interesting story about it, as you can see in the video above. Admire the city's fort, Chateau d’Angers, wander through the small old streets, don't skip a terrace, and for nighttime entertainment, head to la Doutre, the student district.

Poitiers
We saw Poitiers on Sunday, and it was quite deserted. Not surprising, even in Paris everything is closed on Sundays. There is a nice square, beautifully old historical buildings, and good restaurants. We had lunch at La Gazette and dinner at La Serrurerie. Both are recommended.