My French Adventure

[azfiddle]

All in all- sounds like you had a great trip in spite of the heat. Hope the travel home went smoothly

[Crankin]

We made it home, on time... so nice to feel the 60 degree temperature! I slept an hour on the train and several on the plane, so despite trying, I did nothing more than doze all night. Got out of bed at 5, unpacked, and started the laundry, which is mostly the bike clothes. At 9:30 I am going to meet my best friend, ever, from middle school/high school for breakfast. I have not seen her since January 1972. She is in town for the weekend and this is a great way to finish my trip. Tomorrow, my friend and I (and another friend, who lives here) are going to a celebration of life luncheon, for my HS boyfriend, who recently died.
All, in all, this trip was a winner. The plusses were the riding and the food, and the scenery. The minuses were, compared to other bike tours, I felt rushed, and there were little cultural/historical side activities. We had chosen the explorer (cheaper) level trip than the last time we did a Trek Travel trip, so some of this may be the difference in price, between the Explorer trip and the Luxury version. We chose the Explorer trip, because we thought there would be less of an azzhole factor in the other participants, and I think that was true. We also let Trek plan our hotel, etc. we used in Paris for the beginning of the trip, and while the hotel was fine, we did not need the Paris Pass, and other things we bought, as those things were really touristy. We won't do that again.
Sometimes I wonder about my riding ability, compared to the others... quite a few of the women who did Ventoux don't ride half as much as I do. They do run and hike, and other stuff that is hard. And, they don't even look like they are in great shape. I seriously don't know if I could have done Ventoux, even with my 11-34 gearing; I know I could not have done it with the bike I was riding there. DH says I could, and with me, it's mostly in my head. I like climbing, but I think my suffering quotient has decreased as I age.
I will post some pictures, when DH is done uploading them.

[shootingstar]

The plusses were the riding and the food, and the scenery. The minuses were, compared to other bike tours, I felt rushed, and there were little cultural/historical side activities. We had chosen the explorer (cheaper) level trip than the last time we did a Trek Travel trip, so some of this may be the difference in price, between the Explorer trip and the Luxury version. We chose the Explorer trip, because we thought there would be less of an azzhole factor in the other participants, and I think that was true. We also let Trek plan our hotel, etc. we used in Paris for the beginning of the trip, and while the hotel was fine, we did not need the Paris Pass, and other things we bought, as those things were really touristy. We won't do that again.
Sometimes I wonder about my riding ability, compared to the others... quite a few of the women who did Ventoux don't ride half as much as I do. .

You're probably a good cyclist, Crankin. I'm very different from you when cycling in foreign countries outside of North America: For myself personally, I do want to enjoy the cultural sights, some views, etc. It would bother me immensely to be cycling a lot and bypass a lot of key historic sights, interesting restaurants..I'm in a foreign country.

I don't mind some of the touristy stuff but like to visit it on our own time. That's part of the country's history / heritage also but just well over-marketed.