Fortnight in France -- Partie Un

The main reason we moved to Portugal last year was to allow us to travel freely and extensively throughout Europe. This year has been a challenge, between COVID lockdowns and immigration delays. But, our plan is finally coming to life.

We have just returned from a two-week tour in France. We covered a lot of territory, saw a lot, learned a lot, and just about wore ourselves out. Our tour company, Gate 1 Travel, required that all participants be vaccinated. Our outstanding tour manager, was very careful with all COVID protocols. Ours was the company's first tour in Europe and all details, from rest stops to historic sites, had to be checked carefully to see what had changed in the past 18 months. In France, you have to show your proof of vaccination to go just about everywhere. We found this to be reassuring. All of the 28 people on our tour, except for us, were from the US. Those returning to the US directly following the tour needed COVID tests. Gate 1 provided the testing for them at our hotel. Happily, everyone tested negative. This was the view from a few steps from our hotel.

Because our free time was limited during the tour, I was not able to post to this blog during the trip without cutting into bar time. So I will be breaking this into a few parts. I hope you will enjoy the pictures and will not be too bored by the narrative.

Will and I arrived a day early and enjoyed a relaxed afternoon in Paris. Happily, our dear friends and travel companions, Norma and Juan Rengel, arrived the next day and we spent a few hours on a double decker bus seeing all the major sights in the city. On the first full day of the tour, we had a city tour by bus and on foot, followed by an afternoon at Versailles.

If you look closely at the photo of the Arc de Triomphe, you might see a crane and some fabric draping. This is an art installation fulfilling a dream of the late artist Christo. It is being funded by his nephew. More on this later.

That evening we had an excursion to Montmarte where we climbed hill and steps until our legs almost fell off. But it was worth the sights and we had a fun dinner at a local restaurant. We arrived back at the hotel in time to see the Eiffel Tour lit and sparkling.

The next day, on our way to Dijon, we stopped in Epernay to tour a champagne cellar and taste some bubbly. The caves where the champagne is stored include some wonderful bas relief sculptures.

After Epernay, we moved along to the city of Dijon. There have been weekend protests against the French Pass Sanitaire (proof of vaccination) for the past month or so. But they only protest on weekends. Upon arrival in Dijon, there was a large and vocal group blocking the entry road. As we were patiently waiting for them to pass, the police came by to break up the crowd and offer up some tear gas. Luckily, our bus provided us adequate protection. But, seriously people, just get the shots and show the pass.

After Dijon, we drove through the stunning Bourgogne wine district and stopped at Beaune, the capital of Burgundy wines. We tasted a couple of reds and a couple of whites. Then we ate lunch and strolled through the town.

Our next stop was the lovely city of Lyon. Our walking tour included several traboules or secret passageways throughout the city that are characteristic of Lyon. They were used by the resistance for secret meetings during World War II. I loved the trompe a l'oeil painting on the buildings and the cell tower disguised as the Tour Eiffel.