France 2018 Wrap-Up

France 2018 was May 22 to June 28.  Here are some of the lessons learned from the trip.

• Make sure you have travel insurance to cover accidents and illness.  As always, I purchased an insurance policy before I left on my trip this summer.  Such insurance policies are relatively inexpensive.  For a mere $68, I received trip interruption, emergency medical ($100,000 primary coverage), medical evacuation and repatriation ($250,000), travel delay, and baggage loss.  Everything went well in France, and I never had an occasion to use the policy.  However, I did break my collarbone on my first ride back in Texas.  If the accident had happened in Europe, I would have been covered.

"Hey guys, I am not sure I want to go there"  (photo by R. Creatura)

• Schiphol (Amsterdam) is a much better airport than Charles de Gaulle (Paris).  Unless your final destination is Paris, I recommend that you avoid CDG.  Even if your final destination is Paris, go carry-on.  I have experienced baggage loss and/or delay about 3 or 4 times.  Two hours between flights was almost not enough time to make my connection to Lyon last year.  On the other hand, the folks in Amsterdam know what they are doing.  I had 55 minutes to make my connection there last Thursday.  Actually, I only had 35 minutes since they close the gate 20 minutes before take off.  The flight from Geneva parked on the tarmac, and we had to take a bus to the terminal.  Then I had to traverse the airport and go through passport control.  I made my flight with 15 minutes to spare.  I was impressed!

The UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) has its own airport shuttle van at the Geneva airport.

• Cycling trips are a best when shared with friends—especially low maintenance friends.  Seriously, riding in France with friends can be fun.  Besides, you have three people to help you change your flat tire on the top of Col de la Core and that still leaves one person to supervise.

(photo by R. Creatura)

• Provence!  Provence is magical.

• If you are smart, you can sit next to an empty seat on the airplane.  Look at the seat map about 12 hours before departure.  If you find someone sitting in an aisle seat next to two empty seat, grab the window seat.  This leaves the middle seat empty.  Make sure that you are in economy plus too.  Most people won't pay the extra money to upgrade to the middle seat.  This strategy worked in both directions across the Atlantic.

Extra Leg Room (photo by R. Creatura)

• If you haven't ridden the route, leave yourself an option to cut the ride short.  You might run into some unforeseen difficulties.

• Life is centered around the table in France.  Enjoy yourself, but beware when your host brings out a bottle labeled "Rocket Fuel" for after dinner drinks.  I drank rocket fuel twice during this trip—at least I only remember two occasions.

The Food Issue

This is the blog post that everyone has been waiting for.  French life is centered around the table.  Breakfast is modest compared to American or British standards—fresh bread, a croissant, butter and jam, yogurt, fruit, and maybe some muesli.  Lunches and especially dinners were elaborate three course affairs with plenty of wine.  We never went to bed hungry.  At CREA-Langues, we always had an opportunity to practice our French language skills, which seemed to get better after a glass of wine or two.  At Les Deux Vélos and Pyrénées Cycling Lodge, we discussed the day's cycling adventures and planned for tomorrow.

Meals are often served outside during the summer months in France, but May and June were unusually cold and rainy this year.  The photo below is from France 2017 at Les Deux Vélos.

The Monastère de Ségriès, where I took my intensive French language course, has a professional chef with a staff.  We were on the full pension plan—three meals a day.  Christophe, our chef, is an absolute artist.

Both Les Deux Vélos and the Pyrénées Cycling Lodge provided the usual French breakfast with a few notable additions.  Elma (Les Deux Vélos) gave us eggs and sometimes pancakes or French toast.  Mark's porridge (Pyrénées Cycling Lodge) was a big hit.  Rick, who ate a late breakfast on our departure day, said that he wanted porridge even if it was cold.  Mark made sure that Rick had hot porridge.  Desserts were fabulous.

At all three places, there was an honor bar stocked with wine and REALLY good beer.  As of last November, I am no longer eating meat (fish is okay).  All of my hosts took my new diet in stride.