Parc des Mini Châteaux

Today, I had the pleasure of visiting Amboise’s Parc des Mini Châteaux, an attraction that some argue is overpriced but I thoroughly enjoyed. With only a day and a half in the Loire due to travel time, I was really pleased to have time to see the châteaux on my bucket list that I didn’t get to as well as more than 30 others!

Pictured here is the Château de Chambord, which I had hoped to see but didn’t get to. Still, this replica was huge and impressively detailed; I wasn’t surprised to learn that it took 2,500 hours to make!

I was most impressed when my little sister, walking ahead of the rest of the family because she isn’t quite as fascinated with French history as we are, turned around and exclaimed with delight,  “This is what we saw today!”

Isn’t it amazing? I was mostly just pleased that a thirteen year old was so interested in the history. She and I had a very interesting conversation at Chenonceau about its former royal inhabitants.

Some argue that the Parc is overpriced, at 14 € per adult, but I disagree. It was so valuable to me to have the privilege of seeing the châteaux on which I thought I’d miss out!

Maybe the parc should consider lowering its rates, though. It saw a fair amount of traffic, but tripadvisor reviews bemoaned the entrance fee, and the grass could have used a fresh trimming. Know that this won’t stop me from recommending the place–I do so wholeheartedly! Even though a few of the narration stations (located at the more renowned mini castles) didn’t work, I got to see and read about castles I’ll probably never see, such as the sprawling Villandry (that’s the park entrance in the background!)

I was also surprised to learn that Azay-le-Rideau was the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty–I had had an inkling of this, but had mistakenly believed the story to be based on Chenonceau.

And lastly, we marveled over the detail of the Amboise and Close Lucé replicas; the town of Amboise is very near to where we’re staying and we were pleased to see minis of two more we’ve seen in real life 🙂

Here is Château du Clos Lucé, final resting place of Da Vinci:



All in all, I don’t think 14€ to be too steep a price to see 41 miniature châteaux. I’m not spending as much time in the Loire on this trip as one might hope, and I saved some time seeing these majestic châteaux in miniature over the span of 45 minutes and getting some history as well as geography from the signs. I definitely recommend the parc. Sure, it could use a little fiscal support, but that doesn’t detract from the fun of the experience or the amazing realism of the minis! It was a lot of fun 🙂

Where Would You Go?

Some food for thought:

During my current travels in Ile-de-France and the Loire, I keep finding myself daydreaming about moving to Europe and traversing the continent, visiting the sunny coasts of Spain, the magnificent cities of Eastern Europe, and the forests of Germany, to name a few of several million (just a slight exaggeration there) places I’d go. I would love to have that easy access and proximity. But to Africans or to Australians, America must have some sort of appeal—we’re much closer to the Caribbean, for example.

So tell me. If you, like me, lived in America, where would you go? Just like I want to see Amsterdam and Prague, do you dream of coming to see NYC or Montreal? Where would you travel if you lived in Asia? Africa? South America? Tell me in the comments below; I can’t wait to hear!

Packing

Packing is a skill that comes through practice and can be made easier with the help of well-travelled friends and family. I like to think I’m starting to get the hang of it, though, so I figured that I’d share what I’ve packed for my current trip. I’m writing this from Paris! I’m in Le Marais(–more to come on this amazing arrondissement later!) and currently am having the time of my life 🙂 I highly recommend this city!

Anyway, here’s what I packed–and how it’s working out so far.

Outfit 1: Mossimo Supply Co sweater, paper crane top, Athleta leggings

This outfit is super comfortable–and hot! To avoid overheating, I paired this blouse and cardigan with the shorts from outfit #2. It was perfect for walking around Versailles today in the drizzly, high-60s weather.

I apologize for this photo’s sideways-ness.

Outfit 2: Target scarf, Madewell tee, Gap shorts

It’s easy to mix and match (all of these clothes:))–I wore a similar (but not pictured here) tee and this scarf with my leggings on the plane, and these shorts, as I just said, today with that cardi and blouse.

Outfit 3: Madewell tee, Madewell skirt/Target shorts

It’s simple and saves on space: one shirt, two ways!

Outfit 4: Mossimo Supply Co Dress

Apparently, photos like to be portrait-style here. Sorry again.

Outfit 5: En crème dress (Great paired with a white bow in the hair and a crossy bra: see the next section!)

Outfit 6: Xhilaration dress (Absolutely love)

Outfit 7: Hollister romper

Outfits in Use

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More to come! If you’ve read this far, thanks! I hope to post more soon about the trip and some of my coolest finds here in France 🙂 Follow my blog for more fashion and travel fun!

On Blogs and Bikinis

While I made this blog near New Year’s, I haven’t gotten around to posting on it yet. Perhaps this is due to a fear of writing something that nobody cares about, or due to a lack of topics about which I’d like to write.

Still, I’m getting on that horse and posting–this is my second draft, because a weak internet connection ended up deleting what I initially wrote. What with my being on vacation, I’ve been inspired to write a post for you guys on swimwear–and I promise I’ll keep it brief!–yes, I just realized that is a pun… a bad one.

Firstly, I wanted to pose a question to you: where is your favorite place to shop for swimsuits? Mine are definitely Target and South Moon Under (a local boutique). I have to admit I don’t own too many suits, nor do I go shopping for swimwear often. I’m in love with swimsuits from anthropologie and from ASOS, though I have yet to try any of them. Hopefully, they’re up next!

Without any further ado, I’d like to end this little post with some pictures of my three all-time favorite suits, and a blurb about each one of them.

Me and my sister on vacation–I’m on the right!

This suit I got just the other day at Target, and you can get it, too at http://www.target.com/p/women-s-push-up-halter-bikini-top-xhilaration/-/A-21567910#prodSlot=_2_4 and at http://www.target.com/p/women-s-hipster-bikini-bottom-xhilaration/-/A-21567911#prodSlot=_2_3

This photo is from last year’s escape to Florida 🙂

This mint-green suit came from Target junior’s section last year and has been a hit. It has less support than most other suits I wear, which is best, I think, for trips to the lake up in New England where I like to go paddle boarding around with my sister– and less so, maybe, for a trip to the pool or beach, where I like to wear something with a little more of a cup. This suit would be really great for younger teens or kids who aren’t ready for padded suits but sick of wearing one-pieces from Gap Kids. Let me tell you, those transition years are the worst.

Nanette Lepore Maharaja Bikini

I’ve been able to track down the bottoms of this fan-favorite here:

http://www.6pm.com/nanette-lepore-maharaja-vamp-string-tie-side-bottom-white

and here: http://www.amazon.com/Nanette-Lepore-Maharaja-Swimsuit-Bottoms/dp/B00MNVYD2U/ref=sr_1_70?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1460396419&sr=1-70&nodeID=1046622&refinements=p_4%3ANanette+Lepore

While I haven’t had any luck finding the top, I’ve found an incredibly similar, albeit light blue, suit here:

http://www.amazon.com/Nanette-Lepore-Maharaja-Stargazer-Triangle/dp/B00OKDV6T2/ref=cts_ap_1_cts

http://www.amazon.com/Nanette-Lepore-Maharaja-Charmer-Hipster/dp/B00OKDV778/ref=cts_ap_1_cts

While doing that search, I just came across a number of stunning Nanette Lepores on amazon and the like! I can soon foresee myself ordering one, and I advise you to check it out, too; they are really amazing.

Well, it looks like it’s time for me to go browse some new bathing suits online, so I’d like to thank you for reading! Be sure to leave a comment below telling me about YOUR favorite suits and inviting me to check out your blog–I certainly will! Share this post with your friends and until my next post!

-Ellen :))