Next Stop...Friday Harbor!

We are up and ready to leave the barge by 9:00 a.m.  Our flight out of Charles de Gaulle is not until 2:00 p.m.  But, it’s a couple of metro rides, and a longer train ride, and then check in and security lines...so...off we go.

Journal:  “This has been a very “expanding” trip..I’ve done things I never thought I’d do...ride a bike again, ride a bike in Europe, ride SO far each day...take a barge trip on a beautiful barge, cruise the River Seine, spend a week in Paris, visit Monet’s Garden...and then add ukulele music to the mix, meeting new people who have at least one thing as common denominator = UKULELE!  Now...to accomplish the trip home, which is so far...and sanely get back to our home, time zone, food, exercise habits, dog, family and friends.

Although I have designs on taking a taxi to the airport, at considerable expense and considerable ease, Steve thinks the metro and RER trains will be more memorable.  We sort out the ticket purchase the afternoon before with a trip to the train station and search out the correct ticket machine and train line.

This is a cozy photo of traveling on the metro to the next train to the airport.  Phil, Steve and the ukuleles...and our baggage = Nan is across the way.

Here's the more memorable part:  Unfortunately, there is no photo of Nan with her wheely luggage caught in the metro ticket gate.  Since Steve’s metro ticket didn’t work in the machine that opens the gate for people to walk through, I choose the machine and gate over one....and going slowly, I encourage him to follow me through on my ticket...but, alas, too slowly.  KAZAMM.  The gate closes hard on my suitcase and it is totally STUCK...can’t pull it through or push it back.  Guess there was a plan for people like me....trying to cheat the system.  Except we had valid tickets...just didn’t work.  Steve goes off to get “help.”  I stand there laughing....sort of...trying to come up with the words for “Help” in French...all I can come up with is Spanish.  Or, English.  Neither work. 

Finally a young French mother with a 4 year old sees me.  She shakes her head.  Although she has already used her monthly pass to go through another gate, she circles around, comes back and passes her ticket over the ticket reader and the gate flips open!  Kind, kind person.  At this point Steve is arriving back, without help, because he decided he wanted a photo first.  Ha ha ha.  Use your imagination.

Soon we are magically back at the busy busy airport.

San Juan Islands....here we come...

Well, I have a few ideas.....

Barge Day 7: Melun to Paris!!

Today our ride will be a short 30 km as we will board the barge again three hours before arriving at our Paris mooring.  There will be more traffic.  Today we ride along the banks of the Seine to the lock of Evry, where we will join The Fleur for the final sail into Paris.

First another great breakfast and pack up those lunches!

A familiar sight by now...all the bicycles ready to go.  Today our number of riders is down to 8.  Nan is still “in!”

We come across another orchard farmer...this time...  “Have some figs!!  PLEASE!”  We call the barge and Chef Steffi says, “YES please!”

At first we think this fruit is pears...but it has a strange skin...more fuzzy....funny faces trying to figure it out!

Soon ....YES, a stop for coffee...

We come across a street market and take a few minutes to look around.  Not cooking tonight...so....and no picnics to buy for...

Interesting items....sort of.

By 1:00 p.m. we arrive to meet up with The Fleur.  We MADE IT!  (More like I, made it...)

I never doubted Steve would make it.  He rocks!

Now to play and sing our way into Paris...what a lovely afternoon!

The landscape is bigger, the lock is bigger, the river is wider...

The last dinner aboard tonight, and it’s a four course amazing meal.  Especially the cheese course.  Who’s ever had a cheese course before?  Not me.

Captain Kreiss gives us a farewell speech and toast of Port wine.  Perfect with CHEESE!  Of course.  He says we were great guests...and now he tells us he rates groups by their water usage while aboard.  We are stars...in only using what most European groups use.  We are all familiar with drought.  That’s the thing!

It’s a long, long dinner.  We play away what’s left of the evening...in warm enough summer air, with the lights of Paris all around.

Gee whiz....tomorrow’s a travel day.  

Barge Day 6: Moret-sur-Loing to Melun

Today we are biking through the forest of Fountainebleau where we will visit the Chateau Fountainebleau.  This was yet another chateau in favor among French kings because the surrounding land was perfect for hunting.  The castle holds a museum of Napoleon.

It’s a good omen when you match up with the flowers!  Although this is a 40km day on the bikes, this girl is ready!

Today’s journal entry: “Long ride day...maybe 44km. Gosh.  45 minute ride to Fountainebleu where we have 3 hours to tour.  Used the audio guides and it turned into a really interesting visit.  Then we rode to the Impressionist painter’s town of Barbizon.  Went looking for a chocolate eclair.  FOUND ONE!”

Here’s Elaine trying to get in the door that goes “out”....right.

Napoleon was a fancy dresser....for sure.

Here we go...inside!

Yes, more riches displayed...everywhere.

Somehow I just can’t imagine waking up and looking around this room every day....or any day!

Pretty impressive “canopy.”  

Hum, a new concept for “summer getaway.”  

Now it’s off to Barbizon, where a group of landscape painted formed the “school of Barbizon.”  And, where there is a bakery!

Penny surveys the local ice cream shop.

Dalia, a local artist, invites us into her “studio”....the floor of a store front room.

Weiger stops to enjoy his second...or third, lunch of the day.

The bakery window beckons us to come inside....

.

...yes!  The Eclair!

Gotta love that setting for “Tour Assist”.....still smiling after all these days...and kilometers!

The evening walk tonight takes us into Melun, to the Hotel d’Ville...which means, town hall.  We make a funny video here for a ukulele friend. Oh, my, we are such drama queens and kings!

Journal: “Found the eclair.  The ride into the town of Melun was crazy with traffic.  Terrible, actually, for bikes.  Today was forests, hills, up and down, paved, highways, bike paths, terrible speed bumps, a sand trap, gravel, packed gravel, nice river path, more traffic, round abouts in a CITY, ....many take your breath away moments for me.  Feeling of accomplishment.  Big time.”