On our most recent trip to France we decided to take a few days and explore the Loire Valley, an area of country side found just south of Paris. One of our favourite things to do is rent a car and go and explore the rural areas and smaller centres of a country to get a real sense of everyday life there.

We wanted to visit some of the châteaux, taste the wines and cheeses of the region and just enjoy a more relaxed pace of life than what can be found in a large city like Paris. So often a European vacation turns into more of a ‘trip’ than a ‘vacation’ when you’re hurrying from one city to another, waiting in lines for museums and cathedrals crowded among the other tourists.