Aside from the weather being sometimes iffy and too much like Vancouver, France was a great adventure. Four days in Paris, and then two weeks in the home exchange just west of Paris.

A Paris bike tour gave us a new way to see the common sights one might see on a bus tour. Funny guide from Texas who put a different twist on the old info. We stayed in the Latin Quarter, with some small streets that are pretty quiet by Paris standards. Just a couple of blocks from the Seine, with food markets and cafes on small streets. Musee du Moyen Age is in a small building that used to house the Abby of Cluny. It has a famous tapestry of a Lady and a Unicorn.

The home exchange was pretty close to Versailles, so we went there a few times for various reasons: to ride bikes in the enormous palace grounds like the locals, to see a fantastic pyrotechnic show, go to the Coach Museum that is only open 3 days a year (14 juillet) and for Derek, kids and Ron to see the palace inside. (been there, done that for me)

We had an exchange car and drove to countless medieval towns, always on the search for a real Keep we could go inside for Sean. We found that in Dourdin, where they were having a medieval fete for 14 juillet. This is where Sean got to try on the real helmet and lift some swords. They were also making baskets, smithing some nails, embroidering and doing calligraphy. All the people involved were costumed appropriately.

We took the TGV to Nice and ventured into Italy, where it got much warmer.