Heading Home

After five wonderful weeks in France it is time to go HOME. 

On the plane from Paris to Chicago.

All settled into our seats for the very long flight to Chicago and connecting flight to Denver. 

Kim's storage in her sleeping pod.

Happiness was seeing our bikes arrive safely in France and being unloaded from the plane upon arrival in Denver. 

We have to credit the kindly baggage handlers who did not trash our boxes or damage our bikes. A special thanks to the TSA inspectors who opened the boxes in both directions, made sure the boxes were properly repacked, and even enclosed our red baggage straps. 

Since our flight did not land in Denver until 6 PM we decided to stay at a hotel for the night and drive back to Vail the next morning. By Sunday night every bag was unpacked, the bikes were reassembled, several loads of laundry were done. It was great to be away but there is something about coming home - especially to such a wonderful place as Vail - and sleeping in our own bed. 

By the numbers:

Travel Days: 33 days

Riding Days: 18 days 

Miles: 618.25 miles

Elevation: 28,498 feet

Flats: 1

Crashes: 0

Finally, this brings our 2019 France trip to an end. 

Overall it was a great success as measured in miles ridden, pastries consumed, alcohol consumed, and all the interesting and humbling places we visited and people we met. 

A Day In Paris

When we decided to spend our last full day in Paris with the Fullers we deferred to them on what we should do. Since this was their first visit and already had tours scheduled for other sites we agreed on the Louvre. 

Depending on your source the Louvre is the second most visited site, ahead of the Eiffel tower (3rd), and behind Disneyland (1st). Since these numbers include both domestic and foreign travelers it is understandable that fellow Europeans would prefer Disneyland (great for kids) over the Louvre (not great for kids). 

Since it was only about 2 KM (a little over a mile) from our hotel we decided to walk to the museum. Paris is a great walking city and a feast for the eyes and ears. A benefit of the centuries old height restriction (about five stories) there are no canyons of sky scrapers to block the sun and give that claustrophobic feeling. New since our last visit is the proliferation of bikes, scooters, and similar people movers. Darting in and out of the pedestrian crossings makes walking a blood sport. 

As we got closer this sign confirmed we were going in the right direction. 

We decided to take a tour instead of venturing around the museum on our own. The primary reason was to see the Mona Lisa which was an ordeal even with our tour group privileges. 

The iconic I. M. Pei designed glass pyramid. This area was a parking lot on our first visit in 1967. 

The pyramid from below. This addition was controversial and viewed as a grotesque modern appendage to a beautifully ornate Renaissance palace. This was a minor distraction as compared to the massive underground shopping mall guarding the only entrance/exit to the museum.  

Steve and I emerge from the new group reception area. 

Now for the most disappointing aspect of our tour. With millions of painting and art objects the number one attraction is the Mona Lisa. Painted by Leonardo da Vinci in 1503 it was found in his studio when he died in 1519. This being the 500th anniversary of his death this most famous of his works has been elevated to superstar status. 

Most of the visitors come specifically to see the picture and over 80% leave after their brief glimpse ignoring the other gazillion items in the building. So much for art appreciation. 

The line (in Disney fashion) snakes around and up four floors to the room where the painting is on display. This consumed almost half of our 2 hour tour. Small groups are led into a viewing area for about two minutes to see and photograph it. During our long wait the guide delivered a lengthy description and history of the painting. Knowing he would not have enough time during our viewing time this took our mind off the long wait and aching feet.  

There has been much speculation and you could fill a library with all that has been written about it. The biggest question is who is the subject. Some say it was the wife of a prominent patron while others have juxtaposed Leonardo's self portrait and believe it could be his own likeness. All in all it is captivating even without the hype. 

Although it is his most famous painting it is not his best nor biggest (maybe the last supper). We did see it when it was in New York in the sixties during its traveling years. Due to its fragility and transportation costs and logistics it will now remain in the Louvre for eternity. 

After our viewing moment it was more interesting to photograph the adoring crowds of picture takers. 

Another photo of me standing in front of the Mona Lisa. 

Steve and I with the "what's all the fuss about" look on our faces. The whole experience was disappointing, especially knowing that we missed a lot of other stuff waiting in line. 

Winged Victory (aka Nike - the goddess of victory) - another famous must see sculpture. 

Our last stop before heading out the door was the Venus de Milo. It is more appropriately Aphrodite since it was sculpted by the Greeks.  

Another view of the pyramid from below. Irrespective of whether you think it belongs, it is quite impressive. 

A closer look with the sharp contrast between the old and the modern. 

The Eiffel Tower from the Louvre. 

Always an impressive site. 

The menu from one of the many Starbucks that now dot the Parisian landscape. Nestled between the Mc Donald's and other American exports the street-scape has dramatically changed since our first visit over 50 years ago. 

One of the things we always admired about Europe is that it is so European, but not so much anymore. 

A classic entrance to the underground looking toward the Gare de Nord. 

After the morning at the Louvre, a bistro lunch, and walk back to our hotel we headed to the train for a return to the Airport Hilton for our flight back home the next morning. 

Not sure when we will return but as Bogart said in Casablanca - "We will always have Paris" 

Heading To Paris

Although our original plans were to spend another night in Brittany we cut our last destination short by one day to meet up with our friends, Steve and Laurie Fuller, in Paris. They were just starting their trip and had a free day before the start of their organized tours. Fortuitous timing.

We don't see them very often so in addition to sharing a Parisian experience with them it is always nice to catch up, wherever we are. Steve and I have been friends since 1954 (65 years ago) and lived around the block from each other. We attended the same elementary, Junior high school, High school, and college together. We have maintained our friendship over the years by attending each other's special occasions. They live only about ten minutes from Deena's house on Long Island so getting together is even easier. 

We left our last destination in darkness anticipating a 4 hour drive to the Paris airport. 

Sunrise was astounding.

After stopping at the Paris airport hotel to drop off our baggage we headed to the rental car drop off location. 

The Peugeot Rifter served us well. More than enough room for all our stuff, comfortable, drove well, but just a bit big for the narrow French roads.  

We caught a train from the airport to Gare de Nord station in Paris where our first Starbucks awaited us upon exiting. Too late in the day for caffeine so we just walked on by.  

After settling into our hotel room we needed some exercise so a walk through the streets of Paris was in order. Although some modern monstrosities have crept in here and there the older buildings are the most appealing.

Printemps - an iconic department store and Paris landmark since 1865. 

We walked by but did not go in, although we have visited on a prior trip to Paris. 

The area surrounding our hotel is named after the famous opera house featured in the musical about the Phantom. 

The exterior is impressive but the interior more so. One of the foremost attractions is the domed ceiling painted by Marc Chagall. We have the lithograph which depicts scenes from famous operas. 

Now under renovation, this was the first stop on our dessert challenge on a previous trip. We set out to forego dinner and attempt to have a dessert in ten different restaurants. One rule was you had to finish the entire serving. After the third stop we gave up worrying we would die of "sugar" overload. 

Dinner at a classic French restaurant. A relative newcomer opening in 1854. 

A toast to an evening out in Paris. 

We omitted the food photos but the Fullers had escargot and we had traditional French onion soup. 

Lovely meal. 

Champ du Boult Ride 3

The word for today was "iffy" again. Weather forecasting here has been extremely accurate. If it says it will rain, it rains. If it says rain is unlikely, it has not rained. Today's forecast was cloudy, but no rain. So our hopes were high that we would get out early for our planned ride through the local countryside. 

However we woke up to a thick fog and damp roads from the overnight rain that stopped only a few hours before. Okay, we would wait until 10 AM before venturing out. 10 came and went but conditions still seemed "iffy". We were all dressed and ready to ride, took the bikes outside, looked around, then decided another pot of coffee and some more logs on the fire was a better choice. By 11:30 we were overloaded with coffee and antsy to get started, so conditions be damned off we went.  

We headed up the road to the local town and were surprised that the road was damp, but not wet. With all our riding clothes and initial up hill we warmed up quickly. 

Our first town along the route. I reversed the course direction which would get us past the Gathemo patisserie and heading to our coffee stop earlier in the ride.

Our hosts told us that the local shop in town was closed on Mondays, but failed to mention that the one in the next town was also closed. Actually we did not ask. 

With no pastries we could at least stop for coffee and the biscuits that come with it. 

Regardless of weather conditions Kim can not resist photographing all the funky stuff people display on their front lawns. 

This is especially true when it is cycling related. 

Well we arrived at our "coffee town" and guess what, the Tabac in that town was also closed. While Tabac translates to tobacco it doubles as a "watering hole" for the locals. 

No pastries, no coffee, what a bummer. 

We pushed on realizing that it was already lunch time and failed to bring anything to eat. Since we did not expect to return home until around 4 we could always have snacked on the biscuits we collected over the four weeks of coffee stops. 

Today's ride took us up, over, and around this hilly terrain so vehicle traffic was minimal but sharing the road with these farming behemoths was daunting. This guy was stopped when we rode by, but we passed a number of these tractors passing in the other direction on frightfully narrow roads. 

The tires on some of the harvesters seem enormous especially when passing no more than a meter away. One slip and we could be "pavement pizza". 

Today's ride was 37 miles long (not the longest) but required over 3100 feet of climbing (most so far). Fortunately the grades were humanly possible topping out at round 9%. Had we done the course in the original direction we would have encountered a 12.2% grade which was more fun as a downhill. 

The longest climb and most elevation gain came at the end of the ride as we were cruising (well maybe grinding) back to town. 

Kim looks happy. Wonder why. 

because we are turning into our driveway and the end of the ride. 

All in all it was a pleasant ride. Not the best of the trip, but with no rain, a bit of sun, few wrong turns, and warm enough to shed most of our clothes it was better than expected.

Tomorrow is a "rain day" according to predictions. Hopefully we can get in one more ride on Wednesday if we drive to a location with a dry forecast. Who knows. 

Bayeux Tapestry & Utah Beach Museum

When we arrived our hosts mentioned that a local tradition is to order your croissants and bread the day before from the local shop in their village. On our return from Mont Saint Michel yesterday we stopped in and asked Natalia, the proprietor, to reserve two plain croissants, one almond, and one chocolate for the next day - Sunday morning. 

When the sun finally came up after 8 I drove the 2 KM into town. When I arrived there were several cars and a delivery van parked out front. 

I parked, walked in, and tried to give the appearance that I was like every other local already waiting to have their orders filled. 

There was the delivery man unloading his wares with Natalia checking off the orders. 

He departed and she promptly started servicing the customers ahead of me. 

I nonchalantly walked around checking out the bar, pretending to understand the signs written in French, and surreptitiously snapping a few photos. 

She attended to Jean Pierre who walked out with his regular order of three baguettes.  

It was my turn. 

Just one baguette for me but don't forget the almond and chocolate croissants we ordered yesterday. 

She protested, Oh No these were a special order. 

With multiple hand gestures and some French sounding English words she remembered when Kim and I placed our order yesterday afternoon. Success!

A postcard of Champ du Boult from 1910. 

I arrived home to Kim's waiting arms and salivating mouth.

For a picture perfect Sunday morning Petite Déjeuner.

 By 10 AM with the rain still pelting on our window we headed toward our first tourist stop of the day. 

This lovely town is known for its famous tapestry (actually embroidered) depicting the epic defeat of the English (Saxons) by William the Conqueror in 1066. 

An amazing feature of this town is that although it is only a stones throw from the landing beaches of Normandy it escaped allied bombing. Turns out (as we learned in the museum) that a spy was able to relay to the allies that there were no Germans posted in Bayeux. No sense wasting bombs so the city was spared destruction.  

It may be known for its tapestry but no self respecting city would be caught without a cathedral. This place is no exception. 

After visiting the information center it was time for coffee. Tapestry can wait. Coffee was inauspicious and pastries were a no show, but while sitting outside we caught this couple putting their yippie yappie canine into a box on the the back and heading off to parts unknown. Actually we ran into them again at Utah Beach with pooch in tow. Nice "bike" if you are into those things. 

Had to take photo of the cathedral. Bet it looks familiar, like all the other ones we have seen on this and past trips. 

The tapestry (aka embroidery) is 270 meters in length. Like the dead sea scrolls it is long (very long) and about 24" high. Back in the days before the internet most people were illiterate and got their history from "picture books". 

So this pictorial history of William's, Duke of Normandy, conquest of England (Saxony) tells the tale in vivid color. Considering it is almost 1000 years old it has worn well. 

Turns out (as told by our audio guide) Edward the Confessor was without an heir so he decided to pass the crown to William, instead of Harold who was the son of Edward's former rival. He sent Harold to Normandy to tell William of his good fortune, and while there Harold swore allegiance to William. However, when Edward died he assumed the throne which did not go down well with William. So William launched a military campaign to depose Harold and establish his rightful claim to the English throne. One thing led to another and over 270 meters of tapestry we relived his voyage across the channel and siege and rout of Harold's forces at the battle of Hastings in October, 1066. There you have it (in less than one hour); I will leave the bloody details to your own research. 

So in a nutshell Harold screwed William and paid the price. And that is the truth. 

Before you go exit through the gift shop. 

A wall hanging of one of the depicted scenes. 

Or the charge up Hasting's Hill. 

The town has more attractions like this old factory powered by a waterwheel from the flow of the Aure river. 

One last look at the cathedral (notice the obligatory scaffolding) before moving on. 

Well it was not the biggest (we know that from Amiens) but very quiet for a Sunday. Guess all the parishioners slept in and had croissants for breakfast.  

A last look from another angle. 

It was now time to drive to the coast and Utah beach. 

But we needed to satisfy our hunger before tackling the museum. The name of this place is "Le Roosevelt" in honor of Teddy's son who was one of the oldest soldiers to come ashore on Utah beach. He is the only soldier buried at the American cemetery who did not die in France, but asked to have his remains interred there in honor of his wartime commitment.  

The restaurant is built on a bunker that became the communications center after the Americans took the beach and headed inland. 

The main attraction is the museum which was created by the local community of Sainte Marie du Mont to honor the Americans who liberated them from the Germans on June 6, 1944. 

The grounds around the museum have many artifacts on display, including this anti-tank barrier which covered the beaches all along the Normandy coastline. 

A Higgins boat which brought soldiers on shore.

Kim comfortably fell into line with the rest of the GI's.

I grabbed the wheel. 

My favorite kind of boat resting on dry land. 

The Red, White, and Blue along side of the Blue, White, and Red.

The museum is well done but far too long for us to conquer in our limited time. A film was one of the highlights with amazing footage of the actual landing and push inland. Some of the clips were actually in color. It was insightful of the planners of Operation Overlord to include photo and video journalist in the invading army to record the history for future generations. 

One of the few remaining B-26 Marauders that survived the war. They led the advance bombing of "The Atlantic Wall" before the actual landing. This aircraft was painstakingly restored in the US but gifted back to the museum. 

The museum is actually constructed on one of the 8000 bunkers the Germans built to protect the coast. New bunkers are still being discovered today as many were buried by bombing debris and only recently excavated. 

Another Higgins boat. 

The old and the new. The museum building was built to look like a bunker and incorporate the modern structure with the remains of the underlying bunker. 

Utah beach, which today looks like any ordinary beach. 

With Kim standing on the same sand that launched the final assault that ended WWII