Happiness Awaits

Switching It Up

Fitzalan — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:00:23 +0000

: Image by antigavin via Flickr

As you all know by now, I’m a creature of habit. Right before heading to France, my beloved gym decided to take my 6:30AM spin class and turn it into a 5:30AM spin class. While I call myself a morning person, that just isn’t happening. I would end up falling asleep by 8PM and that couldn’t be good for my marriage–”Hi hunny, welcome home. Dinner is in the fridge. See you in the morning”.

But I miss my spin class and can’t imagine just doing the elliptical and lifting. The other forms of cardio–running and swimming just aren’t in my repertoire right now. I don’t know about any of you but I’m an all or nothing type of person when it comes to cardio. I do something obsessively for months and then I don’t want to touch it. I guess that is what they call burn out.

So the only choice was for me to break from my ridged cycle of waking up and working out if I wanted to get a spin class. Today I decided to give it a try. I’m up at normal time and I’ll go to yoga at 8:30 this morning, work for the day, and then hit up at 5:45PM spin class. I hope I still have the energy and motivation to do this because I would like to figure out some way to work spin class back into my life.

Oh and after all my whining of the weight I gained after my month of eating and drinking my weight through Europe, I braved the scale this morning. I gained 1.5 lbs. I was shocked that was all it was! I really must have walked a ton, especially when I was with Justin because I never worked out and I threw dietary restrictions to the wind for those 15 days. Anyway, I can shed that 1 1/2 pound in no time just with some healthy eating and working out. As one who felt that I would definitely gain weight without the comfort of my own food, safety of my daily workouts and the reassurance of my scale, this was a good little test!

To Smile.

Finding Normal

Fitzalan — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:46:11 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

It is 8:30AM and I have already hit the gym, showered, dressed and eaten breakfast. This is definitely the most normal day I have had in a month! As much as I worried about being gone for so long, I have to admit, I think I could remain on vacation forever. I cannot express how much I love to travel or my obsession with cycling. Everyone knows that man that adores football so much that he cannot make plans on Sundays so he can watch his NFL team play, right? Well, I think I can compare myself to that person when it comes to cycling. And I have absolutely no idea why I’m so hooked and obsessed with this sport, but I enjoy following professional cycling a shocking amount.

So, in my day dreams, I hit the lottery and travel the world getting to write about cycling. It would be the perfect combination for me. Luckily this probably will never be my reality because I don’t think this would be Justin’s dream world. Back to reality I go. It is definitely an adjustment being back home. I’m trying to get myself back on a schedule that includes normal eating, working out and being productive. The last few weeks that I was home before the trip, I was so stressed out. That had become my new normal and I’m trying to avoid letting myself fall back into that trap. I don’t want to feel overwhelmed and so driven to get things done that I forget to slow down and make sure I’m enjoying myself.

I shouldn’t only be happy, relaxed and carefree when I’m on vacation, right?

To Smile.

Home

Fitzalan — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 17:24:39 +0000

Just a quick little post saying we are home. Flights went well and we were kindly picked up by a neighbor all the way at national airport after midnight. Slept well last night so hopefully jet lag is gone. Aim of today:

-major grocery store trip. Time to start losing the vacation lbs.

-gym. Oh how I’ve missed the gym!

-loads and loads of laundry.

The trip was better than I ever expected. Now time to readjust.

To smile.

La Tour

Fitzalan — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 08:20:20 +0000

After getting back from Versailles, we both took hot showers to recover from the wet and cold day. Then we headed out on the streets of Paris for a few drinks. While enjoying our cocktails, we noticed another threatening rain cloud. Annoyed because we were planning on going up the Eiffel Tower last night, we sighed and changed our game plan to go this morning.

After drinks, we enjoyed an interesting dinner. I ate gizzards, Justin ate mushrooms. In our worlds, these are equally weird foods. The gizzards (which were on a salad and just tasted like dark chicken meat) and my stomach weren’t friends and I paid with stomach pains for this adventure.

By the time we finished dinner, the rains had passed and the sky was clearing, so we decided to make an attempt at the Eiffel Tower. We got over to the tower and the line was FOREVER long, so we opted for the steps.

While waiting in the short steps line, I noticed two guys behind us with a cardboard sign that said “Paris”. I thought they were Scandinavian (all of whom seem to speak English), so I asked if they hitchhiked all the way to the Tower. They said Yes. They were actually Dutch (who also speak English thanks to non-dubbed television) and were in a competition. A group of 10 pairs had left from the Netherlands that morning and had hitchhiked all the way to Paris. The first to the lower section of the Tower won. They thought they were in first.

We chatted throughout the line and when we hit the steps, they were off running. Justin and I continued meandering up the stairs. By about half way, we had overtaken our new buddies who exhausted themselves on the initial climb. But we all hit the lower section together and they found out they had won, so we celebrated by buying them beers.

Well misery loves company, right? The four of us decided to ascend to the next section (the middle section) together by stairs. From that point, they don’t let you keep climbing, so we got in the very long line to take the elevator up to the top. The whole time, Justin and I chatted with this pair, which made the time fly by and made the experience quite memorable.

After getting to the top, we took a few photos but it was very windy and cold, so we got into line almost immediately to head back down. We rode the elevator to the middle level and then walked the stairs the rest of the way down. My legs and knees were a bit wobbly after all those stairs!

It was a great way to show Justin the tower!!

Now we are packing up our bags because we leave today. We are going to take a last minute boat tour along the Seine. It seems incredible that the month is already done. When I left, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to make it a month and that I would be really ready to go home. Well, the opposite is happening. As of right now, I’m definitely sad that this amazing experience is over. Just means I need to start planning the next adventure soon!

To Smile.

Versailles

Fitzalan — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 08:08:28 +0000

When it rains—it pours, right? Well not in Versailles. When it rains, it hails.

This lead to a very interesting tour of the massive châteaux. When we arrived at Versailles, there was an extremely long line to get through security. Luckily it moved quickly and before I knew it, we were passing 400 year old paintings and furniture. I have been to Versailles now 3 times and it never ceases to amaze me. This was Justin’s first time there and I knew it was something he couldn’t miss.

Like everyone, he was equally amazed by the sheer overwhelming magnitude of Versailles. There isn’t a space for more guild, gold leaf or painting any where in the whole chateaux. My favorite room is the one filled with battle paintings and I think Justin enjoyed this room the most too.

After wandering through the mansion, we were ready to set out on foot into the miles of perfectly manicured gardens. We knew the weather looked ominous but made a dash out into the gardens anyway. We made it as far as the Apollo Chariot fountain when it started raining. We hadn’t eaten lunch yet, so this was the perfect place to stop and enjoy a bite. The temperature had dropped significantly so I enjoyed a nice bowl of French onion soup.

By the end of lunch, the rain had tapered off, so we went and grabbed ourselves some bikes. This place is perfect for exploring! It felt like there were trails everywhere and because it is so vast, it is difficult to reach every where on foot. Our two wheels lead us through a working farm, past an amazing herb garden and beyond an impressive vegetable garden. As we were leaving the farm, we noticed another cloud but we thought it was moving the other way.

We were wrong. Within 5 minutes we were huddled under a large tree in the middle of nowhere Versailles trying to wait out a massive thunder and lightning storm. When the hail started, I thought I was done. By the time it ended, there were places with about ¾ inch of hail. We survived though and carried on around the gardens of Versailles.

I found this pig adorable

Doing great on our bikes, pre-storm

Huddling under a tree during the storm

The steam rising up from the water after the storm was pretty spectacular.

And there goes that nasty storm.

Every time I’ve been to Versailles, it has been a very different experience. At least it remains interesting and exciting! This time though, there was no difficulty catching the train back and I didn’t have to nearly leave Justin behind (hint, hint Mom!).

To Smile.

Whirlwind Paris

Fitzalan — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 07:21:28 +0000

As everyone knows, there is an abundance of sites to see in Paris. Justin and I are only in Paris for two full days and I wanted to spend one of those days out at Versailles, so that meant one day to take in the sites. Yesterday was filled with a lot of walking and bike riding but luckily the weather cooperated to make it a perfect day.

We began the day at the Invalides, which includes an armory museum, a World War I and World War II museum and Napoleon’s tomb. The armory museum is almost overwhelming. The sheer number of weapons and armor they have stockpiled is amazing. The WWI and WWII museums could be their own separate museums because they are so vast and detailed. And then you get to Napoleon’s tomb. There really aren’t words to describe this display of this over the top gravesite. It is something that shouldn’t be missed due to its absurdity.

After Napoleon’s tomb, we walked over through Place de la Concorde, hit the Louvre and then headed up the Champs Elysees. I was in this city just 2 weeks ago and it is amazing how much it has changed in preparation for The Tour coming through on Sunday. There are already barriers everywhere and grandstands lining the Champs. Once we got up the Champs, we were on a mission to find a bar showing The Tour because yesterday was the final climb over the Tourmalet and probably the deciding stage of the Tour (I’m still holding out hope Andy can overtake Contador by some grace of God, but aren’t we all?)

While up on the Champs, Justin got the great idea of renting bikes from one of the many random bike rental racks scattered throughout the city. This was definitely his best idea in a few days! We grabbed our bikes and cruised over to Notre Dame. We checked in our bikes and wandered around for a while. Then we walked over and had raclette for dinner (I’m obsessed) in this pedestrian district in the Latin Quarter. We grabbed some more bikes, made a pit stop for some ice cream, and then rode our bikes all the way back to the Invalides.

It was a day packed with activity but it really was the ideal way to see a lot of the sites of Paris! Now we are getting ready to make the haul over to Versailles. I see some more bike renting in our future!

To Smile.

Normandy Beaches

Fitzalan — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 08:14:33 +0000

Wandering around the Normandy Beaches, especially at Omaha Beach, you cannot help but feel proud to be an American. Yesterday we spent a few hours at the American Cemetery and Museum near Bayeux. Much like last time I was at this location, it was raining.

The museum is very well and before we knew it, we had already been there several more hours than we expected to be. After walking through the excellent museum, we walked down to the beach. Just looking up at the cliffs the soldiers had to climb to get off the beach and through the thick brush, even without taking into account the Germans that were trying to kill them, shows why this location was so difficult to seize.

After walking around the cemetery for a while, we hit the road towards Paris. It took about 2.5 hours to get back to Paris and then about another 2 hours to get through Paris. We had decided to stop by the hotel, unload all our stuff and then head to the airport to return the car. Traffic was bad and I’m sure the ongoing rain didn’t help anything.

Luckily, our hotel is amazing so getting to see it was exciting! Our room is very nice and the entire hotel is breathtaking. We are staying near the Invalides and the location appeared lively last night.

The next challenge we faced for the day was getting back to the hotel after dropping off the car. Unbeknownst to me, the metro line we needed was closed. We got all the way to the Sorbonne and then couldn’t switch to the line we wanted. Luckily I know this area of Paris well now. We got out from the metro, walked about 2 blocks and then I had us RUN to catch a bus. It deposited us about 2 blocks from our hotel, so life was good. I couldn’t imagine doing all of that with our luggage, so thank goodness we had already dropped it off!

We are planning on just walking around Paris and seeing the sights today. I’m thinking I’ll take Justin to Versailles tomorrow because that is simply somewhere that shouldn’t be missed!

To Smile.

Sleepy

Fitzalan — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 07:53:28 +0000

I just spent the night in the worst hotel known to man. Not because it was unclean but because it was some how located directly above the most hopping bar in little Granville, France. These people like to party, even on a Tuesday night. I got maybe 4 hours of sleep. I am not a happy gal today.

But I am excited about heading over to Normandy and seeing the D-Day beaches. I have been there before and it is pretty overwhelming. Then we are heading back to Paris and dropping our trusty car off.

The past few days have been good. Definitely a bit different from our Tour days and we still miss following the riders through France. Now, we are able to sleep in and then hit the road whenever we are ready to. We just wander around without much of an itinerary or schedule and take in the sights on our time, not as fast as possible as we try to catch a finish or stage start. This lackadaisical aspect of the trip I think has caused the last 3 weeks of the trip to catch up with me and I am beginning to slow down.

Some photos:

A top the Chateau in Angers, the city where I studied abroad. It is also known for having the best sandwiches ever at Fred’s Frites. Justin may come back to France just for those sandwiches.

Ahh St. Malo! The third time I have been to this city and it never seems to let me down! I finally got to jump off of this. Such a great memory for me!

Sunset in Saint Malo. The tidal shift in this town is simply unreal.

Little teeny walkways in Mont Saint Michel.

Time to repack the backpack, AGAIN. It is getting a bit full with all the goodies and wine we have collected. I’m terrified of the trip to the airport when we leave! Off to explore Normandy and hopefully sleep in the car a bit!!

To Smile.

Wine Tasting

Fitzalan — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 07:29:15 +0000

Here are two of my most recent post to Team RadioShack:

The city of Samur has treated us well. Despite a few hickups along the way:

1.) Don’t ever eat at a roadside frites stand

2.) Be wary of backroad French reststops

3.) Always read maps correctly to see that the island you are on actually does connect to the bridge you want to cross.

4.) Check the hours of operation of all buisness in France: many like to close between 12:30 – 4:30 in the afternoon.

Just a few lessons we have learned over the past 48 hours. The last one has to do with out bicycle rentals. We stopped by the place after doing laundry and talked to the guy about renting bikes. After I came back and wrote a few articles and blogged, we headed back over there. Unfortunately, they had closed. We then went on a mission looking for some where else to rent bikes, but all bike shops apparently close for the majority of the day. So we set out on foot. After about a 30 minute detour (see #3), we were on our way to the wine caves in Samur.

We went to three wine caves. The first two were pretty good but the last one was definitely the highlight of the day. The guy who lead our tasting was incredible and taught us so much about French wines. He also was a huge cycling fan, so he kept checking the tour for us. After spending at least an hour there, we knew we had hit the peak of wine caves in the walking area, so we called it a day.

The city center of Samur has a bunch of different restaurants, creperies and glaceriers. We were in heaven. We stopped and had some beers and then remembered we hadn’t eaten for the day, so dinner become the top priority. I had some incredible mussels and Justin had a steak. The north of France is where my love for mussels began, so I think I may eat them every night until we get to Paris. After dinner, I think we ate 1/2 our body weight in ice cream (well, at least Justin may have) and then we called it a night.

Even though I’m still bummed about leaving the Tour and we mention this fact constantly, Samur treated us well. Today we are packing up and heading up to St. Malo, which is a wonderful beach town in the north of France. A day of bathing suit wearing is in our future!

To Smile.

So Sad

Fitzalan — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 10:29:27 +0000

As a kid, I used to go to summer camp for a few weeks every summer. I dreaded the day my parents would come pick me up and would feel so blue that entire afternoon knowing that this experience was over.

This is exactly how I felt yesterday leaving the tour. All day I was sad, knowing that while out driving, we wouldn’t get to pick out all the team cars and buses or spend the evenings sighting riders.

I have been sad all day with a pit in my stomach. I am definitely not ready to leave the Tour. It has been such a wonderful experience with so many once in a lifetime situations. As much as I think a lot of it had to do with good luck, I also think that is just how the Tour functions. There are few other sporting events in the world that let you have direct access with professional athletes. Also, the group traveling around with the tour is relatively small and overtakes each town it enters. You eat dinner next to people from all over the world that have the same passion for professional cycling as you do. It leads to wonderful conversations and makes every single day memorable.

We considered changing our trip around and staying with the Tour but decided against it. We will start doing the more tourist side of the trip (Justin has never been to France before). This means that future years when we head over here for the tour that we won’t need to do the side trips or the tourist destinations. Yes, we have already decided there will be more trips like this. Maybe not this long, but we will be back for the Tour.

Now we are in wine country, Samur to be exact. We are about to go rent bikes and head out wine tasting. We were able to do laundry today, which was a very exciting chore after we have been living out of a pack for weeks.

I’ve been living off of bread, cheese and cured meats while following the tour. Food of champions! Time for some amazing wine and a little bike riding!

To Smile.