SPAIN and FRANCE - May 2019

Thursday to Friday April 25-26, 2019

This excursion is because our team was successful enough to have earned us another BrightStar “Super Nova” award. In fact, we’ve been lucky enough so far to have won it every single time. This year’s trip was different than our usual trip to a stunning Caribbean resort - this trip was a river cruise out of Paris, up the Seine to Normandy.

In typical Rather/Tews fashion, we asked ourselves: “since BrightStar is flying us to Paris, what else should do while we’re in Europe?” This year, we focused our sights on Spain. We looked at the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage (The Way), but with our already scheduled trip to Peru, we just didn’t have the time to do that right. We checked out the Trek Travel bicycle tours and we settled on cycling through Costa Brava.

We flew to Paris overnight on Thursday. It was fun because the little sister (Trisha) of one of my best childhood friends (Katy Dugan) was our flight attendant (we’re two for two with her now on Delta flights to Europe out of Detroit). She kept us plied with extra snacks and first-class goodies to include the good Cabernet Sauvignon. We arrived in Paris just after 7am - bone tired, and maybe a little over served on the wine. We navigated our way through passport control, baggage claim and checked in for our Air France flight to Barcelona.

We landed in Barcelona, claimed our bags and found the train into the city with no issue. About 8 stops on the train, we transferred to the Metro and rode that until they kicked everyone off as the line ahead was closed. We told the guy where we were trying to go, and asked him what we should do, and he said, in perfect English “walk.” So, walk we did – I pulled out my Rick Steves map where I’d made an “X” at what I thought was the location of our hotel and we set out. We had a little bit of that “first out of the metro confusion” - where exactly are we, what direction is this, where are the street signs, etc. But we sorted it out and headed in the right direction first try. Dragging 45-pound bags over cobblestones is never easy, but it was only about 6 blocks, and it gave us a great sense of the city. It was a beautiful day, and people were sitting outside at cafes, riding bikes, walking dogs. We easily found our hotel, and by 5pm, we were in our room - about 24 actual hours since we’d left home. Only half of that was flying time - the rest was waiting time. Not bad, really.

Our room had a bathtub, so we unpacked and I had a relaxing bath before getting ready to go out. True to the Mediterranean region, dinner is later than what we’re accustomed to, especially when all we really wanted to do was sleep in a bed. But we forced ourselves out to Las Ramblas, which we quickly discovered was packed with tourists. We ventured a few blocks south and found a great little practically empty bar/restaurant “3 Lucas.” They weren’t open for dinner yet, but were happy to serve us wine and tapas. The proprietor, Ezekiel, pulled up a chair, told us his story and his take on the history of the region. Originally from Argentina, he’s been here 25 years. We described the kind of wine we like and he brought us a yummy full-bodied red from the Rojo region of Spain, and fried calamari, meat croquettes and some kind of other cod tapas. Just what we needed!

After dinner, we walked a bit and stumbled upon a market “St Josep Mercat,” active since Roman days (1200). Crazy meats and fruit, and friendly proprietors! Exhausted, we were back in our room and ready for bed before 9pm.

While I fell asleep easily after all that travel, I was wide awake from about 2-4am, then back asleep until 10am. I felt bad sleeping away so much of our only day in Barcelona, but the reason we’re here is to get over our jet lag before our bike trip! We headed out to a beautiful day and a bustling city.

We decided the best way to see the most of the city in our limited time was to buy tickets for the open-air tourist bus, so we walked up to Catalunya Plaza to check out our options. We were struggling more than usual with our language. A few hours in France and I was into the bonjour and merci … it’d be enough trouble to flip the switch to Spanish, but we learned that the region, Catalunya, has its own language (and heritage and culture). It seems to be a blend of Spanish and French, but lucky for us, everyone we interacted with spoke English to us and helped us learn how to do the minimal transactions in Catalan.

We boarded the bus and enjoyed the different neighborhoods. The tree lined streets blocked some of the views, but the architecture was amazing. Beautiful stonework and use of tile, wonderful balconies. Most all of the buildings were 5-6 stories tall, with retail below and housing above. It was neat to get into the neighborhoods and see the schools and playgrounds, and the locals out and about on a Saturday.

Our first stop was the unfinished (work in progress) Sagrada Familia church. We opted to not take the time to tour, but it was a lot to take in from the top of our bus! Next, we drove up the mountain and had great views of the city and the sea. After two hours, we got off, had a coffee and a snack, then got on the red line to tour former world expo grounds, 1992 Olympic sites, the harbor, and back into the neighborhood Barri Gotic, where we stopped outside the cathedral to enjoy music being performed and an antique market. By then it was after 4, so after strolling down alleyways with shops and restaurants, we ducked into one for beer and tapas.

Back to the hotel to freshen up, we were back on the streets before 6p. We walked the whole Ramblas to the port, great people watching, and we enjoyed the creativity in the people posing as statues trying to score a few coins for a photo. We walked around the harbor, seemed to be lots of locals strolling and enjoying the end of what had been a beautiful day. We took a small alley off the Ramblas and ended up in Plaza Reial, a square lined with restaurants and chose a boisterous one where we had a great bottle of wine and dinner with world class people watching!

Sunday April 28, 2018 Costa Brava Day 1

We set an alarm this morning, since we had a 9:30am train to catch. Feeling more settled into the time zone we were up and easily into a cab heading to the train station by 8:30am. The good thing about the screwy time zones is my body didn’t realize it didn’t have coffee this morning! We went through security and then found a long line, so coffee wasn’t an option.

We settled into our reserved seats with plenty of time, good to get onboard early with our monster suitcases and limited space for bags. It was a quick 30-minute ride to Girona, and we arrived an hour before we were to meet our guides and fellow travelers. We were scheduled to meet at the coffee shop, so that was perfect to grab a coffee and light breakfast.

About 30 minutes later, three ladies approached us - friends from Long Island, they’re the rest of our group. It was their first Trek Travel outing, and this will be a perfect introduction for them. Soon, our guides, Sarah and Joaquin came along.

We went outside and loaded our bags into a bigger bus than we seemed to need for the 5 of us. Joaquin drove the Trek van and Sarah came with us and gave us a little briefing of our day along the way.

We drove through Girona, which is said to be a hotbed of cycling! Lots of European pros spend the winter here training. One of the NY lady’s partner is currently here at “ride camp!” Sounds severe, give me Trek Travel Luxury trip instead, please!

We drove 45 minutes to Sant Martí d’Empuries, a 12th century village, where we enjoyed a lunch of tapas and had our first real views of the Mediterranean.

After lunch, we changed into our bike clothes and were fitted to our bikes - Trek Domane SL 7’s with electronic shifting and disc brakes - sweet bikes! They also had some kind of new Bontrager helmets - cool thing is they are new and no one else has had their sweaty head in them yet!

After a lesson about our Garmin GPS units, we were ready to set out for our first ride through the Empordà countryside. Joaquin rode with us today, while Sarah drove along in the van. He’s from the Canary Islands, former Civil Engineer, now following his passion working as a guide. He’s a very strong and knowledgeable rider. Sarah is originally from Oregon, and is an outdoor and travel enthusiast. She’s in her 2nd year with Trek. They just met each other last week, and this is the first Costa Brava trip of this season, but you wouldn’t know any of that if they hadn’t told us. They’ve got good rhythm already and it seems they’ll be a great guide team.

It was a perfect day for riding, overcast so not too warm. We rode along the coast for a bit, and then through a string of small towns, most with very old castle / church remnants. It was hard for me to suppress my desire to stop all along the route to take photos like I like to do! We passed fields of poppies, yellow fields of canola flowers, and just sprouting corn fields. In the villages, we passed charming houses with beautiful flowers, and tile and iron work. Lots of what we experienced today reminded me of what we saw when we rode along the coast from Italy to Slovenia and Croatia a few years ago.

After about 20 miles, we arrived at Madremanya and our hotel for the next two nights. Jeff and I opted to go back out with Joaquin for the 6km climb to Els Angels, a former convent that afforded us a great view of Girona. Along the way, we saw many cyclists and the road was painted encouraging the local pros who train on this climb. It was a great first day, just over 30 miles with 2400 feet of climb.

Upon returning to La Placa de Madremanya, Sarah got us some cold beers from the van and took our bikes. We checked in and our bags were magically in our room. We have a beautiful two room suite with a private veranda. It’ll be a great place to have my morning coffee and maybe dry our laundry.

We had a welcome reception, which should have been on the terrace but it was a bit chilly for that. Instead, we gathered in the little bar for local Cava (sparkling wine) with handmade tapas. During our little party we struck up conversation with a very friendly couple from Australia - week 5 of a six-week trip to Europe! Then we had a three-course dinner later at the restaurant of our beautifully restored 14th century farmhouse/hotel. It was a great night to cap off an amazing day.

Monday April 29, 2019 - Costa Brava Day 2

Beautiful morning - Sarah and I were the only ones in shorts and light jackets, everyone else in tights. I’ll admit it was a little chilly as we descended away from Madremanya, rolling through fields of wheat and poppy - seemed like a sleepy countryside and we were the only thing moving!

Today’s ride was through the enchanting countryside, charming villages, panoramic views of the Pyrenean mountains and stunning views coastline of the Costa Brava. It seemed that the little villages were just 5km or so apart - each one with a castle or church tower. No one seemed to be out and about though, except for a few farmers on tractors. I guess it’s the Spanish way - stay up late and sleep in. Bailey would be at home here!

Just after 10am we arrived at the medieval village of Pals, dating back to the 9th century. We changed shoes and took a 30-minute break here. Jeff and I walked the cobbled streets that wove their way maze-like up to the church; everywhere you looked was a picture. We stopped at a little cafe and had a “cafe con leche” and JT ordered a hot chocolate which was more like chocolate pudding not quite set just yet - they were very yummy together.

After break, we did about a 10k climb, 5-7%. Just the right kind of challenging. Our guidebook described the next part as: “Undulating ride to the ancient pueblo of Calella de Palafrugell. Traditional fishing village perched on a rocky coastline, sprinkled with small coves, oozing old-world charm.” Perfect description. About 5k from the lunch stop, Kristin and Janet bumped and Kristin went down. It’s always scary, but she wasn’t hurt badly (kind of deep looking gouge on her palm and knee, plus a destroyed pair of Lululemon tights)! She was quite tough about the whole thing. Sarah called for Joaquin to come in the van, he bandaged her up and we toasted her “first fall from a bike” with a bottle of Cava at lunchtime.

Coming into the resort area reminded me of riding in Croatia. For the first time since arriving in Spain, we saw modern hotels and homes (well, probably from the 50’s, “modern” being a relative thing)!

It is still very early in the season, which for me is an awesome time to be here as I can only imagine the crowds in the summertime! Traffic is light and very respectful, and mostly here are families with small children. And cyclists! Many, many cyclists, some tourists at “bike camps,” others on more scenic tours like ours, and others that seem to be serious racers - in large packs or riding alone or in pairs.

We had lunch at a little beach bistro called Fiego. You wouldn’t have known it was even there without walking the ancient steps down to the little beach. As we got closer to the water, the breeze became cooler (especially as we were wet with sweat from the climb), so we bundled up. I waded into the water and it felt very cold, but there were a few kids splashing around in it. As we had lunch, the sky cleared and it felt much warmer. Rather than order off the menu, we told the guides to just order tapas (but LESS FOOD than yesterday). We were all stuffed and I was getting antsy to go, when our fish arrived. So, we all managed to shovel just a little more food in, and it was a very fresh and delicious sea bass, perfectly cooked.

Only Jeff and I opted for the 20-mile ride back to our hotel, so we took off with Sarah and rode at a fast pace which was really fun. We went through several little villages, but also beautiful little country lanes with rolling hills and smooth pavement, so it was easy for us to chat while we rode. Such beautiful countryside, I was continually exclaiming “WOW, JUST WOW” out loud. With about 5k to go, Joaquin was there with the van so we stopped for a snack - unbelievable to be hungry after eating so much lunch, but we’re working hard.

Joaquin went off to find a pharmacy to replenish the first aid kit, and we headed back to Madremanya where we found our cooler of cold beer and more snacks waiting for us.

Up to our room for a quick shower, and then back to meet the group for an excursion to Peratallada, a small fortified medieval town with traces that date back to the Bronze Age (BC). A local historian, Nick, lead us on a walking tour and it was so fascinating. ‘Pera tallada’ means “carved stone,” and the original fortress and town was built over a quarry. The foundations of many of the buildings are literally the stone floor, and the walls were built from rock from the quarry itself. It appears to have a moat, but Nick said it was just all mined out of there, and not filled with water. You can still see the steps where some poor souls were carrying the rock up and out! The reason for building the castle and fort here is thought to be to defend the rock so someone else couldn’t use it to build another castle nearby.

Outside the walls, we toured the church, and again, it was awesome to tour with Nick who pointed out many things about how they think it had been expanded, and also that it wasn’t properly “finished,” as it was stone and brick, versus having been plastered and painted. Outside, there was a graveyard, with some bone fragments here and there since good records weren’t kept over the thousands of years, so occasionally old graves are dug up. We also learned that the tall thin cypress trees that are generally planted in cemeteries are to point the souls in the direction towards heaven.

Back into the city, we walked the old Main Street - now some nice shops and restaurants, although most were closed being a Monday evening in low season. It was great to have someone point out to us how the buildings have been modified over the years, arches added or reinforced, windows changes, triangle shapes added under the eaves to keep out evil spirits, etc.

After that, we walked down a set of steps carved into the original stone and ended up on a patio of an eclectic restaurant (with the toilet out back in the moat - no kidding)! There we had a great three course meal, three bottles of wine, great conversation and visits from a friendly ice-cream eating cat!

Ride: Madremanya to Calella de Palafrugell, 53.8 miles, 2762 feet of climb

Tuesday April 30, 2019 Costa Brava Day 3

Today is transfer day, which means we packed up our suitcase, leave it in the hallway, and it magically appears in our next hotel room!

We started a bit later today, which I love, but it also limits how far we ride, given the long late lunches. It’s taking me awhile to settle into “leisure,” but I’ll just keep practicing until I get it! We rode about 5k, through the same gentle auto-free lane that we rode yesterday. The sky was clear and the sun already felt warm, so that was the major difference.

Along the way, we arrived in Púbol, and the Castell de Dalí, previously owned by (and named for) Costa Brava-born artist Salvador Dalí - we stopped for a quick tour. The castle dates back to the 11th century, with a long history of course. During the Spanish Revolution, the castle, like many churches and government buildings were trashed. In 1968, Dalí bought the castle as a gift for his wife and muse, Gala. They worked until 1971 to renovate it. The castle had a very eccentric and surrealist vibe - that in itself made it worth the visit. Gala lived there until her death in 1980 and is entombed there. It was said that Dalí could only visit her there by “written invitation,” and that apparently worked for them both!

From there, we rode back through the rolling hillside towards the sea again. Jeff and I stopped to take a panoramic photo of the Pyrenees in the distance. After that we had a really fun fast ride on a beautiful road to catch the group. Then another 10k climb through Les Gavarres, a mountain pass in the Catalan Costal Range. The Gavarres mountains have been inhabited since prehistoric times, and are largely protected as a nature preserve, dotted with a few farmhouses and hamlets. The climbs are tough, but that’s what we came for! The ride down to the sea today was thrilling – perfect road with no cars, so it felt safe to fly! We’re both pleased that our winter Peloton rides prepared us for this riding. We’d only done one 15-mile outside ride at home before this trip, the rest of our riding has been Power Zone and Hill Climbs on the Peloton!

We stopped for lunch and tour of Finca Bell Lloc, a family-run winery and organic farm, where age-old traditions have been handed down through many generations to preserve the natural methods used on the farm. There we had lunch, pairing their organic wines with local specialties. Always too much food, but I tried a little of everything, including very good wine. Our tour was not of the actual winery, but a very unique underground “tasting and exhibition” area that was like a work of art. It was made of steel slats, repurposed from shipping containers; beautiful, but hard to describe with words.

Due to the long break, great food and wine, we all opted to shuttle the final 20km back to the sea and our home the next three nights - Hostal de la Gavina. A beautifully kept older property that is reminiscent of places like The Broadmoor or Sea Island.

We settled into our room, and went out to explore. Tonight, was dinner on our own. Jeff and I walked the boardwalk to the tourist area, but it was pretty much not ready for tourists just yet. We cut up the side streets and found the main drag, where we wandered into a local bar and had beers and what we think were hamburgers but we really have no idea what we ordered. Limon Gelato for JT afterwards at a cool coffee shop across the street. It was good to have a low-key night to rejuvenate.

Today’s ride: Madremanya to Calonge to Romanya de la Selva to s’Agaro’. 30 miles, 1400 feet of climb

Wednesday May 1, 2019

It was a wonderful morning, waking up with the first light of the sun over the sea. We were scheduled for a sailing day today, with a later start. Like everything in Spain apparently, the spa/fitness center didn’t open until 10am, but the helpful guys at the hotel from desk opened the gym for us so we got in a little weight training before breakfast.

It was a little odd being about the only guests at this large and glamorous hotel! For breakfast, Jeff and I sat alone in a beautiful room with 30 tables, beautifully set, and an amazing breakfast buffet … with staff hovering for every need you might have.

We gathered just before 10am to walk down to the beach. Our sailboat was waiting for us, as was a guy named Tony who ferried us out there from the beach in a little zodiac. The water was calm and made for easy transfers from the beach and onto the Pepa Bandera II. Sergi, the captain and owner, was a wonderful guy. He had great pride in his boat, which he’s sailed all over the Pacific and to the Caribbean. It was 60 feet long, and had two masts which he had replaced in Puerto Rica - absolutely beautiful. It was a real honor to be onboard.

Today was the warmest day we’ve had so far, and abundant sunshine, but it still got a bit brisk being on the water. It was Janet’s birthday today, so we celebrated that with a bottle of Cava (but as you can see, one doesn’t really need much of a reason to crack open a bottle of Cava!). We sailed along the coast to the south, and could see the road we’ll be riding the next day. We got to a secluded cove and stayed there for a bit. We had a picnic, and the option to swim … but only Joaquin was brave enough. Sergi said the water was 58 degrees.

We got back to the hotel about 2pm. The wind had picked up a bit, which is great for sailing and makes the transfer a bit tricker, but all went well. Back to the room, Jeff and I lounged around, reading and napping. I sat on our balcony and got a little too much sun actually! After that we walked a few miles on the path along the sea, returning to our hotel for time in the hot tub and inside pool before we cleaned up for dinner.

We continued celebrating Janet’s birthday with drinks at the hotel bar – a really cool spot where you felt like you were inside an old ship. Then we had an amazing six course dinner with wines. We were the only table in the restaurant, which made it feel really special. There was a man playing the piano, and our table captain Paco was a really cool guy – he’d been working there for 51 years, and it was fun to see him direct the staff so everything was just perfect. A really amazing night, and it wasn’t even our last night yet, but this will be hard to top.

Thursday May 2, 2019 Costa Brava Day 5

Beautiful ride today along the Costa Brava coastline - reminiscent of California’s Big Sur. Our trip guide said that this section of road boasts more cyclists than cars, and that was certainly true today. It was all up and down - perfect for training, but for us it was all about the view. The climbs weren’t too challenging, about 7% grade. The downhills were exhilarating as the road was smooth and when you could see several turns ahead, I’d let it go and that was so much fun!

It was cloudy when we started with a perfect temperature. It was fun to be riding along the same route we’d sailed yesterday, so we could see how the resorts and estates looked from above rather than below (or from the sea).

The avid option today was an up and back extra climb, but when we got to the turn-off this morning the road was temporarily closed due to construction. I would have done it, if nothing to offset the food we’ve been eating, but it was ok to not have the option today after all.

We were scheduled for a lunch on our own stop in the medieval walled town of Tossa de Mar. We arrived about noon, but our guides said many of the restaurants wouldn’t open until after 1p for lunch. We opted for a quick walking tour of the old town, and part of the newer town with shops, and then headed back without lunch.

Jeff and I went out ahead, which gave us lots of time to stop for more photos. The sun came out during the return trip and it really made the colors pop. Again, I was just riding and shouting “wow” over and over again. We got back to town just after 3p. The ladies went out for lunch, Jeff and I had a beer and snacks with Sarah and Joaquin, then downtime before dinner.

Dinner tonight at a Michelin-starred restaurant (Tinars) serving Catalan cuisine with a twist. Great food and wine, and again an amazing presentation. We toasted to an incredible week of riding and new friends. After dinner we went back to the hotel for an after-dinner drink … no one wanted this week to end.

On the last morning, Jeff and I got up early for one last ride in this glorious countryside. We had a quick snack breakfast and said goodbye to the Long Island Ladies, who were catching an early shuttle due to plans they have in Barcelona today with their friends that were in Ride Camp this week.

JT and I opted for a quick ride with Joaquin, given the rest of the day we’ll be traveling. We did a twenty mile loop from S’Agaro to Romanya de la Selva, offering spectacular views of the Gavarres Mountains. The day was overcast, and there had been rain last night so we dodged a few puddles. I tied my raincoat around my waist, but it was warm enough for me to be riding in just a bike jersey. We were on the bikes by 8am, and the town seemed to still be asleep, so traffic was light and we were soon out in the country and viewing poppies again. We went past several “campgrounds,” similar to what we’d seen along the coast in Croatia. Again, I was glad we were here before high season, as I can just imagine how crowded it’d be when these hotels and campgrounds are full!

An easy 10k, and then 6k of a 5% climb to the top - felt great to have my heart rate up again. I was very sweaty by the time I reached the top, so I put my jacket on as I knew the descent would be cold (and it was). Quick ride back to the hotel, where we joined Joaquin for a second breakfast.

Up to the room for showers and packing, on our way by 11am. We said goodbye to Sarah and Joaquin, and were shuttled one hour back to the Girona train station. By then, a light rain had started. Originally it looked like chance of rain each day we were in Spain, so this being the first rain - we were super lucky! At the Girona station we were on a mission to find a way to ship our bike shoes and clothes back home. All we learned was “its complicated” … some kind of law that doesn’t let your stuff travel ahead of you?

We boarded our high-speed train and before we knew it, we were in Barcelona. It was just after 1pm and we figured we had enough time before our 6pm flight, so we set off on the shipping quest again. First stop, luggage check. We asked about shipping there as their signs made it look like they offered that, but they said, “no, not today.” They did speak English well and said we could go to the nearby post office - 5 minute or 5 block walk (we’re not sure what they said). We stashed our large bags with them, and bundled up in our rain jackets and headed out. We found the right street, and charged along, heads down due to the fairly heavy rain, until we realized we lost the correct street and had entered a residential area which didn’t feel right. We walked back to a store and a lady who didn’t speak any English pointed us back towards the train station - we’d shot right by the Correos (Post Office).

When we got there, and a nice man helped us figure out how to “take a number,” and before our number came up, we’d looked at the box options and it looked promising. We had a great clerk who spoke really good English and was quite chatty! Wanted to talk about Paris, etc., and then she screwed up our transaction and we had to start all over - passport, delivery address, etc. She was thorough, and I then started getting worried about our time. 91 Euros for the whole thing, box, tax and shipping. Fingers crossed that it arrives (it did).

We walked back to the train station to reclaim our bags, buy tickets for the train to the airport and wait for that train. It ended up being a different train than what we’d ridden when we arrived and it ended at Terminal 2, so we had to catch a shuttle bus to Terminal 1. We had a little fiasco with checking our bags – a glitch in the scale said Jeff’s bag weighed 8 kilos too many (after we just shipped 10 kilos). It didn’t make sense so he was smart enough to weigh it on a different scale before we unpacked and rearranged everything. Just time for a quick sandwich before we boarded the flight to Paris.

It was still light outside when we arrived in Paris just after 8pm. Lori from BrightStar arranged for someone to meet us at the flight, get our luggage, deliver us to a waiting car and driver, who drove us to our hotel, the Four Seasons. Kind of surreal to go from dragging ourselves from shuttle to train to walking in the rain to that kind of treatment.

As we settled in our room, our 4th hotel on our 8th night in Europe, I was feeling melancholy about the Spain portion of our adventure being over. We really enjoyed our guides and traveling companions over this past week and it didn’t quite feel right to be without them.

Saturday and Sunday, May 4-5, 2019 Paris

When we were in Paris four years ago, we left seeing the Louvre until our last day, which was a Tuesday, and the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays! So that was the top of our list for Saturday. The cool thing about our relationship is the way we are flexible and improvise when plans go awry. To cut to the punch, JT still hasn’t seen the inside of the Louvre.

We slept a bit late, tired from our travel. Then went to the wonderful hotel gym and got in a solid workout.

Packing for this trip was tough, looked like highs in the 60’s low in the 40’s - chance of rain. The Spain portion of our trip was great weather and I had the right clothes. Looking at weather.com for our week in France made me realize I didn’t have the right clothes for France in May. We decided some shopping was in order today too.

It was raining and in the 40’s when we ventured outside around 11am. I bundled up as much as I could, wearing some thick yoga tights under a skirt and layers on top. I just couldn’t make myself put on my bright blue Patagonia rain jacket to walk the Champs-Elysees! Besides not having a fashionable rain coat and warm clothing, I only have 4 pair of sandals along, and also couldn’t bring myself to put my wool socks on under my sporty black sandals. Slave to fashion, and this is Paris!

We borrowed two large umbrellas from the hotel and set off. We decided to head down to the Seine and stroll along there to the museum complex. It was chilly, but I felt ok, even my feet. The driver that delivered us to the hotel yesterday gave us more details about the “yellow vest” protesters, so we weren’t surprised at the blockades everywhere and most of the bridges were closed. Apparently, they’re never sure where the protesters will pop-up, so they’re ready all the time on Saturdays - and search bags when you’re entering inside the blockades.

We strolled through along the river and then through the Jardin des Tuileries to the Louvre. Of course, there were super long lines, and while I’d looked at buying tickets online, I didn’t do it. We looked at the online option then, but only late afternoon tickets were available. We were approached by a man selling tickets to get us in through the inside mall entrance, which we figured were too good to be true (20Euro each), but we decided to give it a chance. We stood in line there for an hour before deciding to abort the mission, so we don’t know if it would have worked. On our way out, JT sold the tickets back to the guys for 5Euro.

We headed in the direction of the Opera House as I knew there was good shopping at the Galleries Lafayette just beyond that block. I spent the day studying the shoes of everyone on the street, but didn’t want to buy sneakers or boots, so I’m going forward with just my sandals. However, I did buy a few light sweaters and a really awesome rain cape!

After shopping, we strolled through the neighborhoods back to the Place de la Concorde, around more barricades and onto the Champs-Élysées. It was a very sad sight to see boarded up buildings from the Yellow Vest riots. It really has destroyed the magic of what was such a spectacular avenue.

Back to the hotel for hot showers, strolling through my favorite Hermès store on the way. We’d run into Lori and Steve on the Champs-Élysées, but hadn’t seen any other BrightStar colleagues just yet, so it was fun to rendezvous with them at the reception / dinner this evening. While we’ve been blessed to attend all of the Super Nova trips so far at some very wonderful and exotic places, this one really feels different!

Short night and we were back together at 8am Sunday morning for the formal meeting part of our trip. BrightStar Board Member and IFA colleague, David Barr, is along for our trip and led us on a great discussion of leadership and then we dove into some other topics and best practices. We’ll have all week to dive deeper into those.

At 11:30a, a bus came to pick us up and drive us to the Seine River where we embarked onto the S.S. Joie de Vivre, our home for the week. The crew ushered us into the salon, and soon opened the lunch buffet - the decadent eating continued. After lunch, they offered for us to do a smaller boat Seine river cruise, which about half of us declined - either because we’d done it before or didn’t want to go back out into the cold moist day! The rest of us lounged around the salon, chatting and playing some cribbage until they told us our rooms were ready. Then we unpacked for the last time on this trip, had a little nap and got ready for drinks and dinner again.

I feel like I’ve flipped the switch and we’re back into our work life now, after a great week of being unplugged in Spain. Between that down time and the great sparks of ideas we’re getting from the other BrightStar owners on this voyage, we’re excited to get back to our team … but first, maybe some more coffee, wine, cheese and chocolate croissants!

We set sail (is that the right term for a river boat?) just during cocktail hour last night, so it was fun to see the river flowing by throughout dinner. Once it got suddenly dark and I realized we’d entered a lock. The boat is stable and quiet - I forget we’re on a boat from time to time!

We arrived in LaRoche-Guyon sometime last night. Our shore excursion options were to tour the chateau, or hike up to castle ruins high above the town. Three groups went out on chateau tours with local guides that had come to the boat to greet them. About 20 of us went out for the hike with Ana, our “wellness director.” It was foggy when we first awoke in the morning, but that cleared and it became a beautiful day.

The castle was built in the 12th century, designed to control a river crossing to and from Normandy. It was originally hollowed out from the cliff, and the manor house was added below in mid-13th century. Many changes of ownership ensued. The garden was added in 1670. In more recent history, German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel used the chateau as his headquarters during the time he defended Normandy from the Allies.

In the 60’s, someone had a vision for transforming LaRoche-Guyon into “Monaco on the Seine.” It’s a neat little commune, but it doesn’t appear that happened.

By 11:30a we were back onboard and ready to set sail. Jeff and I watched from the top deck - always fun to be around boats! Then it was time for lunch, fresh air had made us hungry again, and when lunch was over, we were docking in Vernon.

This afternoon we also had the choice of a short bus ride to Giverny, or a short bike ride, which we chose of course! A man brought pretty crappy bikes for us to use, and a local guide, Chloe, came to ride along with us and guide us through Monet’s garden. It was so much fun to arrive there by bike - I was just exhilarated!

We’d been to Monet’s garden nearly 4 years ago, in early September on a perfect grey rainy day. It was great to see it in late Spring - different flowers and a different experience (more crowded today). It was also nice to have a guide telling us her versions of the story of Monet’s life.

Tuesday May 7, 2019

The excursion for today was a tour of several of the Normandy Beaches and D-day sights. Since we spent several days there a few years ago, and it was four hours in the bus round trip, Jeff and I opted out. Instead, we had breakfast, lounged around on the back deck, had a great workout in the little fitness center, showered and by then it was 12:30p, time to look for lunch!

For the 5 of us remaining onboard, lunch was served in the little bistro at the front of the boat. Cute setting, with classical French music playing. We had salads, soups and salmon. I had a glass of white wine because I guess it’s what I do at lunch now! Dessert was chocolate cake, fruit and cappuccino.

We were docked in Rouen, a city that was new to us so I did a little research at lunch about how to walk to town and what we should see there and we set out on our self-guided tour. The riverfront has been redeveloped, lots of people out running and cycling, several restaurants open for business. We walked along the water to the Joanne of Arc bridge and then into the historic part of town, where we immediately spotted our first site on the list: Gros Horloge (town clock).

We walked under the clock and along the pedestrian zone - poking into a few shops, one specialized in ties, scarfs and hats - thought we could find a new bow tie for Jeff but he didn’t find anything he liked. Then we found ourselves in an open courtyard in front of Rouen’s Cathedral Norte Dame. We spent 2E on a guide book for the city, which added some depth to our self-guided tour! The cathedral was amazing - the stone looked fragile, like lace, yet it is hundreds of years old!

The Rouen history dates back to Roman occupation with documentation and digging findings of the first Christian cathedral from 393AD. The first version of Norte-Dame Cathedral in Rouen was started in 989 and completed in 1063. For the next 5 centuries additions and changes continued. It seemed each Archbishop added a new chapel or tower to mark their reign. We wandered through the inside of the cathedral in awe - can’t even begin to comprehend the history that has occurred here.

The next stop was the Justice building built in 1429 by King Louis XII, still in use as a government building today! Along the gates were stories about how it survived many wars. The town has decided to not repair the WWII bullet marks from the battles in the city as a reminder of their occupation and freedom.

The city has a strange mix of architecture due to the 8 or nine changes in reign by England and France. Most notable are the half-timbered buildings, where wood was used to support structures due to a lack of other building material in this area. I would say that I’d never seen such “randomness” with the half-timbered construction compared to what we saw in Rouen today!

Our final stop was Place du Vieux Marche, which is a strange combination of food market (wonderful seafood, cheeses, fruits and vegetables), and then the strangest shaped church you’ll ever see, and a plaque marking the spot where Jeanne d’Arc (Joan of Arc) was burned at the stake by the English in 1431, for her part in helping the French towards the end of the Hundred Years War.

We walked back to the boat. It was a very comfortable day weather-wise and felt great to be out in our own exploring, rather than following a guide on a schedule. Back on board, we napped, showered and we were ready as the buses returned from the Normandy excursion just after 7pm. It was great to reconnect with our colleagues. We had another great dinner (buffet), more great wine thanks to Shelly, and 6 of us stayed in the lounge until nearly midnight.

The next morning, we awoke in the Port of Caudebec-en-Caux. The boat had turned though so this time we had a view of the river when we opened our curtains (we’ve learned to be fully dressed as you never know what’ll be out there - once even the cabin windows of another boat)!

We grabbed a quick breakfast and dressed warm and waterproof. This morning’s excursion was a one-hour drive to Honfleur with a guided walking tour. We’d also been to Honfleur several years ago as a self-guided tour with my folks, so we’ll see what else we can learn.

According to google maps, it was just 28 miles away, but we drove the scenic route, along the Seine and then through farmland and beautiful little villages. The flowers are just starting to pop and the homes are so charming! Our guide, Dominique, gave us great descriptions of what we were seeing, along with construction of the homes with their timbers and thatched roofs.

Jeff had flashbacks of the stress of driving our rental car on the narrow roads last time we were here, much better to tour by bus. We arrived in Honfleur with light rain. Most of the BrightStar gang opted to peel off on their own, having burned out on shuffling along with guided tours already! Jeff, John and I hung with Dominique. He was a knowledgeable guide and took us along what had been the walls of the city during the 14th century.

Honfleur played a big part in the Impressionist Art movement, with Monet, Gustave Courbet and Eugène Boudin often painting here. There are wonderful signs posted with photos of some of their paintings when you can also see the view they had painted. Lots of art galleries, fun to window shop.

We toured the Church of St Catherine, where we learned more having a guide versus when we visited on our own. It is the largest wooden church in France, and it was rebuilt after the Hundred Year War by ship’s carpenters. From the inside, the ceiling looks like a ship’s hull. Due to fire danger, they built a separate bell tower away from the principal building. That led to a discussion about the tragic Notre-Dame fire of course, and Dominique wasn’t shy about his disgust over the fact that it was known this could happen and no sprinklers or other precautions were put into place. Perhaps also some disparaging comments about the French government!

He led us down a few narrow alleyways that I wouldn’t have ventured into on my own, and soon we were back at the harbor. With 45 minutes before the first bus back, we went in search of coffee and crepes, and found our BrightStar gang had similar ideas so we joined them there. Most stayed to have lunch and shop, we caught the noon bus back to the ship, arriving just before 1pm.

The weather was odd today, it was windy so rain would come very fast, but we had nice stretches of sunshine too! Jeff and I had a light lunch, then headed out to get some exercise. As usual with us, a hike turns into an adventure. We followed a sign to a “Château,” and had a nice climb with great views of the river (4.5 miles). There was a little uncertainty about where we were going, but it was an out and back hike and we didn’t lose site of the river so we weren’t technically lost. We got back to the boat about 3:30p, showered and gathered in the lounge for cribbage with Shelly, David and Ignacio. That led to another great dinner, followed by a blues duo and dancing.

Thursday May 9, 2019

We cruised last night during dinner, with an amazing rainbow over the West Bank at one point. Then all of a sudden, we were so close to another boat, but gently came to a stop. Through the window we could see that it was a Viking cruise ship.

Most were up and our early this am from where we’re docked in Rouen again, just down a bit further (and attached to this other ship). Many were headed out to an optional excursion to Mont St Michel, a place I want to see but without the long bus ride. Jeff and I chose a golf option instead, along with Steve Czerniejewski (Lori’s husband). Our driver picked us up at 7:45 am, so it was a fairly early start for us too. He led us out, up and over the Viking ship, where we mixed in with their passengers going down their gangplank - a little odd, but we got a first had look at another brand’s boat (and their clientele, which was similar to ours - mostly older, not so agile Americans!).

We drove for about an hour to the golf course - Champ de Bataille. Many parts of the drive could have been through Wisconsin, forests and farms - only the occasional castle or old church were different. We were about the only people at the course - saw two other golfers. It was in the 50’s with light rain and intermittent sunshine! It was a great day of golf, first time in a long time that I’ve actually played a whole 18 holes versus a best ball tournament. It was so much more relaxing knowing we didn’t have to hustle with anyone behind us. We could take the time to repeat awful tee shots, and also to hunt for balls we hit into the woods! Once I scared up two fawns, punctuating how remote this place was.

We declined having lunch in the club, and went directly back to the boat, arriving about 2pm. We were hungry and lunch was over, so we changed and went into town to find a burger. Then back to our room for a big nap - without an alarm clock we would have slept all night! Showered and dressed and got to the main salon by 6:30pm in order to hear the report about tomorrow from Ingrid. The groups from the optional tour were just heading back at that point - long day for them, but worth it, they said. We’ll add it to our list.

Another great dinner and wine. Afterwards we gathered in the back of the ship, some of us played cribbage (Jeff and Shelly vs David and me), and others shared stories and laughs. Made for another late night, but a great day!

Friday May 10, 2019. Versailles

I slept until after 8am and nearly missed breakfast. After a quick bite, I hit the gym while JT caught up on some work. It was great to be watching the scenery go by as I pedaled the stationary bike. Swans, herons, chateau and churches, signs about waterskiing (?)!

Before my workout was done, we docked in the charming village of Mantes-la-Jolie. The little gym was on the river side so I didn’t see much, but Jeff was in our room with the window open (yes, open!) and got some great photos of the village and it’s beautiful cathedral as we approached.

I showered, and then it was time to grab an early lunch before our excursion to Versailles. We had two options: (1) the main building including the secret apartments or (2) the gardens, including a little hamlet Marie Antoinette had built where she likes to play being a “regular person.” Since Jeff hadn’t been there before, we went with option #1. We boarded the bus, and had an awesome guide join us. She started talking as soon as we departed and didn’t take a break for over three hours. That was some kind of stamina, she had great energy and pride for what she was showing us, and filled us with lots of factoids! Here are some of them:

• The city where we are docked, Mantes-la-Jolie, stands for beautiful city. But it’s not named that for any particular beauty of the city itself, but actually for a mistress of Louis XV, who was from this area!

• Paris region is called the “island of France,” because it’s surrounded by river on all sides. Versailles was one of the surrounding forests, known for its hunting (by the privileged people). Noble people didn’t work, their job was to defend the king, so they practiced this by hunting.

• The Louvre had been military fortress in 12th century and became the king’s residence in the 14th century, but the royalty didn’t like living in Paris. During this time, Paris looked much like what we saw in Rouen - half-timbered houses and narrow streets.

• Louis XIII built a small (20 rooms) hunting lodge in 1623 in Versailles. He married Ana from Austria, waited 23 years for first child (1638).

• Louis XIV - great “Sun King.” Became king at age of 5, his mother was “queen regent,” and ruled with Prime Minister. He raised taxes, which resulted in the revolution. The Queen escaped with 2 boys and traveled for 4 years waiting for things to calm down. Loius XIV then became king in 1661, at 23 years old when Prime Minister died. Decided to rule the country on his own, and his politics were affected by this time (Absolute Monarchy). Ruled until he died at 77 years old, longest reign in France.

• Married princess from Spain. They had to marry other royalty, but couldn’t marry relatives, so they generally married princesses from political allies such as Poland, Spain and Austria.

• He decided to bring the cabinet members closer so they couldn’t revolt against him. He was jealous of finance minister’s palace, arrested him for embezzlement and took his furniture and plants (orange trees) for his palace. The whole court lived at Versailles (thousands of people), many feasts and ceremonies, plan was to keep the people too busy to revolt! One of the oddest things was they’d make ceremonies out of watching him eat, get into bed, and get join the morning.

• Louis XV - personality was very different, wanted more privacy and set up secret apartment. It was neat to be able to tour those - still opulent, but smaller and less ornate than the large rooms from the remainder of the palace.

• Louis XVI - angry and hungry people from Paris organized a march, and brought Louis and Marie and their children into Paris where they were jailed. One child died there, Louis and Marie were beheaded, and a daughter survived. But that was the end of the monarchy in France.

Today, the town of Versailles has about 100,000 inhabitants, many descended from nobility. The palace was taken over by the government, and one wealthy benefactor helped save it as a museum when the plan was to tear it down. As part of the French Revolution, it was ransacked and all the valuable pieces were auctioned off. A foundation and donations have returned some of the pieces to the museum now, and pieces continue to be added.

One last interesting fact is that the walls and ceilings are all paintings, affixed to the walls and ceilings - not frescos as you see in so many places in Europe.

Back to the Joie de Vivre, which we learned means “Joy of Life!” We met Shelly and David in the lounge for another round of cribbage. Dinner tonight was in the “wine cave,” where our group met for a private cooking demonstration / wine pairing feast. It was amazing food and wine, and lots of laughs. Back upstairs afterwards with a little dancing, but the lounge singer knocked off way too early!

Saturday May 11, 2019 - Paris

Our last day and evening we were docked in Paris close to where we started. The BrightStar gang hired a private tour guide to walk us through the Latin Quarter and guide us through the Louvre. On his third attempt, Jeff finally got in.

We had what I’d describe as a “turbo tour,” of the Louvre. We saw Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, and the Mona Lisa. Our guide had also arranged for lunch at an odd place where we were ushered to the basement. The rest of the group wanted to do some shopping, but it was a beautiful day so Jeff and I walked along the Seine back to the boat.

In the evening, a bus picked us up and brought us up to the Pigalle district where we had dinner and a show at the Moulin Rouge. It’d been 30 years since I’d been there, but it hadn’t changed much. It was a fun group to attend with and we had a lot of laughs.