Travel

France Adventure, Part 5

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9-20-08 Amboise and the Loire Valley, by Jodi

Drive to Fougers

Drive to Fougers

We eat breakfast 8am and greeted by not only Max but also Luna, his female counter part who was not friendly and very prissy & hissy. The drive to Amboise took us on some pretty small, one-lane country roads. They are big enough for one car with no centerlines. If another car approaches, you both pull over into the gravel and grass to pass each other. We kept seeing McDonalds signs but never saw one, they boast WIFI, so we were tempted to pull into one just for that, we may still do that in the future if we continue to have access problems. The drive was pleasant and about 4 hours long, but we were not in a big hurry. We enjoyed the scenery on our drive south trying to stay off the main toll highways.

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France Adventure, Part 4

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9-19-08  –  Mont Saint Michel, by Jodi

B&B

B&B

Our drive from Bayeux to Mont St Michel was an easy 1-½ hours, so we take our time packing and finally leaving our room at 10am. We arrive at our B&B greeted by a brown tabby named Max who wanted pets every time we see him and we were happy to oblige. Our B&B is beautiful, just 1 mile from Mont St Michel in the little town of Bouviere. We settle in and decide to have lunch before venturing for the 2-3 hour visit of the Mont. We found a pizza place and had a salad each and split a pizza. The pizza crust is made from a crepe, wood fire grilled in an oven and topped with tons of toppings, it was delicious and very filling yet still very light, exactly what we needed.

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France Adventure, Part 2

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9-17-08 Battlebus Tour of the Normandy D-Day Beaches and sites (photo heavy post), by Jodi

We both slept great until 6:00 am. We got ready and had our breakfast in the large dining room- baguettes, soft cheeses, homemade jams, yogurt, cereals, apple coffee cake, coffee, and OJ. Delicious!

BattleBus Tour Bus

BattleBus Tour Bus

We left the B&B and head to Bayeux city center to meet our Battle Bus tour guide and the 3 other couples sharing the full day tour. Our tour guide Allan, was a knowledgeable Brit, who has studied the Normandy invasions for 25 years and is a historical author. During the drive between stops Allan told us of local history and sites we passed relating to WWII and prior history of the area, he certainly made the drive interesting.

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France Adventure, Part 1

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9-15-08 Fly out, by Jodi

We leave for LAX airport at 5:00am to catch our 8:30am flight. We had a stopover in Philadelphia, just enough time to find the right gate and we were off again. I was able to nap about 1½ hours, first time ever on a plane, Terry didn’t sleep at all.

9-16-08 Arrive Paris

france trip route

france trip route

We arrived 40 minutes early but ended up standing in the customs line for an hour. We found an ATM to get some Euros, and had the information desk phone AutoFrance for our shuttle pickup to get our car. The lease couldn’t be any easier, we signed some papers, they gave us the keys with a few quick instructions about the car and we were on our way to the nearest gas station. Our car takes diesel, E1.40 per liter, which translates to about $6 per gallon and with the exchange rate it ends up at about $8 per gallon – ouch! A good thing is the diesel was getting about 55 miles per gallon per our calculations. The gas station also had a small store ala 7-11, so we grabbed some snacks and drinks for the road.

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2008 Mojave Trail Adventure Ride

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Me on my Honda

Me on my Honda

Now for an adventure that is totally different. This 2-day trek was completed in October 2008.

We started this adventure at a friend’s house in Silver Lakes, CA and ride to Laughlin, NV on the Mojave Trail and then end back in Silver Lakes the next day after an overnight in Laughlin.

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Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Part 14

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This trip was taken between May 22, 2014 to June 10, 2014.

Our last full day on this adventure, Monday June 9.

Well again it was not a rush to get up and we again enjoy the last of our pastries for breakfast. As it has become a wonderful habit, we jump on the S-Train to the Main Copenhagen Station.

Copenhagen-115

Main Gate to Christianborg Slot

Today we are heading to Christianborg Slot, a palace built between 1907 and 1928. This was the third palace built on this site, the first being built by Absalon in 1167. The Neo-baroque tower is 106 meters tall and is still the tallest in Copenhagen. This building now the Seat of the Danish Parliament, houses the Prime Ministers Office, and also The Supreme Court; this being the only building in the world to house all 3 branches of government (executive, legislature and judicial) and the reception rooms are still in use today by the Danish Royal Family. This building must have a lot of secrets it could tell if only the walls could speak.

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Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Part 13

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This trip was taken between May 22, 2014 to June 10, 2014.

WIndmill

Windmill

Well our wonderful Scandinavian adventure is almost over and both of us are getting tired and maybe a little homesick missing the grandkids. We sleep in a little bit this morning enjoying a leisurely breakfast of the delicious pastries we bought yesterday. Leaving Valby on the S-train we head to the Frilandsmusset (Outdoor Museum) not far from the Sorgenfri Street station.

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Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Part 10

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This trip was taken between May 22, 2014 to June 10, 2014.

Geiranger Fjord Seven Sisters Waterfall

Seven Sisters Waterfall

We are on our way to Geiranger, Norway sailing along the Storfjorden to the Geiraner Fjord where the town sits, the Geiranger Fjord is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site in this area, is 9 miles long and 800’ deep. Geiranger is a bustling tourist town of about 250 population at the head of the Geiranger Fjord that is the 3rd largest cruise port in Norway hosting 140-180 ships and 300,000 passengers during it’s 4 month season. It boasts 5 hotels, 10 camping sites, a small store and a touristy port area with the Tourist Information Building, gift shops and eateries.

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Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Part 8

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This trip was taken between May 22, 2014 to June 10, 2014.   We wake up early to get ready and go upstairs for our breakfast buffet at the Windjammer Café. We find a seat with window views and enjoy breakfast as we sail along the Sognefjorden to our destination for today, Flam, Norway. When I finish eating I head up one deck to do my 2-mile walk and take photos of the scenery. As it is pretty cold and windy Jodi decides to stay indoors and enjoy her coffee and view from the window for a while.

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Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Part 7

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This trip was taken between May 22, 2014 to June 10, 2014.

We get up later again today and start packing for our city-to-city transfer tonight.

After we finish packing and eating breakfast we walk down the street to buy lunch at Deli de Luna, then head back to the apartment for a taxi ride to the DFDS Ferry dock at 11AM.

DFDS Ferry

DFDS Ferry

We wait in a nice waiting room until we could check-in for the ferry where we snacked and ate our sandwiches before boarding. Dropping our luggage in our room we head to the outside deck so we have a nice view of Oslo and the Inner Oslofjord on our way to Copenhagen. We were rewarded with beautiful vistas and views of towns along the Fjord as the sun sets.

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