Travel Blog Posts
Jon's Ironman and St. Tropez
Published: July 2nd 2009Europe » France » Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur » Nice
July 2nd 2009
Jon did not sleep the night before his big Ironman. We met up with Brian and Erica around 5am. I walked Jon to his transition area and then to the swim start. All the athletes were in the water and the race started at 6:30am. It was the hottest day in Nice and there was no breeze. I got a perfect spot to cheer and see everyone come out of the water. Jon jumped on his bike and had a long climbing bike ride and then a long marathon. Jon was happy to have finished despite the flat tire and slow time. After his 2 I.Vs, the fireworks went off and the 16 hours cut off was up and it was time to celebrate. Everyone was hobbling around the next day and we spent most of ... read more
The Day Before the Ironman
Published: June 27th 2009Europe » France » Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur » Nice
June 27th 2009
Thank you to everyone that has sent us comments through the travel blog! We love to get messages from home. Today was all about preparing for the Big Race Tomorrow! Jon, Brian and Erica did a little swim in the morning and I walked the boardwalk. We all went to breakfast and then got everything ready for the Ironman tomorrow. All the bags were filled with shoes, helmets, bike tubes, energy drinks and food. Then we went down to the start of the race so that Jon could drop off his bike and get body marked. This pretty much took all day. There was some gelato in between of course. We will be waking up EARLY tomorrow because the Ironman starts at 6:30am. Off to sleep. You follow the race online at www.midlifetricrisis.com. Jon's race number ... read more
June 26th 2009
We coated ourselves in sunscreen, Jon did an hr run along the Ironman course, and I walked on the promenade. We met for baguette sandwiches for lunch. Yes, lunch. Avoiding jetlag when you are pregnant is hard because you cannot take things to put you back to sleep. We were both awake from 1-5 but then fell back asleep until 11:30. There went the morning to jet lag. Jon did a swim after lunch and I relaxed and watched Wimbledon on French TV. There are three channels playing. Too much fun. The weather here in Nice couldn’t be better, warm, but not hot and sunny. Jon is getting really excited for the big Race Day on Sunday. All the athletes are arriving into town. The town is starting to buzz with excitement. This morning Jon woke ... read more
June 24th 2009
We arrived in Nice with all of our bags at midnight. Amazing after we missed our connection from Heathrow to Nice. We were so happy to check into the Mercure hotel right on the boardwalk and go to sleep. Our first day Jon woke up and built his bike and went on a morning bike ride. I did some shopping while he was riding. We strolled around and had some lunch and then took the scenic bus to see some sights in Nice. We have been to Nice many times but have never taken the bus to see all around. There is some fantastic history of this once, Italian, Greek and now French city. We highly recommend the scenic bus tour. We showered and walked to Old Town for dinner. The square is always really busy ... read more
Going to Nice for the Ironman
Published: June 24th 2009Europe » France » Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur » Nice
June 24th 2009
We have been waiting a long time for this exciting day to come. Jon is all trained and ready to partcipate in Ironman France. When we planned this trip there were only two of us but now there are four, ok two are 4 1/2 months (18 weeks today) in-utero but they definitely count. We are traveling with one large bike box and two regular suitcases. And of course carry ons. The weather in Nice has been 78 and sunny. We might get some humidity. We will see once we get there. We love to fly Virgin Atlantic and it will be no different this summer. We are on the 8:55pm flight that gets us into Heathrow at 3:30 and onto Nice by 7:00pm! Jon and I are super excited for our last Europe trip without ... read more
July 18th 2008
July 17th, 18th and 19th July 17th we were at sea all day sailing from Edinburgh to Dublin. We arrived in Dublin on the 18th for two days in Ireland. On our first day we walked around town on Grafton St. This is a big pedestrian walking and shopping street. We headed to Trinity College and saw the Book of Kells. This is a very old book created over 1000 years ago in Ireland. The book is the New Testament with beautiful art and design. It is only opened to two pages to see every couple of days. We then saw a really old library that look like something straight out of Harry Potter and a very old harp from the middle ages. Later that night we went to an Irish dinner and dancing show called ... read more
Edinburgh Scotland
Published: July 22nd 2008Europe » United Kingdom » Scotland » Midlothian » Edinburgh
July 15th 2008
July 15th and 16th , 2008 Today the ship docked in Edinburgh, Scotland for two days. We had a fantastic day exploring Edinburgh Castle. At 1:00 we heard the cannon blast. We saw the crown jewels of Scotland and had lunch in the Castle. Then later that evening we had a private ghost tour. Edinburgh is home to the show Ghost Hunters. Our guide was a very good story teller and took us all over Edinburgh telling us of the haunting and then took us under the city to the underground vaults and tried to scare us some more. I didn’t really feel any ghosts but maybe I am just not “sensitive”. On our second day in Edinburgh we went to the National Gallery which was a truly amazing museum of beautiful art. I highly recommend ... read more
July 14th 2008
July 14th, 2008 This is our first Sea Day and also my Birthday. We are sailing from Dover to Edinburgh. In the day we all spent some time at the Aveda spa for massages and facials. This was very relaxing and wonderful. Then we all got dressed for the first formal dinner. Everyone looked great and sang happy Birthday to me. That evening we headed to the Luxe bar and somehow Kim and I ended the night singing karaoke. It was a great Birthday. Thank you to everyone for all of the Birthday wishes. ... read more
July 13th 2008
July 13, 2008 We all got to Dover and boarded the Crystal Symphony. The ship is fantastic. We are all on the 9th floor on the same side of the ship with our rooms almost all next to each other. Wink, Jon and I got off the ship because we did not sail until 6 pm to go see Dover Castle. This is a fantastic castle with a lot of history built in 1190. King Henry the VIII spent some time there. There is a beautiful view of the white cliffs and the beach. ... read more
Last Day in London Before the Cruise
Published: July 20th 2008Europe » United Kingdom » England » Greater London
July 12th 2008
July 12, 2008 On our last day in London before we headed to Dover to catch the Crystal Cruise ship Wink, Sai, Jon and I decided to go on the London Eye and then check out the costumes at the Globe Theater. The London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel with big glass pods that hold about 20 people each. There is a great view of the Thames, Big Ben, Parliament and Buckingham Palace from 443 feet. It takes about 30 min to go all the way around. After the Eye we took a taxi to the Globe Theater. We went to the gift shop and looked at the costumes. The Globe is where Shakespeare’s plays were preformed from the start. The theater has been restored and is very much like it was back in the ... read more
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