France July 2009 July 18 Nice to Vorey

Very long day for me – I woke up about 3:30 and got up at 4:30 to take Suze to the airport. It was very eerie to be out at that time; mostly kids who had been out all night. I left her off at the airport after she had checked that her flight was on the board, I tried to go home so I could park at the apartment, but got incredibly lost. I have no idea where I was. I even went down a one way street the wrong way.

Back at the apartment we finished packing and cleaning. I had know idea how to check out, so I called the management folks—got no one and finally called the owners in England. I went for the car and was easily able to park out front and load. Gwyneth sent me to the bakery for a last baguette for our lunch. We took off and drove a couple of hours before a windy lunch at a rest stop. Then the awful stop and go traffic started. It took us 6 hours to go about 125 kilometers. We bailed and crossed the Rhone River and went through the mountains to the hotel Gwyneth had reserved. Some of the route will be the Tour de France next week and the rest was thgou rugged mountains. Pine forests and rolling fields.


We stopped for gas at a local store and bought the Montelimar nougat and rustic bread.

The hotel Gwyneth booked is a gem at the confluence of the Loire and the Arzon Rivers. I took the girls for a walk and then they had a floating island meringue at the hotel cafe. The girls loved the room's massage chair. I loved the fact there were four beds, and I got one in a little alcove so it was like my own private room.