I always thought of my parents as brave adventurers. They each fled Communist Poland when they were young, and arrived in Chicago not knowing anyone. They worked hard, dreamed big and eventually found each other. They had a beautiful love story and always stressed the importance of exploring the world. During the COVID 19 pandemic in , I had the idea to interview my parents throughout the course of the year and write books about their lives. They never got to take that trip.
But eventually she agreed, and I planned a week to show her the highlights in a week. It all the time she could commit to, and I knew we could make it magical.
You can book via Trainline app. Be sure to get in the correct train car as moving about the cars is very cumbersome once the train is in motion. Once we arrived, we headed to the car rental office and picked up a car. The process was very easy. We headed to our hotel to check in.
The property was called Domaine de la Commanderie de Ballon. It was a very secluded and private manor that you entered via a giant iron gate. Commanderie is essentially a Knights Templar castle, and most were constructed in the 12th and 13th centuries, which makes finding one in good condition very rare.
This castle was built in and one of the first founded by the Templar brothers. We stayed in the Junior Suite, which felt like an apartment. There was a small dining table by the window, looking out at the property. Up the hill in the back, there was a dreamy jacuzzi, pool and sauna located amidst the tall trees and the sound of birds chirping. It was truly a dream. We took advantage of the cedar jacuzzi tub and relaxed ourselves after the long day of travel. We continued to de-stress as we listened to the rain and the birds.
