This middle ages city is well preserved and so pretty. It is here where St. Joan of Arc was sold to the British who tortured her as a witch and burned her at the stake. It seems that no one spoke up on her behalf. The church built in her memory is an incredible piece of very modern architecture in the town of gothic churches, The cathedral of Notre Dame (so frequently painted by Monet) dominates the city scape. Monet painted it again and again, working with it as much for "light study" as for subject matter. Today, we opted out [View Full Entry]

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We had a few days in Paris before we boarded the River Baroness. Our room at the Meridian Montparnasse wasn't ready; so we used a two day pass on an open air "hop on...hop off" bus (the yellow one) and got a great overview of the city with taped commentary. We hopped off at the Louvre, where we were so glad that Zita had steered us to visit Napoleon III's Apartment. Our "fellow travelers" never saw this marvel. We did get to Mona, Winged Victory, Venus and other Louvre highlights. The I.M. Pei glass pyramid reminded us of the Guggenheim - [View Full Entry]

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Our first day trip from the River Baroness was a trek up a steep hill to Richard the Lion Heart's late 12th century Chateau Gaillard at Les Andeleys. It was very foggy so we could only guess at the view that our guide described. The fortification would remind New Yorkers of the way that West Point provided protection by its high elevation and river location. The little town was charming. This was a nice "low key" start to our exploration of Normandy. [View Full Entry]

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Battlefields and cemeteries; whether in Normandy, Gettysburg, Washington DC or anywhere tug at the heart. It is overwhelming to look at the thousands of Crosses and Stars of Davids and think what these brave soldiers went through. The US / Canadian Cemetery is fittingly, immaculately kept. We were given a rose to place on the grave marker of our own choice. The museums were so informative. The signage was in French and English. One light note - we got the word at breakfast on the boat; that the itinerary would be tight to get through the Museum at Fort Winston properly [View Full Entry]

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Honfleur was a wonderful surprise. We took the guided walking tour with a local guide provided by UniWorld (really tio notch). After the tour, we signed up for a late bus back to the River Baroness and stayed on to enjoy this charming town on our own. We had a wonderful meal at a sidewalk cafe next to the old harbor. Wes and the waiter had a little "to do" about speaking French (or not) and shrimp vs. oysters! But all was delicious beyond words when the food and wine were served. We liked the shops here, but our luggage space [View Full Entry]

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The drive from Lexington through eastern Kentucky, into West Virginia, the top (Panhandle) of Maryland and on to Gettysburg, PA is beautiful, especially in spring with redbuds in bloom on the hillsides and Bradford Pear, apple, and Japanese cherry trees in abundance. It's a little rugged in spots (some 6% grades); but nothing the Schooner and Wes couldn't handle. The black dots along a route on AAA maps indicate scenic byways and we were plenty dotted! We dry camped behind a Cracker Barrel in Cross Lanes, W. Virginia. This is a time when chain restaurants come in handy - there was [View Full Entry]

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This is the fourth time we have stayed at Kentucky Horse Park Camp Ground. It's a great park, lots of space between sites, great playground, basket ball and tennis courts, and a pool if we ever hit this place when it is warm. On the opening day of Keeneland's April meet, we met Michael McMahon at the Thoroughbred Club for lunch and, because of the chilly weather, lingered (there are betting windows at the club). Once the weather changed, we took a shuttle to the track and met up with Kate in the Paddock. After the races, we headed for Versailles [View Full Entry]

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We rolled through Alabama, green and lush with flowering shrubs on our way to Atlanta, Georgia. Redbud, dogwood, azalea, Japanese cherry blossoms (Macon, GA has more cherry trees than DC), forsythia, wisteria and more are in full bloom. We passed through a precious little ante-bellum town, Eufaula, Alabama. The photos are from the town's web site. No stopping due to rain. We detoured due to an accident on I 85 and took a scenic drive through the countryside, passing through quaint Luthersville and a bustling commercial stretch of Peach Tree City. Sorry for the accident; but love getting [View Full Entry]

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We slurpped our last Panhandle Oyster, put away our flip flops and sunscreen, stocked the freezer with pink gulf shrimp and grouper from Shrimers's Seafood Market on Route 98 and bid Florida adios! The Emerald Coast has much to offer; and we'll be back. On the restaurant side, Cafe Tango on Route 30 A in Santa Rosa Beach was impeccable. We started by sharing scallops, moved to wonderful salads with blu cheese dressing, and chose two entrees; one the grouper special with shrimp and the other rib eye with chimichurra sauce. We topped it all off with a nice bottle of [View Full Entry]

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Florida State Parks are wonderful. The price is right; and each has a unique quality - St. George Island is primitive and wild - Top Sail, near Santa Rosa Beach, was once a commercial RV Park and has ammenities - pool, hot tub, laundry, paved "pads" - normally not found at a State Park. There was a "host camper - volunteer" at St. George who went out of his way to be friendly and helpful without being intrusive. On St. George's, we LOVED Eddy Teachs for oysters, other seafood and even burgers. Moving on to Top Sail near Santa Rosa Beach, [View Full Entry]

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