Geo: 48.8566, 2.35097We allowed ourselves a bit of a late start, and since we still had a pretzel left from yesterday, that and a cup of coffee (or tea, for Dejo) from the in-room kettle served as breakfast. Hey, it was already paid for….there's a certain appeal in that. Since our original plan of going to Versailles was out, we decided to go to the Louvre and see what we missed last time.We hopped on the Metro, debating on the way down whether it was the Palais Royal Musée du Louvre or the Louvre Rivoli station that we wanted. We got off at the Palais Royal Musee stop, which was the right stop, but instead of angling left when we got into the Carrousel (shopping mall), we angled right, and joined the long line for tickets. ... read more

Geo: 48.8566, 2.35097We let ourselves sleep in til 7:30, then headed over to old town to find some breakfast at a boulangerie. We didn't need to be over to the tour area until late morning, so we explored some more, now that it was sunny. I'm glad we walked around last night, because it was a whole different feel. Both times of day were charming, but just very different. When we came to a fork in the "road" (because these were also authentically windy, bumpy and squeezy roads), we looked at the slopey one to the right, and said “Let's go that way.” It was a short but steep (14° grade) pedestrian walkway into a residential area. We wound our way back down to the retail part of town, and did a little shopping for some ... read more

Geo: 45.0928, 6.06986We wanted to beat the crowds (many of whom would be bused up from Bourg d' Oisan) at the chairlift. We kinda' failed on that. But, while Dejo waited in line for our tickets, I hung out and used the same electrical outlet from last night, to charge my iPhone, and the MiFi.The trip over to Alpe d'Huez was a series of 3 chairlifts. The first one was a little chilly, but the views of rolling mountaintop meadows were pretty great. Sheer-faced Alps off to our left had our mouths agape. We then changed to another chairlift which took us down a grassy slope, to the edge of a gorge.And then.You guys.Truly Awesome, in the purest definition of the word.The 3rd chairlift went down into this gorge. And when I say Down, I mean ... read more

Geo: 44.8187, 5.94772Today's plan afforded us enough time to go sit down and have a café and pain au chocolat for breakfast. As we sat, we saw a market being set up, so of course we went to peruse. This was more like a flea market than an artisanal market, but there were plenty of yummies to be had. I filled a small bag with macarons (the first I'd spotted this trip), and picked up a cute spring green, polka-dotted tablecloth for our breakfast table at home. After dropping our purchases at the campervan, we took a short walk so that Dejo could show me a pretty little spot that he'd passed by on the previous day's bike ride. There was a bench by a stream, and we sat there for several minutes, just enjoying the ... read more

Geo: 44.5264, 6.40133So, we wake up amidst an apricot orchard. There are worse ways to start your day! I walked over to find someone to pay, and ended up in their little shop, so I picked up a couple of apricots, and a jar of apricot jam along with my €4 for the night. We headed east toward the town of Crest, where the feed zone was for that day.We found a spot to park, and started setting out the flag. I thought I'd grabbed the Colorado and the Canada flags, but apparently, the Holland flag – when folded just so – looks like the Colorado flag. So we were putting out the maple leaf, when we were in a position to do so.A car pulled up and parked next to us, and between the language ... read more