Finally in Nice, France - Day 1 & 2

We started off on our adventure at midnight Saturday, March 9 and arrived in Nice finally at 6:45pm on Monday, March 10 - two planes later. (From DC 4 hr time difference to Lisbon but 5hr time difference to Nice). Getting out of Washington DC was great.  The draining part was not being able to sleep on the plane and then having a 3 hr layover in Lisbon, Portugal.  The good part was all the wheelchairs which were waiting for us.  It made going through TSA at IAD, passport control in Lisbon, and getting our bags in Nice so much easier.  It was also great that after we got our bags, the AMA cruise line rep and our private driver were right there to welcome us.   One comment about the Portugal terminal -  yes, there is just one terminal.  However, since they don’t have enough gates to accommodate all the planes that are landing there, they park all the overflow of planes on the tarmac away from the actual terminal.  You depart your plane and get on a bus.  This bus takes you to the terminal.  

Our hotel, Anantara Plaza Nice, is a 5 star property and they don’t miss a trick.  Over the top service. They upgraded our room since we were celebrating our Diamond Anniversary and had a surprise waiting for us in the

 

After the AMA welcome reception, we found our room, did a quick refresh, and went to a restaurant just a 5 minute walk away.  The restaurant, Felix, was perfect for what we wanted to eat.  A Caesar Salad with chicken and an appetizer of Focaccia bread with bacon, pan fried mushrooms and truffle cream. We split both dishes because we were both so tired.

We came back to the hotel.  Howard passed out while Lynda did some wash.  Reminds us of Howard’s parents letters home from Europe to us many years ago just after we got married.  His mom did nightly wash while his dad wrote the letters.  Lynda does both.

Today, our first full day in Nice, Cloudy, but the rain God cooperated.  Our tour bus driver was amazing as he zipped around the crazy, narrow streets of Nice.  We are glad he was driving.  Stopped at an old church with cemetery and gardens overlooking the city.  The brain is mush tonight, will try and get the name tomorrow.  The best thing was the Insect/ Bug hotel.  A place for them to live so they can pollinate the gardens.   

Now we understand why there are French balconies on the AMA ships.  It is how all the hotel and apartment buildings have these narrow balconies all over the city.  After the bus tour we did a walking tour of the old town.   It is very late tonight as it has been a struggle with the formatting of this blog.  So….you will get the rest of today in the next blog post.

Day 14 - The Final Journey Home

We were part of the last groups to leave the hotel in Geneva.  A limo ride to the airport and then we all went in different directions to find our flights home.  The Geneva airport is huge and we had to ask a security guard when the TAP airlines was located.  Of course it was at the other end of the building we were dropped off at. Finally got over to the Swiss Air (TAP's partner airline) and got checked in. 

Our flight went through Lisbon, Portugal and again the plane landed in the middle of the tarmac as there were no gates available. So a bus ride to the terminal was required. By now, both of us were sneezing and coughing, so we wore masks.  After a 3 hour layover, we took another bus ride to our plane, again parked on the Tarmac. The flight was long, over 8 hours to get us back to Washington DC.  

We didn't land until 10:15pm so going through customs was a breeze as there were no other people arriving at the same time. We had used the Mobil Passport Control app and all they did was ask us one or two questions.  We then got our bags and left.

We had a Lyft take us to our niece's house and got there just before 12 midnight.  We fell into bed and collapsed.  By now we were both really not feeling well.

We spent the next two days trying to recover from what amounted to being up for 22 hours, allowing for time changes, from the time we woke up in the morning in Geneva to the time we went to bed that night back in the USA.

Finally back home, but both of us are coughing up a storm. Doctor visits are in order.

Final thoughts -  We loved the trip and are really glad we decided to go on this adventure.  However, we have come to the conclusion that long distance travel is not for us any more.  We will drive for a couple of hours or take a flight to see our friend in Las Vegas, but that is about it.  

Cheers to all,

Toot (aka Lynda) and Teaser (aka Howard)

 

Day 13 - Our last day in Geneva

Our trip is finally winding down. We have a last tour after breakfast to Annecy, France.  We were told to make sure we had our passports with us just in case we were stopped.  The drive only took about 40 minutes and we parked right by Lake Annecy.  A short walk took us to the old town. We again chose to do the Gentle walkers tour and ended up with a private guide as no one else chose that option.

 This is truly a medieval town with its narrow lanes and bridges, with rivers paved over and canals to cross.  

 

 The Palais de l’île is a fortress/house in the middle of a River/Canal that was the home of the Lord of Annecy in the 12th Century. Years/Centuries later it became a prison. 

There aren't any of the city walls remaining, but there are some of the gates that were saved with now other buildings attached to them. 

There are cafe's, pastry shops, and ice cream places all over the old town.  Lynda had a dessert and Howard had his Pistachio ice cream.

 

 

 

 

 

Our outing finally came to an end and we took the time to take a picture or two with friends. It was a great day with nice weather as you can see that we even had our coats off and were able to go around with out having to be bundled up.

 

 

 

We drove back to the hotel and even though it was the middle of the day there was traffic.  In addition, the street signs are a mass of confusion if you don't know where you are going.  Thank goodness our bus driver was a pro. 

Many of our group went shopping or did some more touring over in the old town for the rest of the day.  Howard was starting to not feel good, really sneezing and just feeling tired.  We decided to just get a Subway sandwich for dinner and stay in and pack up for the long trip home tomorrow. 

Cheers

Toot and Teaser

Day 12 - Around Geneva

Breakfast was downstairs in the hotel.  Like the hotel in Nice, you could order off the menu or take what you wanted from the buffet.  It was good, but not nearly as nice as the hotel in Nice.  However, their tea bags were a treat to deal with and the cup and saucer were unique. Not a typical circle but elliptical at one end.  This is so you had a good place to put your spoon.

 

After breakfast, we piled into the bus for an overview bus tour of Geneva. The hotel is not far from the lake.  Lake Geneva is also known as Lake Leman. This lake is very large and borders France in places as well.  We drove by the lake, but didn't really get any good pictures from the bus.  The tour took us to the International District where we got off the bus to view the Broken Chair Monument.  It symbolizes opposition to land mines and cluster bombs, and acts as a reminder to politicians and diplomats visiting Geneva. You can't see the leg in the picture of us, but it is visible in the picture of another couple in our group - Rhonda & John from Tennessee.

The chair is across from the United Nations Headquarters - All of the countries flags line the entrance. Our group took a picture in front.  Too bad Lynda wasn't looking at the camera. 

We then walked around and into the extensive gardens surrounding the area. Many things had been donated and there finally was a bench to sit down on.

 

 

 

 

Back on the bus, we drove over to the Old Town of Geneva.  This is across the lake from where we were staying.  We split into walking groups.  Or should I say, Howard and I had our own Gentle Walkers guide and the rest of the group went on their way. We walked over to see the  Russian Church, and then continued on to the Bourg-de-Four Square.  Bourg-de-Four is a cobblestone square in the Old Town of Geneva, Switzerland. It is located on the site of the old Roman forum and medieval market. Some of the buildings have unusual door knockers.  

  

We wound our way over to the Saint Pierre Cathedral. Lynda's knee was bothering her so she sat outside in the wonderful sunshine and Howard toured inside. He even took the inside shots of the church.

 

 

 

More walking (Gentle walkers cover the same amount of territory just at a slower pace) over to the worlds longest bench after walking down a very steep hill.  The bench overlooks the city.  We also saw many children at play.

 

Eventually got down to a street level where we were to meet the bus.  Along the way was a monument The Reformation Wall - The monument is built into the old city walls, and the monument's location supposed to represent the importance of the fortifications, and therefore of the city of Geneva, to the Reformation which was a great part of Switzerland's history.

 

Back on the bus for a drive out to Montreux Rivera.  This is a picturesque town that has drawn artist, entertainers, and travelers to it's lakeside avenues.  We had lunch at a quaint Italian restaurant and Howard got a Gelato for dessert at stand along the shore.  We then proceeded by bus to Chillon Castle - a Medieval fortress  of the Savoy family that once served as a prison.

 

Unfortunately, it is at this point of the day that Howard realized that he didn't have his wallet any more. His shoulder sling bag had locks on the zippered compartments and he was sure that he had put his receipt and wallet back in the zippered compartment. Somewhere between the Gelato stand and when we got off the bus to walk to the castle he had his wallet stolen. Needless to say this was very upsetting. 

When we finally made it back to the hotel (of course during rush hour) we cancelled our dinner reservations and instead was on the phone to our credit card companies and bank to put a stop on any purchases.  We found out that three train tickets had been purchased for over 450 Euros each.  The bank cancelled the transaction and refunded the money.  Fortunately, Lynda had the passports in her purse which was under her jacket. She also had credit cards that were different numbers than the ones that were stolen.  We will have to deal with getting replacements for his drivers license, and medical cards when we return.  Also have to notify all the vendors that had that credit card for regular monthly payments.  What a royal pain.  Discouraged, we just ate at the hotel for dinner that night and went to bed early.

Cheers

Toot and Teaser

 

 

Day 11 - Leaving the Boat but onward to Geneva

We were fortunate not to have to get up in the wee hours of the morning to catch a flight home like some of the guests.  We had chosen to take the post cruise extension to Geneva. We ate breakfast at the normal time and then had our bags loaded on the bus that would take us to first Dijon and then onward to Geneva. There are 30 of us on this leg of the trip.  We were lucky to get the front seats right behind the driver. 

The city of Dijon is of course famous for it's mustard.  However, they also had a wonderful cathedral of Saint-Benigne de Dijon.  We didn't go inside, but the outside architecture was interesting. There were some other historic buildings that we took pictures of but if you were to ask us about them, we can honestly say that we have no clue.  The guide was talking so much and after awhile we were just overload.  So, we enjoyed seeing the places and took pictures of the ones we liked. Many of the houses or shops had multicolored tiles on their roofs. 

 

 

All of the various cities have these metal plaques in the streets for tourists to do a self guided walk. The one for Dijon is Owls.  Many of the stores were selling Owls in various forms. 

 

 

 

The one of the best mustard shops in town - La Moutarderie Fallot - Boutique Atelier Dijon.  The business is off a side street but definitely worth a visit.  Lots of mustard's to taste and choose from.  Howard chose to get a Pinot Noir flavored mustard.  Lynda passed the tasting as she is not a mustard fan. 

 

Stopped for a bit of lunch at a bakery cafe.  Had some pizza plus Howard had some chocolate pistachio verrine dessert (it is like a parfait but in a smaller glass).

 

We wandered over to a covered market place.  It was getting ready to close, so not all stalls were open. We really liked the meat market where they had a rabbit cut open and laid out.  Also tasted some cheese.  Wish we had been there earlier to see more of the stalls. 

 

It was getting time to meet the group again.  We did stop by the Carousel, and Lynda found a store that had a scarf and some more socks (this time at a reasonable price). Howard also touched one of the spots on a building that was supposed to bring good luck.  (Have forgotten exactly what it was that he was touching).   

 

Finally on the road again to Geneva.  It was a long drive, but pretty scenery. We got to the hotel and got a room on the 4th floor.  It faced another building, but that was better than being on the front side and getting the street noise.  This hotel was supposed to be a 4 star accommodation, but in my book, really only a 3 star. Construction all around the hotel and across the street.  They didn't put a bar of soap in the bathroom until the next day, the shower had half a glass panel that didn't really keep the water inside the tub when the shower was on, there wasn't an extra blanket, we had to call down for more hangers, as there were only 6 to start. When you put two coats up that only leaves 4 hangers not enough for 2 people for three days. There weren't any room instructions (either in French or English) as to how to work some of the things.  Maybe we are being picky, but after the 5 star hotel in Nice, this was a let down.  However, the coffee service area was great.  Also there was a slot right be the door when you came in where you put your room key.  It turned the lights on.  When the key was removed, the lights turned off. 

 

We went to dinner, with one of the other couples, to a Swiss place that had been recommended  Au Petit Chalet .  Howard had a Mushroom Fondue and Lynda had a Chicken Pasta dish. The fondue came with potatoes.  It was very busy and very noisy, but the food was very good.  Came back to the hotel and crashed.  It had been a long day. 

 

 

Cheers, 

Toot and Teaser

Day 10 - Our last full day on the cruise

 Lynda finally figured out what she did wrong with the last two posts.  Hopefully, this one turns out correctly.  Before we forget to mention it, the bathroom plug is behind the mirror.  A most unusual place to put it.  The one thing that the boat doesn’t have is a nightlight in the room, so you could find your way to the bathroom in the middle of the night when you have the blackout drapes drawn.  It would help you not bumping your way around.

After breakfast we broke into groups for a city tour of Chalo-sur-Saone.  We chose the gentle group, and once again, had a private tour with a guide we had once before on another tour.  Today was market day and we had fun checking out all the different stalls.  Even got some tastings in of juice, cheese, and caramel.  Of course, we bought some of the caramel.  Some of the stalls had food already prepared that you could take home for lunch or dinner later in the day. Many of the women had covered rolling carts where they put their purchases.

We left the market and strolled the lanes.  Shops were starting to open and the Nannie’s were taking the young children for an outing.  Children start school at 3 years old. The younger ones are either taken care of by their mothers or Nannie’s.  Lynda bought a puff pastry that was a specialty item, plus a pair of very expensive socks.  They were the only thin socks she had seen and her feet were still swollen.

Again, the buildings are similar to those of other towns.  Each has a church and some important monument.  After a while, it all starts to blur together.  You feel you are on overload.  Sometimes, buildings or even churches are built on top of the old Roman walls.  We cut the tour short a bit as Lynda needed to get off her swollen feet.  Getting older sucks.

After lunch, Lynda started the process of packing the suitcases for our departure tomorrow. She even had Howard using the hair dryer to finish drying some of the socks she had washed out the night before.

Packing mostly finished, we went up for afternoon tea.  Ordered the tea tray and cut into the pastry Lynda had bought on the recommendation of the guide.  At afternoon tea, Lynda finally got a picture of was the picture of the sunset from the bow of the ship. It was cold out, but tolerable for the short time it took to get the picture.

Last dinner aboard the boat and a time to take a picture with our favorite server and the head of the restaurant staff.  

We went back to the cabin to finish that last minute packing.  Our suitcases need to be outside our room by 7:30 tomorrow morning. Of course, we can’t forget the Cruise Manager, Marianna, who is from Argentina.  She has been most helpful and caring this entire trip.  She was with us in Nice, on the cruise, and will be with us again in Geneva.  She gets a 5 star +++ rating in our book.

Cheers, 

Toot and Teaser 

Day 9 Finally Shops were open

I'm  not sure what happened to my last post.  The formating was wonky.  Hopefully,  this one comes out correct.  If not, be sure to scroll to the right to see the pictures. 

Lynda tried to get another sunrise shot, but it wasn't as dramatic as the othrer one she took.  We had a yummy breakfast as usual and then got ready for our tour of Tournus. 

We ere fortunate to be the only ones in the gentle walkers group.  Simon, out guide, was very knowledgeable and really let us set the pace as we wandered the streets and lanes of the town.  There are many narrow passages that connect streets.  It really is a maze at times.  As in the other towns, the buildings are a mixture of very, very old and then some newer structures had used parts of older structures.

The Abbey of Saint Philibert was especially interesting.  They had a mural in the Tourist office that showed what the Abbey and all it's buildings and the town looked like ages ago. 

Lynda was happy as she finally got to explore some of the insides of the shops.  Of course  there were purchasing opportunities.  It was a good thing that Simon was there to help interpret some of Lynda's questions as one shop owner spoke no English at all.

Lunch was good and afterwards,  Marianna, the Cruise Manager, told us about the process for disembarking at the end of trip. After the explanations, Howard attended a wine talk and Lynda worked on the blog while watching the scenery as we cruised up the river.  By the end of the cruise,  we will have gone  through  17 locks.  The captain maneuvers the boat expertly.  There is only about 1 foot, on each side of the boat, between the boat and the locks.  The balls of green which you see in the trees are actually  mistletoe. 

Tonight is the Farewell Dinner so it was time  to dress up a little  for dinner.

After a full meal, we skipped the French singer and decided to get off our feet.  Lynda's feet were swelling up from not only all the walking, but from eating too much lox and  bacon at every breakfast. The salt content got to her.

Cheers, 

Toot and Teaser