Today is a travel day. After breakfast at the hotel, we took an Uber to the train station and went back to Orleans. We stopped at the bakery on the way to Rick’s house, picked up the suitcases and started the drive to Normandie. We stopped for lunch in Tours at a crepe house and then continued our journey. We have a bnb in Le-Mesnil Gilbert. It’s a cottage in farm country. That’s all I have to report for today.
Had a bad night, something was biting me. Went down to the desk and they assured me they had no bugs, it was not allowed. It was a very funny exchange. Fortunately the women in line behind me suggested that maybe a cleaning would help, so they will give the room a thorough cleaning today. It might have been I was getting a rash from the cleaning agent they used.
It was a lot cooler today. We walked to the Eiffel Tower. Paula had arranged for a lunch cruise on the Seine. Food, wine and sites were excellent. We cruised for two hours. Afterwards, we walked over to the Eiffel Tower to get tickets to go up. They closed the top because of too many people so we just went to the 2nd level and took some pictures. We walked down and, being tired, took a cab home.
After a nap, we went out to an Italian place for pizza and then called it a night. We leave for Orleans in the morning.
You know, other than the Eiffel Tower, I really haven’t seen any of the major sites in Paris or Orléans. But it doesn’t matter. I’ve spent some great time with my daughter and granddaughter and will probably visit France again. It’s not what you see, it’s who you’re seeing it with. Another lesson learned.
Got up this morning, showered and, with my daughter and granddaughter, stopped for more pastries at the boulangerie. My sister the French teacher Corrected me. We caught the train to Paris. The cars are smaller than the Amtrak train I’m used to, and every seat was taken, but I had a nice ride. I sat next to a guy from Belgium. He knew little English and I knew less French, so we just smiled at each other.
At Paris we took a cab to the hotel. Paris streets are wild. For me, it looked like there were no rules, but the cabbie knew what he was doing. It looked a little dangerous for the bicycle riders. We got to the hotel without incident, left our bags because it was too early to check in and walked to the notre dame cathedral. The day was hot. We retraced our steps and went to lunch. I might change this to a food blog because it’s been so good. I had a Norwegian salad.
We checked in, rested, and then went for a walk in the Luxembourg Gardens, went to dinner and walked back to the hotel.
I slept pretty good considering I had the window open and I was right on the street. People and cars were constantly going by.
I located a pastry shop right around the corner and headed there. Their English was about as good as my French, no they were better than me. But we managed and I got some pastries and coffee. Coffee came in, looks like 4 oz cups. Looks like I’m going to either walk to the nearest Starbucks, about 13 minutes away, or find a store to buy some coffee to make at the bnb. I returned to the bnb to eat. Pastries were excellent, but, after all, I am in France.
We went for a walk in the old part of town and stopped for lunch at an outdoor cafe. There were lots of place to get international food but this place was French. We got a bottle of wine, a charcuterie board, a mozzarella salad and an egg dish. All were very good. Afterwards we went into a toy store and then walked back to the bnb, stopping to take pictures of the cathedral. I was too tired to go into the cathedral. At the bnb, I took a nap.
We walked over to pick up my granddaughter and her father to go out to dinner. We ate at an Australian restaurant, burgers and pizza. Very good. I had real French fries!!! Then we walked along the river back to their place to pick up some clothes for the trip to Paris tomorrow. Very good and tiring day.
So I lied. Yesterday was not the last day of the trip I will post. I saw such great views of the Potomac River today that I had to do one more post. I also remembered to take a picture of dinner on Amtrak. There were four choices and the one you’re seeing is the steak dinner. Not bad. I’m at Union Station in DC, waiting for a train to tack me to BWI where my sister will pick me up. I don’t expect anything exciting to happen so I’ll post this one now. But who knows?
It’s a bit warmer today. I had breakfast at the hotel, thinking I would get a big lunch before heading to the train station. I walked to the Navy Pier. At the end is a statue of Bob Newhart. It’s not what I think of as a statue because he is sitting. There was a young couple sitting next to him and I asked if they would take my picture next to Bob. Afterwards he asked me who was Newhart. Surprised me a little, but I explained Bobs comedy. I sat as the pier for a while and then walked over to Giordanos for lunch. Good pizza. Then I went back to the hotel to get my luggage and headed to the train station. Just have to get on the train, transfer tomorrow and I’ll be home.
Thanks for following my 70th birthday challenge. It was fun, I’m glad I did it and I need some time to recover. My next post will be a lessons learned.
I had to modify this post. This is my 6th roomette and the first one with a private toilet. Usually, that wouldn’t be a big deal but when you have to get fully dressed, shoes included, to go to the community bathroom, having your own is cause for celebration. It’s going to be a great night.
I found an Original Pancake House close by. I’ve eaten there in Huntington Beach, Laguna Niguel, Utah, and Spokane so I knew what to expect. I got my usual ham and cheese omelette with a side of pancakes. So much food I took half of it back to the hotel. It was starting to get cold so I put on my winter coat and walked to the Shoreline Architect River Cruise. I got some good pictures and learned about the history of some of the buildings. It started to get really cold and the wind made it seem colder. I walked to the Medieval Torture Museum but after looking at the outside of the building decided it wasn’t worth $30, so I walked back to the hotel. It was a smart move as it was really cold by the time I arrived. I think I’ll stay in for the evening.
This morning I left the hotel and did the short walk to the train station. It was a beautiful day in Milwaukee. The train ride to Chicago was only 90 minutes, but they still managed to get there late.
I had a choice between walking 1.8 miles or doing a Lyft. the distance with a roller bag and backpack was a bit much but it was such a nice day. I decided to walk and stop at the Galway point for breakfast. I found a restaurant and put it into my gps. When I got to the address, I couldn’t find the restaurant, so I decided to continue on to the hotel and stop at the next restaurant I passed. Well, I didn’t pass one and got to my hotel. Fortunately, my room was ready.
Today was going to be a food day. My daughter, Helen, sent me the name of a pizza place she knew, and it was right next to the hotel. I sat at the bar and ordered a deep dish. I was a bit surprised when the bar tender said it would take 45 minutes. I nursed an excellent hard cider and then thoroughly enjoyed the pizza.
I went back to the hotel, took a nap, and then planned out tomorrow’s activities. Later on I went out for ice cream. It was right next to the pizza place.
I’m in Whitefish today. After breakfast I went to Bigfork to explore the old town. There were a few stores on Main Street. I went to Echo Lake Cafe and ordered breakfast. Afterwards, I saw a sign for Echo Lake and followed the road to the lake. Then I returned to Whitefish, stopping at a Safeway to pick up sole fruit.
A lazy day but I needed it. I plan on watching videos on how to crochet tonight.
Surprise, surprise, the train from Leavenworth to Whitefish MT that I took last night was an hour and 25 minutes late. The usual reason, a freight train, actually two. And one of them had three airplane fuselages strapped down. See the picture below.
So I arrived late, picked up my rental car and decided to head to the hotel to get some advice on what to see and do here. I was in luck, they had a room ready for me to check in and suggestions for things to do. I called up the outfitter to set some tours and the weather is not cooperating. They have a great combo of guided tour through Glacier National Park with snowshoeing. But it’s too warm to snowshoe, too much ice to hike without special shoes and the tour requires a minimum of two people. So looks like I’m on my own.
I drove over to the park to the visitor center to talk to a ranger, but the center is only open weekends. So I grabbed a map and started driving the Going-to-the-Sun Road. I turned around after I hit the road closure a few miles in, but not before I got some good pictures of the lake and the mountains.
I returned to Whitefish, got a late lunch at the Piggyback BBQ, and returned to the hotel for a nap and then spent some time looking up stuff to do tomorrow.
Musings of a grumpy old man 