Big K's Top 10 List...

This was a very busy and exciting trip. We visited so many places and did so many things it was hard to pick just 10 highlights. But here were mine:
1. The Louvre: For me, very few things could top spending the better part of two days in the world's greatest museum.
2. Final time trial: We spent all day eating and drinking in front of a Bordeaux wine chateau while riders came zipping by within feet of us.
3. Finish on the Champs: After nearly 8 hours spent on the side of the street, we saw the 8 laps of the finish and a very cool farewell lap by all of the teams.
4. Dinner cruise on the Seine: We had to hustle straight over from the long day on the Champs to get on the boat, but a couple hours of champagne, wine, food, and unbeatable views with the tour group were a great way to end the trip.
5. Podium start in Salies-de-Bearn: After an adventure driving the back roads of the French countryside due to road closures, we were dropped off with little idea of what to expect. We found our way to a podium, still not knowing what was going to happen, and were treated to watching all of the riders make their way up to sign in before the sprint stage to Bordeaux that day.
6. Cathedral Notre-Dame: This was a beautiful building inside and out. The carvings on the stone entrance portals, the stained-glass windows, the dozen or so side chapels devoted to various saints, all were sights to see. The best part of the whole experience, however, was the climb up the towers to get some great views of central Paris.
7. Reims: After nearly a week in the hustle and bustle of Paris, we took a short train ride to the capital of Champagne and enjoyed a slower-paced day of champagne cave tours, a tasty lunch, and a visit to the cathedral where French kings were crowned.
8. The Orsay: This was a great museum in a beautiful building. As a result of sleeping in followed by a late lunch, we only spent a couple of hours exploring.
9. Bastille Day fireworks: Rain and a late start kept us from seeing the parade, but the fireworks in front of the Eiffel Tower were spectacular despite the huge crowds and long walk back.
10. Up the Eiffel Tower: This would have been higher on the list except for the long, long wait in several different lines. Nevertheless, the rides in the elevators were exhilarating and the views were breathtaking.