It makes me want to eat croissants, wear a beret, and talk with a silly phlem sounding French accent. Mostly though, it makes me want to visit France. The images from the helicopter are beautiful.
Even more ridiculous are the chateaus and castles scattered throughout the French countryside. It's not like they just pass one or two palaces... there are multiple mansions to be seen in and around almost every quaint village they cycle through.
The commentators tell you facts about all the old cathedrals and chateaus as they show them and I'm always amazed when they mention how long ago they were constructed. How in the world did 12th century Pierre Builder and Jean Luc Mason (not their real names) manage to build such a beautiful home without any cranes, technology, or machinery? How do you concentrate on perfecting such a masterpiece while hungry from the great famine or sick with bubonic plague? Seriously, these are the kinds of questions I ask Matt whenever Phil Liggett (is his real name) narrates in his smooth British voice.
I'm also impressed with how centuries later they still look impeccable, no signs of deterioration or destruction. I guess now I know what people mean when they say, "they don't build houses like they used to..."
All this Tour watching has also motivated us to do some cycling ourselves. Not 3,430.5 km in 21 days like our friends in France, but an occasional 8 mile loop around the Haribson State Forest. Matt even updated my bike a bit. 
Now that he's working in the bike industry again he has access to deals and discounts. The new pedals pictured above on my bike were free because they arrived at the warehouse mismatched and couldn't be sold to a customer that way. I think one pink and one silver pedal is quirky and fun so Matt brought home the defective merchandise for me!
He also updated my handlebars and gear changers. It's been really hot here, but when we're cycling you can get enough of a breeze that it doesn't feel bad at all.
We've also gone on a few group rides with Matt's co-workers. They're all super nice, none of them made fun of me last week when I fell (don't worry, my bruises are fading and I've fully recovered). There's a wide level of experience in the group, some of these guys are triathletes while others are novices like me just out for a casual ride.
Even more ridiculous are the chateaus and castles scattered throughout the French countryside. It's not like they just pass one or two palaces... there are multiple mansions to be seen in and around almost every quaint village they cycle through.
The commentators tell you facts about all the old cathedrals and chateaus as they show them and I'm always amazed when they mention how long ago they were constructed. How in the world did 12th century Pierre Builder and Jean Luc Mason (not their real names) manage to build such a beautiful home without any cranes, technology, or machinery? How do you concentrate on perfecting such a masterpiece while hungry from the great famine or sick with bubonic plague? Seriously, these are the kinds of questions I ask Matt whenever Phil Liggett (is his real name) narrates in his smooth British voice.
I'm also impressed with how centuries later they still look impeccable, no signs of deterioration or destruction. I guess now I know what people mean when they say, "they don't build houses like they used to..."
All this Tour watching has also motivated us to do some cycling ourselves. Not 3,430.5 km in 21 days like our friends in France, but an occasional 8 mile loop around the Haribson State Forest. Matt even updated my bike a bit. Now that he's working in the bike industry again he has access to deals and discounts. The new pedals pictured above on my bike were free because they arrived at the warehouse mismatched and couldn't be sold to a customer that way. I think one pink and one silver pedal is quirky and fun so Matt brought home the defective merchandise for me!He also updated my handlebars and gear changers. It's been really hot here, but when we're cycling you can get enough of a breeze that it doesn't feel bad at all.We've also gone on a few group rides with Matt's co-workers. They're all super nice, none of them made fun of me last week when I fell (don't worry, my bruises are fading and I've fully recovered). There's a wide level of experience in the group, some of these guys are triathletes while others are novices like me just out for a casual ride.Hope everyone is having a good summer, if you haven't been watching le Tour on Versus everyday you should catch it at least once, if not for the intense competition then for a peek at one of my future homes (hey, a girl can dream)!
we're watching the tour right now!! can't wait to watch it with you in two weeks :)
ReplyDeleteWe're pretty stoked about Le Tour around here too, needless to say. It makes Sylvain terribly homesick and if I ever want to move to France, all I have to do is bring it up in July! I can't remember when they ride through his hometown, but we'll let you know! Someday we should all take a trip together, maybe to see the riders in real life! Wouldn't that be fun?!
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