Of course, when we first think of Provence, we think of lavender, sunflowers and sitting under a plane tree drinking rosé while munching on olives from the market and cooling off by the fountain. Unfortunately, the lavender and sunflowers are harvested in mid-August and we were in Provence in mid-September, but fall days are glorious in their own right, sun kissed days and walking in … Continue reading Avignon (Provence) France

Once inside the wonderful Beaune apartment, we surveyed the cabinets to make our grocery list. We found 2 coffee cups, 2 juice glasses and 6 wine glasses (2 for red, 2 for white, 2 for champagne). HONEY, I said, we must be in France! Wine (glasses) rules. Beaune is a half-hour south of Dijon and the heart of Burgundy winemaking. Home of great Chablis and … Continue reading Beaune (Burgundy) France

A lot can happen in one week. Lake Constance is bordered by three countries: Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The Euro Bike Show; the everything bicycle trade show, held in the Lake Constance area is 5 convention halls of EVERYTHING bicycle. Parts, clothing, cycle trips and many manufacturers. Our goal was to meet manufacturers of electric bikes and ascertain if products purchased in Europe would be … Continue reading Planes, trains, boats, bikes and zeppelins

When Louis XIV was a small boy he lived in the Palace which today is the Louvre. He would go to the countryside with his father, and stay in a small hunting lodge. That small lodge became the basis of the Versailles Chateau. Louis XIV built this opulent palace, filled it with art, luxury and imposed glory and power on its visitors. It was built … Continue reading The Palace of Versailles

Traveling brings insight into words and history.   For example: What does “D-day” mean? Hints of the true meaning can be found long before WWII in a U.S. Army Field Order. The order stated that “The First Army will attack at H hour on D day with the object of . . . The use of D-day allows military personnel to easily plan for a … Continue reading Normandy France

On an island located less than a half a mile off the coast of Normandy, lies one of the most incredible castles the world has ever seen. Due to its uniquely strategic position, Mont Saint-Michel has survived countless monarchies and wars since its construction in the 13th century. The Romanesque abbey church was founded over a set of crypts where the rock comes to an … Continue reading Le-Mont-Saint-Michel

Paris by bike, by night, and by God, it was fantastic Our first lucky break was the location of the hotel! Staying at the Left Bank Hotel was perfect, it was 2 minutes from the metro station, and no more than 20 minutes walk to the Louvre, Notre Dame, l’Orsay and steps away from the Paris cafe scene. The hotel was one of the 5 … Continue reading Paris by Day and by night

Notre Dame, Roudin Museum, Lourve Museum: The Notre Dame is a french-gothic architectural masterpeice from the 12th century. This amazing cathedral is a visual masterpeice of stone and glass. The Notre Dame is a world renowned historical landmark in paris, literally in the heart of paris. Literally all distances from the city of paris are calculated from a bronze stone in front of the cathedral … Continue reading Three Paris Icons

The Baltic cruise included capitals surrounding the Baltic Sea including Saint Petersburg.   Cruise included many ports but by far the highlight was Saint Petersburg .as evidenced by the last three blog posts.  This post covers the cruise and ports other than St. Petersburg. We flew from Moscow to Copenhagen, where we embarked on the Regal Princess and 12 day journey.  Our kids lived in … Continue reading Baltic Cruise

If you are a Czar, you need a lot of space. Living in an RV sometimes we wish we had more space, but we consider Camp Casa our little palace on wheels that can be moved to new settings whenever we wish. A city palace with a private art gallery and throne rooms, ball rooms, guest rooms. Perhaps a 1,000 rooms in all, in 4 … Continue reading St. Petersburg Palaces