Coming Home and Recap

Well, we made it home today. Charles de Gaulle airport was insane. The 45 minute drive to the airport took over an hour, and then we were in a security line for over two hours before finally getting to the gate area. Apparently, French Border Patrol started off woefully understaffed, and that's what caused the backup. Fortunately, we were able to make it to the gate on time and were able to get some pastries to take on the plane with us for breakfast. The plane ride itself was great and Global Entry is amazing -- we were through customs in less than five minutes. To recap, we were in France for 3 weeks. Over that three week time period, we walked a total of 618,279 steps, approximately 309 miles. For 21 days that averages almost 15 miles per day. No wonder we didn't gain any weight. All in all it was a great trip with a lot of great memories. Until next time, this is Wayne and Sue signing off.

Before Sunset Walk

Today I did my best to recreate the walk Jessie and Celine did in the movie Before Sunset. We started and Shakespeare and Company Bookstore,

walked to the Marais, then walked to the Bastille Market, which was amazing. Then we walked to the location where Celine's apartment was located and peeked through the bars.

Next we walked to Le Pure Cafe where we had lunch.

From there, it was a quick metro ride to the Promenade Plantee, and elevated walkway/garden in Paris.

After that we attempted to ride the Batobus but the ticket office where we went was closed. That resulted in us having to walk a bit more than we had anticipated. We then visited the Picasso Museum and then went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We took the Batobus to the Eiffel Tower area for dinner, and saw this from the boat.

Then we walked to dinner. It was the night of the Euro Cup Finals so there were a lot of people -- and a lot of police officers -- around. We ended up getting diverted a little bit because the police had shut down the area near the fan zone. The fan zone was a free area in the park next to the Eiffel Tower that was set up with a big screen TV for fans to watch the game. It could hold 90,000 people, but more than 90,000 people showed up and that caused some problems -- more on that later. We had dinner at La Fontaine de Mars, which is where Barack to Michelle for date night. The meal and the atmosphere were excellent, and it would have been a great ending point -- but!

Leaving the restaurant we headed for the nearest metro. Unfortunately, that was closed. Instead of turning right, away from the fan zone and walking to the next metro stop in that direction, we turned left and walked directly toward the fan zone. To say that was a mistake would be a gross understatement. By the time we got to the next metro station, we had walked through lots of broken glass and by burned motor scooters. It looked like a war zone. And to top things off, that metro station was closed too. So we walked to the next station, which was also closed and we actually saw and actively burning motor scooter. At this point, Sue was very upset and very worried, but we soldiered on to the next metro stop where we were able to get on a train. But since we had to transfer, the adventure wasn't over yet. Needless to say, getting back to the hotel was an experience we'll never forget. And while it was very scary at the time, it now makes for a good story.

Versailles

So today we did the Fat Tire Bike Tour of Versailles. We got to ride all through the outer gardens, ride around the Grand Canal and had a picnic lunch by the canal. Then we toured the palace and the formal gardens.

Once we got back from the bike tour, we went to an excellent dinner at Le Bistro Paul Bert and went dancing at Caveau de la Huchette.

Opera Garnier, the Orangerie, and the Louvre

Today (July 8, 2016), we started by touring the Paris Opera House. It was a beautiful building, very ornate. The tour guide was great, he told us the story of the Phantom of the Opera and we got to see the Phantom's private box. We also got inside the auditorium and saw the ceiling painted by Marc Chagall as well as the beautiful chandelier.

Then, after a shopping walk featuring more stores we couldn't afford, we headed to the Orangerie, which features Claude Monet's Water Lilies. We really like this museum because it was smaller and the art seemed more accessible. After the Orangerie, it was off to the Louvre for what turned out to be a four and a half hour private tour. Our tour guide was excellent -- he was an art history major whose goal was to teach us something about art and history. The tour was great, we got to see things we never would have even thought to look for on our own, and never had to worry about getting lost in that giant museum. I would recommend this tour to anyone going to the Louvre for the first time. I think its the only way to appreciate that museum without becoming overwhelmed. Since it was Friday, the Louvre was open late, so that by the time we left we were almost the only ones there.

Arc de Triomphe, Orsay Museum, and Montmarte

Today (July 7, 2016) we saw the Arc de Triomphe and walked down the Champs-Elysees. The Arc was really cool and it was neat to see the view of the Champs-Elysees from above.

The Champs-Elysees itself was not all that impressive, just a bunch of stores we couldn't afford. But the macaroons at Laudaree were excellent. From there we had lunch and then went to the Orsay Museum. The art was really impressive, but Sue and I both felt like there was so much that it was almost overwhelming. In retrospect, we probably shouldn't have tried to see everything in one shot. From there it was on to a walking tour of Montmarte and a really great dinner at Hotel Particuliar, a spot so secluded that you would never no it was there if you didn't know it was there.

Hemingway, Midnight in Paris, Rodin, the Eiffel Tower, and an Evening Bike around Paris

Today we started by walking to Hemingway's apartment in Paris, and then had breakfast in Place Contrascape, at the cafe Hemingway may have had breakfast in all those many years ago. It was really cool to think we were walking in Hemingway's footsteps. Then we went off toward the Pantheon, and sat on the church steps where Owen Wilson was picked up in Midnight in Paris. After a quick tour of the Pantheon, we were off to the Rodin Museum, where we saw all of the famous sculptures he created. From there, lunch, and then the Eiffel Tower. We of course walked up. Only 700 steps to the second level. The views were great and we waited less than a half hour to start our climb up. The final part of the day was the Bike Tour. It was pretty crazy riding through the streets of Paris. We basically road from the Eiffel Tower to Notre Dame and back, passing by many sights along the way. We then had a boat cruise along the Seine before we road back to the bike shop. The ride back was somewhat eventful because the Euro Cup is going on right now and the semi final was today (July 6, 2016). The Europeans love their soccer, so there were a lot of fans that we had to ride through and around on our way back. It was a little crazy, but not to bad, and we got back to our hotel via metro without a hitch.

Historic Paris and the Marais

Well, we started the day waiting in line to climb the towers of Notre Dame. These were the people behind us.

After that, we toured the church, walked through the Latin Quarter, and saw several other neat monuments and churches -- including St. Michaels fountain and the Sorbonne. 

Next we toured the Marais district where we had falafels at 

Great food.  We finished the day with a classical concert at St.Chapelle and a great dinner of beef bourgognon.

 All and all a great day.

Arrival in Paris

So as I'm sitting waiting in line to climb the Notre Dame towers, I figured I would make yesterday's entry. 

We arrived in Paris about 12:15 and made it to the hotel by 1:00. After checking in, we had lunch in the shadow of Notre Dame and then took the metro to the Canal St. Martin area. This was a really pretty area with lots of iron bridges over the canal, and it was in fact a working canal. This was also the area of some of the terrorist attacks, and we saw the makeshift memorial at Place de la Republique.

We then came back to our hotel and did the left bank walk, the highlights of which were St. Sulpice church and Luxumbourg Gardens. The church was amazing, and the gardens were in full bloom.

We finished the night with dinner at the restaurant recommended by our host in Avignon (excellent), and the walked back to the hotel past Notre Dame.

Well, that's all for now.

Not L'isle Sur la Sorgue

Well, today we found out why many people rent a car in Provence. Our plan was to take the train from Arles to L'isle Sur la Sorgue, have breakfast, see the giant antique market, and tour the town. Unfortunately, the train from Arles to Avignon was 30 minutes late, which would have resulted in missing the connection, so a one hour voyage would have turned in to two and a half hours or more. Fortunately, we figured that out before buying a ticket. Unfortunately, there's not a lot to do in Arles at 8:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning. 

All in all, it was a very lazy day, although we did get our 30,000 steps in. We got to check out an art museum we weren't planning on seeing because it was free admission today. We had a great chocalate tart as a mid day snack.

Tomorrow -- Paris.

Les Baux

Today we went to the cool hilltop town of Les Baux and toured the remains of a midieval castle.

From there we took a short bus ride to the town of Saint Remy du Provence and had lunch. Neat little town with lots of little shops but we didn't buy anything.

Arles

We arrived in Arles today around 10 a.m., after a short train ride from Avignon. We walked from the train station to the hotel which took us about 15 minutes and was very doable. 

We spent the rest of the day walking around the town and seeing the sights. I think the highlight of our day was the Foundation Van Gogh, where we were able to see several Van Gogh originals that he painted while living in Arles. 

All in all, an easy, relaxing day.

Avignon Wine Tour

Today we learned all about the wines of the Cotes du Rhone region and how to evaluate them, pair them with food, open the bottle, etc. We tasted several different wines, had an excellent lunch, and saw some great scenery along the way. It was a good way to spend the day -- never rushed. It's amazing how we've learned through these adventures that cramming all that you can in a day is not always the best choice. It also helps to know that we will continue to travel and that anything we miss we can see in the future.

Pont du Gard and Uzes

This is an aqueduct built by the Romans 2000 years ago. Very impressive structure. It was also neat to see people swimming and kayaking in the river below, just like I'm sure was done in Roman times.

After we went to Uzes, a neat little town that provided the water source for the aqueduct. It was fun to walk around the town and hang out, without worrying about touring anything.

We got back to Avignon and finished the day walking to the Avignon bridge to see it lit up at night.

Avignon and Experience in Luberon

We arrived in Avignon yesterday at about11:00, after an uneventful bus/train trip from Vaison la Romaine. Our host here in Avignon is a lovely woman who is certainly a kindred spirit. When the conversation some how turned to politics, she was quick to acknowledge that the only person worth a damn running for President was Bernie Sanders. She greeted us with wine and good conversation, and it was such a pleasure to spend time with her.

After our check in we toured Avignon, seeing the Popes Palace and the famous bridge that now only goes halfway across the Rhone river. Avignon is a walled city with castles and ramparts, and it was really neat to see.

After our touring, our host made us and a family of three from Arizona an excellent meal where the wine flowed like water. What a great experience.

Today, we toured the Luberon, seeing lavender fields and neat little towns. Our tour turned out to be private and our tour guide was originally from Sicicly. What a great day.

Grand Fondo Mont Ventoux

Well today I had the best bike ride I've ever had in my lifetime. 206 out of 579, 5 hours and 39 minutes. I was obviously not the strogest rider out there, but I was there for the experience, and what an experience it was.

The ride started at 7:30. I arrived at 6:30 to get a good spot and was probably still 200 people from the front. This is the way it looked in front of me when I got there. 

My promise to Sue in exchange for letting me do this race was that I would be very cautious at the start and on the descents. That worked out fine as I was able to really experience the ride and all of the beautiful scenery I saw along the way. Gorgeous lavender fields just beginning to bloom, mountains of course, a a gorge that we road around for like 15 miles that was awesome. Then, when we got to Ventoux I saw a sign someone painted on the road for Vincenzo Nibali and realized I was riding a Tour de France climb, an perhaps the most iconic one at that. 1 hour and 45 minutes later I was at the top, passing a rider or two that had nothing left and were walking their bike up those last few meters. There is no way I would give in to any such desire. I can say I road to the top of Mont Ventoux without stopping and can be very proud of that fact. Here's me at the summit.

It goes without saying that I owe Sue big time for giving me this day. Looks like I'm going to have to figure out how to get Wimbleton tickets to repay her. Well that's an adventure for another day.

One last picture of Mont Ventoux, from just below the summit.

Vaison la Romaine

Well, we left Nice yesterday morning on our way to Vaison la Romaine. This was the diciest part of the trip as I had to arrange for a car to take us to Vaison from the train station in Avignon. I also was at the mercy of the bike rental company as far as having a bike to ride.

We arrived in Avignon about an hour late due to a train malfunction, but fortunately our driver was waiting for us when we got there. Then it was off to Vaison. Almost two hours later we arrived in Vaison, but only after the driver did a complete loop around the town and asked directions of three different people. But we made it. The bike was delivered right on time and was just as promised, a top of the line Trek weighing significantly less than my bike at home. 

After a quick bite to eat I went for a training ride, spending the first half hour riding in circles trying to get out of town. I made it though, had an excellent trying ride, and felt like I was climbing like Lance on EPO.

After the ride we went to dinner and then called it a night.

This morning we explored Vaison la Romaine. Vaison is actually like two towns, the main cite down below and the midieval city that is above it. We are of course stayin in the midieval city, because it would not be a proper Wayne and Sue adventure if there weren't hills to climb. So this morning Sue and I hiked over to the next town over, getting great views of vineyards, lavender, and Mont Ventoux along the way. We then went to the lower town, checked into the race, checked out a few Roman ruins, and then came back to the room to rest before the parade of nations.

Well that's it for now.