Sisters in Paris and Cannes

I have two sisters, Cindy and Wendy, who have never been to Europe before. What a better time to visit than when you have a sister living in Paris? I finally convinced them to take the opportunity, and Cindy's daughter Dana , who worked 30 days in a row (she is a nurse) to save up for the trip, joined us too.

Wendy arrived first on a drizzly day, taking the Roissy bus from the airport, with instructions that I would meet her bus in the heart of Paris. Well, I arrived in plenty of time to meet the bus, which for some reason did not stop where it usually stops. So, we both waited for each other for over an hour, across the street from each other. Being without a cell phone, she found someone who would lend one to her, called me and we finally found each other. Not a great welcome to Paris!

We visited the Orsay museum and did a little shopping at Galleries Lafayette (well, we window-shopped mostly!).....

A few days later, we arrived at the same bus stop to meet Cindy and Dana, arriving Saturday afternoon via Iceland. Needing to keep them up, Lyle and four women went out to dinner at a cozy French restaurant near the Seine. Do we look French all in black? We even had some fois gras, which I think did not agree with their stomachs.

One thing on their list "to visit" was Jim Morrison's grave at the Cimitiere du Pere Lachaise, the most prestigious cemetery in Paris, owned at one time by Louis XIV and bought by order of Napoleon in 1803. Besides Jim Morrison, we looked for the graves of Oscar Wilde, Sara Bernhardt, and Chopin. A rainy day added to the ambiance.

The next day was a beautiful, sunny day....perfect for going up the Eiffel Tower. Cindy wasn't feeling well, though, (not used to Paris food?), so three of us braved the two hour wait and went to the top. I have decided going up twice is now enough for me, unless I go up to eat at the Jules Verne restaurant at the top (terribly expensive)!

Besides seeing Paris, I wanted them to experience a little more of France (and some sunny, warm weather). We hopped on the high-speed TGV on Tuesday morning, and headed for southern France. It was a 5-hour trip, but we all enjoyed the quiet ride through the French countryside and decided that riding a train is the way to go!

What a time to visit the French Riviera! The Cannes Film Festival and the Monte Carlo Grand Prix were both going on at the time. We shoved our bags into a train locker after arriving in Cannes and headed to the festival area along the harbor, keeping a look out for stars. Of course, we didn't see any...and the only big "event" that happened was I was either pickpocketed or somehow left my coin purse at the tourist office while buying a hat. I discovered it a few hours later and am still wondering how it happened. Bye-bye credit card.

We rented a car in Cannes and were surprised to find out that they had upgraded us from a VW Golf to a Mercedes...with navigation! I told my sisters ahead of time that I was not going to drive, being out of practice for the past year (or maybe just scared of French traffic?) and Wendy signed on to the job. Maneuvering between weaving motorcycles and fast, tiny cars made me cringe as we drove up into the hills above Cannes to our B&B in Grasse, a town known as the "perfume capital of the world". The B&B was a mansion built in the 19th century in the foothills of the Alpes Maritimes, and the view overlooking Grasse to the sea was breathtaking!

We enjoyed the French breakfasts every morning with fresh fruit and breads.....

.....but didn't have much time to enjoy the inviting pool in the olive tree grove.

We had a lot to explore in the next two days.....mountains and the Cote d'Azur. Next post!

Sister visit - March

As I looked over my past few blog posts, I realized that I have become a bit behind on posting about some events, one of which was a visit from Lyle's sister and her husband in March. We also had a visit from my sisters this past week, so I will try and catch up with both visits.

Susie and Gary arrived from Iowa in mid-March for a visit to both Paris and Rome. It was a fun time showing them the sights, exploring some new restaurants, and taking them on a couple of tours.

Going to a market in Paris can't be missed.....there is everything there from cheeses, fruits and vegetables, clothes, jewelry, flowers, fish,

and of course......PORK! Gary wasn't impressed?

The sun was out, even though a little brisk, so while Lyle was at work I took them on a boat cruise down the Seine.

And we couldn't miss Le Tour Eiffel, the Arc de Triomphe and Notre Dame....






The weather turned from crisp and sunny to a cold, drizzly Sunday, but we hopped on a Metro and took a Paris Walks tour of Montmarte and Sacre Coeur church high up on a hill overlooking Paris....

Susie wanted to see one of the oldest churches in Paris, Saint Denis, built between 1137 and 1281. It's on the site of the tomb of St. Denis, the first bishop of Paris, who was beheaded in Montmarte in AD 250. It has been a burial place for the rulers of France, although many of the tombs were desecrated during the Revolution. The coldness of the place was not only from the weather, but seemed also like a graveyard, holding tombs of Henri II, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette...

They headed on a train to Normandy for a few days and stayed at our favorite Bed&Breakfast. I, unfortunately, had to cut my visit short with them because I wanted to see my mother in Florida, who was in the hospice with cancer. But Lyle was able to finish their trip with them in Rome, sans camera, so I don't have any pictures to post. They were able to see the ruins and Vatican, eat some lovely dinners outdoors, saw the sights, even though Lyle squeezed in work there too! They were even able to experience warm, sunny weather!

The Ile de Re

Another island? Yes, when the French celebrate their "Labor Day" the first weekend of May, we decided to take a road trip with friends Amy and Ken to the Ile de Re. Thinking that it would be warm (palm trees in the pictures) and sunny, we packed our bags into our rental car and headed southwest to the Atlantic coast, north of Bordeaux. Our first stop was in the town of Tours, where we observed one of thousands of "manifestations" going on throughout France(i.e. strikes) in the town square. Still, the fountain in front of the Hotel de Ville was beautiful....

We arrived to the island in the late afternoon, and looked for our hotel which looked so inviting in the brochures....pool, waterslides, woods, near the ocean..... Well, so much for dreaming. It was not 'QUITE' what we were expecting, and as Lyle said...a few steps above camping. Which is what it was, actually. It seems that this hotel is connected to a huge campground with "cabins"....

...I thought, oh no....we aren't going to stay in one of those are we? I was in charge of finding the hotel and I knew my expertise as a travel agent once again would be questioned! Luckily, we had rooms in the main hotel, but, well, they were a step above camping. Oh well...we weren't there for the luxurious rooms anyway.....nor for the pool.....

.....that did not have water in it yet. I guess we were a little ahead of the "season". Apparently, this island gets hopping in the summertime, crowded with French tourists who rent these "cabins", which are a far cry from what we Minnesotans are used to in the woods up north! Ah...but they come for the beaches....

....and the biking, which is what we decided to do the next day. The hotel conveniently did have bikes to rent so we headed out for our ride up the island! The day was perfect, the terrain flat, and we were determined.

The island is known for their bike trails and there were, yes, HUNDREDS, of people from ages 4 to 80 biking the trails through pine forests,

.....vineyards......

....beaches......

......saltmarshes where they harvest sea salt in the summer.....

.....and quaint harbors .....


After biking for a few hours, we decided to stop for lunch at a cute outdoor place and rested weary legs. I thought we had biked quite enough and was looking forward to the ride back....

But, I underestimated our dear friends. Now, Amy, may be small and petite, but she runs every day and has very strong legs....and determination. We were not going to turn around...we had a goal....the end of the island. We had already gone at least 10 miles.....ok...I can make it......


Well, we did make it to the lighthouse at the end, but then it hit me that we would have to bike back! My legs were already ready to fall off! We had put in 15 miles......and had to get back somehow. "Somehow" was a bike.


Ken and Amy went ahead, and my dear husband stayed with me, biking ahead once in awhile and stopping to wait for me, checking his iphone for email. The only way I could make it was to pedal for a few minutes and then coast...and repeat...and repeat. I kept telling him we had to stop at the next village and have something to drink for a break...but somehow we kept missing the villages. I finally had to opt for a picnic table in the middle of nowhere....

But we made it! All 30 miles of it, nearly the length of the island! It just took 7 hours!

That evening we treated ourselves to a dinner in the town on the other side of the island, and it reminded me of perhaps New England, except everyone still spoke French! Well, maybe there are not turrets in New England!

A beautiful evening ending a very fun weekend get-away. We were worn out, well, I was anyway, but invigorated with the exercise and country air. Tomorrow....a change of scenery visiting the Chenonceau chateau in the Loire Valley on the way home.