My Secret Blog: 9/19/10

I'm a mover and shaker. It's what I do. I am always on the go and even when I have a day off I like to be getting things checked off a to do list. That is why when I go on vacation I like to sit. Do nothing. Relax.

Dylan came to visit me in Europe and sitting was noptional. (yes, that is a word. A good friend of mine just happened to make it up. Just like ginormous. Both words.) We didn't stop moving! We just kept going and every place we went was as cool if not cooler than the last stop. If I recount it all I will be here writing for about 12 hours and you will sit there reading for about 6, so here is the general story of my adventure with Dylan:

He flew into Cork (via Paris via Amsterdam) on Thursday and I was still "on trip". Luckily one of the Brazillians that was supposed to be on the trip no-showed at the last minute because "she fell in love and went to Greece" SO we bought her (already reserved) hotel room. Thank you Mara. The next day Dylan went on a ride and I finished the trip. He experienced a real Ireland traffic jam.

We then drove back to Kenmare along the coast in a roundabout fashion where we got to reload all the bikes and pack up the storage unit before going out with Siofra. When all was said and done we were travelling with a very full "unit" (van + trailer + 35 bikes + about 5-10 thousand dollars in other equipment). No biggie.

After a pancake breakfast with Siofra and dropping off the recyclng we were off for France! One 18 hour ferry ride later we got into Roscoff an started our drive to Mont St Michel, a very cool bbey that is completely surrounded by water when tide is high and beach when tide is low. Apparently one of the parking lots even floods. Yikes! Unit underwater...no thank you.

We drove on to Nantes that night then hit the road early for Arcachon (on the west coast) the following morning. We did a run on the beach adn workout on the pier then had pizza to counteract any good that we may have done. In the morning we went to Le Dune du Pilat, the largest sand dune in Europe. It is actually swollowing the forest and moving eastward at an alarming rate.

We stayed just outside Toulouse that night right next to Space City and Dylan was most entertained by the fact that our shower head had a neon light and lit up and changed color when it had water going through it. Classy place. We drove into Pernes-les-fontaines the next days to return the unit to the warehouse. Good riddence!

I had to unload the unit the next day so Dylan rode up Mt Ventoux. It's a rite of passage around here. You may remember when I did it (begrudgingly) in May. Unfortunately the weather wasn't full cooperating so he had to ride up into a low lying cloud and almost froze to death. Oops.

I made up for it the next day with a ride into the Gorge. By made up for it I mean it was HOT. A long sweaty ride...but GORGEous! That night we had pizza again (I see a trend here) where we watched the little girl at the table next to us feed the restaurant cat all her mussels while dad talked on his cell phone.

We were scheduled to pick up the rental car in Avignon the next day so we caught a bus down then drove out to see Pont du Gard. It's a Roman aqueduct. Whatever that means...God forbid one of the informational displays, or the movie, or the museum actually explain that minor detail. Today was the day that Dylan fell in love with Orangina. We also had to move hotels, but it worked out great because I got really sick (24 hour stomach bug) and was down for the count (again!) with a fever. I slept a while and Dylan went down to join the owners as well as some other guests on the porch for a sing-a-long and home-made liquors. It was one of the best times I have ever had with a fever just laying there and listening to them all sing and laugh out the window. At least 3 different languages were being spoken, but they made it work.

On to Geneva! My good friend Jessie is studying there for the next two years so we thought we woud take her to college. You know, just like dad. Car packed to the bursting point with 3 people and a LOT of stuff (including a bike) we hit the road. That night we walked into town and Dylan ordered a mystery beer. Turns out he bought a whiskey flavored malt liquor. After conversion that beer only cost him about $7. It was delicious! Maybe next time we'll stick to what we know. We also rediscovered merry-go-rounds and I finally got my hair cut (4 inches off and it's still long).

Mt Blanc was tempting us from the distance so we cruised on over to Chamonix. This was absolutely one of the highlights of the trip for me. Dylan was so brave (considering he is not fond of heights) and the three of us piled into a gondola headed to Italy. It passes over a huge glacier and you can see all the alpinists climbing to summit Mont Blanc. It was extraordinary. One of the most beautiful things I've seen in my entire life. Coming back we got off at the half-way point and hiked back down to a train that brounght us back into town where we bought ridiculously overpriced cheese (fondue) and Jessie was chastized by the waitress for wanting to pack up her leftovers. Not so subtle french scoff.

Not satisfied with just a half hour in Italy, Dylan and I continued on to Torino via Alp D'Huez (another section of the Tour de France). Talk about switchbacks! It was definitely warmer than Ventoux and more of a tourist town at the top instead of barren. Otherwise, very similar.

Torino was very lively. The drivers were insanely aggressive. We actually watched a guy pull a u-turn in front of us after he decided he did not want to exit the roundabout. He Austin Powers-ed his car so he was perpendicular to the spot he was occupying then honked his horn at the car in the lane next to him until he was so infuriated he took off his seat belt ready to get out of the car...then traffic moved and the other guy was able to pull forward to let him through. I mean, how dare he not leave space for him to squeeze out!

Gelato is fantastic and apertivos are not to be missed! (Apertivos = the free buffet they give you when you buy drinks around 7 or 8...happy hour Italian style. Free dinner if you're a cheap American. Which we are.) Dylan also found a speedo at a vintage shop with the tags still on. Stay tuned.

Woke up with a craving for sunshine. French Riviera? Why not. We thought about Nice, but heard mixed reviews. Cannes was the perfect spot. Just off the highway for an easy get away in the morning and smaller than Nice but equally interesting. We played at the beach, found a super cheap place to stay, had dinner at the park (picnic style) then ate dessert on a patio on this small street near the hotel. We watched these guys do Capoiera- random and awesome! I wish he had a better video because the one guy was literally doing flips higher than the awning on a sloping, cobblestone, alley size street!