We visited METZ, because Bill’s great grandfather came from Metz. Apart from the B&B with no WiFi, it was a good visit. The cathedral was closed Sunday until 2 pm...so we found a place to eat and waited and WOW! What a treat...glad that we waited... Most cathedrals do canned music, but here we heard a REAL organ being played...it was peaceful and beautiful...This cathedral has more stained glass than any in the world and it took about 300 years to complete...and somehow, it wasn’t damaged by the wars... So, that was worth it all... As some of you know from FB, I am always collecting photos of manhole covers and whatever else someone sticks in the ground. Here we did find several covers with Metz, but also a couple of cute little dragons...Apparently, pre-Christian, a ... read more

Today, I ran...on the London/Paris bike path...well, you know, my shuffle run....it was just the right temperature and the 70% chance of rain held off until it POURED at exactly 10 am... Saw some really really gorgeous gardens along the bike path, still with some great looking veggies... We needed to update our cell phone coverage, so drove into the town...Bill executed a PERFECT park job, figured out how to pay for the parking space with his credit card (which we use ALL the time!) Found the telephone place and there was a “wonderfully proficient in English” person who explained everything perfectly...Then, it POURED...and we got soaked, because we really don’t want to buy yet another umbrella when we have so many back home! Want to mention the app Vivino... which we use back home to ... read more

We have been so busy finding interesting SERVAS families, and that we have done, that, in the process, we managed to miss both the Bayeaux tapestry and the Giverny Gardens, both on my list, but I wasn’t paying attention, and we are NOT back-tracking now. Just have to plan for another visit. Bill is the designated driver, and he has reached far back into driving memory to drive stick shift (six gears)...after all these years of automatic...There are very few stop lights here, mostly traffic roundabouts, and depending on the traffic, some shifting of gears. As I think I mentioned earlier, GPS is very polite, saying, “please take the second (or fourth) exit from the roundabout...” But with several lanes and heavy traffic, it can be harrowing...Initially, I counted the exits, but now I sit as ... read more

OMG! What a hassle!!! What a learning curve to be on the road again, for three months, with a car! And learning to use this site! RENTAL CAR: Thank goodness, Bill knows how to drive a stick shift...so do I, but he is the only authorized driver. We managed to circle the airport only twice before we understood the wonderfully, courteous voice on the GPS which says, Please turn right, Please turn left...Somehow, we didn’t understand the A/C...whether on or off, it spewed HOT AIR...eventually we contacted SIXT (rental company) and the problem seems to have been operator error. Organization: historically, we try to pack minimally. However, this trip is three months and we anticipate some cold weather, meaning we packed more than normal, but still within our two bags plus one. But, we were not ... read more

Haven't quite figured out how to add photos, but I am getting better. Biking in France is so much easier than what I have seen in the US of A... Here are two photos of the green biking signs that we followed. These are found not only along the canals, but also in cities, including Paris! All the cities, and the villages have clearly marked bike lanes, and motorists are really considerate. They wait patiently to pass, and when they do pass, they really zip by! We did buy the France maps for our GPS, but it wasn't all that useful for biking. BTW, I do like kilometers because when we say that we biked 88 km, it seems like so much more than saying 55 miles.... read more