For the past four summers we have gone on culture-filled, somewhat spontaneous, car holidays to different corners of France. Every year a new theme, new region and new music to argue about in the car. Planning? Of course, if you count “booking the week before” as planning.
This year, however, I was determined to be out in good time. Maybe – I thought a little bravely – I would even decide where we would go. within I went on vacation. But of course it didn't happen. It was another last-minute surgery.
My original itinerary was really good, if I do say so myself. We would trade French sea breezes for alpine peaks and Chablis for pilsner. A little more nature, a little less gastronomy. But I would never compromise on good food. Then I might as well stay home and eat pasta rosso.
So we planned a road trip east. Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria. Countries I love and which I still have a lot left to discover. I planned a fairly long route with spa resorts, alpine lakes, national parks, breweries and castles. I had even planned day trips and chosen a hotel. Yes, I planned a hotel – not booked it. I wasn’t that well planned.
The forecast said rain. And some more rain.
But then it started raining in Poland and pretty soon the news coverage showed images of disaster, flooded streets and people in distress. There were even reports of fatalities. A look at the weather forecast for the next 10 days was not cheerful – no matter how many times I updated it. The weather looked like it would be ten days of constant rain, with flooding as a tragic extra spice.
I don't like rain. My family doesn't like rain either. We're the kind of travelers who once cut short a vacation in Austria, turned the car around, and drove all the way down to Lake Garda, just to see the sun on the horizon and experience the region without a gray filter. So what do you do when your entire carefully planned tour doesn't seem so appealing two days before departure? Well, you do the only sensible thing and throw the entire route in the trash and start over. We needed to set our sights on a completely different part of Europe with just the right amount of heat and just the right amount of rain. But where do you go then?
Always France if the family has the choice
The Dordogne in southwestern France had been floating around in the back of my mind for years. So long that I even had a guidebook sitting on the bookshelf gathering dust (along with guidebooks for Texas and Norway, where the trips never seem to happen either). I also had a half-finished itinerary for the Dordogne in my head. So two days before departure, the Czech Republic plan was put away in a drawer and a shiny new France plan was created.
The stars also turned out to be aligned, because there were available hotels in the Dordogne. Good hotels, too! A few hours later, we not only had a new itinerary – we even had a book Itinerary for the first week.
So it was Dordogne as a main destination, with a little bonus sidebar Champagne on the way home. And you know what? Dordogne would turn out to be the perfect decision for us. The weather? Just right, just right, just right. The castles? Epic. The food? Couldn't be better. The hotels? Could stay there every year.
Lovely Dordogne!
The Dordogne is often called the cradle of humanity. Cro-Magnon man was found here, and the area is peppered with caves and impressive prehistoric cave art. Along the river, medieval castles stand dramatically on the cliff edge and the landscape is very hilly and wild, and a little more rural are the well-ordered Burgundy and the sparkling Loire: Vineyards, truffle farms, walnut groves and golden sunflower fields are replaced by geese running in large flocks. This is a place for pleasure. For slow travel, sensual experiences and late breakfasts. Exactly the peace I needed after our slightly stressful replanning. This was simply a really successful spontaneous holiday. A last-minute with a golden edge. There is a lot of talk about travel trends. I say that Spontaneous tourism is the new trend.
backpack will of course be filled with Dordogne and Champagne tips during the autumn. But until then, the trip is collected under the highlight “France” on Instagram. As usual, you can find a lot more France tips on my France page.
A small observation: In Dordogne we didn't meet a single Swede. Only French, Dutch and British. In Champagne, however, we even had several Swedish families at the hotel.
Have you been to Dordogne (or Champagne)? Is there anything in particular you would like me to write about? I'm curious to hear!
