"Off the Leash" with David and Jean

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After some coffee and a light breakfast, we headed to the Palace of Versailles for a tour.  We toured the palace, the Princess’ apartments, the gardens and Marie Antoinette’s estate.  We were here many years ago but we only saw the palace itself.  It was very interesting to see the more of the estate.  It’s actually hard to comprehend that kind of opulence. 

I used my GoPro (thanks Jen and Bob) to take a short video as we walked down the famous Hall of Mirrors.

We had planned to go on to Normandy after Brugge but the cool drizzly weather changed our minds. We decided to head a bit south toward Paris.  When we came to Europe on 2001, we loved this campground down in Versailles so we decided to look it up again.  It turns out it’s even better than before.  Another company bought it and made many improvements. The beauty of staying in Versailles you have a relaxed atmosphere with lots of beautiful trees yet, you’re only a 20 minute train ride from the heart of Paris.  I guess that’s why Louis XXIV liked it enough to build his little summer place (Palace of Versailles) out here.

The have a lovely market here on Wednesdays and Saturdays so we walked down and picked out some beautiful fruits and vegetables for dinner.  Of course we had to share a crepe while we shopped.

We met a terrific young family from Australia camped right next to us.  Keith, Dina and their three year old son Cooper.  What a cutie!  I will post more later but, it’s dinner time.

Well, I’m back.  We had a great dinner of roasted chicken and a beautiful salad with fresh lettuce, olives, feta cheese and sun dried tomatoes.  Flan and coffee for dessert.  What a wonderful day!

    We were up early and looking for coffee and everything is closed.  It Is Memorial Day in Brugge as it is in USA!  David drove in the center of town looking for coffee and everything is closed.  But guess what…not a car in sight.  What a great driving tour of the town.  This place looks like it was built by Disney!  It’s hard to believe that it was built starting in the 1100’s.  Everything looks like it was built last week…all freshly renovated in more recent times.  This place is beautiful and utterly charming.  (Oh!  We found coffee at the train station…it was open!)

Having spent almost three months Camping in Europe in 2001, we have always dreamed of doing it again.  It takes a fair amount of preparation and planning for a trip like that but, most of all, it takes time.  Time we haven’t had for the last fourteen years.  It’s that pesky “working every day so you can eat” kind of thing that kept getting in the way.  Well, on January 6th I solved the problem.  I retired!  

We drove the 500 miles to Travis AFB for the promise of 65 tentative seats on a KC-10 refueling plane heading for Ramstein AFB, Germany.  After a long drive and a great chicken dinner at Pea Soup Anderson’s, we arrived and settled into our room at the Travis Lodge.  We checked with the passenger terminal and, Great News, the flight still looks good.  A few hours later, bad news, plane is broken.  The promise of another flight the next day brings more disappointment.  They aren’t taking any passengers.  Patience, we tell ourselves, and head back to our room.  

We decide to change our tactics.  We jump on a C-17 headed to McChord AFB, WA where a flight to Germany is promised.  Wednesday dawns in Washington and Eureka!  40 seats to Germany and we are selected.  I’m writing this sitting in a jump seat on a C-17 about two hours out from our landing at Ramstein.

  Soon we’ll pick up our rental car and head to our room to get some much needed rest.

 

  

   

   

  
   

We have been blessed to have had the opportunity to travel and experience so much of this wonderful world.  We decided to kick off this blog in an attempt to put those trips in some sort of order so that we can look back and remember and cherish so many wonderful adventures.  We hope to journal our experiences, our thoughts and impressions as we travel to new destinations and revisit old favorites.  Please come along and share our experience.  We look forward to your comments and thoughts.  This should be fun!

David