bill h's "Adventures in Europe"

Photos: Wales -- Kayaking the River Wye

billh — Wed, 21 Dec 2016 03:38:00 GMT

Europe -- Deciding Where to Stay

billh — Fri, 2 Dec 2016 09:46:00 GMT

One of the things that was a constant source of stress during my adventure was finding places to stay where I wouldn't get mugged, attacked by killer cochroaches or kidnapped by aliens. Turns out that for the most part, I really didn't need to worry. During my travels, I only encountered a couple of somewhat questionable places and even they weren't that bad.

I used three different types of lodging -- people's apartments or cottages (airbnb.com or france-gites.com), bed and breakfasts (booking.com) and hotels (booking.com). Each had its own strengths/weaknesses. When I was going to be somewhere for two or more nights, I tried finding an apartment/cottage -- leaving the other options for fill-ins when doing a short stay.

Apartments/Cottages: Advantages

One of my primary goals for the journey was to get to meet "real" people, not people whose livelihoods depended upon tourism-- and maybe "I found what I was looking for" -- there's a big difference between the two groups -- the people I stayed with thru airbnb ranged from retirees to winemakers to college professors to office workers to artists to medical professionals to government workers -- in other words a real cross-section of ordinary people just trying to make a few extra euros. Most of them were as interested in getting to know me as I was in getting to know them -- and many times it was hard to pack up and say goodbye, knowing I'd probably never see them again. They were more than willing to recommend places to go or to avoid (restaurants, shopping, local attractions, off-the-beaten path curiousities) and almost without fail, they were spot-on and I did things I otherwise would have missed. B&B's were a distant second, and hotels, with a few exceptions, were pretty bad on this count.

The apartment/cottage option provided significantly more spacious accomodations than either of the other two options -- many times I had an entire house (2-3 bedrooms, LR, DR, 2 BA and a patio or balconey to myself. Costwise, I tried to stay in a middle-range place which in most cases was less than either a B&B or a hotel wouldn've been. Staying in an apartment/cottage also allowed me to prepare my own meals -- which meant I got to go shopping at local groceries, supermarkets, and small boulangeries, vegetable markets and boucheries -- pretty much as a local would -- adding to my getting to experience what life was like for the typical local.

This type of accomodation also occasionally provided me with the opportunity to do a laundry -- a real luxury when you're on the road -- laundromats are rare in Europe with large cities having maybe one or two and smaller villages having zero. Full service cleaners -- where they'll wash, dry and fold your clothes are more common but can be pricey (10# of clothes for 18 euros without ironing). The only other option is washing clothes in the sink and draping them over towel warmers, the odd radiator or metal chairs -- hoping they'll dry before you have to pack-up and move on to your next destination. While it may sound quaint, doing a lanudry in Europe is really a PIA!

An apartment/cottage also affords you the opportunity to have a private outdoor area (balcony, patio or garden) where you cn lounge or take your meals -- a wonderful luxury after a long day of sight-seeing!

Apartments/Cottages: Downsides

Apartments/cottages are not a perfect alternative -- yoiu're relying on a brief description and some photos -- and some people are pretty good at "putting lipstick on a pig"! Once you book the place, you get what you get, for better or worse -- unless it's outrageously misrepresented, there's no one to complain to like there might be at a hotel. Most landlords put a positive spin on their descriptions -- "parking available on the street" can translate into "there are parking spaces but you'll never see one because they're in such demand" or "sure, they're available if you have a tiny two-seater vehicle"; "close to clubs and nightlife" might translate into "the place is located acrosss the street from an all-night venue blaring techno music so loud you can feel it through the walls" or "there are so many aggressive street people coming and going that you'll probably want to block your apartment's front door with a large dresser each night". Bottom-line -- you need to be somewhat jaded/skeptical when looking for a place.

Apartments/cottages are also not necessaarily decorated in the way you might prefer -- the majority of places are an extention of the host's home which may feature blue and yellow plastic wall tiles from the 1960's in the kitchen or a stuffed cows-head in the living room -- others may be extremely functional with zero in the way of decorations. Most are pretty clean but as they say "cleanliness is in the eye of the beholder" -- one place had me wondering if they washed the linens or merely re-made the bed from the previous visitors -- kind of an "icky" feeling. None of this is likely to be an issue at a B&B or hotel.

Locating/Arriving at an apartment/cottage is almost always an experience -- they almost never have signs announcing their presence -- and as I've mentioned in other journal entries, street signs in Europe are a rarity and forget trying to understand their house numbering system (if it even has a number). You need to be sure you get detailed directions as many places are "out in the country" or on small neighborhood streets -- it's a good thing guns are not widespread in Europe as there were a number of times I pulled into a place anxious as to whether or not I'd be looking down the barrel of a shotgun because I had made a mistake with the directions. Twice I actually had to get out of my vehicle and open/close cow pasture gates to get to where I was staying. On the other hand, it seems Europeans are a little more used to strangers being lost and stoping to ask for directions -- unlike in the US where you're sometimes putting your life on the line by driving down a farmhouse driveway. Again, B&B's tend to be a little better marked and hotels (while they can be) are not usually a problem.

Lastly, checking into an apartment/cottage can be more time-consuming -- each is unique so the host needs to show you around, explaining where things are and how they operate (tv's, showers, kitchen appliances, washers/dryers, alarm systems, door locks, recycling requirements) -- as very little is standard in Europe. Checking out will also take more time as you need to "tidy-up" the place (or have a substantial cleaning fee tacked-on), take out the garbage/recycling, return the keys, open/close windows and pack-up your unused groceries. B&B's and hotels -- much quicker coming and leaving.

B&B Advantages:

Typically no "minimun" number of night you need to stay and "booking" online is usually instantaneous -- with apartments/cottages you may need to "make a request to stay" and then have the host "approve you to stay", which can take a day or two (and may result in no response at all which puts you back at "square one" for accomodations for that time period).

B&B's are often in "nicer/more convenient" areas and are professionally run (a more consistant experience than staying in a variety of people's homes) and will typically have amenities such as parking, soap/shampoo/nice towels, A/C and heating, nicely decorated rooms, cleaner rooms, free coffee/tea, etc.... Hotels are slightly less likely to have free parking or free coffee/tea, room decor can vary and rooms are only as clean as housekeeping is conscientious.

Plus, obviously, you get breakfast at a B&B, and, typically a pretty good one featuring local produce, baked items, area specialities.

B&B Disadvantages:

Some B&B owners can be a little bit too "particular" re what you can and can't do while there (food allowed, alcohol allowed, how late you stay out at night, arrival/departure time, etc...) -- apartment/cottage hosts are usually much more "flexible/mellow" -- hotels pretty much don't care as long as you pay your bill.

B&B's are very often multi-story houses with no elevators and narrow stairways so getting you and your luggage to your room can be more "challenging".

Hotel Advantages

Hotels tend to be much more flexible with arrival/departure times -- if I knew I'd be arriving late or having to leave extra early, I'd always stay at a hotel.

Hotels almost always have an on-site restaurant and/or bar -- making geting a "quick bite" or not having to go out after a long day much more convenient.

There also tends to be someone on-duty at a hotel 24/7, whereas at a B&B, they need to get out and run errands at various times during the day and might not be available when you need them -- at an apartment/cottage, it's a crap-shoot, you may never even meet your hosts during your stay or they might be there all the time, you never know until you arrive.

Lastly, hotels roms, while typically being teeny-tiny in Europe, are also more likely to meet health and safety codes and to be less "quirky". My head has plenty of bumps to show from banging into low ceiling beams in bedrooms or short doorways in apartments/cottages and B&B's. Apartments/cottages also are more likely to have uneven floor levels with step or half-step "ups and downs" when moving from one room to another -- sometimes made getting to the bathroom "fun" after a couple glasses of wine or in the middle of the night when I was half-awake.

Hotel Disadvantages

Hotels tend to be boring and meeting "real" people is difficult -- employees are paid to be nice to you and they tend to have "canned" responses to questions asked of them multiple times a day.

Other guests you might meet are also transient and probably somewhat unfamiliar with the local area other than tourist attractions.

Hotels are noisy in general either from other inconsiderent guests, the large number of guests, guests' differing schedules or the limited locations where they can be built and operated.

Adventures in Dining: British Isles

billh — Fri, 2 Dec 2016 04:19:00 GMT

Food in the British Isles has a reputation of being quite bland and uninspiring -- not at all what I experienced! I had some of my best meals in the Isles.

Dining in the British Isles is different from dining in France and quite similar to dining in the USA.

The day typically begins with a substantial meal rather than just coffee and a baguette -- in Ireland tehy refer to it as a "full Irish" breakfast -- typically including eggs (fried or poached), bacon, ham (sometimes sausage) toast, pastries, tea or coffee and occasionally porrige -- a good moiunt of food by anyone's standards!

Lunch is not an especially important meal as in France -- typically a sandwich or light meal eaten around mid-day -- typically no alcohol.

Dinner is a full meal consumed between six-eight o'clock with most restaurants closing by eleven on week-days. The cuisine is heavily beef and seafood oriented with patrons more likely to be drinking beer than wine or mixed drinks. Near the coasts, the seafood is typically fresh within a day and can reflect local types of fish -- for example, salmon is prevalent in Wales with fishermen selling it (fresh-caught that morning) out of coolers on the side of the road -- cod and haddock are everywhere in Scotland and northern Ireland.

If you're looking for fancy, upscale cuisine, stick to restaurants -- otherwise, local pubs are definitely the way to go for an authentic meal -- people are more than happy to recommend their favorite (try to avoid ones mentioned in travel guides as they typically, not always, have "dumbed-down" their food for the masses -- local, family pubs frequently serve excellent family recipes. One of my best meals was in a family pub on the coast of western Scotland -- fish and chips where they had tweaked the batter and coating making the dining experience truly mouth-watering.

In most of the places I dined in there was a distinct emphasis on fresh, locally produced ingredients and almost everywhere offered at least one or two vegetarian options.

England was memorable for their meat pies (although the best "pie" I had was a combination of goat cheese, cranberries and carmelized onions -- just trying it was a "leap of faith" for me but it was well worth it!) -- East Indian curries were also wonderful. Scotland had fantastic fish dishes. Ireland had more of a "Mediterranean" cuisine thing going. Wales offered a good blend of all of the above.

The one area where they couldn't compare to France was in their bread and pastries -- pretty boring -- scones were either plain or fruit (raisins) based -- not inspiring at all! The only way to "juice them up" was to consume them warm with clotted cream and jam which added a whole different dimension -- afternoon tea was an excellent opportunity for this option as well as a nice way to slow down and relax. Pastries, in my experience, were pretty much limiited to variations on apple and appricot pies, tarts and latticed squares -- generally okay but not super.

Breads were like in the States, the only exception being Irish brown bread which (when purchased from a bakery vs a supermarket) was outstanding. Potato bread was interesting and worth a try, but again, usually bland.

Local craft beers were generally good when you could find them -- surprisingly not as common as in the States -- the beer market is heavily dominated by large companies. In a pub or restaurant you'll typically find a couple of US beers (a bit of a surprise), a couple of Belgian beers and a couple of English breweries represented on tap.

Cider was a pleasant alternative -- especially when you could find a local producer -- otherwise, choices are limited to three or four mass producers which totally dominate what you'll find in large and small markets -- good, but still produced for a mass market.

Interestingly, wine options were typically Italian, Australian, USA and German, not French -- one more indicator of how the French and the English don't especially "get-along". French wines were more available in liquor stores and supermarkets than in restaurants. Shockingly, English wines (a relatively new industry in England) are almost non-existant except in liquor stores -- never did find one in a restaurant/pub to sample and the prices were sky-high in the liquor stores.

In the British Isles, as in France you will most likely have to ask your server for a bill -- tipping is more common in the British Isles but not like in the States.

Unlike in the States, most of the dining options (other than fast food) in the British Isles and France are locally-owned and operated -- not chains -- which means every town or region you visit will have unknown cjhoices -- go with the recommendations from the locals you meet (occasionally a "bust" but usually fairly reliable).

Overall, I enjoyed my dining experiences and varied cuisine options more in the British Isles than in France.

Adventures in Dining: France

billh — Thu, 24 Nov 2016 07:02:00 GMT

European dining practices and cuisine vary significantly by country from that in the USA -- you may find it charming, or not -- but you will find it different.

Meal times:

In France, most people start the day with a quick bite to eat, then eat lunch between noon and 2:30 and then dinner at 8:00pm-9:00pm or later -- its' not terribly unusual for them to still be eating dinnner as midnight closes in.

Breakfast usually consists of coffee and a baguette. Tradition was for someone in the household to rise early, walk to the local boulangerie and purchase baguettes for the morning meal -- stiil a common practice. Today, however, you're just as likely to see someone on the Metro or walking down the street consuming a coffee in one hand and a baguette in the other on their way to work. Relatively few eat a full breakfast and donuts are never on the menu (they're reserved for a late afternoon snack or desert after dinner.)

Coffee (consumed throughout the day) is not like the coffee here in the States. The French prefer expresso style coffee -- dark and strong and in very small portions. Order a coffee in France and you will most likely end-up with two to three ounces of coffee in a small paper cup (similar to the size cups you might use at an office water cooler) or glass -- a "large" or "double" contains about half the amount of a small coffee at a place like 7-11 here in the US. The only places serving full cups like we are used to here in the US are Starbucks (which seem to be everywhere, at least in major cities) and MacDonald's. In a restaurant or cafe, you will typically be served be served as you sit at a table -- whereas, at a boulangerie it'll be a toss-up whether they make and serve the coffee or you use a self-service machine -- one thing you will never see is coffee in a carafe -- it's all fresh-brewed once you order. Cafe Americano is the closest you'll get to regular black coffee, typically with room for cream -- although in a few places Cafe Americano was prepared as coffee with warmed milk (cafe au lait style). Except in a sit-down restaurant, you will pay separately for each cup consumed (2-3 euros per cup). In boulangeries, there are a variety of machines, some you put your euros into a slot and then push a button to select the type of coffee you want, others you need to purchase a token that you put in the slot, and others, you pay the cashier and then are directed to the machine to make your choice -- pretty easy once you understand how it works.

Lunch can be as simple as a sandwich and beverage or as full-blown as a three or four course main meal -- for many in France, lunch is the primary meal of the day. At many restaurants, you will receive a slightly smaller portion at lunch for one-half to two-thirds the price of the same meal in the evening -- a pretty good deal. A large number of people in France have a drink or two at lunch (wine or beer) -- it's also not unusual for lunch to last an hour to an hour and a half or longer -- of course, you will also see office workers picking up a sandwich (from a cafe, deli or boulangerie) or galette (crepe) and sitting on a park bench having a quick lunch -- in either case, lunch is an "event" -- rarely will you see anyone eating lunch while walking down the street like we do in the States.

Except for American franchises, "fast-food " really doesn't exist in Europe -- the French, in general, distain the idea of "fast-food" -- and as far as I know there is not even a word for it in the French language -- for "take-out" or to go, you use the term "emporter" and that usually refers to things like whole pizzas, Chinese, deli meals, etc.... You can almost always find a pre-made sandwich, an apple, a candy bar, etc... at a mini-mart if you're hungry mid-day.

Dinner is usually eaten sometime after 7:00pm -- typically 8:00pm-9:00pm -- although I've been out in the evening and observed groups going into to a restaurant on a week night at 11:00pm for dinner. Many restaurants are open for lunch from 11:30-2:30pm, then close for the afternoon and don't re-open until 7:00pm. An evening meal, done French-style, will take a minimum of two to three hours. Unlike in the US where you are seated and a server appears almost immediately to take your drink order, you will wait -- eventually a server will appear, take your drink order and then you will wait -- dining in France is suposed to be a leisurely experience -- they will reappear with your drinks and may take your food order, then you will wait -- eventually your food will be served. Once you are finished dining, you will wait -- your server will not bring you your bill, you must catch the server's attention and request your bill -- it is considered rude to bring you your bill without it being requested (if you are ever immediately presented with a bill, it's almost guaranteed you are dining in a place catering solely to tourists). A typical French meal ends with desert or a small plate of three or four different cheeses.

Food:

French food is French food -- you either like it or you don't -- it is heavy on pork, beef and seafood -- if you have dietary restrictions, you can find something on the menu but you will have limited choices. French cuisine is also heavy on using all parts of the animal so if you are adventurous, you will find many dishes that you will not see in the US. French cuisine, while reknown for its use of sauces in cooking and presentation, is quite bland -- if you are looking for spicy, you will not find it unless you go into a non-French ethnic restaurant (ie., Asian and some Middle-Eastern). THe lack of salt and pepper in cooking is healthy but typically not all that tasty. Expect to be provided with normal condiments (black pepper may may need to be requested and show-up in a ramikin from the shaker in the kitchen; mustard, also requested, may arrive on a small plate and, no, they don't usually have anything like French's yellow mustard in France -- expect more of a stronger, Dijon style mustard).

For me, the boulangeries were the true star of French cuisine -- they have available a wide range of baked goods not normally encountered in the US even in so-called "French bakeries". In most places, the baguettes come in a variety of choices: Traditional, Classical, Olive-oil based, Rustic, Whole Wheat, Spelt, Multi-grain and a bunch of others that I don't reemmber -- and like in the US, boulangerie baked baguettes are far superior to mass-produced, grocery store baked baguettes. Hot baguettees, fresh out of the baking oven --- OMG! -- often they never made it back to the apartment!

The croissants from boulangeries, regardless of where you were -- far superior to those here in the States -- maybe it's the air or the water -- here in Colorado Sproings, Panera and La Boulangerie do a decent job but really can't compare -- and the chocolate and chocolate-almond croissants -- heavenly -- I got used to buying to at a time so I could have one as a treat later in the day.

Fruit-based (and in some areas, nut-based) delicacies were a constant temptation -- it was amazing what a French baker could do with apples, apricots, strawberries, cherries, blueberries, etc... and a few spices!

Miscellaneous:

It is totally acceptable to ask for a carton to take unfinished portions of your meal with you.

Opened bottles of wine can also go with you as long as they have a cork or are somehow temporarily sealed.

Sit-down restaurants/brasseries have toilets for their patrons, usually down the stairs in the basement -- basic, clean accomodations. Cafes, delis, boulangeries and small food places don't. Gas stations do have facilities, again for patrons.

Except in large restaurants in touristy areas, tipping is not expected but is appreciated -- a few euros or 5-10% of the bill is sufficient unless you feel the server went way above and beyond in making your dining experience exceptional. Again, tipping is optional in bars although appreciated -- a euro or two per round is plenty.

Except at popular or large restaurants in touristy areas, reservations for dinner are not usually necessary -- restaurants that are small family-run or in small villages can typically accomodate you without a reservation but there's nothing wrong in making them just to be sure (might be a challenge making the reservation if you don't speak at least some French -- once you're at the restaurant, there will likely be someone who speaks a tiny bit of English and with a little patience and a smile, you should be okay).

Most tourist attractions where there's an entry fee will have a cafe that's pretty decent -- other places, picnicing is an excellent option.

Not all restaruants have menus in English so brushing up on French "food" words might be a good idea. Touristy locations may have someone to semi-translate -- off the beaten-track, not so much.

The French are very proud of their cheeses (hundreds of varieties) and sausages (quite regional so if you find one you like, buy extra as you may not find it elsewhere).

Be aware -- French food preparation can be very regional so even if the dish goes by the same name, it can be quite different from one area to the next.

Cooking your own meals in France can be quite wonderful as farmers' markets with fresh produce and local delicacies are abundant from Spring to Fall, and the experience of shopping in an open air market may be one of your most "special" memories of France.

Ground black pepper in restaurants is frequently not pure black pepper but a blend of some kind, brownish-grey with a very earthy, organic taste -- try it before using on your food.

Adventures Driving in Europe

billh — Wed, 23 Nov 2016 09:23:00 GMT

Driving in Europe is a truely "unique" experience -- only topped by driving in the Far East, Middle East and Africa. Anyone planning on taking a trip to Europe and "cruising down the highway" needs to seriously rethink that idea a bit.

If you rent a car in the British Isles, the steering wheeel will be on the right-hand ("passenger") side of the car and you'll be shifting gears and pushing any buttons (radio, windshield wipers, etc...) with your left hand. It's almost impossible to find a car in the BA with left-hand drive. they also drive on the left-hand side of the road -- opposite of the US. In France and the "Continent", they drive on the same side of the road as in the USA and have left-hand drive.

I say "shifting" because most vehicles rented have manual transmissions -- you can get an automatic but be prepared for a "sticker-shock" price diference. If you can afford the difference, splurge -- it typically takes a week or more to get semi-comfortable shifting with your left hand. You'll also be surprised at how much stopping and starting there is (the exception being if you're on a motorway -- that's where you just stick-it in high gear and forget about it!)

Instead of intersections they have roundabouts where you will need to downshift, and, if there is any traffic, you will then need to quickly accelerate entering the roundabout -- failure to do so will result in an appropriate amount of horn-blowing and finger-gestures in your direction -- people already in the roundabout typically do not slow down, instead treating it as their own personal Le Mans speed track -- this includes large trucks.

The other "fun" thing about roundabouts is that they can be one, two, three or more lanes wide -- sometimes the outer lane only goes as far as the first exit which creates a problem if you need to get off on the second or third exit -- sometimes the outer lane goes all the way around although staying in that lane for a complete rotation is highly dangerous as everyone expects you to exit before that and will cut in front of you to exit -- (there is no indication of what the layout is until you get to the exit itself) -- trying to maneuver and downshift/upshift at the same time while dodging other cars can result in severe heart palpitations. I've driven both standard shift and automatic shift cars -- give yourself a "fighting chance" -- go with an automatic.

While driving, you can expect to encounter four different kinds of roadways.

1) Motorways -- we usually call them freeways or highways -- multiple lanes with marked on-ramps and off-ramps -- posted speed limits ranging from 50mph to 85mph. In the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), the limits are posted in "miles per hour" -- in Ireland and the rest of Europe they will be posted in "kilometers per hour" -- be sure you remember which country you're in -- "130" in France does not mean the same as "130" in England Signs warning of "Video Radar Speed Cameras" are everywhere -- thing is, the whole time I was driving, I saw maybe two actual cameras -- I think they spent all their funding on signs and couldn't afford to buy the cameras. Be aware no one drives the posted speed limit unless they have a two cyclinder car going up a hill. Slower vehicles stay to the left and pass on the right. Passing and being passed is a periennial sport in which the object is to see how close to the other car's bumpers you can get when changing lanes -- 5'-6' is considered a good score, 3'-4' gets extra points! The rules of the game remain the same on the continent except you stay to the right and pass on the left. You also get extra points for a series of lane-changing, weaving passes at high speed.

2) Primary roads -- if you're going to see the country at all, this is where you'll be spending a large part of your "driving" time. These are typically one lane wide in each direction (occasionally two lanes wide) and are usually only separated by yellow lines (solid, dashes or semi-dashes). Solid means "no passing", dashed means "its' okay to pass if the way is clear" and semi-dashes can mean a number of things -- you're approaching an intersection, you can expect to encounter merging traffic, an extra lane is available for slower moving traffic such as farm equipment or merely some painting crew striped it that way because they thought it looked "pretty" and it has no significance! The speed limit varies -- in France, it's typically 80kph except when you pass through a village it drops at the outskirts to 50kph -- in the UK, it's typically 60mph dropping to 30mph as you approach a village --- sometimes the change is marked, sometimes it's not -- you're still supposed to know even if its not marked. Be aware the "posted speed limit" frequently has nothing to do with the "driveability" of the road -- hairpin turns -- 80kph is common. Also be aware most locals totally ignore the posted speed limit, driving however fast they want to -- usually far in excess of the limit -- and tailgating is an acceptable tactic to get you to go faster or let them pass. Sheep occasionally encountered on the roadway -- frequently lying down sleeping in the middle of the road -- may also find yourself behind a herd of cows moving from one pasture to another.

3) Secondary roads -- my label, not theirs -- typically one to one and a half paved lanes wide -- no shoulders -- high stone or tree/shrub-lined borders (like driving in a drainage channel) -- very twisty and hilly, extremely limited visability re oncoming traffic -- often used to connect quasi-parallel primary roads -- depending where are (rural vs really rural area) you can expect to spend twenty-five percent of your time or more driving on these roads. Rarely do they have posted speed limits -- you go as fast or as slow as you are comfortable driving -- locals average 60-90kph -- they will usually have wide-spaces (the width of two cars plus one foot) every once in a while -- if you meet oncoming traffic, one of you needs to back-up to one of these wide spaces so the other car can get by. On hills, the car traveling uphill must back downhill, yielding to downhill traffic -- it makes an "interesting" experience backing down a quarter mile 20-25% grade hill with hairpin curves, oh yeah! Farm animals commonly encountered on the roadway including sheep, goats and chickens.

4) Unpaved roads -- commonly mistaken for private driveways and a favorite choice for your GPS system! One car lane wide with untrimmed/encroaching shrubs or tree branches -- sometimes referred to as "guaranted employment for auto body or paint shops" -- may or may not have wide-spots, more likely to have farm gate entrances where you can pass or intersecting roads every mile or so -- visibility frequently limited to fifty feet -- these roads are where you really get to see how lucky you are -- if you're religious, you pray that you don't meet anyone. These roads are where you really get to "see the country" -- sometimes offering spectacular views across valleys, charming isolated farm buildings and peaceful pastoral views. No posted speed limits, locals drive fast. Figure on meeting oncoming traffic every fourth or fifth time you're on one of these roads.

Much of the roadway in Europe consists of toll-roads. The up-side is that toll-roads will have rest areas (some with, some without toilets) and service areas with food and gas. The dwonside is cost and passing through the toll plazas. They have lanes for cars with automated payment devices (usually on the left) and lanes for everyone else (usually on the right) -- if you don't have a device, head for the toll booths displaying a large green stylized "t".

Entering a tollroad, you need to take a ticket out of the machine -- leaving a tollroad you need to pay -- either in cash or by credit card -- put the ticket in the left-hand slot, it will show an amount, put your credit card in the slot to the right of the ticket slot or your cash in the cash slot -- you may also encounter a machine where the ticket slot doubles as a credit card slot (you put the ticket in the slot, then put your credit card in the same slot) -- once payment is received the tollgate opens and you resume your journey until you reach the next tollroad.

Should your vehicle break-down on a tollroad, you are required to stay with your vehicle until an emergency tow/assistance vehicle arrives to assist you -- I am not sure if it's free or if there is a charge.

Be aware that unless you are on a tollroad or some primary roads, there will be no place to "pull-to-the-side" to check anything, including a map or directions --or to retrieve something from the trunk.

Speaking of toilets, except on motorways where toilets are provided, the official name for "toilets" is "a tree or bush of your choice" -- be careful where you step at rest areas with no toilets. Most people are somewhat discreet but I have observed people standing/squatting behind or next to their vehicle letting nature take its course. Compared to Europe, we in the USA are very puritanical regarding bodily functions.

Driving is truly an "experience" in Europe!

Peugeot AutoEurope -- Solution or DIsaster? UPDATE

billh — Wed, 23 Nov 2016 04:30:00 GMT

A number of people have asked about the company I used for a vehicle and how that worked. The company is Peugeot AutoEurope and they offer a somewhat unique solution for people needing a car for long periods of time -- you buy the car from them paying a fee upfront -- when you're done with the vehicle -- you return it -- they "buy" it back from you for the difference between the purchase price and the "fee" -- it's similar to a lease but technically you own the car while you're driving it.

They handle all of the paperwork and provide 100% insurance coverage in the fee -- something happens, it's their problem to fix. Their rationale is that they make their money by reselling the car after you return it -- taxes on buying a "new" car are very high in Europe but relatively low on buying a "used" car -- when they factor in the "fee" you pay with what they resell it for, they supposedly make enough of a profit to make it worth doing.

Depending upon how long you "buy" the car for, it works out to about half the cost of renting a car in Europe.

Those of you who have been following the journal know of the problems I've had with the GPS malfunctioning soon after I picked-up the car. Apparently the GPS unit they installed in my car was an older unit and/or the software was years out of date. As a result, you can imagine the "fun" it became to have a GPS you couldn't trust while traveling through countries where you didn't speak the language, where the roads are a virtual "rabbit-warren" and rarely marked by roadsigns and where relying on a hard-copy map (if you can find one) isn't really an option. From what I gather, all newer vehicles in Europe come with a GPS unit installed -- even natives find it hard to negotiate the road system without one.

The unit would frequently not recognize the of towns I was staying in, change my destination on-route to someplace I'd never heard of and in the opposite direction and change the lattitude/longitude coordinates (common pracitce is to enter eight digit lattitude/longitude coordinates). Imagine trying to find a place like Green Mountain Falls with no roadsigns, not knowing the area and having your GPS directing you to Durango -- at times just a "tiny bit stressful" and one of the reasons I ended-up cutting my "journey" short -- there were times both the car and myself are lucky I didn't have a hammer in the glove box!!

Yesterday, I emailed a complaint to Peugeot about the car, describing the problems and told them I'd post their response here in the journal -- so stay tuned.

UPDATE: After a few email exchanges, Peugeot, without apologizing for my GPS problems, refunded a few hundred dollars -- the portion I had forfeited by leaving Europe early. At least it’s something -- didn’t make-up for the stress by a long shot -- the vehicle itself performed decently -- probably the only way I’d use them again would be if they gave me a written guarantee that they would exchange the vehicle if I had a problem with the GPS system in the initial car.

Otherwise, my plan is to post another couple of entries about my journey -- recapping some of my favorite places and "must-see/must-do" things in Europe and my thoughts on some of the weird ways Europeans are different from the us (they really are not like us in many ways).

My Ten Most Memorable Cities

billh — Mon, 14 Nov 2016 10:51:00 GMT

This was difficult for me to do — narrowing it down to just ten — seems like every place I went had something special about it — like the French village with live chickens and ducks for sale in the square — or the brasserie in a small town where I sat each afternoon at a table outside with some locals trying to communicate over a glass of wine — or the isolated hamlet I was passing through and had a run-in with a flock of chickens over who “owned” the center of the dirt road — or the town in Northern Ireland where I went shopping to find a replacement sweatshirt for one I had lost and a store clerk said “Follow me” and walked me four blocks to another store that carried what I was looking for — it seems like every town had a "memorable” story. Below are ten, not in any particular order.

Paris, FR — a major cosmopolitan city with old world charm, world class museums, the Seine River, the Eiffel Tower, lovely Hausmann architecture, tree-lined

streets, wonderful bakeries, local butchers, produce markets, cafes — a great city for relaxing outdoors over a glass of wine or beer or a cup of coffee

and just watching people pass bye.

Brugge, BE — truly a step back in time, narrow cobble-stone streets, gorgeous architecture, quaint boutiques, great chocolate shops, small lakes and streams,

parks for strolling, well maintained historical sites, good food— a magical experience — probably my favorite of all the cities on this adventure

St Tropez, FR — not so much the town as the picture postcard beaches, the blue water and fantastic white puffy clouds against a deep blue sky — a place to

easily loll away a day, a week, a lifetime — and just let the world pass you bye

Castletownshend, IRE — a small village set on an inlet of the Atlantic nestled below majestic craggy towering cliffs — the view, from the B&B on the cliffs,

of the afternoon storm clouds in the distance, the gorgeous yellow-sand beach below, the moon slowly rising over the shimmering

water at night — a ten million dollar view!

Beaune, FR — an eighteenth century city surrounded on all sides by lush green vineyards terracing up and over the hillsides — cycling through the green fields

under the hot sun and deep blue skies was an unforgettable, almost surreal experience

I’le de Rey, FR — a lazy little village of one and two story tall, sand-colored, stuccoed houses with clay tiled roofs set on the shores of the Atlantic — wonderful

yellow-sand beaches hiding behind tuilly-covered sand dunes — blue skies, white clouds — neighboring harbors lined with tall-masted sailboats

waiting to catch the soft breezes — for all appearances, a million miles away from modern day civilization

New Mills, Wales — a tiny hamlet (so small, I never found it) — in the middle of the north Wales countryside, deep, tree-covered valleys suddenly giving way

to breath-taking two hundred and seventy degree views stretching twenty miles into the distance, sheep languidly grazing in the meadows,

birds soaring above and except for the gentle breeze blowing, so quiet you could literally hear a pin drop — so dark at night, it felt like you

could see a million, million stars twinkling in the skies above your head — I walked twenty feet out the front door of the cottage and picked

ripe, juicy apples off the trees in the surrounding orchard

Bailey, FR — an idylic little village where time seemed to have stood still -- quaint, charming with a beautiful, mature tree-lined, wide river languidly meandering

bye — flowing over a low weir creating a mini-waterfall effect — still can’t believe the winery tucked away deep in the limestone caves

Port Issac, ENG — a wonderfully picturesque fishing village situated on the SW toe of Cornwall — pastel, one and two story, cut stone houses clinging to the

cliff-sidessurrounding a small harbor, struggling to keep from falling into the sea — just as a fishing village should look — narrow, steep streets

lined with quaint shops — smiling female shopkeepers wearing white frilly aprons and gruff fishermen in stained, full-length, brownish leather

ones — a beautiful blue-green sea lapping on the stony harbor beach with dogs excitedly retrieving sticks and tennis balls from the surf,

splashing in the water way more than they needed to — a place to just sit and watch the clouds slowly pass bye overhead, casting grey

shadows on the water

Blois, FR — a medium-sized town, sitting astride the Loire River, with an extremely well-preserved Medieval quarter — super-steep, narrow, winding alleyways

lined with three-story houses whose doors literally opened right into the alleys — memorable to me as the place where I spent two nights alone,

locked in an eleventh century castle keep which had been pretty much untouched (and unimproved) for the last three hundred years — an

unforgettable experience (even without clanging chains and unearthly wails in the night)

Impressions: Countries

billh — Sat, 12 Nov 2016 06:07:00 GMT

Some people have been asking me where my favorites places to visit were, which is a really difficult question because I loved almost everywhere I went.

I spent time in eight countries (some for only a very short time, others for much more), so let me begin by country:

Belgium: My experience was wonderful but pretty much limited to what I could see from the seat of a high-speed train and a few of days in Brugge. Brugge

was worth a trip in and of itself -- but more of that in another journal entry. The things I missed seeing were the quaint windmills and the tulips

in bloom. It’s a long way to travel just to see a relatively small country, but would definitely recommend including it in combination with other

neighboring countries.

Handmade chocolates were “to-die-for”, food was decent, beer was good, wine (surprisingly) was mostly Italian, not French.

England: England had always been a place I dreamed of visiting and maybe that’s why it didn’t live up to my expectations. Parts of it were extremely nice,

others disappointing — I had great times when I wasn’t near a large city — Manchester, Liverpool, Bristol, London — not so great in general —

northeast region south of Scotland, Cornwall and the southwestern areas, Welsh border areas and near Dover/Canterbury — wonderful areas to see.

If you like beef, fish, pork and curries — you’ll love the food in England — vegetarians will have a more challenging time but options are available.

I really enjoyed the pot “pies” (typically beef and ale, but had some great goat cheese and veggie ones), the fish and chips and the East Indian curry

dishes. Unfortunately, English pastries are pretty dreadful, although some of their seeded breads are very good. Surprisingly, their craft beers were

only marginally competitive with US craft beer — tried local beer wherever I went and nothing stood out, good but not any better than craft beer

here (plus quite a few pubs “pushed” Belgium/Flemish beer more than the local brews). The cider was decent — three dominant makers

(two English, one Belgium) — craft cider was much better but very difficult to find in the pubs or stores.

France: Very much enjoyed France, certain areas more than others. I’le de France (Paris) is obviously a must see, as is the mid-Eastern coast from

Pontorson south to the Bordeaux region. Southwest France — highly recommend. The Massif region in central France was a little more challenging

to navigate (language and driving — not for the faint-hearted) but the scenery was breath-taking. If you’re into wine, then the Burgundy region

from Macon north to Beaune is mandatory — totally agricultural area, lovely but a stretch for doing much else — it was one of my favorite places.

I didn’t get to visit much of Eastern France — ski resorts north to Strasbourg — so I can’t comment on it — from my conversations with people

and what I read about it, it would be a great place to visit, time permitting. Most of the rest of France was pleasant but not my thing — central

and northern France, unless there is something specific you want to see, are pretty boring. If you’re into military things (WWI, WWII), northeast

France is apparently well-worth a visit, otherwise, not much there to see. Even though it was scenic, I did not care for the south of France, and

in retrospect, if I had skipped that area altogether, I wouldn’t feel like I had missed all that much — Cannes, Nice, etc… all felt like they were living

on their laurels from days gone by -- plus being very overpriced, over-crowded and an unusually large number of rude, obnoxious people (many

were Italian tourists but the locals had their share).

The people I came into contact with were (except for a couple exceptions) very friendly and helpful -- not the Stereotype of the "French". However,

I was given some excellent advice early (by Christine) which was validated by my observations -- learn a little French and try to use it as often as

possible even if you "butcher" it! The French are proud of their language and are inundated by foreign tourists who insist on speaking their native

languages while in France. I can't count the number of times I entered a shop (or soething) and was greeted with a "frosty" stare until I started

speaking some really bad French at which time the person's whole demeanor changed to a friendly one because I tried. Many individuals told me

(in excellent English) that they and their counterparts, if a tourist doesn't even try to speak French to them, will pretend not to understand English,

even if it means losing a sale. As my French listening comprehension got better, I could even understand at times, the comments being made in

French about non-French speaking tourists -- and they weren't complimentary.

Food in France is heavy pork and beef oriented so, for all the time I spent there, I didn’t eat main meals out a whole lot. Great crepes/gallettes —

surprised no one has tried doing that in the States. Surprisingly, burgers were pretty common and decent; for being so close to Italy, the French

can’t do decent pizza or Italian food; ratatouille was wonderful, other vegetarian dishes tended to be really underwhelming. French pastries and

bread are world-class — only been gone from France for two days but am already having serious withdrawal pains -- nothing compares (well,

maybe San Francisco sourdough bread and Irish brown bread, but that’s it!). Surprisingly, the French do really, really bad donuts compared

to the US — Dunkin and Crispy Creme have nothing to fear! French wine is super-cheap and excellent — craft beer, when you can find it, is

surprisingly good — skip the margaritas, my experience was pretty ugly (skip the Mexican food while you’re at it). Coffee in France is a whole

different experience -- depending upon your tastes, you'll love it or you'll hate it. The average American coffee cup holds probably eight to twelve

ounces -- a "cup" in France is about two ounces, a large or "double" is four. The only place you can get an American-sized coffee is at Starbucks

or MacDonald's. If you like strong, expresso style coffee in small doses, you will love French coffee! Otherwise, you'll be frustrated paying seven

to eight dollars for an American standard size coffee.

Ireland: Wonderful place! — had some concerns about even going there but so glad I gave it a second chance. The people were so friendly and welcoming,

the food was very good, the historical sites were excellent and the scenery was just unbelievable. The center of Ireland is very agricultural

and not really terribly exciting unless you like green — focusing on the coasts and the Limerick/“Ring” areas are much more interesting —

it doesn’t matter which coast — the southwest Ring areas are the most crowded but the other coasts are just as fantastic in their own ways

and much less congested. The people are a huge part of the "Irish" expereince -- they are extremely friendly and you'll find yourself caught up

in a conversation with a total stranger in a store, a restaurant or just walking down the street -- they love to talk and they are very interested in

hearing about America -- apparently, it's a favorite destination to visit and many have.

Ireland has quite a strong beef industry going — thus much of the food is beef-oriented. Pork is also big, as is fish. Not a lot of “Irish” cuisine —

much of the current emphasis is Mediterranean-focused — vegetables and salads. The food, while not overwhelming, was consistently quite good.

The Irish copy the English quite a bit food-wise, especially in the bakery — not especially good — although the non-commercial bakery brown

bread was excellent, but sometimes hard to find. Irish beer was very good with a growing craft beer industry — Belgium/Flemish beer still got

“pushed” quite a bit in restaurants and stores.

Monaco: Best described as a “pretty face” with no substance to back it up — quite disappointing given the hype, and definitely living on its past allure.

I can say I’ve been there — I can also say I have no desire to ever go back. If you want glitz or gambling, go to Vegas; if you want beautiful

beaches/coastal scenery, go to southwest France. Over-rated, overpriced, overcrowded.

Northern: Lovely country once you’re out of Belfast — not a “bad” city, just not a great one. Belfast is pretty much "Northern Ireland" and much of Belfast

Ireland exists because of the University (the University area has a “neat”, almost Bohemian vibe — other parts are a bit edgier, not in a “good” way).

Outside of Belfast you’re pretty much on the Irish coast and all is well — beautiful scenery. Much like Belgium, worthwhile for a quick stop in

conjunction with a larger trip to other countries (Ireland/the United Kingdom).

Too small to have a food/ wine/ beer identity.

It has a reputation for not being terribly welcoming which may or may not be justified — I had only positive experiences interacting with

the people I met, however, I did observe other “tourists” not being so warmly treated by the locals.

Scotland: Perhaps my favorite, although it’s really a three-way tie with Ireland and Wales. Absolutely warmly welcoming people, magical scenery and

outstanding historical and recreational opportunities — once you’re out of Edinburgh — didn’t care for Edinburgh — crowded, noisy, an older

city showing its age in its grey concrete buildings — it seems to exist solely for the university and tourists. My time in Edinburgh was

rewarding but not a place I would ever return to, unlike the rest of Scotland which won my heart. Initially had very low expectations about

going to Scotland — saw it as a placeholder, somewhere to fill a couple of weeks time while in exile from France — was I ever wrong!

The areas south of Edinburgh with Roslyn Chapel, or north of Edinburgh with the wild coastline and the distilleries, or the western peninsula and

islands waiting to be explored, or southwest Scotland bordering upon Wales with its beautiful scenery — all out of Edinburgh -- all absolutely

fantastic! I would return to visit in a heartbeat!

One thing to be aware of, as in much of the British Isles and parts of rural France, the roads are not for the faint-hearted — they are extremely

narrow (understatement), have few turnouts, minimal safety features (guardrails, lane markings), the locals drive fast (forget any posted speed

limits) and probably forty percent of the drivers are inexperienced at driving (only driving a car when they go on “holiday” once a year, otherwise

using public transit to get around) — it can be quite an unnerving experience until you get used to it.

Food in Scotland is strongly seafood oriented with ample offerings of mutton and beef — the best meal I had on the whole “adventure" was

in Scotland — a local take on fish and chips in a small village. Very limited local craft beers — what there was was quite decent — just not

many choices. Most of the wines were Italian. Most of the whiskey was Scotch, although American whiskey was surprisingly well represented

in the stores and pubs.

Wales: I fell in love with Wales! For some reason, it's the unloved step-child of the British Isles -- no one talks about it, no one goes there -- as a whole,

it was one of the most unspoiled places I visited -- incredibly friendly people, unbelievable scenery from the majestic deserted highland moors

to the stunning craggy coastline, rivers to kayak, trails and hills to hike, well-done historical sites to visit, good regional food. Again, like Scotland,

I hadn't expected much from the place -- actually even visiting there was unplanned, squeezing in northern Wales after seeing Scotland and then

exploring southern Wales on my way from London to western England. Wales, Scotland and Ireland form the unholy trio of places I would revisit

without a second thought!

The food wasn't anything fancy, just very well done. Fish is big -- in much of the country you can buy fresh Atlantic salmon caught that morning

from a fisherman on the side of the road with a freezer box in his van. Beef is also prominent on the menus in restaurants alongside a surprising

variety of non-meat options. Like much of Europe, everything is prepared fresh, very little is prepackaged -- farmers' markets abound in the small

villages with fresh produce and local specialties (candy, preserves, honey, sausages, baked goods, etc...). Just writing this journal entry makes

me miss it!

Cider is big in Wales with a number of small-time craft makers -- downside is that if you find one you really like, you get twenty-thirty miles away

and you'll never see it again. Did not find much craft beer, although what I came across was pretty good.

The "Adventure" Continues -- Re-entry to the USA

billh — Thu, 10 Nov 2016 13:45:00 GMT

Well, I made it back to the US, but not without some last minute “twists” to my ”adventure”.

Getting up at 4:30am yesterday turned out to be a “piece of cake” — after that it got interesting.

Arrived at the terminal at 5:45am for a 7:40am flight, found my way to the British Airways check-in counter in the basement only to learn that their computer system was “down” — so, in typical European fashion, how did the six BA employees working there decide to handle the situation — they took a coffee break — when they talk about Europeans being “laid-back”, they’re not kidding!

At 6:45, someone apparently decided the system wasn’t coming back-up so they started manually checking people-in — that meant communicating by telephone with someone somewhere who had a working computer — relaying each passenger’s information to this mysterious person — picture three agents sharing one telephone with the other three standing behind “supervising”. Upon receiving approval for a passenger, the agent would hand the phone to the next agent, write out by hand a boarding pass, hand-tag the passenger’s luggage and place it on a carousel — then get back in line to use the telephone. If it hadn’t been forty-five minutes until my flight left, and my still needing to clear “Security”, it might have been humorous — reminded me of a Three Stooges comedy routine — and I kept thinking “This can’t be the first time the computers went down — is how it goes each time?”

Next “challenge” -- once I had a boarding pass I needed to leave the check-in area and pass thru a turnstile — unfortunately, to pass through the turnstile, you needed a bar-coded ticket (not a hand-written one) and the turnstile was unmanned. They ended-up directing us up to the main terminal Security area — of course the Security screeners had no idea what to do with passengers showing-up with hand-written boarding passes — again if it hadn’t been a time crunch, it would have been funny — the screener took each person’s boarding pass, walked over to, apparently, a supervisor, asked what to do, returned and waived that passenger through to the scanning machine, took the next passenger’s hand-written pass, walked over to the “supervisor”, asked what to do …. — you get the picture. We all made it on board and the flight took-off about forty minutes late — fortunately, it was only about one-quarter full. Being half-awake was probably what got us through this with no one “losing it”.

The flight itself was fine. Transferring at Heathrow was pretty-much uneventful except in the boarding area where an older woman asked me to watch her carry-ons while she went up to the check-in counter — halfway there, she tripped and did a face plant on the marble floor. Of course, they wanted her to go to their infirmary and get checked-out -- after talking with them for ten minutes, during which time another agent began boarding passengers, she refused, hobbled back, reclaimed her carry-ons and stumbled onto the plane. The pre-flight entertainment was so much better than the crummy movies they offered on the plane!

Long flight — departed Paris at 7:40 — landed in San Francisco fourteen house later. Arrived a few hours later at the house here only to find my car had a flat tire and wouldn’t start — not a huge deal, except -- I also found myself locked out of the house without a key (another story but not my fault) — and the sun was setting and the moon rising. Fortunately, I had left a back-up key with a friend who showed-up a couple of hours later to let me in. By then, I was ready for the day to be over.

Amazing the things you hallucinate about when you’re totally exhausted — like thinking that with all of the hassles on this return segment of my “adventure", it was Europe punishing me for leaving — or like hearing the news story that Trump was on his way to being elected President — when I heard that, I knew I was “losing it” and desperately needed to get some sleep!

Photos: Wales -- Winster -- Cottage photos

billh — Tue, 8 Nov 2016 04:41:00 GMT

Hanging-out with "Charlie"

billh — Tue, 8 Nov 2016 02:44:00 GMT

It's a grey, cold, rainy day in Paris -- the kind of weather that makes curling-up in front of a roaring fireplace seems real appealing. Yesterday I did a "dry-run" for my trip to catch a plane tomorrow -- glad I did. On paper, it sounded fairly straight forward -- walk from the hotel to the shuttle train -- take the train to the terminal, walk to the proper gate and check-in -- what could go wrong?

The first thing was I took the train in the wrong direction and ended-up at the wrong terminal (some times even the arrows here don't help all that much) -- no big deal -- reversed course and made it to the correct stop -- Terminal 1 and I just needed to stroll over to Terminal 2A -- twenty minutes later, I'm strolling and still not there -- turns out, Charles Degaulle is a pretty stretched-out airport.

By the time I reached 2A I had worked-up a good sweat (humid/warm) and kept thinking "How is this, I wasn't even towing my two loaded, hundred pound suitcases behind me".

Then, I realized I didn't know which "gate" the plane was leaving from (British Airways neglected to mention gate information in it's boarding instructions) -- not sure how much help that would've been anyway -- the "Arrivals/Departures" board said Gate 9 -- problem was, the gates were in numerical order until I reached Gate 8 -- the one right next to it was "10" -- there was no Gate 9 -- actually, there was -- it just turns out it was in the basement, around corner and down a flight of stairs -- I was thinking to myself -- "I know the French and the English don't especially care for each other, but had it gotten this bad that they stuck British Airways in the basement?" The answer is "Yep!"

So glad I did the "dry-run" -- could just have seen myself at 5:00am on Tuesday morning, half awake, maybe running a little late -- taking the wrong train, finding that two of the elevators I needed to take were out of order (not sure how I'll get those two "monsters" up the stairs, but at least I know I have that to look forward to) and then not finding the gate where I expected it to be -- oh, it would have made the start of my day "so much more interesting!!"

Later that evening, after resting-up a bit, I hopped a shuttle bus to a local "airport mall" -- yes, they have an actuall indoor shopping mall at the airport, complete with a huge grocery store. The mall was in the shape of a circle and the store-mix seemed different from in the USA -- kind of an odd assortment of sporting goods, infant clothes, women's clothes, crafts, bakeries, furniture and lingerie -- a cinema and a bunch of restaurants and bars -- maybe I've forgotten what the malls are like in the States. It was Sunday evening around six and the place was packed with long lines at the bakeries, ice cream stores and restaurants. Very interesting experience.

Well, it's finally arrived -- in less than twenty-four hours I'll be winging my way back to the States -- on some days it felt like like I'd been here forever and other days it was like I just landed in Paris yesterday ready for the "adventure" of a lifetime! In looking back at the first journal entry I wrote while waiting to board the plane at the airport -- wondering "what the hell am I doing" -- I can only say that I'm glad that I went through with it -- it hasn't been easy, and there have been days when I thought to myself that maybe I should just "pack it in, declare success and come home!"

It had been a dream of mine since the early 1980's to do something like this but the finances and timing had never been "right" and I had pretty-much written it off as a pipe dream. Then, about a year ago, things came "together". During my professional consulting career, I worked with many people in organizations and one of the things I tried to get them to understand was if there was something that was important to them, something that they really wanted to do in or with their lives, then they shouldn't be waiting until "tomorrow" to do it because "tomorrow" might never come. Last Fall a few things happened in my personal life that gave me that "wake-up" call and I realized I needed to start "practicing" what I had been "preaching". This trip was one of them.

On this "adventure", I've gone amazing places, seen wonderful things, learned a lot and met some great people along the way -- in retrospect I can't imagine having missed out on this opportunity. But all (well, maybe not "all") good things must end and I have no regrets leaving Europe -- staying in a hotel at the airport in Paris the last few days, I pretty much hibernated (catching-up a bit on this journal) -- couldn't think of anywhere in Paris I wanted to go or anything I wanted to do -- just reinforced what i had been thinking for a while, it really was the right time to return.

Photos: England -- Lincoln Cathedral

billh — Mon, 7 Nov 2016 23:05:00 GMT

Photos: England -- Lincoln Castle

billh — Mon, 7 Nov 2016 22:57:00 GMT

Photos: England -- Nottingham Castle

billh — Mon, 7 Nov 2016 22:41:00 GMT

Photos: England -- Kenilworth Castle & Abbey

billh — Mon, 7 Nov 2016 22:16:00 GMT

Photos: England -- Warwick Castle

billh — Mon, 7 Nov 2016 21:56:00 GMT

Photos: England -- Cottage Bridge -- John Constable

billh — Mon, 7 Nov 2016 21:42:00 GMT

Chartres Cathedral & My Journey Back to the Beginning

billh — Mon, 7 Nov 2016 01:00:00 GMT

Made the drive from Troyes to Paris yesterday -- had originally planned on stopping by a garage sale in a nearby village to browse, then reread the posting and realized it was referencing mainly baby clothes/items so decided to pass.

Many of you know that I enjoy poking around garage sales back in the States -- I've looked to do that here but have only had the chance twice -- not sure why. My guess is that in smaller villages (like in the US), people in France/UK have an annual village-wide "sale" where people can get rid of things they don't want -- have seen signs for these events on my journey but unfortunately was there on the "wrong" weekends.

Skipping the garage sale meant I had extra time so decided to take a detour to Chartres and visit the Cathedral there -- a couple of people had been and said it was beautiful. Driving into Chartres, the Cathedral suddenly loomed up on the top of a hill overlooking the town, silhouetted against a deep blue sky and puffy white clouds -- very impressive. Of course, like so many times on this trip, I was in the middle of traffic doing 80mph with no where to turn-out and take a photo.

Parked and found my way to the Cathedral -- the architecture was fascinating -- you could see varying styles where it had been built/rebuilt at different times. Inside, it was much simpler than many of the other Cathedrals I've visited, but still had the incredible stain-glass windows that are the hallmark of these buildings -- makes you apreciate the talent, artistic vision and money it took to create them -- and it's even more amazing that so much of the original glass is intact!

After spending some time wandering around the Cathedral, I headed back to the car taking a detour through a nearby street market -- mostly clothes and jewelry -- was hungry and hoping to find some street food vendors but no such luck. Casual dining here is very different from the US -- in the States, if you're hungry, you can drive through almost any small town and find somewhere to grab a quick bite to eat -- here it's a more involved process. While larger towns often will have a MacDonalds-like fast food place, in smaller towns and villages, most of the cafes offering sandwiches or lighter meal options lack on-site parking which means you have to drive around and find a public parking lot (forget trying to park on the street) and then find your way back to the cafe which is really more focused on on-site dining than take-away. In the US, casual dining is focused on speed and efficiency, getting something and going -- in Europe, it's more on not being in a hurry and taking your time -- I've tried, but have to admit, I've struggled to adjust to that aspect of European life.

A few hours later, at two o'clock on a Saturday afternoon, I found myself in downtown Paris with traffic at a stand-still -- congestion here at just about any time of day is world-class! Made it to the hotel -- eventually -- my GPS couldn't find the hotel, the street it was on or even the city it was in -- figured it was the GPS"s last "best shot" at breaking me -- was I ever wrong!

After stopping a few times to ask for directions (yes, men will stop and ask for directions if they have to!), I finally found the hotel -- it was in a "hotel village" of other hotels near Charles Degaulle airport. Most of the hotels had 8'x10' neon signs (couldn't miss them) -- of course, the upscale place I chose to stay at had 8.5"x12" metal signs with fancy script lettering -- aargh!!! Very classy place, you'd think they could afford real signs like everone else! I'm guessing, it being an airport hotel, on an airport shuttle route, most of their guests aren't driving, so signage isn't a high priority.

After checking-in (the employees at the hotel were exceptional and seeing my stress level, made checking-in as painless as possible), my next mission was to return the car -- thought it'd be a "piece of cake" -- after all, when I picked-up the car from Peugeot, the agent had input the return coordinates into the GPS -- all I had to do was push a button to retrieve the coordinates and follow directions -- a no-brainer! Only problem was, the GPS had deviously deleted everything earlier than entries from last week from its memory.

So now I'm driving blind in traffic at CDG airport trying to locate a return location that my GPS said didn't exist -- have to admit the thought crossed my mind that "artificial intelligence's" evil plan to take over the world and destroy humanity had started. Eventually got someone from the car company on the phone who spoke English and she was able to "walk me in" to the drop-off location an hour and a half after I had begun my quest -- turns out the rogue GPS had taken me miles away from the airport -- frustrating in that my original destination was only about three hundred yards from the hotel I was staying in -- could've walked there. At least the GPS is out of my life and my blood pressure can go back below 250!! The whole experience has made me more than a little paranoid when I hear about self-driving cars being just around the corner -- not my corner!

Exhausted, a bottle of red wine was dinner last night! Just felt appropriate.

An Upbeat Ending & Troyes' "Cat Alley"

billh — Sat, 5 Nov 2016 04:31:00 GMT

Left Valence yesterday and headed north towards Troyes -- pretty uneventful until the GPS started malfunctioning again -- got as far north as Beaune, then the GPS decided it wanted to go south. Couldn't get it to correct so picked a road and randomly headed west -- like so much of this adventure, the best is sometimes the unanticipated or unplanned occurence.

Ended-up on a narrow country road going through the Ouche Valley -- towering wooded hills on either side of me with their leaves turning bright reds and yellows, cows peacefully grazing, pausing only to look up as I passed by, tiny villages of ancient stone buildings (some in really nice condition, others slowly becoming "ruins") -- and a feeling that nature was putting on an amazing show just for me -- encountered maybe four or five cars in thirty miles.

Came over a rise and down a steep switchback section of road only to find myself driving along side a canal built in the early 1800's -- probably fifty feet wide with the water flowing ever so slowly -- absolutely gorgeous -- time felt like it had stood still -- the blue water, dark green bordering fields, huge overhanging willow-like trees, blue skies with some puffy clouds, ancient grey stone buildings -- this was the image of France and the British Isles that I had encountered earlier in my journey and had missed not seeing since I had returned to France. As I've said before, some of the best things in life (and definitely on this adventure) are the unexpected. Pulled to the side of the road and just sat there watching it for a while.

Eventually made it to the house in Troyes, unloaded the car, walked two to three blocks to the main street and found myself in a boulangerie buying a baguette for breakfast in the morning and a chocolate, almond croissant to snack on -- after months of traveling without one of my favorite French foods, it felt good to be back in "civilization"! Don't know what I'm going to do once I'm back to the US.

Picked-up some things at a small market for dinner and treated myself to a couple of samosas from an Asian deli -- ended-up talking to the owner for a while -- he had relatives in Los Angeles and had visited the States a number of times. Again, how could I possibly have imagined that morning that by late afternoon I'd be standing in an Asian deli in France, ordering samosas and talking in English to a couple who were planning on visiting Colorado the next time they went to LA -- amazing!

Spent the evening super-gluing the sole back onto one of my shoes -- the stairs are so narrow here, I keep catching my heels on the treds as I walk down the stairs and the sole had become separated -- with four days to go, I'm not in the mood for going shopping for a new pair of shoes!

This morning, I got up with three things on my to-do list -- doing a laundry (last place I'm staying with a washer/dryer -- one of the luxury items you appreciate when you're constantly on the road in a place that "doesn't do laundromats"); get the car washed (after my last and one and only experience -- not something I was looking forward to); and, go visit "cat alley" -- one of the "highlights" in Troyes.

Did my laundry -- uneventful once I figured out which machine was the washer and which was the dryer (they were unmarked and looked similar) -- when I put my clothes in, pushed the start button and didn't hear any water running, I realized it was the dryer -- like I said, they look alike here!

Found a car wash -- amazingly, it was part of a laundromat -- of course it wasn't full-service -- and everything was in French far beyond my vocabulary. Fortunately, there was another customer getting his car washed -- unfortunately, he didn't speak a word of English. He ended-up helping me get the car positioned for the machine, putting in the money and pushing the buttons to get the thing started -- remember, their car washes are way different than the ones in the States. In retrospect, the whole event would've looked like an Abbot and Costello comedy routine to an observer -- a lot of gesturing, fast-talking and puzzled looks on both of our faces. Who knows how it would've turned-out if he hadn't been there, and I appreciated his help.

Then it was on to do my "touristy" duty. Troyes is known for having a large neighborhood of pretty much untouched 17th century half-timbered style houses -- it wasn't until the 1950's when the city, for health and safety reasons, required modifications involving electricity and indoor plumbing -- certain things still got pitched out of third and fourth floor windows every morning. The neighborhood is still pretty "authentic" with a small portion of it having been converted into modern cafes, brasseries, restaurants and tourist shops -- the rest is still living quarters and small local shops.

One of the main "draws" to the area is the "ruelle des Chats" (cat alley). Back in the 1600's, the city taxed property owners based upon ground floor square footage -- didn't take property owners long to figure out that they could expand the uppers floors for more space to the point where the roofs actually overlap each at the top -- creating easy "runways" for the neighborhood cats traversing from one building to another. Plus, with the overhangs, it created plenty of opportunity (still present today) for pigeons (aka, cat food) to roost. The alley is only five feet wide at ground level and was apparently unnamed until "Cat Alley" caught on hundreds of years ago.

Walked around and looked at the architecture of the houses, then decided to have a curry chicken galette (crepe) at a coffee shop -- none left so settled for a smoothie and a chocolate chip cookie (hey, I tried to eat half-way healthy!) It was cloudy and a bit chilly (people were bundled-up in parkas and knit caps) so figured I'd sit inside and watch people go by outside -- struck-out again -- apparently too cold for many people to be out so I mostly just stared at the fronts of the half-timbered buildings across the lane.

Weather here has changed -- you definitely know it's Fall and Winter is on it's way -- high today in the fifties -- tomorrow in the forties.

The last two days have been really nice, what I came here to hopefully experience. After being a little "bumbed-out" from a less than satisfying experience in the south of France, I'm glad my "adventure" is coming to an end on an up-note with yesterday and today -- hopefully tomorrow will be as rewarding!

Hiking the Ocher Mines of Colorado-Provence

billh — Thu, 3 Nov 2016 06:51:00 GMT

Left the south of France behind -- I'm glad I saw it but it wasn't what I had hoped it would be. Almost didn't make it out of Nice -- spent half an hour going around in circles, ovals, out and backs, etc... as my GPS decided to sleep in -- unbelievable, can't wait to dump off this car on Saturday!

Took my first step on the march back to Paris -- stopped in a small village called Rustrel located in the Rousillion-Luberon district to do some hiking -- probably my last here in France. It was pretty neat -- the trails are in a National Park by the name of Colorado-Provence -- they explore the site of an old ocher mine.

The mine is an open-pit/surface type of mine that been around for along time and is still used by local artists who supposedly come here and mine small amounts of the different colored ochers to use in their paints. Ocher is a type of mineral that occurs naturally in a number of different colors -- red, yellow, white, purple, brown are the most common here.

There are two or three main trails and a bunch of offshoots -- the ones I hiked went right through the deposits and then climbed the ridge overlooking the pits below. The mine level trail was somewhat up and down -- you could wander wherever you wanted to, including climbing some of the deposits. The ridge trail was another one of the "chute" type trails I've run into here -- you basicaly follow a steep stream bed up to the top of the ridge and back down -- it's all uphill and then downhill -- no flat sections to catch your breath-- and you're walking on roots, stones and mud as you ascend/descend -- really glad I decided to take one of my hiking poles -- would've been real dicey in places otherwise. For those of you who hike in Colorado Springs, think Section 16 steep section -- then triple the roots and rocks, narrow the trail by fifty percent and up the grade by another thirty percent.

Most people stay on the lower trail -- once I was on the ridge trail, I didn't see or hear another person the whole time -- really nice -- went at my own pace (slow) and just enjoyed being out in nature. About halfway there was an overlook of the mines -- stopped, found a rock to sit on (ended-up kind of hanging my feet over the edge) and ate a sandwich I brought with me -- watching little "ants" of people scrambling around the pits down below -- felt like I had the whole place to myself although there were twenty to thirty people on site. Descended the trail passing above some "hoo-doo" configured rock structures (think Bryce Canyon or the Grand Canyon for similar rock formations).

The place is billed as "a slice of Colorado USA" -- sorry, Colorado has nothing to worry about -- it was nice to get out and get some exercise but the place isn't even close to what we have in the foothills. Nice for Europe though!

Then it was back in the car for another couple of hours to get to my hotel for the night -- good old GPS dropped me off right in the middle of an industrial/warehouse district just as the sun was going down. Fortunately found the hotel about a mile or so away -- had a large lighted rooftop sign -- was looking for a business that was open when I saw the sign -- might have been more challenging to find it in the daytime.

Tomorrow I pass through the Burgundy wine growing region again -- was there in July for a week when everything was pretty and green -- now the grape vines are yellow and red -- will be interesting to compare what it feels like. May stop at a couple wineries and wine taste if I have enough time.

Except for the GPS, overall a very nice day in France!