Celebrating 15 years of marriage!

I can't think of a more romantic place in the world to celebrate my 15th wedding anniversary than here in France. Preston and I were able to spend 3 nights and 4 days in the Atlantic Loire region of France without the children! We are so grateful to our good friends Matthew and Kim for staying with the children while we were away. We had a wonderful time just relaxing. We went to Chateau de la Bretesche in Missiallac, France. It is a resort with a beautiful chateau and several other amenities like a lake and 18 hole golf course. Cooler fall weather was starting so it was the perfect temperature to be outdoors. We were able to take leisurely bike rides and relaxing walks around the property. Although we did not stay in the privately owned chateau, we were able to "visit" it. Actually, the official tour season was over, but the hotel receptionist told us that if we happened see the gate open, then we could just go in. Fortunately we were able to get in, but we were only able to see the inner courtyard. Just seeing the outside of the chateau was impressive enough. It was beautiful. There was also a spa in the hotel were we both enjoyed spa treatments and sitting by the indoor pool.

The main idea I had for this getaway was relaxation, but we also enjoying eating great food. We really enjoyed the Michelin 1star restaurant on site. For two nights we enjoyed long leisurely meals with at least 4 courses and wines to match. The area has some of the best seafood so we also went to the nearby coastal town Le Croisic, France. There we enjoyed more basic, but just as delicious foods like mussels and fries. The weather was great the entire weekend so we did a lot of driving to see the landscape of this region that is so different. This part of france is marshy and where a lot of sea salt is gathered by hand. We also visited a village that showcased thatched roof houses that are popular in this region. I purchased a few pieces of pottery that was locally made too. On the way home Sunday, we stopped in the Loire region to visit one of the most famous chateaux in france, the Chambord. It was very impressive on the outside.

It was a wonderful getaway with a theme of rest and relaxation and we certainly accomplished our goal. I am looking forward to more adventures in the coming years and I am very grateful for our wonderful marriage.