Vacation

France Adventure, Part 6

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9-23-08 – Sarlat, By Jodi

Ginette accommodated us by having breakfast ready early so we could leave by 8:30. She was such a sweet lady, constantly bringing us things and moving nice lawn furniture in front of our room to sit. She always insisted on packaging up leftover baguettes or bread at breakfast for us to take for ‘picnic’ as she would say. After about every sentence, she would say, VOILA! , so that is why I said that in the prior post. We really liked her a lot and she really knows how to pamper her quests and run a great B&B.

Drive-3So, on the road, about an equal mix of small country roads and highways, as we make our way to Oradour-sur-Glane. We drive to the new town of Oradour, buy a sandwich and eat outside the entrance in a park area before touring WW2 martyred town of Oradour-sur-Glane.

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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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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 12

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

Today is a sail day so we just relax, read and view the coast as we sail back to Copenhagen for the final days of this trip. It is cold, windy and overcast so walking on the top deck is really just hard work and not very relaxing so we find a comfortable place to sit for the day leaving only when it is time to eat or to find a new location when we want a change of atmosphere.

During dinner we say goodbye to our new friends and go back to our room to pack, as we must leave our bags outside the door before we turn in for the night.

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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, Noway, Denmark, Part 9

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

View of Alesund from Fjellstua

Alesund from Fjellstua

This morning we dock in Alesund, Norway a municipality founded in 1838 consisting of a population of 45,033 surronded by fjords and the high peaks of the Sunnmor Alps. Alesund is the most important fishing harbor in Norway and was destroyed by fire in 1904, luckily only 1 person was killed but 10,000 were left homeless. The buildings of the town center were rebuilt in the Art Nouveau Style between 1904 and 1908. We plan to use the 10 stop Hop-on-Hop-Off bus that circles the town which gives us 24-hour transport with commentary and Wi-Fi on board the buses. The Wi-Fi is welcome as we have been off the grid since leaving Oslo as the WiFi on board the ship is very expensive and we hear quite slow at times, and actually it has been refreshing. We leave the ship and get on the bus knowing we are going to the second stop, the hilltop vantage point of Fjellstua. Quickly we scan our emails and turn the phones back to airplane mode to enjoy the street view. As our older phones are not capable of being used on the European network we have been transported back into the Dark Ages (HA HA) without the disruption of the wireless monkey.

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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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