Jo-Lynne Sutherland

Jo-Lynne Sutherland

14 カ国を旅行しましたもっと詳しく🇨🇦Toronto

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Mexico & Arizona 2023 旅行者

San Miguel Here We Come
2023年3月2日, メキシコ ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
Bajiogo shuttle worked well, but was super expensive- US$100 each. Will try to find a cheaper way back. The driver arrived on time and we had the car to ourselves. He took us directly to El Chorro #50. The lock box opened and we found 3 keys, which worked well. A great start.

The place was tiny but with a huge courtyard, which I loved. After decluttering for a good hour - pots, pans, plants, ornaments, everywhere - I felt more at home. The shower trickled and ran out of hot water after a few minutes, but otherwise it had a lot of charm.

From the tiny Juliette balcony we heard a neighbour speaking English. Seems he left his cell phone is a taxi and was trying to retrieve it, with no luck. They did invite us over, though, and their place was spectacular - humungous garden, beautiful artwork, but only 1 bedroom. It came with full time maid & gardener. Turns out Edith is an author and David retired, never said what he did, from Bowen Island. They gave us good instructions on where to find groceries, etc. Diego, the 27 year old owner of our place, hadn’t left any instructions so I had to keep emailing him with questions - wifi, garbage,groceries, etc etc.

We then headed out along the narrow cobblestone streets. Charming but not easy to walk on. We found the main square - Jardine, pronounced Hardeen- complete with 4 mariachi bands competing for attention.The weather was amazing - about 25 in the evening.

We picked up some groceries at a tiny shop near by, then at Madeline’s suggestion, had dinner at Manantial, a small restaurant nearby that specializes in fish tacos etc. The place was cute, the ambience vibrant. Such fun.もっと詳しく
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Mexico & Arizona 2023 旅行者

Day 4 Palace, Museums, Terazza Cha Cha
2023年3月1日, メキシコ ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C
We headed down to the main square - President’s Palace etc - a short walk away. It was totally blocked off due to protests the day before because President Obrador was trying to excerpt power from the courts. There was a group for men protesting, and in the same square several people being « cleansed" - old & young,

From here, we headed to Belles Artes - WOW impressive especially the large mural by Diego Rivera that was taken down in New York due to his support for Communism, so he duplicated it here.

From there, we took an Uber to Frida Kahlo Museum. Impressive- was a bit like seeing the Neitzsche Haus - both idols from their countries. We didn't have reservations and the queue was long, but I used my "old lady" spin and the fact that we'd spent $$$ coming to see the museum, and a young girl took pity on me and sent me to her manager who instantly let us enter. The plus of being "old."

The Highlight, though, was dinner at Terazza Cha, Cha, Cha, overlooking Plaza de la República. Beautiful.

Tomorrow we head off to SMA. Should be good fun.もっと詳しく
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Mexico & Arizona 2023 旅行者

Day 3 Bus Tour & Sky Bar
2023年2月28日, メキシコ ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
We didn’t chose well for our breakfast today - never choose Continental in Mexico - slices of white toast, not much more. Lesson learned.
We then headed to Zócala to catch a hop on hop off bus tour with Turibus. We bought our tickets there and it worked well. We got off at the Archeological museum - helped us get a better understanding of the origins of Mexican people - native, then the Spanish came with their black slaves and the groups intermingled, hence the different skin tones here.
We then wandered to the Modern Art Museum- were told there was a good restaurant there - but it was closed. We were so famished we didn’t spend much time in the museum and ended up buying some fresh fruit from a vendor outside the museum to keep us going.

We hopped back on the bus intending to go to the Frida Kahlo Museum but it was too late by then. Still hungry, we walked to the Miralto restaurant on the 41st floor of the Latinamericana building. Amazing 360 view of the city, but not a great vibe - American music playing and not many people.もっと詳しく
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Mexico & Arizona 2023 旅行者

Day 2 Centro Historico & Grand Hotel
2023年2月27日, メキシコ ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
Had a lovely breakfast at Hotel Gillow, included with the room. The waiters don’t speak English, so using Reverso and lots of gestures we made our choices - which worked out well. We then headed out to explore the surrounding area.

We headed down the nearby walking street, popping into an exhibit by Marysole Warner Baz - impressive - then past China Town into the modern part of the city.
One building looked like a fabulous museum of indigenous artist, but was in fact a Casino. Disappointing.

From there we headed to the Arch of the Revolution for a quick view, then walked back to Zócalo, the main square with the Presidential Palace. The had been a huge protest there the day before so there were police everywhere - lots of women - and the square was roped off to cars.

From here we went into the Grand Hotel overlooking the square, which friends had recommended. The architecture was stunning. Our timing was great - we didn’t have a reservation, but as we were there early there was room. Luckier still, it coincided with the lowering of the flag with lots of high goose stepping officers. Quite the spectacle. A lovely end to the day.

.もっと詳しく
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Mexico & Arizona 2023 旅行者

Mexico City Day 1
2023年2月26日, メキシコ ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
Phoenix airport worked well. Nice guy checked us in, accepted our Nexus card and gave us pre approval. We zipped through security - no need to remove anything. We booked seats in advance but still didn’t board until Zone 5. There was no inflight entertainment - at least not that we could figure out.

When we arrived in Mexico there was a huge queue. We left the line to see if there was another way - signage was confusing. Fortunately when we came back a young American girl working with an NGO for animals let us back into line where we were before.

As luck would have it, when we were about 1/3 the way to security, they open the rope and ushered Americans & Canadians to another line and we got through quite quickly.

We took an Uber to Hotel Gillow. Super efficient and cheap - only problem is the car totally stopped at one point and the driver had to open the hood and fiddle with something. It stopped again, but fortunately he was able to get it going again and we made it to the hotel

Hotel Gillow is in the heart of the old city, just off the main walking street and close to the Palace. It’s old but charming - rooms encircling the inner courtyard. We had a room on the 6th floor with a fair sized balcony. Needless to say we climbed the stairs up and down for 3 days. A good workout especially at that altitude - 7,000 ft.

We headed out to explore and I actually felt a little weird - the combo of heat, sun reflecting off the slate streets, and altitude made me feel light headed.

That evening we found a little place on the walking street for dinner - panini and Bohemia light for me, salad and Bohemia dark for Peter. It was actually really good.もっと詳しく
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Mexico & Arizona 2023 旅行者
Phoenix on route to Mexico City
2023年2月25日, アメリカ ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
Nexus worked well in Toronto, so got through relatively quickly. Flight was delayed by 2 hours, though, so we didn't get to the Hilton Garden Inn after midnight - expensive hotel - $US 238. Popped in my Simcorner SIM card, but had trouble getting it activated. They responded quickly to my emails, though, and soon I was all set to go. Now that I've discovered other SIM cards, I can't imagine travelling without them. This one cost $52 / month and I bought 2 as we'd be travelling for the next 6 weeks or so in the US & Mexico.もっと詳しく
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European Adventures 2022 旅行者

Day 38 Heading home
2022年10月8日, フランス ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
It’s been an amazing celebration of our 75/80 B-Days. Chatting on the way home, we decided we wouldn’t have done anything differently.

Our 3 destinations - Switzerland, Italy & France were quite different - making interesting comparisons. Train connections worked well- Eurail pass is great. Highly recommend it.

Overall we chose well with our accommodations - Sils & Lac Como were quite spacious and nicely decorated. Riomaggiore was our fave - aesthetic & well located. Nice was super tiny & noisy at night, but aesthetic. Agde was the most spacious, which was good as we spent 13 days there - but we had to clean it up a bit.

Luckily we were healthy - so super active. Hiking in Sils Maria with Madeline & John was a highlight, as was our biking in and around Agde. Aside from Peter thinking he’d lost his phone twice, there really were no major hitches - amazing . . . .

As for the 3 countries, true to stereotypes, Switzerland seemed super clean & efficient - trains running on time, accommodations neat & aesthetic. Italy seemed more chaotic - trains packed, noise & a bit of chaos everywhere. France, at least on the Côte d’Azure, seemed more refined - lovely outdoor cafes, large wide promenades, people “chilling.” Paris was more vibrant - people walking & talking faster, noise from sirens, street cars, busses.

This was a new type of trip for us- bopping around so much, and fortunately it worked well. It’s nice to be home now, though, with more physical and personal space. Some of our AirBnBs were super small, and being together 24/7 for 38 days was a new experience for us both. I’m amazed it worked out so well.

We’ve really got the travel bug now - next up San Miguel & Tucson this March, perhaps some skiing and other destinations.

At 75 / 80 we’re not getting any younger - have to enjoy life to the fullest now.もっと詳しく
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旅行者What a fabulous trip and a great way to celebrate birthdays!
2022/10/19返信する
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European Adventures 2022 旅行者

Day 37 Final day of our fab holiday
2022年10月7日, フランス ⋅ 🌙 10 °C
We only had 1 full day in Paris, so made the most of it. What a day - clear blue sky & perfect walking temperature. We hit our absolute record - 42,244 steps or 28.9 K according to my Fitbit. Good thing we both have comfy shoes.

Wish I’d tracked our exact path - we were everywhere. Breakfast at our restaurant in Bercy, lunch at Saint- Germain- des-Prés, drinks at Place l’Opera, dinner back in Bercy .

In between we scouted out places we wanted to revisit. Peter was hoping to have lunch at Les Deux Magots or Café des Flore - where deep thinkers like Jean Paul Sartre etc met over the years - but the queues were horrendous. We found a good - we thought better - restaurant nearby and enjoyed the scene.

Drinks at Cafe de la Paix at Place l’Opera were also “obligatoire.” Word has it if you sit there long enough you’ll see someone you know. Didn’t happen to us - but the people watching was good fun.

Another key stop was Place Vendome - back in the 60s Peter picked up his mail & money there when he was hitchhiking around Europe & the Middle East. Lots of other shops there now - but no BMO.

We, of course, had to wander down the Champs Élysées for old time sake - it’s looking much better than when we were last here - plus see the Louvre, Arc de Triomph, Notre Dame Cathedral - lots of scaffolding & barricades, Élysées Palace - lots of police surrounding it. I wanted pics but was hesitant. There were tons more churches & sculptures - can’t remember them all.

Overall impression - Paris is a beautiful fascinating city, so much to see and do - always worth another trip back.

Drat - have to pack now. Will reflect more on the whole adventure once we get home tomorrow.もっと詳しく
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旅行者Wow! You guys walked!
2022/10/12返信する
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European Adventures 2022 旅行者

Day 36 Cap d’ Agde to Paris
2022年10月6日, フランス ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Today was a travel day. We were up relatively early - at least for me - because Saida and her husband were coming to collect the keys to the apartment. Although she said she’s an English teacher, we ended up chatting in French. Hope that means we’ve make some progress while here.

They kindly drove us to the train station - although we did pay them - but at
least it was better than taking the bus for 45 minutes. Our TGV train was 25 minutes late - most unusual, but they said it was due to water & an animal on the track. As we had reserved seats, there was no stress.

We’ve decided that trains are the way to go in Europe. The Eurail pass is great. If you’re making several stops in different countries it takes time to set up in advance, but it works beautifully.

The other thing I’ve learned - and love - is having a new SIM card. It was only $33 for a month and worked well in all 3 countries. Unfortunately it expired Oct 1 - really missed it today when we arrived at Gare du Lyon in Paris and had to find our way to the hotel. From now on I’ll buy 2 cards if we’re away for more than a month.

Not having a map or SIM card, we finally found our hotel. I had taken a screen shot of the directions, but we went down Avenue de Bercy not Boulevard de Bercy, and ended up at a dead end. We finally found our hotel - but it was thanks to a sweet young university student who walked us all the way there. Couldn’t thank her enough - also another great op to practice my French.

After checking in, we explored about and found a good restaurant nearby. French Bordeaux & Chardonnay, good food - a lovely way to end the day.

Didn’t take many pics - more to come tomorrow.もっと詳しく
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European Adventures 2022 旅行者

Day 35 Last day in Agde
2022年10月5日, フランス ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
Unfortunately our final day has arrived. Cap d’Agde has worked out surprisingly well for us, but without bikes we decided to do our own things today.

My choice - I walked to Palais des Congrès hoping to go inside, but all the doors were locked tight. There was a sign with a number to call, but my SIM card has expired so I was out of luck.

I headed next door to the Casino. The “guard” was super serious - asked for my ID, can’t imagine why, and said photos are “strictement interdict.” I didn’t want to mess with him, hence no pics.

I rarely go into Casinos so don’t have much to compare this one to, but it was lovely - ultra modern, light jazz playing - my fav - and about 30 people seriously focussed on their slot machines. There was an adjoining restaurant with the same aesthetic design and an enclosed room for smokers - looked pretty serious inside.

From there I wandered past the Centre International de Tennis hoping to see if PB had reached this far afield, but it was locked up tight - either that or I didn’t venture far enough to find the right entrance. Seems lots of places close down in Sept/Oct - but having very few tourists is a real plus as far as I’m concerned.

From there my destination was Musée d’Éphebe - must say I was impressed. It’s an archaeological & maritime museum with statues from the Roman/Greek period - most notably L’Ephèbe d’Agde, an ancient bronze sculpture discovered in 1964 in the Hérault river near Agde - hence the name of the museum. It also has ancient artifacts dating back 2,000 years, and lots of videos of scuba divers and their finds. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay long as we only had 1 set of keys and Peter was waiting for his excursion out. On the way back I meandered along the Promenade for one last look.

As I wandered about, I noticed a certain branding everywhere - white on white- so lovely.

Peter’s final tour was more practical - checked out the bus stop for tomorrow, disposed of our bottles - lots of wine & beer - and searched out where & why we got lost a few days ago - seems we missed a critical tunnel. He also happened upon Agd’Aventure, a totally natural fun park for kids. The grandkids would love it.

Everywhere we’ve been in France there have been great parks for kids, especially here in Agde - huge water slides, amusement parks, nature parks like Peter found. Wish we had more of these back home.

Tomorrow we head to Paris for 2 days then home. Loving our time here and realizing it’s more fun to bop about from place to place, we’ve planned a few more adventures - San Miguel March 2 - 18, Tucson March 19 - April 1, then possibly Florida . . . . .

Now that we’ve hit our golden 75th & 80th, we’ve decided we have to continue to enjoy each moment - and keep on trekking. 🏃🏼🏃‍♀️🚴‍♀️ 🚴🚣 🚣‍♂️ 🤩🤩もっと詳しく
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European Adventures 2022 旅行者

Day 34 Peter’s 80th - his choices
2022年10月4日, フランス ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
How to celebrate an 80th??

Peter’s choice - bike to Marseillan - about an hour - then paddle 2.5 hours on Étang de Thau and along Canal du Midi, and bike back.

Arriving at 12:01pm we were lucky the shop was open - and the owner was “sympathique.” He was proud to show us his “Canadian” canoe - large & plastic, but stable. He hosed it down, and dropped it into the lake between 2 boats. By stepping on the stern of one, we were able to get in.

Étang de Thau is huge - 21 K long & 8K across - and linked by the Canal du Midi to Bordeaux via Toulouse. Being so vast, we weren’t sure where to go. First, we ventured out to the middle, then headed down the Canal - more action there.

The weather was amazing and everything went smoothly except . …
After about 1.5 hours of paddling, Peter hopped out of the boat for a pit stop along the Canal. Getting back in, and after paddling about 15 minutes upstream, he noticed his phone was not in his pocket. Convinced it had fallen out, we canoed back, and actually found the exact spot - but no phone. EUREKA - after checking his bags thoroughly again - le voilá - there it was. A total déjà vu of when we flew out of Pearson. . . . .

Happily back on track, we got to the landing at 3:05 - meaning no lunch for us, just beer. It never ceases to amaze us how they get away with this . . . . .

Having to return our bikes before 5, we took the route back we knew. We stopped on the way at our fav poisonnerie - he chose salmon. Must say, after 9 days of biking, walking home from the bike shop seemed soooo slow.

We’re winding down after a delish dinner. Peter’s enjoying all his birthday wishes by phone and email.

Last day tomorrow - have to make the most of it.もっと詳しく
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旅行者Sounds like a very Happy Birthday!🎉🍺🚴🏻
2022/10/04返信する
旅行者Peter….WELL DONE…..👍 what a great way to celebrate entry into the next and surely your most exciting decade! Now, the phone thing….that’s a problem. The “other” 80 yr old.
2022/10/07返信する
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European Adventures 2022 旅行者

Day 33 Biking to Béziers
2022年10月3日, フランス ⋅ 🌙 19 °C
Quite the adventure today. We ended up logging in 75K - not what we’d intended.

The route from the Cap to Agde was fine - we knew that one. From there we headed west to Béziers. We went from reasonable bike path to road to trail to getting way off track because the signage disappeared - and finally getting back along the Canal du Midi.

Approaching Béziers we found a place that looked like it might serve food - but NO it was 3:15 and they stop serving food at 3. Where else but in France ……. We ventured on. Thinking we were now super close, we came to a sign saying “Deviation.” Fortunately, a German couple directed us to an alternative route and finally at about 4pm we reached Béziers.

By chance I spotted a small sign saying Brasserie and we ventured in. What a find. Totally cool. Not only were they brewing beer, but it had a great vibe - and hilarious signage. See pics. We couldn’t resist buying a bottle of La Gorge Fraiche, Blonde Artisanale. Hope it’s a good as what we drank there.

Fortified and back on the trail, we actually found the path by Canal du Midi to Agde, then back to the Cap. I lost Peter at one point, but fortunately my SIM card was still working so I found my way back home - albeit at 7:15, close to dusk.

Tomorrow is Peter’s BIG 80. His choice of activities. Curious to see what he’ll choose- no doubt something active.もっと詳しく
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European Adventures 2022 旅行者
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Day 32 Lovely bike path to Séte
2022年10月2日, フランス ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
We found an amazing bike path today - here to Séte. Having been to Marseillan Beach a few times, we finally aced the route this time. From there, it was another 15K or so to Séte. In total it was about 50K return, but lovely because it was flat & picturesque, with the Mediterranean Sea on one side and Étang du Thau on the other.

We didn’t venture far into Séte as the route was super crowded, but went far enough to see some humungous boats, and smaller ones parked 3 stories high. We watched a boat being hauled out of the water and hoisted up, but didn’t capture it in pics or videos.

Rather than pause in Séte for drinks, we went back to a nearby beach resort and enjoyed the calm ambience - and good people watching.

On route back, I insisted we stop again at the Palais des Congrès so I could video the amazing circular walkway between it and the Casino. Absolutely love the architecture - so simple & aesthetic. It was designed in 2019 by A+ Architecture, a French company, with artist Hervé di Rosa from Séte designing the white metal sculpture that covers the 2 buildings. Hope my video & pics capture a bit of it’s beauty.

We were home in good time to enjoy the fish Peter had picked up this morning, Felton. Reverso tells me is halibut, flounder, turbot - whatever it was, a simple pan fry with cherry tomatoes and it was delish.

Heading into our final few days and wanting to make the most of it.もっと詳しく
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旅行者 Cool bike path!
2022/10/03返信する
旅行者And you still have loads of sun. We are now having sunny days too
2022/10/03返信する
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European Adventures 2022 旅行者

Day 31 Saturday market & beach walk
2022年10月1日, フランス ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
Our timing was great - hit 2 Saturday markets while here. Love them - amazing colours, smells, sounds - great vibe. The one by our place closed last Saturday, but the one in front of the new commercial complex is even more active & picturesque.

We picked up enough fresh fruits & veggies for our final week here, then Peter went to the local Carrefour and picked up veggie couscous - so dinner was simple & delish.

After lunch we headed to our bike shop - La Ballade des Gens Heureux - in Le Grau d’Agde to extend our rentals for 3 more days. Biking is really the way to go - so much more mobility and a chance to pause anywhere - plus get lost and explore more than you intended.

We were curious to know if the bridge we couldn’t cross yesterday was accessible from the sea side, so biked back along l’Hérault river. Simple answer - no. Content we’d solved that mystery, we headed to the beach.

The beaches at Le Grau d’Agde are by far the best we’ve seen - miles & miles of sand and few people. Perhaps Saïd’s beau frére was right when he said buy now - Agde, although not part of the Côte d’Azur, will soon be “ the place to be.”

Walking along the beach for about 2 hours, we saw a couple of lovely homes - no doubt more to come. We paused for drinks on the promenade, then biked back in relatively timely good time - for us.

A nice change of pace from our long bike rides.もっと詳しく
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European Adventures 2022 旅行者
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Day 30 Train to Montpellier
2022年9月30日, フランス ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
Today went extremely smoothly, except for a little “side trip” biking home.

Biking to the train station in Agde went amazing well. We’ve finally found 2 routes - and this newest one got us there in about 45 minutes. The train originated in Narbonne, so was packed when it arrived. I found a seat - Peter finally found one after the stop in Séte.

Montpellier is a big vibrant city - totally different from Agde. So many historic buildings, lovely parks, sculptures, and of course the essential carousel in the heart of the city. I read that the population is 468,000 and 80,000 are students. That was evident as we wandered around.

Some highlights were the oldest medical university in the world, their Arc de Triomphe, headless statues in Esplanade de Corum, and the multicoloured trams.

Coming back, the train was totally packed once again. I found a seat, but Peter stood the whole way. Trains in France are something else - super efficient, reliable, but they just keep selling tickets so it becomes a free for all getting on & off. You’ll find dogs, cats, bikes, scooters, all kinds of luggage. They rarely check for tickets - impossible to make it through the crowds.

Arriving back, rather than take the 2 bikes trails we know, the “royal we” decided to try a new route . . . . we didn’t get lost - just couldn’t access the bridge we needed to cross so had to backtrack. Finally, at 7:00 pm we arrived home.

So glad we decided to go - definitely worth a visit.もっと詳しく
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旅行者Who knew, Montpelier was so interesting ..what a history!
2022/10/01返信する
旅行者 So cool!
2022/10/04返信する
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European Adventures 2022 旅行者

Day 29 Biking to Marseillan
2022年9月29日, フランス ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
Great day - we almost made it through the day without getting lost - but not quite.

We biked easily to Marseillan, 13 K north east of here - lovely bike paths almost the whole way. We’d been to Marseillan Beach on the Mediterranean a few days ago, so knew the route - more or less.

The city of Marseillan is further north on Étang de Thau, a huge lagoon we passed coming here by train, and saw from our climb up Mount Saint- Loop yesterday. It’s at the southern entry point of the 240K Canal du Midi - so lots boats plus a lighthouse marking the entry point. So picturesque.

Loved the broad promenades lined with boats & restaurants. Peter found a place at the port that rents kayaks & canoes - actually only 1 of each - but could be another adventure for next week. We didn’t have time to explore the old town, but I read it was a fortified village until the 18C and there haven’t been any new buildings constructed since the 17C.

As we’d made it there so easily, I was sure the route home would be equally direct - but no, we headed off in the wrong exit from a roundabout and ended up who knows where. Relying on our maps, and general intuition, we finally make it back about 6:00. We then popped into a nearby poissonnerie - that only one around - and picked up some salmon - soooo fresh & good.

Looking forward to what tomorrow will bring.もっと詳しく
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旅行者You get to wear sunglasses! Glad to hear that there are others who get lost!
2022/09/30返信する
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European Adventures 2022 旅行者
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Day 28 biking to Mont Saint-Loup & Agde
2022年9月28日, フランス ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
Another energetic, unexpected adventure. Weather forecast said rain, but we only got a couple of sprinkles. We’ve been amazingly lucky with the weather.

Our destination was Mont Saint Loup, a former volcano high in the hills over looking Agde - all 3 cities. Once again we got totally lost. Can’t believe it - using a real map, AllTrails map & Google maps, we still got lost - but saw lots of interesting sites along the way.

A highlight was heading over the upper paths connecting the new commercial centre, tourist centre and routes on the other side. The wind was so strong I thought I was going to be blown off. See video.

After giving up on that destination, we decided to head to the train station in Agde to see if we can lock our bikes up there when we venture further afield by train later this week. The answer was yes.

Coming back to Cap d’Agde we got lost again - the plus was Peter noticed a sign pointing to Mont Saint Loup - our original destination. The negative was the steep climb straight up. I biked about half of it, and pushed my super heavy bike up the other half. Loved it when a tourist train came by and a group of ladies all cheered me on. Great views & pics of Agde from on high.

Heading back down we got lost again - ended up on a goat trail by passing the humongous golf course, and finally got back on track.

A quick trip to our local Carrfour for dinner supplies, and we’re now sipping Lagavette, a wine from this Languedoc region, and enjoying brie cheese. Have calm French music playing - life is good.もっと詳しく
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旅行者 Good for you Dodie!
2022/09/28返信する
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European Adventures 2022 旅行者

Day 27 Biking to the old city of Agde
2022年9月27日, フランス ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
A bit cooler today - fall is coming, even here. We actually donned wind breakers for the first time and were glad we did.

Our destination was the old city of Agde about 11K away. It was a super easy route - mostly a flat bike path to l’ Hérault River, then north along another flat bike path into the heart of Agde.

The winds were strong - not like the Mistrell we experienced in Avignon where I was hanging onto a bridge so my bike & I wouldn’t fly away - but pretty close.

Along the way we saw some serious huge fishing boats - but surprisingly no shops selling fresh fish. Reaching Agde about 1:30 I was ready for lunch, but Peter was not. He finally succumbed to eating a few slices of pizza.

From there we headed to Écluse du Ronde, a circular structure built from volcanic basalt in 1675 to allow boats from Canal du Midi and l’Hérault river to pass. There are 3 different water levels. Our timing was good as a tourist boat was heading into 1 of the locks.

Overall impression of Agde - quiet narrow streets, few tourists, many historic buildings and houses built with black volcanic rock - peaceful & quiet.

Heading home, fortunately we had the wind at our backs so got home in reasonable time. We then googled and found a shop nearby selling fresh fish - Peter headed out and chose daurade - sea bass - it was delish.もっと詳しく
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European Adventures 2022 旅行者

Day 26 Have bikes will travel
2022年9月26日, フランス ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C
Another beautiful sunny day - but a bit cooler in the morning.

About 9:30 we hiked over to the bike shop we’d found yesterday and rented bikes for 6 days. The same friendly lady was there - we had a good chat about bikes, kids & Canada. Our French seems to be getting a bit better - either that or she was “super nice.”

The bikes are great - only 7 gears, but smooth & comfortable. After touring around a bit we paused for coffee & croissants. So French.

Agde is actually 3 different cities - Agde, the old city that’s further inland, Cap d’Agde a tourist’s playground where we are, and Le Grau Agde a traditional fishing village with miles of sandy beaches.

As we’d wandered around the Cap yesterday, we decided to explore Le Grau this morning, then head east in the afternoon. We decided to be “reasonable” and not explore all 3 cities in one day. Needless to say we weren’t reasonable and didn’t get home until 6:30pm - 17,300 steps / peddles later.

Again, we managed to get totally lost, ending up in Marseillan Plage, 13 K away, and coming back against wind gusts of 45 K. Fortunately the paths were relatively flat.

Overall impression - there are lovely well maintained bike paths everywhere, and sandy beaches & promenades that go on for miles. We rarely hear English and the locals are friendly.

Some highlights were beach resorts with palm trees, biking along L’Hérault peer, ultra modern Tourism Office & commercial complex, watching a boule competition - totally boring but obviously a serious pastime - circling a huge aquatic centre, (Archipel La Cité de L’eau), trying to visit Village Naturiste but being locked out, and heading past the Centre International de Tennis - 30 tennis courts, no pickelball . . .

All in all another fun, energetic day.もっと詳しく
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European Adventures 2022 旅行者

Day 25 Blue Bird day in Cap d’Agde
2022年9月25日, フランス ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
A glorious day - clear blue sky against deep blue water. Seems impossible to get a bad pic.

Success - we finally found a place to rent bikes. Will do so tomorrow for 6 days so we can explore further afield.

Today was a wandering day. Didn’t seem like we’d gone far, but my Fitbit buzzed a couple of items and ended up saying 25,873 steps.

On route to our bike shop we passed Aqualand, a huge water park the grand kids would love. Unfortunately it was closed. Makes no sense to me - weather is amazing, 24C with sunshine, but perhaps for them it’s getting cold. Seems many things close down the end of Sept, so best to come in August - but they say you then have to battle the crowds. I prefer this.

When we reached our bike shop, a sweet 7 year old girl rushed up to explain in French - we totally understood - that her mom was very busy with 3 children and was working in another shop, but she’d be coming shortly. She was lovely and so composed.

Bike rental all arranged, we headed back into the heart of the city. On route back we passed Ile des Loisir- another fun place for kids - also closed for the season. We then wandered to - Zone Technique where boats were being built and repaired. Next stop was Jetée Richelieu, the most southerly strip of land that guards the entrance to the harbour. It has huge black rocks leading out to the end. Pic shows me in flip flops somewhat apprehensive - grandkids would no doubt be running from rock to rock.

Next stop, a hike to the Grand Conque where there’s a monument to the African soldiers who fought for France in WWll. Then a quick walk over the bridge to Ile des Pecheurs - then a much needed stop on the Promenade for Sangria & Campari, and good people watching. We picked up fresh salmon filets in the Carrefour and had a lovely rather late dinner.

Tomorrow will be a biking day - don’t know where yet.もっと詳しく
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旅行者We sure have different weather. Your photos have gorgeous colors, mine are grey light, misty…little sun ( usually breaks out about 4). Enjoying your adventures.
2022/09/26返信する
旅行者We’ve been super lucky so far with the weather. Hope it continues. I thought of you as I wandered into the soap shop - lots of Savon de Marseille. I usually don’t shop but had to buy a few. Sooooo lovely.
2022/09/26返信する
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European Adventures 2022 旅行者

Day 24 Exploring Cap d’Agde
2022年9月24日, フランス ⋅ 🌧 19 °C
We both had a great sleep - super quiet here, not like Nice.

Our plan today was to explore the city, get city maps & find bikes to rent. First objective was accomplished - 20,000+ steps, most of which occurred getting lost trying to find bikes to rent.

We lucked out by finding a Sunday market right across the street from our place. Vibrant ambience, great smells & colours - great photo ops. From there we found the Tourist Office - the most beautiful I’ve every seen.

We easily found the first bike shop - Loco-Velo, then headed off to find shop 2. Can’t believe how disoriented we were - even with a map & Google maps, we couldn’t find it. Got super close to the Naturalist beach. Didn’t venture in - doubt we’d be welcome.

The plus of the day is that we explored Plage du Mole and Plage La Roquille - lovely beaches and good biking paths. We stopped for drinks on the way back - fun people watching.

For dinner Peter picked up paella - absolutely delicious - a no fuss no muss meal for me to prepare.

Maybe tomorrow we’ll find bike shop 2 . . . . .もっと詳しく
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European Adventures 2022 旅行者

Day 23 off to Agde
2022年9月23日, フランス ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
It was an early morning start - up at 6:30am to catch our train. We’d checked out the station yesterday and noticed that many of the ticket gates weren’t working, so wanted to get there in good time.

We had to drop off the keys first, so headed out at 7:30. Fortunately all went well - gates worked, we were early so got seats. The trains ended up packed - people wandering up & down trying to find seats.

After passing Canne the train inched along as it was literally on about a 15 degree angle sloping towards the sea. We were heading around curves with a sheer drop down to the sea - trees were brushing against the train. The conductor announced in French that this pace was for safety reasons. Needless to say, all was quiet on the train. We could see the road we’d biked along 2 years ago, way down below.

Once the train straighten out, it got back up to speed. At St Raphael lots got off, but it filled up totally again. Seems they just keep selling tickets - so best to get there early and battle your way in.

At Marseille we had an hour between trains, so headed to the sushi restaurant we’d been to 2 years ago when we went from Avignon through Marseille to St Raphael. Good memories.

The train was less full heading this way, but packed once again when we hit Montpellier. 3 hours later, we were surprised to see how many people got off at Agde.

Saida, who was supposed to meet us, was working so she sent her husband - a friendly gregarious guy. He didn’t speak English, so we were happily forced to use our French. Must confess we couldn’t understand most of his jokes.

Trying to be a “super host” he toured us all around Agde, the old city, then to Cap Agde, the modern seaside where we we were staying. Along the way he stopped to chat with a friend who owned a restaurant, perhaps coincidentally? He also kept telling us now was the time to buy a place at the Cap as it was becoming “the place to be” on the Côte d’ Azur. He, of course, had friends who could assist us with our purchase. As we had no idea where we were staying, he actually confused us with his grand tour. It would have been better if he’d started at our place. His best advice was when we arrived at our apartment and he said “To buy groceries turn left, for restaurants turn right.”

As his wife Saida usually meets guests, he had no idea how anything worked in the place. We’ve figured most of it out - the washing machine is something I’ve never seen before - archaic, and how to flush the toilet was a complete mystery. We finally found a small button near the floor that when pushed filled up the toilet, then with a huge noise flushed it, then filled it up again. What a racket.

Initially, we weren’t impressed with the place - smelled stale and looked grungy. After opening the windows, cleaning a bit and looking around, we decided it’s actually quite nice. Very spacious, totally unlike our place in Nice - and even has an oven. The last 2 places only had induction stoves. This one has a good old fashioned electric stove and oven - that actually works well.

Before unpacking we wandered out and happily found a Carrefour super close. Peter even found a nearby park where he can do his pull ups - whatever. He’s a happy guy.

Just to say, I think we’re going to like this place. We’ll know more tomorrowもっと詳しく
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European Adventures 2022 旅行者

Day 22 Last day in Nice
2022年9月22日, フランス ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
Vélo Bleu - Finally I won - with a little help from my friend.

Having wasted so much time 3 days ago, I was determined to figure out how Vélo Bleu works. Soooo frustrating. Must confess we went to Agence de la mobilité vélo bleu across the street from the train station, and a young girl kindly attached my account to my Visa card so all I had to do was tap - no 4 steps, no phone call - super simple. Why do they make it so complicated . . . .

We then headed out on our clunkers. Must say, riding from the train station to Promenade des Anglais seemed more dangerous than our trip to Canne. Once on the promenade we went from one end to the other, ending up at the port where we returned our bikes to a nearby stand. This was super simple- now that we knew how.

For lunch, rather than our usual salad Nicoise, we discovered a new fav - galettes - crepes semi folded over ham, cheese and egg. Delish.

We then decided it was time to get a bit “cultured” so walked through old town to Musée National Marc Chagall. Such a lovely building. Chagall wanted it to be more like a home so he hired André Hermant, who worked with Le Corbusier, to design it. The exhibit itself is impressive- especially the auditorium with the stained glass windows. What I found equally interesting was upon leaving we headed down some stairs and found many more prints of his artwork - fun happy circus themes, not the serious religious ones in the museum.

On route home we stopped at our fav mini market around the corner to pick up a few things for dinner, then arrived home at about 5 - much more reasonable than most of our other days.

In retrospect, Nice is well worth at least 6 days. Staying in the heart of the city works best - fun ambience, amazing scenery, easy access to everywhere - charming old city, vibrant new city, interesting nearby cities of Canne, Èze & Monaco.

We’re off to Agde tomorrow. Curious to see what adventures we’ll have there.もっと詳しく
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European Adventures 2022 旅行者

Day 21 Neitzche Hike in Èze
2022年9月21日, フランス ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
We hit our steps max today - 28,378 - totally unintentionally.

Our destination was Éze, an historic town nearby 1400ft up overlooking the coast - another venue where Neitzsche hiked back in 19th century. Seems we did it the opposite way to everyone else, though.

We took the streetcar to Vauban station, where we caught bus 82 to Éze. Ticketing was smooth & intuitive - not like Vélo Bleu. Soooo glad we caught the bus there and got a seat, because at the first stop it was jam packed with people - standing room only.

A lady from Switzerland, who was traveling with her teenage daughter, asked if we could open a window, which got me into a lovely conversation with her - and a chance to practice my French. She was “Tellement gentille” and didn’t even grimace too much at my French.

It was so crowded getting off the bus, we instantly headed off to find the trail - no actually we headed off to find a toilette. Surprise! There was a sign saying “Fermature de 13h a 13h30 pour le déjeuner. “ YIKES only in France . . . .

We didn’t pause to tour the city, just headed down the trail. It was super steep with slippery gravel and rocks. Took us a good hour to get down - stepping carefully. This is when we realized that most people were heading up from the Éze train station below.

At the bottom of the trail we found a small outdoor restaurant and ordered our usual Niçoise salad. An older couple from Germany, who were touring around Europe in their large motor home (5 wheeler) sat next to us and we got into a good long conversation with them.

The decision then was whether to take the 100 bus back to Nice, but the “royal we” decided we should climb back up to Éze - not the trail we came down, but another route that All Trails suggested. Glad we had that app as it managed to get us almost to the top - heading straight up the whole way. See video.

John, we were thinking of you throughout the climb - and agreed that Neitzsche was crazy, fit - or both.

We ended up at a bus station below Éze, so thought we’d wait there for the 82 bus to come down. It came by shortly thereafter - but zoomed past us. The bus driver had obviously never picked up anyone there before.

To make a long story short, we ended up walking 12.4 K back to Nice - arriving at 7:00pm. The plus was that we wandered through a different section of the old town and found a great shop with fresh fish. We picked up fresh tuna - what a treat. We also wandered thorough some quaint streets we hadn’t seen before.

Needless to say, I was happy to get home, crack open a 1664 and chill a bit.もっと詳しく
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旅行者Jo-Lynne……sitting here in Bordeaux……my own 1664, “rewardingly” beside me after ONLY a 14,000 step day here in Bordeaux, reading your latest exploits…..WOW…congratulations on the walk back to Nice and the 28,000 steps! Love your blog…..but too many pictures of Peter accomplishing impossible physical feats. And, love the N poem…..can you explain it? Cheers. John
2022/09/22返信する
旅行者Dodie, I have done it more than once going up from the train station. The train is frequent and convenient. The bus trip back as I recall is equally fabulous. The last time I did it the scenery along the corniche was spectacular. You and Peter are basically reliving our honeymoon of 1990. The itinerary is very similar. Lunch at La Chevre d'Or in Eze Village was sumptuous. Glad you are having a good time and envious! -J
2022/09/25返信する
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European Adventures 2022 旅行者

Day 20 Biking to Canne
2022年9月20日, フランス ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
What a fabulous day - 84K biking from Nice to Canne - 22,979 steps. Not sure how that works, but love the stats.

We rented ebikes, only because there were no road bikes. Loved them. Initially we didn’t turn them on- thinking that was whimpy. At the first steep hill, though, we both did. WOW what a difference. We still only turned them on for hills. On the way back, though, as we were worried about getting back by 6:30pm, as required, we both turned on the battery and “sailed.” Easy to do 25 or 30kph with the battery on. Such fun.

As for the actual bike route, from Nice to Cannes it was all along the Sea - spectacular scenery everywhere. Took far too many pics and videos trying to capture it all.

The bike path from Nice to Antibes was wide, easy & spectacular. The highlights were Villeneuve Louvet with its aesthetic white apartment complex, and miles & miles of sandy beaches & yachts.

We got lost a bit in Antibes, but I’d download All Trails - 7 days for free- which I loved. Showed us exactly where we were and plotted our route. We’re considering paying $56/ year to always have access to it. Meanwhile we have it for our time here and in Agde where we’ll be doing lots of biking.

From Antibes the bike route was along the road - either a narrow bike lane or actually on the road. It wasn’t bad - traffic was reasonable and drivers were courteous.

At Golfe Juan, it went back to a lovely bike trail into Canne. What a huge, impressive city - packed with yachts, and “beautiful” people. We found a restaurant near the main promenade and enjoyed the view.

On the route back we wandered off the trail a bit to stay near the sea and watch the boats and sun bathers. There actually are sandy beaches - not gravel - along this stretch of Côtes d’ Azur.

As we had our “power” on we arrived back at 5:30 pm - 7 hours after we’d left. A quick stop to pick up the essentials again- fish, veggies, beer & wine and we happily settled back into our Nice home.

We’re thinking of going to Èze tomorrow to see this small historic town high in the hills and hike another Neitzsche’s trail. Stay tuned.もっと詳しく
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European Adventures 2022 旅行者

Day 19 Our first frustrations
2022年9月19日, フランス ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
The day started out beautifully - great weather, good plan in place. We were going to rent Velo Bleu bikes and cruise Promenade des Anglais from one end to the other.

Bottom line is Velo Bleu won and I lost. I wasted at least 2 hours trying to get it to work - but in the end had to give up.

I set up an account, followed all the steps outlined, got to about step 4, called the number I was supposed to call - the voice message in French said “non valide” and it went back to the beginning. Soooooo frustrating.

Oh well, on to Plan B - a cultural day. First stop Musèe d’art moderne de Nice - closed on Monday. Next stop, Musèe Matisse, said to be the largest collection of his art in the world. After walking half way there, I googled it and it said it was closed from today until Oct 24.

OK, now what to do?? We headed back into the old city near the port, which resembles Cinque Terre with it narrow streets and buildings built into the hills. We had a lovely chat with a young priest outside Chapelle de la Visitation. He said the church still had a congregation of about 300 people, and he had come from another church to give the sermons for a few weeks.

The pics show other highlights we saw - Cimetière du Chateau - hate to think how much all those huge tombstones cost - lovely waterfall, Promenade du Paillon with its fountains, Marché des fleurs - a flea market with a lovely name but just lots of “stuff.”

After our initial frustrations, it actually turned out to be a fun day - and 15,201 steps.
Tomorrow, we’ve booked e-bikes to go to Cannes - there are no road bikes available just city clunkers. This will be an adventure for sure.もっと詳しく
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旅行者Wow Dodie! What a great travel blog! You have really captured the places. Pleased that you are having a good time and wish I were with you. :)
2022/09/19返信する
旅行者We’re having an amazing time. Each country is different and has it’s own charm. Côte d’Azur is as charming as I remember it being. Can’t believe the huge stretch of beaches and clear blue sky. Wish you & Jim were here to explore it with us.
2022/09/20返信する
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