Blogs from Île-de-France, France, Europe - page 6

Today started out early.....first at 3:00 (I set my alarm wrong), then at 4:30 (we had to get to the Eurostar early for security, passport, and boarding. We had been to the terminal last night and saw the crowds and long lines. A policeman said to be there no later than 5:30 (7:01 departure time), so that's what we did. We hated to leave our cute hotel room, but off we went dragging our luggage, or at least part of it, to the train station. This station was beautiful inside and out. We were shocked to find that there weren't as many people as we thought since ours was only the 2nd train of the day. We got through security with no problem. Passport control was really just a stamp your passport and go situation. We ... read more

From Statista: The world-famous cycling competition, the Tour de France, kicks off next week, running from July 1 - July 24. It’s touted as one of the biggest sporting events in the world, and according to statistics by Médiamétrie, attracted a television audience of 150 million viewers across Europe in 2021. But how popular is it on a country-by-country basis? Data from Statista’s Global Consumer Survey shows that one stereotype does hold true: the Dutch do really love their bikes. According to data of selected countries collected between April 2021and March 2022, the Netherlands had the greatest share of competitive cycling fans out of the selected European countries, with 29 percent of its sports fans saying they f... read more

SUN, 26 JUN 2022 – “Day 2: PARIS - Free time this morning followed by guided sightseeing that features the Arc de Triomphe, les Champs-Elysées, and a visit to the Courtyard of Les Invalides. This evening, enjoy dinner and cabaret at the famous Lido. (B,D)” Uncle Larry’s note: The Eiffel Tower is cool, but photographs are able to do it justice. The Palace of Versailles and the Moulin Rouge, on the other hand, are must-sees while in Paris. Photographs cannot do justice to the Palace while photographs are not allowed during the show at the Moulin Rouge. Before and after dinner, a band entertained us. Of course, I took advantage of a once in a lifetime opportunity and cut the rug with one of my travelling companions. At the latter, there were the anticipated dancers but ... 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

Day 4: 5th June, 2022; Exploring Paris Rise and shine! First morning in Paris and today we began with an 8am wake up call as we head down to the hotel’s lobby for some breakfast. We had classic French food such as croissants with Nutella, toasted baguette’s and of course, ham and cheese. Following that delicious breakfast, we hopped onto the coach at 9:00am as we drove past the Seine River and saw a glimpse of Notre-Dame and the Efile Tower. As we were dropped off, we were told that we had a full day to ourselves but had to be back on the bus at 4:15pm in Concrode, Paris. We hopped out of the bus and went our separate ways. The boys and I found our way to Place De la Concorde. We noticed there ... read more