Voyage Toujours

So, for those that may not know, I had to make an unscheduled trip back to the states to take care of some paperwork because of a “mistake” by the French Consulate in Los Angeles.  Once I resigned myself to make the trip back, I decided to make the most of things and visit family, visit my coworkers, see my doctor and financial advisor and make some preparations for the next half of my year off.  Having spent my time well, I now find myself back on the road.  First stop, Long Beach Airport.  This is the first time I’ve ever flown out of here.  It’s a nice small airport and security and check in were a breeze despite a Friday afternoon arrival/departure.  My loving aunt dropped me off at just about 3p and I now sit here sipping some coffee and enjoying the free wifi.  I didn’t even have to log in.  Sweet.

Most of my time was spent at the resort in Laguna Niguel also known as the McDougall residence.  They were kind enough to let me hang there and in return I walked their beautifully behaved dog, Scout and tried to help with dinners when I could.  I wish I could have stayed longer.
I was also able to pack my bike and bike clothes/accessories and get that ready for an adventure I hope to start at the end of August with one said McDougall and hopefully the other one will join us at some point.  We are also hoping to bring along the Flood.  We are not going too hard core as we will be staying in B&Bs and hotels for most of the ride down the Rhine river from Amsterdam to Basel.

But first – Italy!  What can I say about Italy that my friends haven’t already heard me babbling about for years.  It’s one of the best countries for art, architecture, food, wine and the people.  I just love the place.  And the coffee!  Did I say anything about the coffee?  It’s just so smooth and full of flavor.  I even have friends that back home only use sugar and that flavored stuff they call creamer with a splash of coffee that still like the coffee with milk in Italy.  You don’t have to know about the wine, just take the house wine.  It’s always good at the least and a big surprise most of the other times.  I’ll be showing some friends around that have never been to Florence and Rome and I’m excited about it.  Well, until then my friends, I’ll catch you soon, boot-side!  Ciao.