July 27th (times two)

Today, we got to have two July 27ths. We departed from Paris at 11:20 and we were scheduled to arrive in Denver at 4:30. That’s only five hours, but we were actually traveling for about thirteen hours. Explain that one math teachers. Our day was kind of hectic with lots of walking, train riding, and airplane flying. First we had to walk to the Train station from our hotel, then we caught the packed subway to the Charles de Gaulle airport. Once at the airport we had to wait for some problem with our tickets to be cleared up. As we approached the line to security, it was time to start boarding the train. Thankfully, they sent some of us to a shorter security line. Our plane was delayed in leaving for some reason, but it was a relatively nice flight. Since our flight was delayed and we had to go through customs, I thought we were cutting it a bit close to our connecting flight, but it turns out that that flight was delayed to our benefit. I am writing this from the plane to Denver because I know life will get crazy again once we land. We’ve had a fantastic trip with memories we’ll never forget and now await a nice get together at home to see us off to Montana.

Advice on [European] travel
do it
don’t plan every detail
tourist/information offices have great advice and often maps and lists of hotels
B&Bs/pensions are cheap and lovely places to stay
Try the food, not the water
Have extra batteries on hand
Talk with the locals
Talk with the foreigners
Always close your tent when heading out for a while
If you see somewhere you’d like to go from a train window (regardless of plans), just get off
There is more to see of a country than all their tourist sites-ask locals for recommendations
Always have food on hand
Take a siesta
Jaywalk as often as possible
Don’t tell British people “Happy Fourth of July” (as one of our friends found out)
Also, don’t ask British about soccer when they’ve just tied with the US in the World Cup (as the same friend found out)
Bring toilet paper and soap into a French restroom
Switzerland is expensive, but beautiful
Bring ENGLISH books
Stay at places you can cook your own food
Camping is the cheapest way to do it
RVs are a great solution for family travel
Eurail passes are good, but confusing
Always validate/stamp your train ticket at their little machines (or get fined)
(for eurail users) trains that need a reservation will have an r with a box around it in the timetable
Bring your own food on the trains
Plan to take your bike back on the plane with you instead of shipping (British Airways is pretty good with that)

Last Day in Paris

inside the Louvre



the famous entrance to the Louvre



a very small part of the gardens of versailles



The Palace of Versailles


July 26th
The morning began like any other lazy morning, but we certainly had lofty ambitions for the day. Once we found ourselves at the subway station we bought tickets to the Palace of Versailles just outside the city as that was the morning excursion we had decided on. Right after this we were planning to spend the rest of the sightseeing hours at the Louvre.
The palace of Versailles was constructed by King Louis XIV of France (who began his rule at the age of five) in order to show off his wealth to all other nations. With this goal in mind, King Louis constructed a palace with only the largest, most expensive, most intricate, and most grandiose items. We knew that the museum would be closed today, but the gardens were still open which are a sight to see on their own. The palace of Versailles is the largest historic property in the European Union ( from my understanding). When we arrived, we were greeted by first a statue of Louis and then his very large palace. The palace contains famous sights such as Marie Antoinette’s quarters and the hall of mirrors. Since we could not go inside, we quickly made our way to the back where the gardens were. Our eyes were greeted by splendid greenery and blossoms on every side. The gardens were decorated with many fountains, sculptures, and ponds. One of the ponds was quite similar to the one seen at the foot of the Washington Monument. In the gardens we saw labyrinths cut into the grass, rows of trees, dozens of rows heading in other directions, and of course tons of flowers.
After Versailles, we grabbed lunch and ate it while catching the subway to the Louvre. I had heard stories of the Louvre. Many friends have gotten lost inside and some statistic ran through my head about “if you stop at every piece of art for 5 seconds, you will spend three days in the Louvre…” And when you see the building itself, it suddenly all makes sense. The Louvre is huge! Just walking around the building from the outside would probably take an hour. We walked in through the clear pyramid and put our art critic personas on. Once again we had to prioritize the works we wanted to see. I chose the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo while Nate chose the medieval portion. We began our sprint through the artworks of the Louvre. We quickly learned that if other people were gathered around something, it was probably important. By this method we discovered five of Da Vinci’s works, the bow of the Samothrace, the sphinx, the Mona Lisa, and Venus. We found other gems such as the big face statue from Moai and the medieval castle and dungeon that lie beneath the Louvre. I found Rennoir and Etruscan pottery, Napoleon’s personal affects and Egyptian mirrors. Everything I learned in school came to life. I guess that’s what museums are supposed to do. However, when an employee announced the closing of the museum, Nate and I were all too happy to go find a place to finally sit down and have dinner. For our last night in Europe, we chose to dine in a New York themed restaurant. After that we headed to the hotel to finish up some things before coming back home.
Mo

Last Stage of Le Tour

My favorite pic of the day...I snapped this shot of Andy Schleck just as someone else put their camera in front of mine



Lance: up close and personal



The "man blockade" protecting all from angry Parisians!! (when our barriers were knocked down by the French)



If you look closely, I'm doing a handstand at the base of the Eiffel Tower



View from the top

July 25th
Today was a busy but fun day that forced us to be on our feet from the moment we left our hotel until about 9:30pm when we made it back. The day started off with an hour long walk to the Eiffel Tower (Tour Eiffel as they call it in France). This walk took us past several beautiful sites such as the Louvre Museum, Museum of D’Orsay, National Assembly, the Grand Palace, and of course Palace de Chaillot which sits directly across the canal from the Eiffel Tower. When we arrived at the Eiffel Tower we didn’t expect there to be many people because after all it was a Sunday morning. However, we found lines going all over the place and we quickly jumped into one of them until we could figure out what line was what. So after some questioning we learned we were in the line for the elevator and the line for the stairs was much shorter and cheaper (7 Euros for both of us). So we took off for this line but shortly after getting our ticket we heard some loud screaming by a girl up in the tower. Come to find out some poor gentleman passed out while climbing the stairs, broke his arm and then proceeded to puke (we assume that is why the girl was screaming as she probably got hit from some of the splatter.) Anyway, they of course shut the stairs down for about 20 mins while they cleaned up the mess and then we proceeded up the tower. Once arriving on the 2nd floor (as high as the stairs go) we were stunned by the beauty of the city and all the monuments we were able to pick out.
We didn’t have long to stay there as we had to go catch the last stage of the Le Tour. So, we made a quick lap around the 2nd floor deck to get some pictures and took off toward the Arc of Triumph (Arc de Triomphe) on the Champs Elysees (one of the most beautiful and recognizable streets in the world) where the tour would be finishing. Once we got there we met up with some great friends from Cyclists Combating Cancer (CCC) whose dedication has brought them to Europe in support of the Lance Armstrong Foundation every year Lance has competed in the tour… Anyway, this couple (Jerry and Angie) arrived on the Champs at 5am to save enough spots for the rest of us that would come later to join them.
Finally after the crowds of French people broke down the barriers they had constructed and we were crammed, the tour procession started. Then after about another hour to hour and a half the riders started coming and made the 8 laps on the Champs before the finish. Then after the finish and award ceremony the riders came down with each of their teams to take pictures in front of the Arc de Triumph near where we were standing. This of course set us in perfect position to congratulate the riders as many of them came by to say hi to the fans. This was really neat because you could see the riders were really enjoying a moment to relax and celebrate as they knew all the racing was over. So we were pleasantly entertained by Bradly Wiggins as he cracked jokes about Lance, as well as others who greeted us such as Carlos Sastre, George Hincapie, Cadel Evans, Andy Schleck, and others including a former collegiate racer Brent Bookwalters who I last raced at collegiate nationals a few years back. Then Lance made his star appearance and spent several minutes taking pictures by us… However, all I really remember was about 6,000 flashes from nearby cameras that left me blinded as Lance stood in front of me after just completing his last Tour de France ever.
All and all it was one very neat and long day filled with lots of standing and some incredible sights. It was one to remember for many years to come.

Nate

Paris

The Seine River



In the Place du Chatelet (once the center of a fortress)



Notre Dame!

July 24th

Today, we didn’t quite wake up in Paris. Our train was supposed to pull in at 7:30, but didn’t end up getting to our destination until 11:30. How we got so behind I’m not sure, but it was okay because we didn’t know if we would be able to check in to our hotel that early anyways. So, when we got to Paris we finally grabbed “breakfast” and walked to our hotel. We took the scenic route to our hotel of course to maximize our sight-seeing experience. After all, we only have about 2 ½ days here, and tomorrow is basically dedicated to Le Tour! If you have ever looked at a map of Paris, you know that there are many things to see. Everywhere you look is a huge building that has some history behind it. So, we had to prioritize what we wanted to see. The list is as follows: Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Arc de Triomfe, and the Palace of Versailles (and of course the Tour, but that is not even a question). So far we have seen Notre Dame which was quite the gothic spectacle, gardens, and many important looking buildings. After that we found our hotel and watched the last time trial of Le Tour. Then it was off to do laundry (something we needed desperately) and to have dinner. While our laundry was in the washer we decided to get some Chinese food. Nate was a bit skeptical of Chinese food in France, but I am getting very sick of the sandwiches and snacks that they serve here. It turns out that the restaurant was fantastic and they were even making homemade noodles. It was very nice to get some variety in our diet. I also discovered that I have a talent that could earn me millions on city streets the likes of Paris or Barcelona...While inhaling my food, I forgot to chew a couple of times. Then I got a funny feeling in my nasal passages. I blew my nose and what should come out but one of my rice noodles at least an inch long.
Then, when our clothes were in the dryer, we hit the grocery store to get some food, drinks, and snacks to hold us over for the next three days. We are making plans for visiting the Eiffel Tower tomorrow morning, but that will require waking up early so we will see. Then, the rest of the day will be spent on Champs d’Elysees watching Le Tour!! But, for now, we are hanging out in the hotel reading our new English books.

Mo

Waiting for the overnight train

This pretty much summarizes how we were feeling when we boarded the train behind a million teenagers



Relaxing on the Mediterranean!!



Apparently even statues do the mountain man pose!

July 23rd
Our train tonight does not leave until 5 so we have some time to burn. Nate and I decided to head towards the beach and also be able to see some sites such as the World Trade Center, the Olympic Village, and the ports. The weather today was great, moving from overcast to sunny, but not too hot. Once we reached the actual beach we decided to spend most of our time here and actually enjoy a refreshing dip in the Mediterranean.
After drip drying for about an hour in the sun (which caused us both to get a sunburn), we decided to head for our train. Unfortunately, the station we were closest to did not offer connecting trains to the one we needed across town. This meant that all of a sudden our pace had to increase. We made it to the station with twenty minutes to spare (which is just fine, but we thought we were going to be an hour early). We had a three hour train ride ahead just to catch our overnight train, but no amount of time on a train could scare us now because we had books to read. We boarded our train from Barcelona to Cerbere, grabbed some “dinner”, and boarded our overnight train to Paris.
We didn’t know what to expect from an overnight train (especially since we couldn’t quite nab tickets on the luxury train). It is a great way to travel, because the tickets count as our transportation and our room for the night. We walked onto the train behind a million French teenagers and thought “oh great.” Thankfully, we roomed with some nice older people. Nate and I nabbed the top bunks (the top two of six in one room). I actually felt much safer on the overnight train than I thought I would since the beds are split up into cabins. I was also able to sleep well because of the rocking of the train and the absolute darkness the cabin offers. The only thing that woke me was the old man in our cabin going next door to yell at the teenagers. LOL. And I know understand why the signs on the trains say “Please don’t use the restrooms while the train is stopped.” I thought it had something to do with keeping track of tickets and paying customers and such, but no. It turns out that when you use the restroom you just let it fly all over the tracks! It’s really quite disagreeable to have someone’s load left all over the tracks right in the middle of a station.
Mo

Barcelona: Under Construction

The tower of the sagrada familia



The spray paint artist from our window



Barcelona's version of the arc de triomfe

July 22nd
We made the decision this morning to take the train to Barcelona so that we would be positive to make our overnight train from there on the 23rd. Plus, Barcelona is a big city and we want to give ourselves plenty of time to see the sights. We ate a last breakfast in our B&B and wrote in the guest book. We were sad to leave such warm hospitality, but excited to see the coastal city of Barcelona. So, we made our way back to the train station and caught a train. The train was so crowded that most of the people we boarded with had to stand for the whole hour and a half train ride. That was kind of crazy to me because there is a train every hour, and I’m willing to bet each one is that full.
Barcelona has one of the biggest train stations we’ve seen. That makes sense since it is the second largest city in Spain, but it still through us for a loop. We didn’t even know how to get out for a little while. We finally found a map and an exit and started making our way to a main street to try to find a hostel. On the way, we found a little gem: a bookstore with a selection of books in English! Before this, we had checked at least six book stores with no luck. You see, we couldn’t really lug around books before, but it has been about a month since we read something and train/plane rides are made much better with a good book. So, after the bookstore we continued on to a small hostel on the main street. From our window we could see many things including the spray paint artist who captivated audiences well into the night right below our window.
We took some time to recuperate in the hostel by watching the Tour. After the Tour we found some dinner and made a loop of the city to see the sites. Barcelona has some very unique buildings I never knew about. Most of the wonderful works of architecture that we saw, though, were under construction. After the long walk we got some groceries and went “home” for the night. Tomorrow we will probably stop by the beach and catch our train to Paris.
Mo

Girona

The cathedral of Girona



This bridge was constructed by Gustave Eifel just before the Eifel Tower



Every time there's a crowd, we have to see what's going on. Well, Nate walked right in the middle of a media session this time



Stairs to the wall



Inside the wall

July 21st
We had a nice restful morning sleeping in until about 9am. At that time we figured we should get some breakfast and see the city before it got too hot. So we took off and headed to the “city wall” which had been constructed in an effort to protect the city from being sieged as it has been 7 times by different kings and rulers. We walked the entire length of the wall which ended at an ancient chapel and church. As it turns out this area has lots of Jewish history (much of it I am not clear on) and I am sure at some point these churches were tied in with some of that history. After checking out the churches we went to a city park and then walked back to our B&B through the historic part of town. By the time we made it back to our B&B it was time for siesta so we also quickly took advantage of this down time and took a nap. After the nap we hit the town again to grab a bite to eat and check out more of the historic areas of the town. Much of this city (or at least the historic area) is suited best for walking and is very beautiful. After checking out more of the city we headed back to the B&B for the night to catch up on the blog and get some rest for tomorrow.
*Girona really isn’t a well know city amongst most travels but is well know within the cycling community… This is because many riders have called Girona home including Lance, Christian Vande Velde, Michael Barry, Marty Jemison, Tyler Hamilton etc. So this is how I know about it and as it turns out we have really enjoyed our time here and enjoyed much of the city and the people. It is in the region of Spain known as Catalan and just inland from the beautiful Costa Brava.

Nate