When I was 6 months pregnant with Scout, my husband and I spent our baby moon road-tripping across France. It was magical, beautiful, fun and exactly what I had needed. I thought I'd share the itinerary for the next mom-to-be!
France is a big deal in our house. It was one of the first foreign countries my husband and I had visited. It was a big reason why we fell in love with Europe. It changed the trajectory of my husbands school path...leading him down a path with a degree in French Business and later, a job with a french and then swiss company. And eventually, the country he would propose to me in. Needless to say, it was important for me to share this last trip as just the two of us and take my unborn daughter to the land we love so much, France.
My babymoon began in Paris. My husband had been working there prior so he picked me up at the airport and we headed straight for Montmartre. This is my favorite area of Paris and they happened to be hosting a grape harvest festival with wine and food.. The weather was fantastic in October and even though I didn't partake in the wine tastings, the food at the festival was top notch french!
After I'd had my fill of sticky mashed potatoes and cured ham, we headed back to our hotel, Pullman Montparnasse. We have stayed in several different places around the city and this one was unique in size. It is large, like an American hotel and very convenient. It is across the street from the RER train station, metro and car rental shop. Because of it's size, the views of the city are breathtaking!
View from our hotel room at Pullman Montparnasse, Paris
First Stop of Road Trip through Alsace
We hit the road in search of charm. And we were not disappointed. Strasbourg was the first check on the list.
You would never guess that this is the seat of the European Parliament. The twisted cobble-stoned alleys lined with half-timbered crooked buildings screams charm and fairy tale, not regulations or codes. You want to get lost winding through the town, crossing canal after canal. Beautiful and not only easily walkable for a prego, but it begs you to keep walking. Every corner was another crooked alley, another wine bar, another patio on a canal. You will see storks in every tourist shop. That is because the story of the stork originates here. Only their version is a tad darker, having the stork fly down to an underground lake full of souls to scoop up a newborn/reincarnated person and deliver to your door. I mean, the origin of the stork? A perfect first town for a soon to be mom:)
Things I recommend in Strasbourg:
Cathédral Notre-Dame
Walk Petite France
Any Winstub- wine pub
The Alsatian Museum-see how they lived before the industrial age
Maison Kammerzell Restaurant: try the Baecheöffe and foie gras.
Eat a tarte flambée-Alsatian pizza
Me in our half-timbered hotel Best Western Hotel de l'Europe after maybe too much delicious Alsatian cuisine!
Second Stop
How could we ever top the charm and romance of Strasbourg??? COLMAR. Colmar is the town that was used as inspiration for The Beauty and the Beast. 'Nuff said.
My super charming husband fitting right in to his surroundings.
We opted for an AirBnB in Colmar. It was in a really awesome, half-timbered, old as hell apartment...however, it had an extremely uncomfortable bed and for that reason, I'm not recommending. Seriously, its hard enough to sleep pregnant, let alone on a rickety old futon.
Colmar is like Strasbourg, only smaller, quainter, cuter and even more fairy tale-esque. Colmar was also the first stop that I began to hear just as much German as I did French. And this, for me, was the cherry on top. My husband being a francophile and me a germanophile, Alsace was turning into the absolute best vacation ever!
Things I recommend in Colmar:
Just walk around...its an amazing old town!
Maison des Tetes- a building covered with heads
Unterlinden Museum- in a medieval convent, this museum has so much to see! The show stopper is the Isenheim Altarpiece
A small version of the Statue of Liberty greets you at the beginning of town, because the original sculptor was from Colmar. Not worth a trip to see it, but if you pass it, def snapchat it!
Take a boat ride in Little Venice. You will see people selling tickets along almost any canal for about 6€
October was actually pretty cold in Colmar. In fact, one night we just went to the grocery store, bought some food and went back and cooked. And, as always in travel, being open to whatever proved to be worth it. It was one of the most memorable and fantastic nights of my life and all it was was chicken alfredo and Inception.
Stop 3
Riquewihr. A tiny wine village somewhere in Alsace. This place was so perfectly charming, for a second it felt contrived. Situated within a fort surrounded by wine fields, Riquewihr had everything a tourist wants. Shops with unique gifts, bars with one-of-a-kind wines, stalls with glühwein and potatoes. Every 30 minutes in October, you see an ATV come up the paths carrying the fresh picked grapes from the vines. We bought wine from a winery in town that was, like, 34th generation winemakers. Still haven't opened it...but I bet its delicious.
We only stopped for a few hours and really, that's all you need. Worth the winding beautiful drive off the highway but too tiny to spend more than a night in.
Behind us, you can see the outside walls of the medieval fort that surrounds the village.
On the way back to Paris, we stopped at Napolean's Chateau de Fontainebleau which I highly recommend. It was palatial and just a great tour. I even started having mild contractions (or cramps, whatevs) and I still enjoyed it!
I hope this is inspiration to all the Mamas out there that deserve a trip like this! If you have any questions, please ask, that's what I'm here for! I want us to all get what we got coming for us...total happiness!
