And then they left me.
Ok, so actually I sent them all away on a bus to the airport.
And I went on the train back into Paris.
To meet Lisa at the Eiffel Tower
and start our Amazing Race!
Andrew had snuck into my bag a set of 'clues',
fun little antics for each stop along the trip, cause he knows I've always
loved the thought of being on "The Amazing Race". So fun!
Thumbs up to the start of our dream trip!
Eating snails!!
Stellar dinner cruise on the River Seine
Feeling so carefree!
San Sebastian
Fav photos
Stand outs: Tapas, beach fireworks in the rain, day spa!
Barcelona/Girona
Fav photos
Stand outs: sangria and clams at the terrace restaurant, smelling like clams the next day!, walking through Girona, Costa Brava beach, street musicians. Cray-say! And yes, unfortunately, getting my wallet stolen on arrival. Grrr. I hated being marked as the easy target.
Carcassonne
We made a detour and hopped aboard a train to Carcassonne, a stunning medieval city on a hill.
Mostly because we have the board game and I thought
it would be fun to tell the kids I actually went there and did a Jetstar jump!!
Avignon
Fav photos
Stand outs: Riding segways on cobblestone streets. Crepes. Walking around the wall of the city, standing under an archway waiting for the rain to stop. 3 awesome dinners in a row.
Villefranche
Fav photos
Stand outs: Lunch on that first day with that waiter who was excited about us being from Australia. Walking up to the lookout. Mountaintop village of Eze. Water gun guy at the beach.
Florence
Fav photos
Stand outs: quaint shops, impressive museums, best dinner ever, free drinks!
Assisi
Fav photos
Stand outs: Wine tour enroute, those boys!, cooking lessons from Letitia, the views!, google dog. Thanks Assisi for the lovely (although slightly deluded) feeling of not being tourists for a few days.
Siena
Fav photos
Stand outs: Siena by day and by night, completely memorable. Perquackey game in the square with all that drumming, strange orange drinks of the locals, the changing sky, and driving through torrential rain!
Rome
Fav photos
Stand outs: Della's restaurant, local streets, early morning at the Vatican, pizza 'in the gutter' by the Coloseum, sunset over the city, Amazing Race U-turn clue (ohh so tempting to do it all again!!).
---
Lisa you are one fab chick putting up with me all those weeks. I really can't believe how easy it was to travel together and how well we grew to know each other's habits/needs/preferences, such as your need to eat and sleep, and my preference for reading (or playing luminosity!) late into the night and for still water rather than sparkling. I'm sure you could have done without my habits, but you were kind enough to ignore them! You are flexible and fun and I am thoroughly thankful for this trip, for all the memories (and photos that I'm still sifting through), and for my life with you as my [older] friend.
See ya next time.
Even if it's this long away, you'll probably still look younger!
This was my family waiting to cheer me onto the mat
(one they painted themselves!),
at the finish of my Amazing Race!
What a perfect welcome home.
