TOUR 3 – La France – FRI, 01 JUL 2022 – “Day 7: BORDEAUX - BORDEAUX Wine tasting in the countryside. Free time this afternoon. (B,D)”... read more

TOUR 3 – La France – WED, 29 JUN 2022 – “Day 5: SAINT-MALO–ESSÉ–ANGERS–LOIRE VALLEY - ESSÉ Visit La Roche-aux-Fées; ANGERS Orientation tour. Free time to browse before continuing to the Loire Valley. (B); 267 mi / 430 km” T’was a very good day for Uncle Larry to screw up again and delete the daytime photos. It was rainy and there was nothing monumental to photograph anyway. A group photo was shared by a travelmate, and I took some photos of our optional trip to a fancy French restaurant for a gourmet meal after my self-inflicted photographic disaster.... read more

MON, 27 JUN 2022 – “Day 3: PARIS–CAEN. EXCURSION TO NORMANDY BEACHES - CAEN Visit the Memorial Museum for Peace; NORMANDY BEACHES See the Mulberry Harbor remains at Arromanches, then visit Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery and Memorial with the Monument to the Brave. (B,D); 236 mi / 380 km”... read more

I really never have had anything, either specifically nor in general, against France nor its people; however, there never has been anything (other than the World War I & II sites) that has made me pine for a visit. Only recently, since the airing of the Tour de France on television, have I even learned of the existence of the Pyrenees Mountains. Rolling countryside covered with grape arbors has never given my eyeballs an adrenaline rush, pictures of the architecture of eastern Europe have been more intriguing than those I have seen of France, the portions of fine French food I have seen served on TV seemed totally inadequate and “Boone’s Farm” (at a buck a gallon) seemed to accompany blondes and brunettes equally well during my high school years. Given that France has been a ... read more

Piecing together the remnants of my original 2020 European trip (amalgamation of the travel vouchers that were issued when cash refunds were refused) proved more problematic than construction of the original trip, and numerous “Plan Bs” evolved. Such was the case with my journey from Spain to the Netherlands/Denmark area of Europe. Originally, my only time in France was a couple of days offered on an accompanied tour of several European countries, but Plan B found me with a 16-day tour of France and a 7-day interval between Madrid and Paris. This silver lining gave me an opportunity to spend some time in a city I have always found appealing, Barcelona, Spain. THU, 16 JUN 2022: Europamundo services came to an end when the Great Iberian Tour returned to Madrid towards the end of the day. ... read more