PYRENEES MOUNTAINS

Stage 7 of the 2009 Tour de France will take the riders 139.2 miles from the coast of Spain to the mountain top of Arcalis above the tiny principality of Andorre in the Pyrenees Mountains. There are a series of five climbs which should start to separate the sprinters from the climbers!

Another exciting day on the Tour with the Yellow Jersey surprise victory by the first Italian rider since 2000 to take the honors; Rinaldo Noncentini is 6 seconds ahead of Alberto Contador for the best time of the Tour to date and will start in the Maillot Jaune tomorrow!

Brice Feillu, a 23 year old Frenchman, won the King of the Mountain and also was the first rider across the finish line to take Stage 7 glory on the podium!

The top five riders include three members of the Astana Team with Alberto Contador in second place, Lance Armstrong in third place and Levi Leipheimer in fourth.

For more information: http://www.letour.fr/2009/TDF/LIVE/us/700/classement/

The Standings are as follows at the end of Stage 7:

Over all Team: Astana

Yellow Jersey: Rinaldo Noncentini Green Jersey: Mark Cavendish

King of the Mountain: Brice Feillu White Jersey: Tony Martin

And, as promised here is the 2004 story of our travel day from Triegnic to La Mongie to witness a Stage Finish live and in person!

Thursday, July 15^th, 2004 Traveling to La Mongie

It’s after 10 pm and we’re in La Mongie, a ski resort high in the Pyrenees mountains near the French and Spanish border. If you’re familiar with the area we can see the Tourmalet Pass. There are firecrackers going off, music playing and car after car still trying to find a parking place for the night. The mountainside is covered with thousands of tents all here for the Tour de France that ends Stage 12 just below our window tomorrow about 5 pm. This is the culmination of an eighteen-mile uphill climb.

A bit of history about the Tour de France:

La Mongie is on one of the most important stages of the Tour de France. The Tour has regularly passed along the route since the inclusion of the Pyrenees in 1910. In 2004 the 12th stage terminated in La Mongie village. The last time the Tour crossed the Col du Tourmalet was the 10th stage of the 2008 competition; the route passed through La Mongie before reaching the Col du Tourmalet.

Tour de France stage finishes in La Mongie:

Year	Stage	Start of stage	Distance (km)	Category	Stage winner	Yellow jersey
2004	12	Castelsarrasin	197.5	1	Ivan Basso	Thomas Voeckler
2002	11	Pau	158	1	Lance Armstrong	Lance Armstrong
1970	18	Saint-Gaudens	135.5	1	Bernard Thévenet	Eddy Merckx

Today’s story began as we left our hotel this morning and headed south towards the Pyrenees Mountains stopping in Triegnac on the way to mail some postcards. I got out of the car, dropped them into a mailbox and proceed to walk straight into a hanging pot that had just been watered! Not an auspicious start to our day! I was fine; the pot was missing some water and dirt. Shook the dirt from my hair, put on a dry shirt and off we went. Traveled the main roads and paid the tolls for a smooth day of driving. Only saw a few sunflower fields around Toulouse; and there were a few vineyards but mostly open grazing fields or wheat fields.

Jim and I had a different opinion as to where our hotel was for the evening. He was sure that we were in Bagneres-de-Bigorre, a large city at the base of the mountain. I was sure, based on the address of the hotel that he’d given to me several months ago, that we were at the finish line in La Mongie. One must remember not to crow too loudly as he was working over the Internet with five different hotels in the surrounding one hundred mile radius. We arrived in Bagneres, found the Tourist Information and Jim went in to ask for directions to the hotel. She pointed up the hill and said La Mongie and smiled. We headed up the hill. From that point on there were more and more bicycle riders until we were passing one about every twenty feet. They were going both ways on the hill. Traffic was a bear and that was before it really got bad. The road was lined with campers and trailers that have probably been parked here for a week or more to preserve their spot on this long final hill to the finish line. We arrived in La Mongie about 2:30 pm and found our hotel right on the finish line across the street from the Cable Car lifts up the mountain to the Pic du Midi. There is a huge observatory at the top of the mountain as well as the ski runs.

We’re in the older part of the hotel that is considered a “one star”; but, we have a private bathroom and electricity. We’re on the fourth floor and no elevator; it helps that we’re using nylon bags and leaving the large suitcases in the trunk of the car. When Jim first inquired about reservations to the main hotel several months ago, we were told that they were already fully booked. A month later we received an email that said they could give us a room in the “old part” of the hotel. The accommodations would “not be much” but we jumped at the opportunity to be on the top of the mountain as opposed to a hotel at the base of the mountain.

We settled in and then went walking. There are cows, goats and sheep wandering all over the place. People in tents have them walking right beside their tents. They are wrecking havoc with the cars and bikes on the road as they walk anywhere they please. And don’t forget the gifts they leave, also anywhere they please. One walks looking down or runs the risk of a fresh “mud” pie on their shoe!

We looked all day for our friend Sam who said he was riding up the mountain today to see the course. Finally reached Sam on the cell phone on the fourth try and turns out his hotel is further away than they thought so they will see one of the other climbs tomorrow but not the finish. I told Sam that if he was riding up tomorrow I’d borrow a paint brush and put a sign “GO SAM” on the street for him; that gave him a chuckle. Yes, our cell phone works like a charm here, but no internet access as the phone in our room is hard wired and no way to hook into the system. The trend here is to write encouraging messages with paint right on the road for the bike riders. This is especially popular on the hills. They use paint and large roller brushes. The signs last for years sometimes depending on the paint and amount of traffic. Some use chalk which fades pretty fast!

Had dinner tonight at a pizza bar, first pizza we’ve had in months so we also had beer. Hang the diet…this is definitely party night. It’s nearly 11 pm now and the fireworks are going off all over the place. We have a party going on below our window one story down on the deck. It’s going to be a long, long night. Met a young man from Connecticut and he was excited about the “good times tonight”. We have our American flag hanging out the window. I hooked some heavy locks (from the luggage) to the bottom to keep it from blowing so much. Works great. Tomorrow we will have some of the best seats in the house: the windows of our hotel room…right on the finish line!

(Our story will continue on Saturday, July 11^th, 2009, to prepare you for the2009 Race going through La Mongie on Sunday, July 12^th.)

UPDATE ON STAGE 6 OF 2009 TOUR

Stage 6 of the 2009 Tour de France on July 9^th gave us many surprises! First and unexpectedly in Spain we had a day of heavy rain that caused several crashes that affected some of the riders expected to do well this year! But the overall leaders remained the same at the end of the day. David Miller, along with two and sometimes three other riders, left the Peloton early on this 112.5 mile ride along the coast of Spain from Gerona to Barcelona. Eventually Miller broke away and did the last fifteen or so miles alone at the front. The Peloton caught him just before the finish at the summit of Mt. Montjuic. Suddenly from a sprint finish by the leading Peloton Thor Hushovd emerged taking first place for Stage 6! A very exciting and unexpected finish! The current leaders of the tour all finished in the first group and received the same times so none of the leaders have changed. Only one jersey changed today…the King of the Mountain!

Jersey Winners for Stage 6:

Maillot Jaune : Fabian Cancellara Maillot Vert : Mark Cavendish (by 1 point)

Maillot A Pois Rouges: Stepane Auge (new) Maillot Blanc : Tony Martin

Today’s finish was at the site of the 1992 Olympics, at the top of the Parc de Montjuic. Barcelona is rimmed with mountains and this one rises at the edge of the old part of the city of Barcelona separating it from the waterfront!

For more information about Barcelona go to my older blogs and find “Sunshine In Barcelona”, March 8, 2009. The story of my three days in Barcelona with my twin sister this spring.

I’ve decided to hold off another day for the next segment of the 2004 Tour but promise that tomorrow will bring more on that story.

THE FRENCH WIN STAGE 5!

Stage 5 today was a massive WIN for the FRENCH! Little Tommy Voeckler broke away with a group of six early in the race and against all odds managed to break from that group at the end and bring home the bacon!

In the 2004 Tour de France, Tommy was the favorite of everyone as he won the yellow jersey for ten days in a row! But, he has never won a Stage in the Tour de France until today! I remember the names of all of the top riders from the past years since we began to watch this race, but Tommy is the only one of the pack that I always watch for and pray that he has a place on the podium again! It was very exciting today to see him in the lead sprint group and then actually win the Stage!

Below is a story that I found on the Internet after today’s race; it says it all in my book. Written by Crazy Jane of Pro Cycling News on July 27, 2004 at the end of the 2004 Tour de France:

• Thomas Voeckler's Huge Ride on the Plateau de Beille. People, it just does not get better than Little Tommy Voeckler, does it? This little man happened into the Maillot Jaune by going with the break on a day when the peloton let it go long, and he made it look good; but that was only the beginning of the story. Ten days later, and despite every prediction, Ti Ti would still be in yellow, after having unpacked an apparently bottomlesssuitcase of courage in the Pyrenees. By slipping into the Maillot Jaune, Voeckler met his destiny head-on, and freaking LET IT ROLL, baby; finding grinta and deep reserves that he more than likely never knew were in there. In that 10 days, he became a hero, a heartthrob, and most importantly, a very impressive Tour de France bike racer.

Voeckler's ride up the Plateau de Beille, after getting dropped on every prior climb on the toughest mountain stage in this year's Tour, and then battling back to hang onto a slim lead of only 22 seconds was the most riveting moment in this year's tour. Watching Voeckler struggle towards the summit, I could barely look at my television, but when I did, he was climbing out of his skin, swerving with exhaustion, and working that 1000 yard stare to come to the line and raise one triumphant fist, and let me tell you that this race fan cried real tears. Heart like that is rare and beautiful, and Tommy?

And with that note I close today....more in tomorrow's posting about our 2004 story about our trip to follow the race where we fell in love with little Tommy Voeckler!

BASTILLE DAY IN TREIGNAC

Stage 3 of the 2009 Tour de France began in Marseille and ended 121.8 miles later in the city of La Grande-Motte. The biggest surprise of the day was the last minute sprint by Mark Cavendish and his Columbia teammates along with Lance Armstrong and Fabian Cancellara. Cavendish took the Stage but the biggest upset was Armstrong moving up from 10^th place to 3^rd place because of the his ability to realize when the mass group sprint was happening and take advantage of that move. The group sprinted to the line together and all received the same time; 39 seconds faster than the second group to cross the finish line!

For more information:

http://www.livestrong.com/lance-armstrong/tour-de-france-stage-3/

Stage 4 was the Team Time Trial in Montpellier. Five members of the team must complete the 24.2 mile course and their time is earned when the 5^th man crosses the finish line. Continuing wind affected many of the teams, caused a few of them to crash, but the overall winner was the Astana Team lead by Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador. The question of the day was whether or not Lance would wear the Maillot Jaune jersey! Time wise he tied with Fabian Cancellera; but tradition has it that in case of a tie the current winner takes the prize.

For more information:

http://www.livestrong.com/lance-armstrong/tour-de-france-stage-4/

Stage 5 on July 8th will take us 121.8 miles from Le Cap d’Agde to Perpignan and the following day we will head south into Spain! For more information:

http://www.livestrong.com/lance-armstrong/tour-de-france-stage-5/

At the end of Stage 4 the right to wear the Jerseys tomorrow are:

Yellow Jersey: Fabian Cancellara (best time)

Green Jersey: Mark Cavendish (most points)

Polka-dot Jersey: Jussi Veikkanen (king of the mountain)

White Jersey: Tony Martin (best rider age 25 and under)

Top Team: (total points): Astana Team

Continuing our story in 2004; we head south of Limoges to the mountain town of Triegnic to watch the riders come through on a stage from Limoges to Saint-Flour.

Monday, July 12^th, 2004 Treignac, France

The weather was overcast but no rain as we began our nine hour drive to Treignac, a small mountain village in the south of France after a delightful three day visit in Dinan.

Along the way we passed pasture land with the white cattle known as Charolais; they provide France with it’s best beef. South of Nantes we found fields of sunflowers, Jim commented that “our girls have grown” since we last saw them over a week ago.. Soon there were acres or should I say hectors of vineyards.

Stopped in Cognac for gas and then back on the toll road that was full of Tour de France trucks for the race officials, team trucks and sponsor trucks; everyone was headed south!

An interesting note is that the French put black silhouettes of people (male and female) along the highway showing where people were killed in accidents; one for each victim. They serve as a warning that people should not drive when drinking and/or when they are tired. Not sure if the program is working but it does wake one up!

Arrived at our small Hotel du Luc in the mountains south of Limoges about five o’clock; only seven rooms and we paid a bit extra for a room with a view of the lake! After we settled in we purchased some food and drove to a picnic area on the lake and enjoyed the view while we ate our dinner.

The bike riders had a day of rest as they transferred to Limoges by airplane to continue their race tomorrow just east of Limoges before returning to Limoges for the road south on Wednesday that will go through Treignac.

Tuesday, July 13^th Treignac

I stayed at the hotel and enjoyed a day off while Jim spent the day chasing the race that was running 160 km from Saint-Leonard-de-Noblat to Gueret today. A long day of driving many miles, but very exciting for him. He was exhausted but full of exciting stories when he returned in the late afternoon.

We had a picnic dinner in our room while enjoying the views of the lake from our balcony.

Wednesday, July 14^th Treignac Bastille Day

Big day today! The race will be a long one today: 237 km; from Limoges to Saint-Flour. And….it comes right through our little mountain town of Treignac! So we’ll spend the day waiting and waiting and waiting….for the five minutes it will probably take for all of the riders to pass through the town.

But, we will have the fun of the caravan of sponsors that arrives about an hour before and hopefully we’ll be able to snag some of the goodies that they toss at us from the moving vehicles.

We found a spot on the road just above the climb that they make coming into town, hung our American Flag over the sign and then the wait began. Oh yes, it’s only noon so we’ve several long hours in the sunshine before they arrive. Our hotel is out of town so we had to arrive before they closed the roads. Everyone was in a very festive mood because of the Tour de France and also because today is Bastille Day, much like the fourth of July in USA. Met a family from Belgium and their English was good so we had a great time talking about both of our journeys to pass the time.

Hot and tired after our day at the races, we enjoyed a relaxing meal in the restaurant at the hotel. We then enjoyed watching the fireworks display on the lake in honor of Bastille Day. A fitting end to a great day in France!

AND THE LEADER IS.....

The 2009 Tour de France started on July 4^th with the top eighteen riders (including four American riders) finishing within a minute of Fabian Cancellara, the winner of this stage and both the yellow and the green jerseys! The overall leaders remained the same after Stage 2 was completed on July 5th For a list of the leaders go to: http://www.versus.com/tdf/standings/standings.php?ss=standings&t=ITG&e=0200

Stage 2 of the tour began at the front door of the Monte Carlo Casino in Monaco and ended 116.2 miles later in the medieval city of Brignoles, once the home of the counts of Provence. An exciting finish by Mark Cavendish of the Columbia Team gave him a Stage Win and the green jersey. For more information go to: http://www.versus.com/tdfstage2

Today is Stage 3 from Marseille to La Grande-Motte, 121.8 miles…

***********************************

The last of the four jerseys is the White Jersey (maillot blanc) that is awarded to the best place rider in the general classification who was 25 years old or under on January 1^st of the current year. Alberto Contador won the 2007 White Jersey.

For more information go to:

http://bikeracing.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_jerseys_of_the_tour_de_france

At the end of Stage 2 the right to wear the Jerseys are:

Yellow Jersey: Fabian Cancellara (best time)

Green Jersey: Mark Cavendish (most points)

Polka-dot Jersey: Jussi Veikkanen (king of the mountain)

White Jersey: Roman Kreuziger (best rider age 25 and under)

Top Team (total points): Astana Team

Our story continues in 2004 with a final day in Dinan before heading south to follow the 2004 Tour de France…..

Sunday, July 11^th, 2004: The weather is cool but dry; my coat feels good and I wore a sweatshirt under my windbreaker plus socks on my feet with my sandals. We carried umbrellas just in case; but never needed them.

Our first stop was the Castle and Keep, but since we’re in France it’s called the Chateau-Musee. The keep is the only part that is left of the huge Chateau. That part is a large building in good repair and housing a very interesting museum on several of the floors including one floor of weaving looms and delicate lace hats of the area. The traditional toilets of the medieval times were found strategically located in various levels. The entire building took about an hour to completely tour. We had great views of the city and valley from the rooftop of the Chateau.

Took a breather at the hotel and then headed over to take photos of the river area from the top of the Viaduct, built around 1850, that sends traffic directly to the newer part of the city. Then walked back a ways and down the steep cobblestone streets to the very old section of the city along the river. Passed on the Governor’s House and walked along the river to the home of an artist by the name of Yvonne Jean-Haffen. She was born in 1895 and died in 1993. This was her home and only opened a few years ago as a Museum. It’s almost as though she’s gone out for tea. Many of her original things are still in the home. We found one of the girls who spoke English and enjoyed sharing information about the artist and her home with us. We spent a very enjoyable hour touring the house from top to bottom.

Walking back to see the Governor’s House we were turned away as they had a concert in progress so we walked back to the hotel and the television for the bicycle race. Because of the weather, Jim decided not to try to drive to the race today. Good thing as on the television we saw that they had lots of rain today on their ride. I’m so glad that we decided to stay put and not drive to see the start of the race. We’re going to eat a light, early dinner as we have an early start tomorrow morning for our long drive to Treignac, southeast of Limoges. The bikers are flying south on their day off tomorrow. We will have heavy traffic on the road with all the vehicles with the Tour de France driving south. Soon the mountain rides will start and our Lance Armstrong should start to shine!

LE TOUR DE FRANCE

July 4^th, 2009: THE 2009 TOUR DE FRANCE BEGINS TODAY….

Enjoy the time trials today in Monaco before the road race begins tomorrow!

Check details at: http://www.letour.fr/us/homepage_courseTDF.html

For television coverage: check your local VERSUS NETWORK channel or their website at: http://www.versus.com/tdf/article/view/758/?ss=tv&tf=body_tdf_schedule.tpl

Our journey continues as we watch the 2004 Tour pass through Dinan……

Saturday, July 10^th, 2004 The Race Passes Thru Dinan

Slept in until about 6:30 am when we heard the city noises; but watched CNN until nearly 8 am before heading down for breakfast. The sun is shinning and it looks like a wonderful day for the bicycle riders. We have all morning to explore the town. We found Dinan first in 2000 on a day trip out of Saint-Malo. At that time we said we’d enjoy staying here…and here we are! We’re going out to walk and enjoy the shops before the city is full of tourists and Tour de France fans this afternoon.

Le Tour de France in 2004: When we arrived at the Tour de France area; the barriers were already up and the crowd was beginning to stake out the best spots. I saw a woman with the same type of digital camera that I have and found that she spoke English. She was from New York and had lived in Claremont California a few years back. We talked for quiet awhile and found that they had also stayed at Mere Poulard in Le Mont Saint-Michel on the same night we were there. They had the expensive dinner at the hotel and were very disappointed at the quality of the food. So, guess it was good that we passed on the dinner. When I told her the breakfast was not only reasonably priced but excellent; she was sorry that they had decided not to eat there after their experience with dinner as they had problems finding breakfast elsewhere. We exchanged information on the restaurants in Dinan.

I found a great spot and Jim went back to the hotel to pick up some things to keep us busy for the next three hours. I had a French lady on the right of me who was busy eating her lunch and was very quiet. We had a low wall made of stone that was the perfect height for sitting on and we could put our feet on the barrier to reserve our space. Soon there was a French family on the right of me. I kept my feet on the barrier, tied my jacket on it also and spread my things next to me to keep a space for Jim. Didn’t think he’d ever get back! He finally arrived as the caravan was getting started.

The Caravan is a series of vehicles decorated by the companies that sponsor the race and give away items by throwing them at the crowds as they drive past at about twenty to thirty miles per hour! It’s faster in the countryside and a bit slower in the cities. This year there are two hundred vehicles with forty two different brand names represented. The caravan will take about forty-five minutes to pass through each town and over the course of the race they will distribute eleven million gifts to the people standing along the routes. They generally arrive about an hour before the bicycles.

Jim purchased a packet with a hat, shirt and tiny bear for the Tour de France from a boutique truck that had items for sale. Jim had to go chase the girl down to get the hat that was missing from the package! Soon they were crowding in; Jim stood up to get a better look down the road and instantly a Frenchman was standing on the wall behind him. We had a Scottish man and his son that had already jumped up on the wall when our French lady on the left made the mistake of standing up! Soon the wall space was gone but we had the best space next to the metal barrier. The caravan arrived and started throwing things out…we had a cheese item land right at our feet. It was fun to watch people scrambling for items. Across the street we saw the local Mayor in a suit and tie…he was standing just like we were, holding his spot on the barrier. He was holding out a flag that said Dinan/Tour de France/1995. Talking to the Frenchman behind us he said that the race had ended in Dinan in 1995 and that was the flag used at the finish line.

Since the Mayor had his flag out; I got out our American Flag and draped it across the barrier in front of us. It was nearing time for the bicycle riders to arrive and suddenly a French policeman crossed the street and blocked our view. The French women became alive….she started spreading out our American flag and yelling at the policeman to move because the Americans had come a long way to see their American rider. From that point on they were very friendly and communicative in broken English and we in broken French. Amazing how much one can understand when some effort is put forth. Eventually the policeman shrugged his shoulders and move!

Soon the riders were there…lots of yelling and clapping…then they were gone. Lots of fun and everyone was in good spirits as we dispersed back into the town. It had looked like rain for at least an hour before the riders arrived; but only clouds. Later in the race the riders did finally have rain for the end of their race. We stayed dry with intermittent sunshine. We spent the remainder of the afternoon climbing up to the top of the clock tower for a view of the countryside and village after we finished watching the race on television in our room. From there we ate an early omelet dinner about 6 pm and then church at 7 pm.

After church we walked the Ramparts and discovered the really old part of the city down by the Port of Dinan. The city was originally built along the river in medieval times and in later years moved up the hill behind a wall during the wars. The city did not sustain any damage during either of the World Wars and is in very good condition with many half-timbered buildings. Really quite a hike, I thought it was about forty five degrees while walking it back to our hotel but Jim said no, only about a fifteen degree incline. But we enjoyed it so much we plan to go back tomorrow and do more exploring. We thought we were staying in the old town but found that there is much more than we’d realized. If you are traveling in this area; plan to stay several days, as it’s really wonderful and so there is so much to do and see!

ST MALO & DINAN...Travel Day

Today: July 3^rd, 2009

Check out the map (see slideshow) of this year’s Tour de France that begins tomorrow on July 4^th in the city of Monaco and also on their website:

http://www.letour.fr/

The first day will be individual time trials in Monaco, a distance of 9.3 miles.

July 5^th the riders will leave from Monaco and ride west 116.2 miles from Monaco to Brignoles in Provence. For more information about the race on your computer go to: http://www.versus.com/cyclysm and for your local VERSUS NETWORK…check your local listings for the VS television channel and/or other sport networks in your area.

Back to our story:

Friday, July 9^th, 2004 Dinan in Brittany

We had a wonderful breakfast this morning in Hotel Mere Poulard’s dining room; the French continental variety but with cheeses added and very soft breads. The weather is overcast but we managed to get our luggage to the car parked on the causeway with only minor sprinkles. Jim went out last night at nearly 11 pm and shot some wonderful videos of the Monastery all lit up by floodlights at night. The wind was blowing so hard that he could hardly hold the camera still enough to focus.

We’re only moving to Dinan today; about an hour’s journey at the most. So, we’ve decided to take the coastal route from Normandy into Brittany and enjoy the morning views since it is definitely raining lightly off and on. This area was part of England at one time and retains a flavor of its own. For one, all of the roads are free; and that is unusual in the rest of France. The English love to holiday here since there is a definite pride in their distinct Breton culture.

The coastal route from Le Mont St. Michel through the towns of Cancale, Pointe du Grouin and the walled city of St.Malo provides spectacular views of a rugged coastline with many bays chocked full of small boats anchored at rest. We saw several restored stone windmills but most of them have been converted into tall, round homes. They are located all along the coast; originally built to bring the water inland for the crops. The fields are mostly wheat and corn. Open fields hold horses and cattle, many of the cattle are the white Charolais that are famous for the quality of their meat. Love the single wire that keeps them from straying from their pasture. We hear that they are trained when they are very young to respect the wire as it may be electric! Farmhouses have hand-lettered signs advertising fresh vegetables for sale. Cidre, either brut (dry) or doux (sweet), the locally produced alcoholic drink of the Normandy and Brittany areas is also advertised. We see some thatched roofs, just a few, and in the town half-timbered buildings with the second story and above protruding out as they were originally taxed for the square footage on the ground level.

Another interesting feature of this area is the tide; large bays will be bone dry at times during the day and sometimes an area doesn’t receive water for weeks at a time. The boats are lying on the bottom of the ocean floor waiting for the next tide. There are large (tug boat size) vessels that appear to be made of aluminum with large rubber tires for dry times.

We drove several cow-paths to the edge and found wonderful hiking trails that take you right along the beach for miles at a time. When we reached Dinard we could look back and see the walled city of Saint-Malo rising out of the ocean on the cliffs. When we stayed there in 2002 we actually got wet while walking on top of the walls at night when the tides came in. By the way, we have perfect reception on the cell phone in this area. Once, while Jim was out of the car on the walking path along the coast I checked the phone…perfect…except it was 2:34 am in California! Sitting there enjoying the view I can see why it is called the Emerald Coast; even on a cloudy day it sparkles.

We arrived in Dinan about 1 pm and found our little Hotel Arvor in the center of the upper part of the old city; we will be enjoying this home for three night. The bike race will come through the town about 3 pm on Saturday; and on Sunday Jim may go to see the start of the race at Lamballe; only a short drive of about an hour from here. Monday we will head south again.

Must tell you about our dinner this evening; we took Rick Steves’ advice and enjoyed a gourmet meal in Dinan at L’Auberge du Pelican. We started with a Kir; then a consommé (Jim had fish and I had vegetable); for our premier course Jim had Salmon in O’seille (sorrel) sauce, with rice and shredded vegetables. I had sliced chicken in Cream Sauce, sliced apples soaked in Calvados (apple brandy) and a few noodles. For dessert we each had two scoops of real ice cream! Could hardly walk when we left but what a way to go!

GIVERNY & LE MONT SAINT-MICHEL

“The Green Jersey (French: maillot vert) is the jersey worn by the leader of the Tour de France’s points classification since its introduction in 1953.” The color was originally chosen because the sponsor manufactured lawn mowers! “The green jersey classification is calculated by adding up the points collected in the stage, minus penalty points. Points are rewarded for the first cyclists to cross the finish-line or the intermediate sprint line, and for the cyclists with the fastest times in the prologue or individual time trials according to a set scheme.”

For more information go to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_jersey

For more information on Lance Armstrong and his new team: ASTANA

Go to: http://www.astana-cyclingteam.com/

Back to our adventure in 2004………..

Wednesday, July 7^th, 2004 Around Paris to Giverny and Monet’s Gardens

We experienced our first day of real rain. It was one of those rainy days where you can generally dash here and there but need an umbrella for a long walk. We only had about a two-hour drive by toll way to our next hotel; so we decided to have another serendipity day on the local roads which turned into a four hour trip. As navigator, my job is to read the maps and road signs. That’s great if Jim slows down here and there so that I can focus long enough to read the signs.

We were doing fine until we reached the large town of Mantes la Jolie on the Seine River. Back and forth we went on one road after another. No sun for directions so we were depending on the maps and signs only. At one point we cross the Seine River and then I knew we’d gone the wrong way. Turned around and found the reason for our error: God wanted us to see a spectacular cathedral that we would never have seen had we been able to find our road! Spotted the spires as we crossed back over the Seine River and could only think about getting to the church! Found it, parked, took photos and then decided to go inside. The organist was playing a magnificent song, a Bach Cantata; and the interior was as striking as the exterior. On a side table we found a black and white photo taken in spring of 1944, on May 30^th. The entire area was destroyed except for the church. On the river we saw one of the Cruise Boats that take tourists for a week long cruise up and down the Seine River; it was tied up so this was definitely a stop for them.

Back in the car we magically found our road instantly and headed towards our destination of Giverny. Giverny was the final home of the artist Monet and has a lovely garden; his second most loved occupation after painting.

Our hotel is old and quaint. We’re in the attic or as some would say a garret; on the top floor with great views and a slanted ceiling. The bed is soft and lumpy but the ambience is the fun part of it. We do have a television, telephone which has allowed me to connect to the Internet (they had to turn the phone on at the reception desk) and a full private bathroom all in one room. Our toilette has been inside its own closet in the last two hotels with the sink, bidet and tub in the second closet. The rainstorm, thunder, lightening and heavy rain; started just as we got our luggage inside the hotel. The race today is north of here and they are riding in the rain! We had a fun welcome to the hotel. Friends in Florida had sent an email to the hotel manager for us. Thanks Dave & Janice….it made our day special

Jim went to the museum to see work by the American Artists who were here before WW I; American Museum of Impressionist Art. Bowers Museum in Santa Ana (where Jim is a docent when we’re home) has many paintings by Guy Rose who painted many of them here in Giverny. After the bike race was over we drove over to visit the Monet Gardens and home. Jim had been here before and delighted in showing me all the special parts especially the pond with the lily pads. It was raining when we started and the sun broke through the clouds just as we entered the garden. Didn’t have time to see his home; but we did go down the road to the village church and cemetery for a viewing of his grave. The graveyard also held a joint grave of seven British Airmen who died together in WW II when their bomber was shot out of the sky in 1944. They were buried together here in the Giverny cemetery. The stone listed each of their names and some have verses engraved from their families.

Today’s race was a team event and Lance’s US Postal Team came in first…Lance will be wearing the yellow jersey tomorrow as the overall leader time-wise! Happy days are here again! At least for one day!

Thursday, July 8^th, 2004 Normandy Coast Drive

We were off to the Normandy Coast after a truly continental breakfast in Giverny: bread, jam, some butter and coffee or tea. We’re never quite sure what the hotel will offer when we enter the breakfast room. This morning Jim requested coffee for both of us, we received a pot for two and then he requested tea for himself; leaving the pot for me. It held two cups of coffee! It was not our best hotel. I found a spring in my back during the night plus Jim felt that his fish soup came from a pot that had the fish in the bottom and they kept adding water…he never found any fish in his bowl. I had a complete salad that was great except the lettuce wasn’t washed very well and I could feel the bits of gravel in my mouth as I chewed. The cider was excellent! The village only had two other places to eat that we found; so there wasn’t much choice. After dinner I was looking out our bedroom window and saw the manager go sit on the stoop in front of the gate. I thought he was out for a smoke; but within a short time a motorcycle came up and delivered a pizza for his dinner! Jim said this was definitely a journal entry.

Overcast weather as we started towards the toll road. We decided to take the more expensive but shorter route today. It was a fee for the road to Caen and then free beyond that point; same quality of road. For those who want to know the cost; it was about one hundred miles to Caen from Vernon (near Giverny) and the cost was about ten euro.

By Caen it had started to rain and we had rain all the way along the coast until we reached Le Mont St. Michel. We stopped in Avranches at a grocery store for gasoline and also to purchase large black trash bags to put our luggage in for getting from the parking area to the hotel. We passed a touring group of five old pre-WW II automobiles, probably built somewhere in the late 1920’s to 1930’s all from England. Some of the body types were open and the rain was torrential at that time. We decided to stop at a restaurant on the causeway out to the Monastery that we’d eaten at before. Open twenty-four hours a day; good food and reasonable. It was nearly two o’clock and still raining so we decided to have our main meal of the day. Jim had a wonderful plate of fish with French green beans and I enjoyed roasted chicken and fries. Delicious food and also the rain stopped while we were there.

We arrived at the parking area for Le Mont St Michel and carried our luggage into the village walls and found the Hotel La Mere Poulard; our home for the night. It is located in the small village at the base of the Monastery. There are no cars allowed past the wall; roads are more paths than streets. But, since we had reservations we were allowed to park in lot #1; closest to the gates. We still had a piece to walk in the very strong wind that nearly knocked you down occasionally. After we finish watching the race on television today we will get out and walk through the village and enjoy the sights again. We toured the Monastery when we were here for the day in 2002; so we will spend the time exploring everything else. We have to move the car this evening before the tide comes in as most of the parking lot is covered with water for the night. The photo that is in the slideshow was taken on our approach to the Monastery after our stop for lunch.

The race today is headed south and will go through the area that we just left. But, if we’d stayed around to see them we would have arrived here very late; we changed our plans and will first view the race in Dinan. They will end their race today in Chartres.

The sun looks like it trying to come out. It’s nearly 4 pm and the sun doesn’t set until nearly 11 pm this far north during the summer months. It will be a short night!

CASTLES, WINE & SUNFLOWERS

“The polka dot jersey (French: maillot á pois rouges) is awarded for the best climber during the mountain stages of the Tour de France cycle race. The “King of the Mountains” wears a white jersey with red dots”. At the top of each climb in the Tour there are points awarded to the riders who are first over the top. The climbs are divided into categories based on their difficulty. The rules have changed many times since the classification was originally started in 1933. The current point system was last changed in 2004. For more information go to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polka_dot_jersey

For more information about the race on television: http://www.versus.com/cyclysm and on your local VERSUS NETWORK…check your local listings for the channel in your area.

Back to our adventure in 2004:

Monday, July 5^th, 2004 Wine Country

Well it was an exciting soccer game but Greece beat Portugal with only one goal scored; very exciting but disappointing at the same time. We headed out to find the Petrus winery. Since their wine is very expensive; $300 and up a bottle, they are not looking for tourists; this we knew from the 2002 trip. We’d remembered a vague description of the area where we’d found it before; a difficult task then requiring two trips and lots of driving roads between vineyards. I checked my old journals (there’s a reason I load them on my laptop before leaving home) and discovered it was located near Pomerol. After about half an hour of driving we located the new building that was under construction in 2002; a beautiful old looking new building that appears to be used for very select wine buyers. Other than recognizing the buildings we’d have never known it was Petrus except for the name “Jean Pierre Mouiex” on the building. Jim knows that that is the family name of the vintner. The name “Petrus” that had been on the old building in 2002 was gone. Took some photos and then headed by the back roads north.

Our first stop was at a supermarket for gas, much cheaper than on the highway…only 1.03 euros per liter. Then into the store for cell phone time card and some groceries for snacks on the road and a bottle of Windex and paper towels for the bugs we’re getting on the windshield. Back on the road we headed North on a “red road” that should be rather direct and free. Opps….it became the morning of “Deviations”. Road Repairs! After about two hours and one hundred kilometers we were only about thirty miles from where we had spent the night. Back to another supermarket for more maps and then we headed for the toll way and on to Chinon where we had our reservations for the evening.

We’re enjoying the quaintness of Chinon again. No television in the hotel so Jim walked down to the local bar and watched the end of the bike race with the local Frenchmen. We plan to go back into town this evening for a dinner at the Creperie recommended by Rick Steves. It’s only a short walk from the hotel. We’re in the western end of the Loire Valley that has all the French Chateaus. Chinon was the castle where Joan of Arc recognized the disguised Dauphin, the future King of France, Charles VII; not much of the castle left except for the Keep, but there is lots of history connected with this place.

Tuesday, July 6^th: Loire Valley and Chartres

Up and out after a very continental French breakfast…not much other than bread, juice, jam and coffee; we headed for the self service Laundromat in Chinon. After several hours and about fifteen euros we were back on the road with clean clothes. Our evening yesterday was very quiet with no television in the room. At dinner we met a very nice American woman and her three young daughters.. They were traveling on their own, Mom was driving. The husband had been with them for the first week in Germany and then had to return home to Florida. She continued through Italy, Switzerland and now in France. They had five more days in Paris before flying home. She enjoyed talking with adults for an hour. A Spanish teacher, the language was easier for her than most, but she was still having difficulty with French. I forgot to mention that yesterday we were again able to enjoy the sunflowers as the road to Chinon meandered through field after field of yellow sunflowers! As we go north we will lose the sunflowers and return to them in two weeks when we venture south again. These fields looked much more French than the Spanish sunflowers! (That’s a joke!)

Tonight we are enjoying the room with a view of the Cathedral in Chartres, about an hour west of Paris. It’s always very nice to see this beautiful church again. This is our second time to stay overnight in Chartres and the fifth time we’ve been through the church. We always seem to find something new about it for esoteric reasons. This time Jim showed me the Labyrinth, a medieval pilgrimage within the church. The bells have a beautiful ring and we will enjoy them even in the middle of the night. Several crashes today on the Tour de France; but our Lance was not one of them. He’s holding his own and will not really shine until the mountains.

A television in the room today was somewhat better for Jim than a trip to the local bar. We also reached a friend by cell phone who is staying in the south of France with friends to watch the race. Jim plans to meet up with them on one of the mountain days towards the 15^th of July or so. Our weather seems to be holding, lots of clouds but today was between 73 and 85 degrees, with sunshine, can’t ask for more. So glad we were in Spain earlier; they’ve had terribly hot weather since we left. We’re doing well on the gasoline by buying it at the Supermarche. Kinda like going to the gas station at Costco. Sometimes requires cash but cheaper per liter than at regular gas stations. NOTE: It’s Wednesday and the bells didn’t ring all night, the last ring was about 10:30 pm and first ring today was at 7 am.