Arrived in PARIS shortly after 9:00 am, Sunday June 1. The Air Canada flight from Pearson Airport in Toronto to Charles de Gaulle, Paris went well, although on take off the plane shook and shuddered more than I'm comfortable with. I found the meals onboard a nice change from the meals offered by another less expensive airline which I use regularly. Unfortunately I was unable to sleep on the plane so knew if I didn't keep going once I got to Paris I would be suffering later. I had to walk quite a way to find the Trafalgar Rep in Terminal 2C(between exits 6&7) I couldn't find a Trafalgar desk so backtracked to the information desk and they told me the meeting point was outside. I found this confusing as there wan't any sign to indicate this, but did find a couple who were also waiting for the Trafalgar Rep. I was glad to hear they were on the same tour, and we quickly introduced ourselves. They were Australian and had done many tours with Trafalgar and been in France before.

We were met by our tour director and taken to our hotel in Paris, the Concorde Ambassador. It is on Haussmann Boulevard very close to Opera Garnier. The rooms weren't ready, so I sat in the lobby with others on the tour and we all introduced ourselves. There are a large contingent of Aussies, a small number of Americans, and only 3 Canadians. 6 of us are travelling alone, but everyone is friendly and excited.

My room was very nice, quite spacious with a huge bed, and I immediately wished my husband could have been there with me. I found myself grinning as it was a bit high and I had to jump to get on it. After freshening up I went for a short walk; we had been warned of pickpockets in the area. I was thrilled to see Sacre-Coeur off in the distance from a side street near the hotel. It looks beautiful.

There was an optional dinner and tour of Paris shortly after 5:00. I am looking forward to the meal and meeting more of my tourmates. One of the other single travellers has already suggested that we could sit together at meals.
We drove to Ile de Cite to visit Notre Dame,there was a mass just beginning. Although I'm not particularly religious, I was moved to
hear the choir and see the processional. It was raining as we left the cathedral and we quickly made our way to the restaurant not far away. I sat with a table of Australians, and it was a fun time with lots of laughing, jokes, good food and wine. There were 3 choices for each course;French Onion Soup, a salad or salmon terrine. The 2nd course choices were salmon, veal or chicken and dessert course was profiteroles, flan tarte or meringue with ice cream. I chose the salad, salmon and profiteroles and everything was delicious. Kir(an aperitif of creme de cassis and white wine) was served before our meal, plus bottles of red wine arrived on the table throughout. Lovely crusty bread and than coffee to finish. I was glad of the caffeine hit as I was beginning to get drowsy with my full tummy, the wine and the long day.
We drove around Paris, seeing the sights and the last stop was the lit up Eiffel Tower. Stunning! Back to the hotel to call it a night.
Up at 6;30, bags out and breakfast, than on our way to Lyon.

Tour Day 2
Met the rest of our group over Breakfast this morning. The Ambassador puts on a wonderful breakfast, everything and anything you could possibly imagine. Yes, the scrambled eggs are very soft and the bacon not crisp as I prefer, but there were lovely veal sausages which I've never had before, and of course wonderful pastries, crepes, fresh fruit, mushrooms, potatoes, tomato and mozzerella salads, etc. Who wouldn't find something they would enjoy?

We were on the coach by 8:30, and our TD explained his history with Trafalgar, gave us his cell number in case of emergency, discussed the tour itinerary, and gave us a list of the optionals offered for this tour. There were 10 in all, and I had already decided to do most of them. Payment would be taken care of later in the tour, by cash/credit card.

We made our way south along the autoroute du Soleil(road to the sun) stopping at an Autogrill
for a chance to use the toilet. I spied a fancy tin of nougat in the shop there and it is very different from anything I've seen at home.
Our next stop is in Beaune for lunch and wine tasting. I managed to grab a slice of pizza before snapping some pictures of the Hotel Dieu.
The best view of the mosaic tiled roof is from the back, but not a lot of time to explore before going to a wine cellar and tasting some of the regional wine. I thought it very good, not that I am an expert on wine. I even liked the blackcurrant liquer called Cassis, although it is very sweet and syrupy. Good for other things like desserts. We had it mixed with white wine the night before(Kir).

We got to Lyon at 4:30, and the entry to our Novotel Hotel is a bit difficult for our driver.
She is amazing and managed, although it looked to us, impossible. Our hotel is surrounded by other hotels and lots of concrete. There is an optional dinner and drive which I had decided to do as I knew there wouldn't be a lot to choose from near our hotel.
We drove to the top of Lyon and visited the Basilique Notre Dame de Fourviere. It is beautifully decorated with white marble and mosaic tiles inside, and we admire the view of
Lyon from outside. A short drive and than we head to the Bouchon for our optinal dinner. We had been asked earlier for our menu choice, and I wanted to try all the regional specialities so I chose the duck terrine for starter, followed by veal in a mushroom sauce and chocolate cake with pistachio sauce. This meal was very memorable, as I'd never had foie gras before and really enjoyed it. We were first given a peach Kir, and plates of sliced sausage and crackling passed about, accompanied by the wonderfully crusty bread. The duck terrine arrived, and I bravely tucked in. The foie gras was surprisingly buttery rich and creamy, and the terrine had shaved duck and pistachio nuts in it. The next course was veal served with a cheesy pasta gratin, I had orignially thought would have been potato. Lots of wine again of course and everyone began talking louder, enjoying themselves and their meal.
Chocolate cake, and than the cheese course, and finally coffee. I felt they would have to roll me out the door...

I was extremely tired when we all arrived back to our hotel, and tried to stay awake as I knew my husband would be calling. Couldn't and I awoke to the sound of what I thought was my alarm clock, but it was the phone. Stupid me was frantically trying to shut off the alarm and than finally realized it was the phone. I was very disoriented and the conversation seemed dreamlike and very goofy and onesided. My husband gave up and said he would call again in Nice. I quickly fell into a deep sleep as an early start tomorrow.

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Tour Day 3
Up at 6:00, put my bags out and headed down for Breakfast. Bus leaves at 8:15, a long drive today to Avignon, and than Monaco and Nice.
A light breakfast this morning, juice, fruit and yogurt. (I couldn't resist a pain au chocolat) I have overdone it for evening meals so it was a nice change this morning.

We are leaving Lyon and it is a beautiful morning. A short stop and than lunch in Avignon. We had some time here and grabbed a quick sandwich before exploring. Took pictures of the Popes Palace and Pont Bezenet(of the song). Our time went quickly and we were on the coach again heading to the Cote d'Azur. There is a truck strike(the French call it a manifestation)and it is slow moving. As we are driving, our TD is describing the Mistral, a wind that blows here in France. The effects can be devestating, people go mad and the crime rate doubles when the mistral blows. Our TD says the weather has been exceptional because it has been a comfortable, sunny day, the Mistral wasn't blowing and not very, very hot, as it is usually.

This area is famous for fruit(melons, apricots, cherries, etc)Everyone preserves and give the excess to friends, neighbours and family. It helps stretch peoples wages which averages between 14,000 and 20,000 Euros.

The scenery here is spectacular, we drove from Nice to Monaco and I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the ocean, the elaborate buildings, and the price of items in the shop windows. The French love window shopping so much they call it "licking the windows". Well, all I could afford to do is "lick". I wasn't tempted by the casino, but a group of us walked around the lovely gardens before going down in the elevator to get our coach. We returned to Nice, and the Hotel Ellington to check in and freshen up for our included dinner at Chez Gustave 5. It is on the promenade de Anglais, and it was lovely to look out over the water.
No choices tonight; salad nicoise, chicken with a tomato sauce, potatoes and a strawberry cake for dessert. Our TD asked if anyone wanted to walk back to the hotel since it was a beautiful evening but everyone was tired and took the coach back. No bags out tomorrow, it is a two night stay here and some free time to ourselves.
Yes!

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Tour Day 4
I was awake very early this morning and just laid in bed thinking about the past few days.It is very busy trying to stay on time, visiting and seeing as much as you can before heading back out on the coach to go to the next stop. Our optional to St.Paul de Vence doesn't depart until 12:30 so I will enjoy the morning to myself. After a leisurely breakfast, I walked to the flower market near the Promenade. I looked at all the displays, bought some postcards and locally grown raspberries; they are huge and wonderfully sweet. I stopped to admire some oil paintings laid out on the ground, and the vendor came over and began talking to me in very clear English. He said he couldn't stay long as he wasn't supposed to be in that area of the market and the police would throw him out when caught. He told me he would give me a good price for one of the larger paintings. It seemed reasonable and I picked out one I liked, a flowered courtyard overlooking a hill with boats off in the distance. I thought it was very nice and it would be a wonderful reminder to my time in the Riviera.
As I made my way back through the market, another painter spied my rolled up canvas, came rushing from behind his table and starting gesturing at the picture, touching the canvas and shouting at me in rapid machinegun-fire French. I couldn't understand anything he was saying although it was obvious that he was upset, and after a while he gave up with a snort of disgust. I remember walking back to my hotel being disconcerted by this, wondering what on earth that was all about...

Our drive to St.Paul is spectacular. The scenery is unbelievable and I can understand how easily people fall in love with the place.
It's a warren of cobbled streets and passageways, many shops selling local art and paintings. I would have liked to explore it more, but another lady and I have chosen to assist our little lady travelling on the tour alone. She is elderly and has difficulty keeping up with the group, especially on the hilly, cobbled streets. She got lost on our first night in Paris enroute from Notre Dame to our restaurant, but luckily found her way back to the hotel via the Metro. Some of the people on the tour took turns throughout the two weeks making sure she got back to the bus ok and on time.

The perfumery visit is in Eze, and I must say I wasn't really interested in the guided tour and sales pitch, and would rather have spent my time exploring its medeival village perched
above on the hill. We were given a free sample of a perfume that the sales lady told us could be a bit dangerous, as it has an aphrodisiac effect. I joked that it wouldn't do me much good, although my husband would be calling later from home this evening and the conversation could get very interesting!

The drive along the Grand Corniche was stunning. I spent most of the time mouth agape at the view, and the rest white knuckled at the dizzying heights. Our TD told us shortly after that the roads had just been reopened due to a landslide some time ago. Oh, great, thanks for that tidbit of information!
We drove onward to beautiful Cap Ferrat. A lot of the rich and famous have homes here. (Tina Turner, Elton John, etc) Our restaurant was down on the quay near the harbour. It was delicious. I had chosen shrimp and avacado salad for a starter, followed by saffron rice and jumbo shrimp with broiled tomato. There was lots of delicious wine and than profiteroles for dessert. Coffee, a thimbleful and with no milk but I am getting used to drinking it this way. Our group walked back to the fortress where the coach was parked and made our way back the short drive to our hotel in Nice. Time to jump in the shower before hubby calls. I am missing him, especially in such a romantic and beautiful setting.

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Tour Day 5
Ah, I was awake early again(3:30). I hope I can break this habit or I shall be exhausted before too long. I dozed off on the bus the other day, but heard myself snoring and woke up. There is acutually quite a bit of that going on during the afternoon bus ride and I envy those who can let themselves drift off, and have a thorough and refreshing nap.

It's a long trying day today. The traffic was a problem getting out of the Riviera, losing 45 minutes of our time. As we were about to come into Nimes for our lunch stop, our driver had to stop due to policy rules. There had been a miscalculation apparently so we had to cool our heels in a stop just outside the city. The bathroom facilities were very rustic, and I realize now where the term pit stop comes from.
There was an olive grove nearby which I found interesting, never having seen an olive tree before. After the fascinating visit to the loo and olive grove, we were able to get back on the coach and drive into Nimes. I had been looking forward to seeing the Maison Carrere and the Roman amphitheatre, but a large tarp covered the Maison Carrere. The amphitheatre was a real treasure though and I enjoyed walking around it.

Time to return to the coach. We encountered a number of young men and women circling around our bus where our group were sitting and waiting. They began brushing up against us and taunting us. We were glad when the driver opened the doors and allowed us in. I was glad to leave Nimes because I didn't feel safe, a shame really as there were lots that I would have liked seeing more of. Even now I can recall feeling their eyes watching me...

We arrived in Carcassone at 5:30, and a local guide showed us around. Unfortunately just as she finished, all the shops began closing. I knew this would happen due to reading the BB, and I also knew our hotel, the Trois Courronnes, would be a disappointment too. The rooms were very worn, mish mash rooms with a toilet in one cubicle and the sink and bathtub/shower in another . The saving grace was the wonderful meal and beautiful view of Carcassone from the dining room. A lovely tomato and mozzerella salad to start followed by sliced beef in a horseradish sauce, broiled tomato and green beans. Crust, very crusty, rolls and than a lovely creme brulee. I think it was the best I've ever had. Our TD decided to buy us our drinks tonight(welcome drinks) and both the red and white wine were good.

The group I was sitting with were the loudest tonight. One of the ladies was recounting a story of how she had lost her husband while we were in Nimes, her story telling was hilarious, but luckily it was a happy ending and all was forgiven. Apparently he had gone in the amphitheatre and then left but she thought he was still there and was waiting patiently for him to come out. When their time to return to the bus began creeping closer, she began to panic and asked if she could go in and look for him. As she went in, he came looking for her,and not seeing her than thought she must have returned to the bus on her own. When he didn't find her back on the bus, he raced back and I guess found her, than the both of them had to make a run for it to catch the bus before it left.

We are off to Lourdes tomorrow. We did our tour of Carcassone tonight, instead of tomorrow morning to save us a bit more time. We hope to avoid the large crowd expected in Lourdes, due to the 150th anniversary of the sighting of the Virgin Mary.
I need advil tonight, I need to sleep well and have the start of a headache.

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Tour Day 6

A light breakfast this morning, juice, yogurt, cheese and a sweet roll. I enjoy the lovely view of Carcassone while I eat but it is raining. It is supposed to be a wet day.
On the coach before our first stop, we fill out forms for the optional meals while we are in the Perigord and Tours. I was adventurous and chose the fois gras and confit of duck for the Perigord luncheon and grilled salmon and pork with prunes for the "cave" dinner in Tours. Other choices included snails in sauce, lamb kebabs, or river perch.

We arrived in Lourdes at lunchtime. The crowds
hadn't arrived yet so we made a quick visit to the grotto where the visions of the Virgin Mary had taken place. There were many people praying, touching the rockface of the cave, and candles burning. They all seemed very emotional and I was moved by that. Of course I had a bottle filled with holy water from the spring, and another lady and I went where our TD directed to find some lunch. I noticed many shops that were selling keychains, ashtrays and lighters of the Virgin Mary and remembered the faith and worship shown in the grotto. It just didn't seem right.

We have a new coach driver for a couple of days. He showed us a picture of his car, wife and horse(in order of importance). The car looked like my husband's car at home and his wife and horse were very beautiful. He is obviously doing well as a coach driver, although his driving is quite exciting due to his former job, perhaps. He was a police officer, but was shot so decided to retire from duty to do something safer. Our lady driver will return to us again when we are in the Perigord, thank goodness.
It is easy to lose track of days and where/what you shall be doing. We have free time tomorrow but our TD says it gets extremely busy after that.

We arrived in Biarritz shortly after 4:00. I love it here and the weather has been lovely. We were expecting rain most of the day.
Biarritz is on the Atlantic coast and on the border with Spain. The people here are Basque, and have their own culture, traditions and language. A lot of the buildings look like swiss chalets and it is very clean and pleasant. I wish we could stay longer here and took tons of photos and watched the surfers riding the wild waves into the beach.The gardens lining the walkways are filled with beautiful hydrangeas of all colours. I wish those in my garden looked like this.

Our hotel is lovely, nice rooms and I am pleased with everything. It is out of town and relaxing. There is a pool but no time for a swim.
Our dinner here at the hotel is very good. The first course was a salad of tomato, shredded cabbage, shredded carrot and tabouleh salad. It was very pleasing to the eyes as well as tasting good. The main course was cod topped with a cream sauce, rice and broad green beans(again). Dessert was lovely, custard flan in an almond pastry crust. I am enjoying the food on this trip, I will have to behave myself when I get home.

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Tour Day 7
The smell of freshly baked pastries is wafting up to my room and at first I thought I was dreaming it. It smells like heaven and I can't wait until Breakfast. Looking at my alarm clock, it reads 5:00 am. Well, I guess I can wait...
Our hotel in Biarritz is a Novotel, very nice.
The rooms have a kettle with tea, coffee, etc and I enjoy a pre-Breakfast coffee and savour the time to myself. I've realized while lying awake this morning that I haven't heard any sea gulls, nor do I recall seeing any yesterday when near the water. That is strange, but realize I didn't notice any in Nice or Monte Carlo either. Very unusual. I had noticed lots of tiny little birds yesterday and thought how pretty they were and not scared of people.

After breakfast, most on our tour went on the optional to La Rhune. We took a funicular up into the Pyrenees, and I wasn't sure how I would react to the heights but it was fine. Not only fine, but absolutely fantastic! The scenery was amazing and you could see for miles. There were a small herd of cows, one cow decided she would walk along the track as we were coming around a corner. We stopped with a huge jolt and someone had to jump off and shoo her away. Not sure where she went because all you could see was straight down. There were also Pottack ponies and some sheep grazing along the slopes, and golden eagles and vultures soaring overhead. It took some time to get to the summit but the view was worth it. It was a bit chilly up there and I had dressed in a light shirt, so was constantly asked if I was cold. I pretended I wasn't and told everyone that us Canadians are tough. I made sure I got inside the restaurant though and had a cup of the hot chocolate that everyone has been raving about. It was wonderfully thick and rich and warmed me up enough to go outside again to get my picture taken straddling the border between Spain and France. I joked that it was the cheapest trip to another country that I had ever taken.

After we left La Rhune, we returned to the hotel to collect the few people who hadn't done the optional. We had a lunch stop at an Autogrill, I bought a slice of tomato quiche and a lemonade and the quiche was very good. There was a microwave in the cafeteria where I warmed up the quiche and my TD remarked how clever I was to be able to find it. I remarked that some things never change, even if you are in a different country.

We arrived in Bordeaux, and there is a few hours to relax before our dinner at the hotel. Another lady and I went to a shopping mall as she needed to find a memory card for her camera. We looked around a bit, checking out the goods and prices but left after she had purchased the memory card. She returned to the hotel and I went for a walk to the cathedral a few blocks from our hotel. There was a wedding taking place and decorated cars were outside. I waited, hoping to see the bride and groom but realized it might be a long ceremony and went back to the hotel. A short rest and time to go for dinner.
There was no choice tonight as it was an included dinner. The starter was salad and quiche and I thought the quiche I'd had at the Autogrill today was much better. The entree was breast of duck and I was surprised at how pale it looked, it tasted very mild, not what I expected. There was creme caramel for dessert and I left it after a taste. The colour was all wrong as was the texture, and I knew someone had messed up. It was a disappointment as up to now, the meals had been excellent. C'est la vie.

After dinner I decided to go for a quick walk to a tabac not far from the hotel. My intentions were to get a pack of french cigarettes or cigars for my husband. The tabac was only a block away and it was still daylight, only 8:30 in the evening. As I got down the street, there were some men at the far end and I walked to the other side of the street to avoid them. I had meant to continue down towards the tabac but something made me decide to turn back towards the hotel. Out of nowhere, a drunken young man lurched towards me and started talking to me in broken english.I thought he might be after my purse but apparently he wanted some female conpanionship. I ignored him and walked faster toward my hotel less than half a block away. This must have made him angry as he began yellig at me, than ran after me and grabbing my arm, spiinning me around. By this time, I had had enough. I was ready to do battle if necessary and wrenched my arm away, yelling at him to Bugger Off. He let me go, but still kept on with the suggestions of what I would be missing out on if I left. I reached the hotel a bit shaken by my experience. There was another girl in the elevator who was on my tour and I remember saying to her not to stray too far from the hotel, that it wasn't safe. I told her what had happened, and she was shocked too. I remember thinking it was terribly stupid of me to go out alone and I was lucky that nothing worse had happened. What had I been thinking?Stupid, stupid, stupid.

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Tour Day 8
I was glad to leave Bordeaux this morning after the unpleasantness of last night. We stopped in St Emilion, a pretty little village situated an hour's drive from Bordeaux. Quaint old stone cottages on steep cobbled streets, and an ancient church carved into the rock face. There was a small market selling a number of food items and such. A vendor was selling goose and duck foie gras, wine, etc and I bought a tiny can of duck fois gras and a small bottle of their sweet wine.

We than made our way through the Dordogne. It is beautiful here, green, lush and peaceful. We visited the castle at Beynac and had a wonderful lunch at the ChateauBeynac
restaurant. I'd had a light breakfast so thought I was ready for the large lunch, but was a bit daunted to find out there were 4 courses, not the 3 I had signed for. We had a garlicky soup with bread and eggs in it, unusual but good, followed by the courses I had selected previously days ago. There was foie gras served with toast,grey salt and chutney. I'd also picked the confit of duck, it was absolutely delicious, moist, tender and flavourful. This is how duck is supposed to taste. Lovely red wine and crusty bread, and I wonder how I can possibly finish all this? We
are going on a river cruise after this and a small part of me is calculating how heavy the boat will be after the group fills up on this huge lunch... The dessert came, a walnut tarte,served with homemade vanilla ice cream. I threw caution to the wind, dove in and thought every man to himself... (Hope everyone can swim)

Our cruise went well, the boat didn't sink and the scenery was beautiful. The small town of La Roque Gagenac was amazing, houses clung to the cliff and rock face. Chateaus were dotted along the river and we saw the fortress/castle of Castelnaud. The river current is quite fast and we drift on enjoying our afternoon. I think to myself that this is what I think France is all about.

We travelled for an hour and half on the coach through lovely countryside. We are staying in the Chateau des Reynats, and a lot of people aren't happy when we are informed upon arrival that only 5 of the group are actually staying in the Chateau. I knew this would happen and was prepared. I had told another woman about this, but one of the other ladies had said that is why she had booked this tour and thought about for the past few months. I felt sorry for her. When I saw the condition of the"orangerie"
where we were spending the night, I felt sorry for myself as well. There were paint tarps, and smell of paint in the lobby and stairs. The sight of half-finished construction made me stop dead in my tracks. I groaned to myself as I made my way down the hall to my room, and opened the door with trepidation. A sigh of relief! A nice room overlooking the chateau with no smell of paint or wood dust announcing the renovation obvious in the lobby and stairwell.

After freshening up and changing for dinner, I head back to the chateau for our aperitif on the patio before dinner. The staff here are great and took group pictures with our cameras before we headed into the dining room for dinner. Another delicious meal. Vichysoisse(potato and leek soup), Halibut with lobster sauce over a bed of vegetables, chocolate fondant cake. Coffee(with milk) Wonderful!
I think they outdid themselves, possibly because of the construction underway? Anyway, it made me forget as I only remember the attentive staff waiting on us and the delicious food.

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Tour Day 9
We have a busy day on the coach today. After breakfast at the Chateau des Reynats, we drove to Limoges and visited a porcelain outlet there. We were supposed to see how porcelain was made, but our TD changes things around a bit from the brochure. There were many beautiful things, but I was trying to keep my luggage light and I'm not really into porcelain, so only purchased a small trinket box with the marquise pattern. I thought it fitting for a souveneir from France.

We than drove (a long time it seemed)to Chenonceau in the Loire Valley. It's a "feminine" looking chateau, and straight out of a fairy tale book. It sits amid beautiful gardens, and the long gallery is built over the river. The inside is beautifully decorated but I was also interested in the kitchen area deep in the bowels of the chateau. I looked at all the gleaming copper, the huge stove and fireplace and thought I would be happy to cook here.
We had a late lunch in the restaurant/cafe on the grounds and I couldn't walk past the gelato without trying some. Chocolate Noir-delicious.

The rest of the day was a blur until our dinner optional in Tours. To tell you the truth I can't remember, nor did I write it in my journal so there couldn't have been too much excitement. Maybe I managed to doze off on the bus?
We arrived in Tours, and our hotel. No mention in my journal and I cannot recall it. Strange.
I hope all the wine I've been drinking has not affected my memory...
We had time to prepare for our special night out, we are eating in a cave. A posh cave, but still, a cave. Everyone was dressed to the nines, including our TD. I wolf-whistled when he came on board the bus, and he smiled and made some comment. It was a fun bunch at our table, three Australians, three American girls and me(Canadian). I asked the Americans where they were from because they sounded just like me, and they laughed, saying they were from Oregon. I've become fast friends with some of my Australian tour mates as well, and we always
have a fun time when seated together.

The cave was fabulous. We were all amazed at how large the restaurant was, it seemed to go on forever and the owners lived in an apartment on the upper level. The original cave had been enlarged inch by inch, carved out of the soft limestone,"tufa" or "tuffeau".
The meal was great too. Small nibbly bites of fried cheese and bread sticks/cheese straws. It was accompanied by lovely white wine. Baked salmon in hollandaise sauce, another different wine, red this time. The bottle didn't quite make it around the table with everyone getting a glass so we asked our waiter if we could have another bottle, and he gave us a funny look. I saw him whisper to the owner and gesture to our table but no wine came. We looked over at another table, there was only 3 people sharing that bottle but we were sharing it between 6. We had also finished our water jug and asked if we could get more water. By than, we must have been labeled the "trouble table", we were being completely ignored. Our next course arrived, pork with prunes, also very good, but we were getting thirsty and needing more fluids so one of our gang went to our TD. He went in search of someone and after a lengthy wait, the wine was flowing again(well, maybe trickling). Dessert arrived amidst applause. Baked Alaska! Everyone was smiling,oohing and ahhing,and it was a lovely finish to a delicious meal. A quick coffee and time to head back to our hotel for the night. We are all tired from the long day and look forward to our beds.

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Tour Day 10
Our tour is winding down. People are beginning to get tired, and there is a lot of colds, coughing and sneezing going on. I made it all winter without catching a cold and hope my luck continues.
After breakfast we head to Mont St.Michel in Brittany. It looks very similar to St.Michaels' Mount in Cornwall, England, which I've visited. I enjoyed it though, strolling along the winding streets, enjoying the view and sea air. It is crowded with tourists and school groups, although our TD says it isn't near as busy as he has usually seen.
I found a restaurant serving platters of seafood and it looked very tempting. Our TD had warned us, saying that shellfish poisoning wasn't pleasant in a coach tour situation. I could understand this and ordered a Gallette Normandy, salad Marche, and Apple Tatin. It was a set menu for 24 euros, and I thought a bit expensive for lunch but they were all Breton specialities and absolutely delicious. The gallette was a savoury crepe stuffed with sliced potatoes, bacon and cheese,and I knew I wanted to try Brittany's famous Apple Tatin. While eating, I enjoyed watching the other diners who were tackling the huge platters of shrimp,oysters,cockles, whelks, small lobsters, etc. Obviously they were gloriously unaware of the hazards of shellfish poisoning and willing to take their chances...I envied them.

We were a little late leaving Mont St.Michel as one of our couples had gotten the time wrong. A search party was sent out and they were quickly found. So much for our words of praise earlier by the TD for always being on time, he obviously jinxed us!

We reached our next stop at Omaha Beach along the Liberty Highway. This is where the Americans landed on D-Day and I found it very moving to be there. The peacefulness now, belies knowledge of a battle fought and won,and lives lost. The sombre sight of endless rows of white crosses, people silently caressing a particular name engraved is a memory that will stay in my heart forever.

Our hotel is not far away and our luggage had been delivered while we were visiting the War Memorial. The grounds are quite nice, a golf course and swimming pool but unfortunately no time to enjoy it. Dinner was in the Club House, and was pleasant. Roast Pork in Calvados(apple brandy),potato and green beans. The apple tatin we had for dessert did not even compare with the one I'd enjoyed in Mont St. Michel, and I was glad I had splurged a bit at lunch. I didn't linger over dinner, my husband is calling tonight, I wanted to reorganize my luggage and do some washing. My room is tiny, with sloping ceilings and the entrance to the shower is very narrow. I wonder how I can possibly fit but somehow manage to squeeze in.

We are leaving for Paris tomorrow with a stop in Giverny to visit Claude Monet's garden. It has been a wonderful time, and I have mixed feelings. I am looking forward to going home, seeing all my loved ones but I've enjoyed the time I've had in France, the wonderful people I have met on my tour. A copy of everyone's email address has been given to the group and I plan to contact several people who've become special friends.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kitchen wench,

KW: I`m hooked on your tale already. Keep it coming, please! I thought the tours weren`t going inside Notre Dame any more. I guess they`ve changed that, which is nice.

Caitie,
Our restaurant was nearby and unfortunately we had arrived way too early for our dinner reservation.(wink, wink, nudge, nudge) Our tour director suggested that we might as well kill some time checking out Notre Dame since we were in the area. It was amazing how well it seemed to fit into our schedule...

KW, sounds like an ideal beginning to an ideal trip. Many years ago, when in France, we happened in Notre Dame but unfortunately, there was a funeral going on in one of the side chapels. We crept around the perimeter as quietly as we could but wondered at the time why tourists were even allowed in.

Anyway, glad you got to see and enjoy this right at the beginning of your tour, and ended the day with what sounds like a magnificent meal.

Brenda

p.s. I love your neck of the woods. Used to go to the Bruce a lot in the past, and came to Owen Sound many time especially in August when they had the all-breed show in beautiful Harrison Park.

This is interesting and different from the first day of my BOF. First, you were at a different hotel. I wonder why they changed it from the Sofitel? That was the best hotel of the whole trip and we stayed there again at the end of the tour. However, your hotel is much more centrally located so that's a plus.

Second, what is happening with the Welcome Dinners? Are they not doing these anymore? I've noticed from a few other tour reports that they don't seem to have them anymore.

Notre Dame is beautiful but on my tour, we only drove quickly by it. I went to Paris two days before my tour started and visited it then. Otherwise, I would not have seen it. How fortunate for you that you were able to go in as a group.

Hi Jeannie,
originally I thought we were to have our welcome drink on our first night in Paris(no dinner) but our tour director thought that since we were missing a few people we would have our welcome drink later on in the Riviera.
I am glad he did the optional dinner/drive though. It got the group more relaxed with each other and thinking as a team, where the others who joined us the next day seemed to always stay to themselves.