Category: Uncategorized

We had an another early wake up call today – at 7:00 AM. Doesn’t sound too bad, until you remember that Peru has a 3-hour time difference from California.

Machu Picchu doesn’t allow eating on the premises – because as usual, tourists ruin things for everyone (wrappers, etc. ). It sounds like more established tour companies, like Gate 1 are allowed to have their guests bring snacks, but we had to be discreet about it.

All of this to say, we tried to eat a big breakfast knowing that lunch would be rather small. We had a short drive to the train station, but we had a few stops along the way.

We stopped in a working Inca village – which was really cool. A lot of the walls, roads, canals were over 800 years old! It was nice to see some of the traditional dress – some women would hike down 6 miles to trade in the village before making the same return trek that day. Felt like a different world!

We then finished the bus ride to our train station in Ollantaytambo. We took the Voyager Train to Machu Picchu, which was about an 1.5 hour train ride. They even had a performance on the train – felt like a Disney movie with star crossed lovers. It was nice.

Upon getting to Aguas Calientes – we had to take a bus to Machu Picchu. If you’re keeping track we have taken – planes, trains, buses, and automobiles to get to this wonder of the world! 😂

AND IT WAS ALL WORTH IT!

Once we got there – we split off into two groups: the easy route vs. the spot that most pictures you’ve seen from Machu Picchu come from. We obviously took the harder path.

Machu Picchu, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a remarkable Incan citadel nestled in the Andes Mountains of Peru. It was built in 1438-1472 and then was abandoned in 1532 (?) No one knows why!

It was abandoned for over 400 years before being rediscovered. It was incredible! At this point, we only have one wonder of the modern world left – and all of them make sense. The Inca civilization is one I’m just scraping the surface with – I’ve learned so much about the Mayans. Although completely different, I kept drawing similarities between the two.

We had a walking tour for about 2.5 hours around the area – there was a lot of UP at a high elevation (not as high as Cusco – thankfully!), but still higher than the sea-level area we live in.

I’ll spam the pictures down below – and post descriptions in the captions.

We ended the night with a group dinner. After dinner finished, we went out for a drink with a group of gals from Kentucky (in a treehouse!).We ended the night with a group dinner. After dinner finished, we went out for a drink with a group of gals from Kentucky (in a treehouse!).

Accommodations: El MaPi (Aguas Calientes)

Up Next:

• Walking tour of Machu Picchu village
• Pisco Sour tasting
• Train ride back to Cusco

I’m writing this from home, almost a month after returned because I needed to take some time away from this day to write this post, because it was a pretty frustrating and eventful day. However, we learned a few things throughout the day – that could be useful.

We started the morning off early – and were down in the hotel lobby by 5:55 AM. As promised by the manager, our driver with a van was there to pick us up – and then we would pick up Jon and Yvonne from their hotel.

We were ahead of schedule – and that’s when we realized that our flight was delayed. Jon and Yvonne were flying on a different airline – we were flying with Delta. We were dropped off first – and we parted ways with Jon and Yvonne. We were grateful we got there early – and with the delay…. REALLY early. The line for security was extremely long – and took a significant chunk of time.

Once we got through we got breakfast and a few last minute souvenirs. And then we sat around and waited. Due to the delay, we were now in danger of missing our connection in Salt Lake City.

Of course we boarded, and my screen didn’t work. This was a 10 hour flight – normally I can handle a minor inconvenience, but not that day. They tried to reboot it twice, and they were never able to get it to work. One of the flight attendants considered it an “in-flight emergency” and gave me some extra miles. I’m still not sure why they wouldn’t comp me for internet and let me use my own device, but they didn’t. (Don’t worry, I already complained to Delta! They should empower their crew to make it right for their the passengers).

We found it hard to relax because we knew once we landed in SLC airport it would be a rat race. As soon as we landed we quickly ran to baggage claim – we had roughly an hour to get our luggage, go through customs, recheck it, and go through security again.

One thing that I had learned a few years ago, was to download the Mobile Passport app. (Thank you Anna G!) Not as many people know about it, and you fill out the customs form electronically instead. It’s free – and now that I gave away my secret… Hope it helps save you some time too!

What seemed like forever – our bags finally showed up. We ran to customs – and continued our jog to check our suitcases again. Thankfully, there was a Delta employee who was really trying to help us he took our checked bags very quickly.

And that’s when we hit a standstill. Unfortunately, there was literally ONE woman scanning boarding passes. And everyone on the other side (where you actually put your stuff on the belt, etc) was extremely grumpy. No TSA pre check on the connection side.

There was a revolt at one point, because one woman got ushered to the front (not due to Clear), but she had the sense of mind to let someone know she was about to miss her flight… her and about 75 of other people in the general area. People started cutting the line – and then a supervisor came to calm the crowd down. He had everyone go back to where they had cut the line – and instead of helping her scan boarding passes… he went back to the other side.

Once we finally got through – my bag was pulled to the side. I told Andy to run to our gate (and when I say it was the furthest one from security – I mean LITERALLY) and make sure that they knew we were coming.

Of course, the grumpy TSA agents were moving slow. And the poor woman in front of me had purchased some wine at duty-free and he had to go through and make sure that she hadn’t opened any of them. He was weighing each one.

Thankfully, another TSA agent came over to “help” which meant that she tore apart my bag looking for a wine bottle opener that was gifted to us from one of the wineries. She couldn’t find it – and she wouldn’t let me show her where the pockets were.

By the time she found it I was resigned. I knew I wasn’t going to make it – and now I couldn’t even get my stuff back in my bag. I ran with our passports, my makeup, and a bag of macaroons in my hand. In addition to a very heavy duffle bag!

At one point my shoe fell off and I had to limp for a while until I could get on a moving walkway to adjust. Andy was texting me – and at this point I had no idea where my phone was, but could see the message on my watch. He told me we had TWO minutes – and I knew I was still about 20 gates away.

I wanted to cry, but then I saw a guy from our Paris flight who had told us he was on our flight to San Diego. I saw him SPRINTING as fast as he could. He gave me new hope and I started to run again.

1 minute and 59 seconds later – Andy could see me from the gate. He told the gate agent and he ran to greet me and grab some of my stuff. WE WERE A MESS!

We were the second to last two people on the plane – and the last two were people that were on stand by… waiting for folks like me and Andy to miss the flight. We made it with about 10 seconds to spare before they were going to bump us off the flight for the 10 or so people on standby hoping to get on that flight.

As soon as we got on the plane – we were a sweaty mess – an observant flight attendant gave us water bottles. (We really just needed a stiff drink at that point and some fresh deodorant).

But we made it. I tell you this now – weeks after because it’s important to note that travel is not the same since the pandemic. There are more disruptions. It’s chaotic, but it is almost always worth it.

Just plan ahead – have a plan B (and maybe even a plan C). Double check your reservations ahead of time – and make sure you wear running shoes on the plane… no matter how long your connection is. You may need them!

Up Next:
-Domestic: Alaskan cruise (September)
-International: Peru (December)

We started off early in order to leave Avignon to get back to Lyon in time for our train. Honestly, after how long it took us to get down (5 hours) we decided it would make more sense to allow for more time. Thankfully, this time around the drive only took 2.5 hours (like it should have on the way down!).

Once we made it to Lyon, Andy dropped Jon, Yvonne, and myself off at the train station and made his way to return the car rental. Jon made his way to check in for assistance – Yvonne and I waited by our luggage.

We had gotten the run around on the way down to Lyon (thankfully the French woman helped translate and explain to the conductor that we weren’t scamming the system) – so Jon went to make sure there would be no issues on the way back to Paris. Naturally, nothing is ever that easy… he ended up having to pay more in order to get our ticket in the right class. And because it was the day of, the price was more than what we had originally paid. *sigh*

Travel is not easy right now – so if you’re reading this – plan accordingly. Allow extra time and pack extra patience to get you through!

The train ride was uneventful this time. We made it back to Paris and set out to take our required covid tests to get back into the USA. We had no issues with taking our tests – proctored Binax (but at the time I’m writing this, no USA no longer requires the negative test for citizens on re-entry). Although, there was quite a commotion as Jon got caught up on a pipe due to a construction zone.

As soon as we got dropped off at the hotel, we were able to see that Jon would have a hard time getting in. Little did we know, that the elevator would be too small. As we wrapped up our tests, we realized that the manager was trying to rebook Jon and Yvonne in a different hotel that was more accessible. He was able to find one half a mile away.

*Our hotel was great – and I would highly recommend it: Hotel Cambon. The manager really tried to make it right – and they were going through some major renovations. Would be fun to see it again once it’s complete!*

Due to these difficulties, we realized that Versailles was unfortunately not in the cards this trip. We got Jon and Yvonne dropped off at the hotel – and Andy and I set out to find a place to have dinner. (As Jon and Yvonne still needed to take their covid tests).

We found a place with happy hour between our two hotels. At this time we realized that Jon and Yvonne were having issues with their covid tests. So we moved on to another restaurant that had a more robust menu for dinner. Our waiter was amazing, and eventually Jon and Yvonne were able to meet up with us there. Jon even got a free beer glass to take home as a souvenir!

After dinner, we decided it was worth a try to make it to the top of Paris’ only downtown skyscraper. Jon and Yvonne had come here previously and watched the Eiffel Tower go dark. We had an early wake up call, so that wasn’t in the cards for us. However, it did provide a very cool vantage point. It was great to see it!

We snapped a few pictures on our walk home – by Place de la Concorde. And went to bed since we had an early morning pick up (6 am) – and would have to make sure we were able to pick Jon and Yvonne up on time.

Up Next:
-Return to the US

We started our day wine tasting at Domaine la Fourmone. Jon and Yvonne had previously been here and had a great experience. When we arrived it was easy to see why they liked it – they had beautiful grounds and a small tasting room. It was only us with our server – and we really enjoyed the wine. At this point our suitcases are bursting at the seams and we were running out of bubble wrap. Because of the shipping costs we weren’t able to take much, Andy and I left with only one bottle.

From there we made our way to Chateau Saint-Cosme. We were greeted by our server who was originally from Colorado. She had a very interesting story about how she ended up in France and in the wine industry. At this point she was just working at the winery for the summer and wasn’t entirely sure what was next. She learned French from a childhood friend’s grandmother – which sparked her love for the culture.

Our next winery was closed until 2 pm, so we decided to forgo the last winery and make our way to Arles. Jon and Yvonne had previously stayed here and absolutely loved it. I read about it in a few books and really wanted to see it.

Arles has many Roman structures still left – a much smaller amphitheater (similar to the Colosseum in Rome) and then another outdoor theater. Both are still used today for bull fighting and other performances. The ticket includes admission to both – so if you’re paying for one, make sure to visit the other!

Arles is also where Van Gogh did a lot of his most famous paintings. “Starry Night over the Rhône” was one of them. We were able to find the vantage point from where he painted it. It was really cool to see – as Van Gogh is one of my favorites!

We drove back to our hotel and decided we wanted to find a happy hour. Once we find a place – we also asked them if they served dinner. Most restaurants (at least in our experience) don’t start serving dinner until 7. They graciously wrote us in the book and told us to come back to eat at 7.

It was a really great experience, it was called, L’Annexe. It was a fusion restaurant with traditional French food, burgers, and poke bowls. I don’t think you could go wrong here – and relatively affordable.

We head back to Paris next before heading back to the US.

Up Next:
-Drive to Lyon (catch the train)
-Train to Paris
-Versailles

When we had started planning this trip, Jon had emailed around regarding accessibility. One of the wineries had called him and left him the sweetest voicemail – and we actually had her as our server at our first winery of the day, Cheateau de Manissy.

Their wine was excellent – ranging from rose to some really tasty reds. The four of us ended up going in on and buying a case to be shipped back home. What we’ve discovered since the pandemic is that shipping prices are astronomical. (Along with everything else right now!)

After our first winery, we made our way to Pont du Gard. This is an old Roman aqueduct bridge that was previously used to move water over to Nimes. This bridge is very well preserved, and you guessed it – one of UNESCO’s world heritage sites!

It was extremely windy here again – but it didn’t stop us from taking in the sights. We crossed over to look back and admire the structure in front of us. We also had lunch in the area. Over by the bridge there is a restaurant, but we felt like it was a bit pricey. Near the entrance we found a place that served sandwiches/crepes and decided to eat there instead because it was more reasonably priced.

Up next was another winery, Cheateau D’Aqueria. Our server didn’t speak too much English, but she was certainly trying to provide a good experience for us. She took us through the facility and we ended with a tasting.

Our last stop of the day was Domaine de la Mordoree, which ended up being one of our favorites (if not our favorite) of the whole trip! Joelle was our server and she was kind – hilarious – and made sure that we got to try everything. She explained the wine to us – and also made sure we left with a few free goodies. I can’t recommend this place enough – the wine was great and the hospitality was even better!

We got back to our hotel – and were on the hunt for a place to have dinner. We were craving pizza or Italian – and found a pizza place called Rita. We met the owner’s son who told us that they didn’t have room outside, but if we wanted to sit inside he could take us right away. It really was a family affair! We saw his dad and also got to meet his mom. They were delightful people – and made sure that we had a great time.

After dinner we went for a short walk around the neighborhood and called it a night.

Up Next:
-Wine tasting in Gigondas
-Arles

We were so excited to go wine tasting in France – the first region we were tasting in was Chateauneuf du Pape. We had three wineries on the books for our first day wine tasting.

Our first stop was Domaine de Beaurenard – and we had a good first experience. After the visit, we went to the castle of Chateauneuf du Pape. The castle had crumbled besides one wall, which made for some great photos.

In the Avignon region – they have a lot of wind. They actually have a name for it – but I’m not very good with the French language. I would say it’s equivalent to the Santa Ana winds we have in California. It helps with the grapes – as it helps move away insects, etc.

Our next stop was supposed to be Vignobles Mayard. We pulled in and realized how run down the place looked – we decided to move on. Jon had realized Château Mont-Redon was open and they are a large producer in the area. We went there next – and I really loved the place.

Our server – I think his name was Alex – had spent time in the French Navy working alongside with the US Coast Guard. We got to taste a lot of different wines – and we were fortunate to meet a little Beagle buddy named Sully. We loved him!

Our last stop of the day was at Chateau La Nerthe – our server had been to California wine country and we had a great time chatting with him. We all complained about how expensive it can be to taste back home – and also, how much more they mark up the wine.

Because we had been so efficient with our time – we were able to head back to the city of Avignon and go to Palace of the Popes. This building was constructed during the 14th century – when the Pope fled Rome. This was not well received in Italy – and led others to believe that the Pope was a puppet of the French.

The Palace of the Popes had previously been accessible for Jon, but unfortunately they were doing some remodeling and he wasn’t able to join us. We decided to power walk through (it was closing in roughly an hour and a half) and meet up with them outside. It is very sparsely decorated – but you can use a tablet to get a better view of how things would have looked back then.

Because we were on a time crunch, we didn’t bother with the tablets. We wanted to be able to see the structure and get a feel for the place. If we were to return we would definitely allocate more time – and use the tablets. But there is never enough time!

As we were leaving, Jon called us to let us know that there was a train that would take us around Avignon. This was nice for a few reasons: 1) it was accessible 2) it would allow us to see more of the city without having to walk everywhere! We really enjoyed it – and I think it was around 5 euro a person.

Once we got back to our hotel – we parted ways before dinner. I decided to take a walk up to a Fort that was close to our hotel. It had just closed, so I couldn’t go inside. But it was still really interesting to see from the outside! This fort would later assert force against the Popes who were just across the river – and to protect the Abbey of Saint Andre.

Up Next:
-Wine tasting in Tavel
-Pont du Gard

There seems to be a theme when it comes to traveling after the pandemic, things just aren’t as simple as they were before. Jon had made a reservation for a wheelchair accessible van – and in the morning that is not what showed up. There was issue after issue – but Andy decided it was time to at least load the suitcases and we would head to the train station.

Once we got there, we made our way to the “Assistance” office – different train station than what we’ve been dealing with when we went to Reims. I let them know that we were checking in for our train – and it seemed like we finally found a capable crew.

Now, enter the problem. Jon and Yvonne were having trouble hailing a cab to get to the train station. So although, I had checked in on Jon’s behalf. I didn’t have him there yet!

I think at this point the team started to think that I had an imaginary friend – but I didn’t want them to know that Jon wasn’t at the train station. “Oh, he went to go get coffee!” Or, “He went to the toilet – it’s so far away!” But eventually, the gentleman helped myself and Andy find the right platform with all of our luggage. And at this point, we really were approaching the 30 minute marker.

And that’s when Jon and Yvonne showed up. Hallelujah! I swear I heard angels singing. We quickly got on board – and had the luxury of sitting on a double decker train. When we were planning the trip, there was rail construction near Orange and we weren’t able to take the train all the way down to Avignon. Instead, we had to take the train to Lyon and rent a car and finish the drive.

Once we got the car rental, we decided to do a little exploring in Lyon. We started by finding the Bartholdi Fountain in the Place des Terreaux. The fountain was sculpted by the same individual who created the Statue of Liberty. It was really beautiful and definitely a center piece for the city.

From there, we had lunch and then made our way to a Roman amphitheater. This was really cool, and one of the things that I had read ahead of the trip was that if you want to see Roman architecture – go to France. It’s also obvious that the citizens of Lyon still use the set up for modern day events. We could see that they were preparing for an event – which is super cool!

It was also a quick walk up to the Basilica – this church had a lot of different mosaics. It was really beautiful. This particular church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. There was one dedicated to Joan of Arc.

At this point we started our drive from Lyon to Avignon. This drive would normally take 2.5-3 hours. It ended up taking us 5 hours to get to the Avignon area – it almost felt like we were driving through LA! Yikes!

We were able to check into our hotel – Hotel De L’Atelier which is in Villeneuve les Avignon. (Across the river from Avignon and considerably cheaper per night). Jon and Yvonne had stayed at this hotel in 2003 – so they could vouch for it. It was super cute, and we were grateful that Jon had made reservations for 7:30, because of traffic we were cutting it close for even that!

Up Next:
-Wine tasting in Chateauneuf du Pape

Travel isn’t always rainbows and sunshine. And sometimes, no matter how much planning goes into making the perfect itinerary – things go sideways.

We had our previous run-in with the crew at the train station – and so we arrived early only to be met with a note in French saying they were helping someone else. We decided to be patient, however that ended up biting us later. They said we were too late for wheelchair assistance.

While the others sorted this out, I decided that the train company themselves might be willing to help us track down someone to help operate the lift. It turned into a bigger headache – the train car wasn’t accessible, cell phone malfunction when we needed it the most, you name it – it probably happened.

We missed our train. However, we were able to get onto a later train. We crossed our fingers that our first winery would help us move our tour/tasting – but worst case scenario we would just do the tasting portion.

Jon called ahead and they said we could squeeze into their 11:30 English-speaking tour. So we were really excited

Once we got to Reims, we needed to get a cab to Tattinger. It was a bit too far to walk – we got there and they said the tour was too full. We were really annoyed (because we had rushed all the way there!), but we were able to get our tasting. This winery is a fun one – because they are affiliated with Domaine Carneros in Napa, CA. (One of our wine club memberships).

The wine was great – and Jon was able to sweet talk one of the servers into pouring us their sparkling rose too. We next went to Pommery – and made it in right before a big storm.

We were able to do the cave tour here – and let’s just say it was unique. They had an art exhibit in their cellars – and an audio tour you needed to use your phone for. It would have been fine, but you had to download their app – and Wi-Fi was slow. We ended up not listening to the tour – that part may have been good, but I can’t say one way or another personally.

Because we had a small lunch we were looking for something small – like ice cream or gelato. We ended up getting a donut and champagne – which was pretty random and fun!

After our snack – we made our way to the promised land – Veuve Clicquot. This was one of the wineries I was most eager to visit – because I love champagne and they have some of the best (that I can afford at least!).

We had a great host who took us on our tour that show cased the cellars, but also the history of the winery. The company had been run for many years by a woman – and she had created some really great inventions/techniques that helped make production easier and the product better. All of you champagne lovers, we owe Madam Clicquot (the widow) a thank you!

On our way back to the train station we made a pit stop at the Notre-Dame Cathedral of Reims. It was beautiful and had some really amazing stained glass and an impressive nave. This was where the French kings were crowned – Reims was known as the “Coronation City.”

We made it back to Paris and had to pack because the next morning we were to depart for Lyon/Avignon!

Up Next:
-Train ride to Lyon
-Place des Terreaux
-Bartholdi Fountain
-Gallo-Roman Amphiteatre
-Drive to Avignon

We started the day off with really open plans, because so many places were closed on Mondays. We were able to “sleep in” since we didn’t have an early wake up call, but in reality, jet lag is real! We knew that we always had Disneyland Paris as a back up – but figured there were some sights that we could still see even though it was raining. Honestly, we aren’t witches, we don’t shy away from rain if it means getting to explore, and it actually works in our favor most of the time and it scares the crowds away.

We walked to a nearby restaurant and had breakfast. It was a rainy day – but we were hoping to get to the top of the Eiffel Tower. When I had checked online there weren’t any advance tickets available – but due to the rain, we were hoping that we may be able to sneak in if it wasn’t too busy.

We were in luck! We bought our tickets and could see the storm clouds off in the distance. Jon and Yvonne had previously gone to the second floor – and Yvonne has a fear of heights but agreed to go to the top with me and Andy. As we got near the top there was a light rain – and it made the floor a little slick. I’m not nervous at all about heights, but I definitely didn’t want to fall when we were up there!

There is one flight of stairs to make it to the tippy-top – and at this point Yvonne said she would wait for us there. We had make the joke on the way up that we could probably coax her with a glass of champagne. (Like you see in old cartoons when a character would dangle a carrot in front of the other to get them to walk in the direction they want).

Once Andy and I made it to the top we realized they really did sell champagne up there (Moët). We had just ordered ours when lo and behold, Yvonne was right behind us. She told us that a guy on the floor below had let her know that the champagne was for sell on the top floor. 😂 So we had a celebratory glass and then started to head down as the rain was moving in.

We found lunch at a nearby restaurant and worked up the rest of the plan for the day. We made our way over to the Arc de Triomphe. We didn’t have much of a desire to head to the top of this one, so we just admired it from afar. We were also relieved because it had finally stopped raining.

We headed to this incredible rooftop bar in the Montmarte and watched a storm roll back in and enjoyed a bottle of champagne- it was crazy to watch how clear it had been to really low visibility! We almost weren’t able to see the Eiffel Tower anymore! Since we were in an entirely new neighborhood we searched around for a restaurant to have dinner at. We found this delightful place called Piccolo Caratello. It was really small, as the name implies – but our server was incredible. We aren’t the biggest fans of French food, so when we saw this delightful little Italian place, we knew it would be great!

By the time we left the restaurant it was almost completely full. The food was great and would highly recommend if you are in the area!

One of the main reasons we had headed over to Montmarte was to see the Basilica du Sacre Couer. What we didn’t know was that this was a popular hang out for teenagers/college students around sunset. It was really loud and rambunctious – so we hopped out to take our pictures and head home. Our taxi drove us up to the top of this really steep hill where the Basilica was, and we were able to hop out and take our pictures and then hop back in to head to our hotel. Our taxi driver was great, and humored us while we took our photos.

So many museums are closed on Mondays – so it’s important if you’re planning a trip to Paris that you take this into consideration. We also had some difficulty due to the weather – but honestly, it was a really great day!

Up Next:
-Wine tasting in Reims