I am not a fan of long distance travel by car. I find endless motorway driving tedious. Normally we travel to France by plane or train. Train is my favourite method. The Eurostar now goes all the way from London to Marseille. I find trains soothing and relaxing. They are much less hassle than modern air travel. Crowded airports with their interminable queues. Many of them seem to have turned into vast shopping malls. Not to mention the indignity of the security system. I acknowledge that it is necessary. Although how the security guys thought I could blow up a plane with a small pot of honey I am not sure.
Anyway we drive down to the South of France once a year. It takes about twelve hours door to door. I insist that we make it an adventure and stay one night somewhere interesting. Often in the Burgundy region.
This year we decided to return to Tournus and to the same B&B we had stayed last year Le Tour du Tresorier. It is a beautiful old renovated tour run by a charming couple. This year we chose one of the garden rooms, which was modern, light and airy. The breakfast as you can see was delicious from jams made by the owner with local fruits.
The evening before we visited a one star Michelin restaurant Le Meulien and indulged in a gourmet feast. The ingredients for the dishes were sourced locally and the chef added a light touch to the delicate and intricately prepared “plats”. We finished our stunning meal replete but not over full. I would highly recommend this restaurant if you are in the area.
Packing for a one night stay:
I only take a very small case into which I have to fit my computer plus my overnight toiletries.
I travelled in a pair of black trousers similar. A grey cashmere polo neck sweater Uniqlo. My Jaeger coat, Ankle boots and fedora hat. I packed an extra sweater in red by MeandEm similar in sale.The red sweater featured above is by Hobbs and some statement jewellery. These additions livened up my black trousers for the evening. I had a grey tote bag similar.
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Our journey through France and overnight stay.
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I truly love your simple, straightforward traveling capsule. And that wonderful meal -- ooh la la! I'm so enjoying your blog and the combination of topics you post on. Thank you.
Hi
I'm a UK ex pat, now living in Colorado, and have recently joined your blog. We appear to have similar clothes tastes, and my hair is your colour! I haven't commented before, but now I have a question.
I love hats, but rarely wear them because of 'hat hair'. It was not much of a problem until I had a fringe cut. How does your hair look when you take your hat off, or do you just leave it on?
Thanks.
Hi Malone
Thanks for your comment. Good question funnily enough I was about to write a post on hair (grey particularly) and how to look after it. I will be including a few hints and tips on wearing hats (I love them) and avoiding "hat hair". It should be up by next week.
I love your blogs, I find them very inspirational and only wished I had come across them sooner, I am sure that they would have save me a lot of money not to mention mistakes! I love your taste. Can I ask you if you have ever written a blog on a capsule wardrobe? I am planning to retire soon (I am 67) and would like a complete wardrobe overhaul - so out with the old and in with the new as it were - can you point me in the right direction? Many thanks! Shona
Hi Shona
I am glad you like my blog.
Good question. I have written about capsule wardrobes however mostly for travel. I will give it some thought and write a post as I have been asked similar questions.
Without knowing your circumstances and how formal your working wardrobe is it is difficult to give specific advice. I would wait before doing anything drastic, tempting as it may be, I have not worked in the corporate market for over 10 years now but I do still have a couple of my old working jackets. I have re-styled them. I will shortly be revisiting my popular series "shop your closet" which may give you some ideas.
Try to visit the beautiful old church Saint-Philibert in Tournus next time: 1000 years old early roman style.
Hi Josephine
We arrive quite late after a long journey and don't have much time for sightseeing however I am sure we will go back there and will make a point of visiting the church you recommend.
What a lovely getaway! I too love taking the trains and always do when I travel in Germany! Such fun! Happy New Year!!
You are so very lucky to have such good trains all over Europe. Daughter took the Eurostar from London down to meet us in Paris, in October, and loved it. Driving can be so tedious, but your layover looks divine!
I truly enjoyed your photos and comments.
That restaurant looks amazing! Thanks for sharing your travel.
Thank you once again Josephine for your recent fantastic blogs which I must say I save. I am in the grey brigade and looking forward to your tips and suggestions re styles and the dreaded hat hair. The tips on the travelling wardrobe are very useful as I always seem to take too much for a weekend or a few days. Happy New Year Josephine.
Your travel ensemble is both chic and practical.
We used to drive (to/from Belgium) via Burgundy/Lyon but have switched to the west side (A10/A71/A20) toward Toulouse. We are in Carcassonne, which is to the west of the Cote d'Azur, and for us the route is 2-4 hours faster. The worst part is getting around Paris.