Mon dieu! Our 3-week vacation is almost over. We’ve had an amazing time, including the last two days in and around St-Remy de Provence, and then today outside of Nice in Villefranche-sur-Mer.
Time for a quick recap of the highlights and lowlights of our trip, as voted on by us:
| Category | Mike’s vote | Maureen’s vote |
| Favorite hotel* | Hotel du Cite, Carcassonne. | Auberge St. Pierre, Mont-St.-Michel. |
| Worst hotel | Best Western Le Champlain, La Rochelle. | Best Western Le Champlain, La Rochelle. |
| Best meal | My parents’ 50th anniversary lunch at Auberge St. Jean in St. Emilion. | Mike’s parents’ 50th anniversary lunch at Auberge St. Jean in St. Emilion. |
| Worst meal | Fishy-tasting, whipped egg omelet on Mont-St.-Michel. | Flunch (fast food on the autoroute). |
| Favorite tourist site | View from the top of Sacre Couer, Paris. | Honfleur harbor. (Do you see it?!?) |
| Most overrated site | Versailles. But maybe I was just grumpy. | Eiffel Tower. |
| Most relaxing moment | Lunch in the hotel courtyard in St.-Remy. | Horseback riding in the Dordogne. |
| Most stressful moment | Getting stuck in the bullfight traffic outside St.-Remy. | Navigating the rental car through the narrow streets in Arles. |
| Best surprise | Exploring the deserted castle at Beynac. | Exploring the deserted castle at Beynac. |
| Worst surprise | Getting kicked off the plane at SFO right after we boarded. | Jellied meat appetizer in Arles. |
| Favorite memory | Horseback riding at Fonluc. | 50th anniversary lunch with Mike’s parents. |
| Biggest regret | Not going to the bullfight outside St.-Remy | Packing too much. |
| Best French customer service | Hotel staff in Arles helping us with the car. | Hotel staff in Arles helping us with the car. |
| Worst French customer service | Refusal to make change at Belgian ale house in Paris. | Refusal to make change at Belgian ale house in Paris |
*The villa in Monpazier was easily the nicest place we stayed, but can’t really be compared to the other hotels.