Hello from Peru Again!

Day 4: Lima to Cusco

Updated: August 2, 2022

We woke up this morning on the earlier side so we had enough time to pack and eat breakfast. We checked out of the hotel at 8:15, but had them hold our bags until later. We set off for our adventure of the day: a market tour, fruit tasting, and cooking class.

Breakfast at the hotel displaying paragliders way too close together

We walked about 40 minutes to one of the markets in the area and met Jose, our guide for the day. Turns out we were the only ones to sign up, so we got a private tour and class. Jose walked us through the market, explaining the different foods at the stalls and how they use them. There are a variety of meats (they like to use the entire animal), fresh fish, fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices, and smoothie/juice counters. Jose bought a few items along the way that we would be using later in our cooking.

This little piggy went to the market

One of the fruit stands at the market

Vegetable stall where you can get a piece of pumpkin

Fish lady will hook you up

Once the market tour was complete, we took a taxi together for a quick ride to Sky Kitchen, located on the top floor of an apartment building. The first thing we did was taste about 35 different fruits. These ranged from the familiar (bananas and citrus) to the unknown (cacti fruit). They were all pretty good, but some standouts were cherimoya, Andean tomatoes, and sanki.

Prepping for Sky Kitchen cooking class

The assortment of Peruvian fruits (and one Mexican)

After the tasting, it was time to cook, but first, we had to start with a a Pisco sour. Pisco is the distilled alcohol from wine, so there are many varieties depending on the wine it came from. We mixed the Pisco with fresh-squeezed limes and egg whites, and boom, delicious drink.

The kitchen, featuring the ever important bottle of Pisco

With that out of the way, it was time to prepare the first course — Causa de Pollo — a mashed-potato, chicken-salad, and avocado tower. Jose taught us how plate it like a professional chef, and I think we did a pretty good job. After each course, we sat down to enjoy it.

There are over 4,000 types of potatoes in Peru (not all pictured)

Adding the finishing touches on the Causa de Pollo

Proud of our work

Ceviche was next. All of the recipes we made were traditional Peruvian food, but this one is pretty well known. We learned about how ceviche uses raw fish, so you have to be sure the fish is fresh. This fish was probably swimming in the Pacific Ocean less than 12 hours ago, so yeah, it was fresh!

All of the ceviche ingredients prepped and ready

Ojo de uva is a good type of fish to use for ceviche, but any fresh whitefish will do

Next on the menu was Lomo Saltado, beef tenderloin stir-fried with tomatoes, onions, soy sauce, red wine, vinegar and herbs. It is served with rice and French fries.

Stir-fry and French fry

The finished product

Finally, we made picarones for dessert. We actually started making this at the start of the class by chopping sweet potato and pumpkin so it could boil and soften, then mashed it, then added flour and yeast and waited until the end of class for it to rise. By this point the dough had risen and we were ready to fry.

We formed the dough into rings using just our fingers on one hand and dropped them into the oil. There is no refined sugar in the recipe, but there is a syrup made from cloves, cinnamon, and a natural rock sugar derived straight from sugar cane. They were like fall-flavored bingets. On the whiteboard in the kitchen, there was a list of names under “picarones challenge.” Some people ate up to 14 of them. We ate 2. We think they were cheating (they were obviously making Minnesota State Fair mini-picarones).

Dough fry

When the class was completed we were full of knowledge and food. It was a great experience. We walked back to the hotel to pick up our bags and relax for a few minutes before heading to the airport. We got there with plenty of time to spare before our 7 pm flight to Cusco.

Sky Kitchen deck

More murals on the drive to the airport

Back at Jorge Chavez International

The flight went well and we were picked up from the airport. The roads were not quite your typical city roads. Soon, we turned off the main street and onto very narrow, uneven, stone roads. The taxi couldn’t quite make the last turn, so we walked up the hill, then up a bunch of stairs that I don’t think the taxi would have been able to climb.

Bye, Lima!

You don’t get this kind of legroom on United

As far as this taxi goes

We made it to our room, complete with a terrace, kitchenette on the first floor, and bedroom on the second floor and enjoyed a few cups of mate de coca tea. Tomorrow we will go to Explora (maybe their van knows how to climb stairs?) for the following 6 nights.

Day 3: Lima

by Joanna

Posted: August 1, 2022

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Today started with breakfast in the hotel. It was a grey morning and we quickly walked 3.5 miles in about an hour to the neighborhood of Barranco. Along the way, we walked passed parks and outdoor workout stations. Nothing like doing pull ups with an ocean view.

Today’s breakfast is brought to you by the color armarillo.

Morning marine mist

Entering the neighborhood. Why is there a windmill?

In Barranco, we were supposed to go on a free walking tour (meeting at the Starbucks in the center of town), but the guide did not show up. When we finally messaged the tour operator 30 minutes after it was supposed to start, he said the guide was in an accident. Fishy. But hey, we were still in Barranco and there was plenty we could do on our own. We did some quick internet searching, fueled up on authentic Peruvian chocolate Starbucks, found an info center with a map of the area, and set off on our own tour. Plus, as we were waiting, the clouds and fog lifted and it ended up being a sunny day.

This is a reminder that we are missing the third to last episode of Better Call Saul… is that you, Nippy?

Con: Alejandro AWOL. Pro: Starbucks aqui.

One of the major attractions in Barranco are the murals. There are multiple ‘zones’ that have murals covering the sides of the buildings. We walked around in search of as many murals as we could find. There are a large variety, but Jade Rivera is a prominent artist and his work can be seen throughout the city. We were able to stop in his shop and hear a bit more about his art.

We can find our own murals

Jade Rivera mural and studio

Bilingual mural

I know that’s a key, but where is the mural?

Quoth the Raven, “Fck! We’ll do it live.”

Go women!

Another cool mural

In 2015, the new mayor thought that the murals did not look good for the city and that they would lose their UNESCO Heritage status if they kept them. He had 60 murals painted over in bright yellow (his political party). But, there was also a contest that year for the mural artists, so more murals were made.

Anti-mural politicians also brought to you by the color armirillo

Another pretty major part of Barranco is the coastline. There are sweeping views of the ocean from the town as well as parks and beaches. We did not go all the way down to the beachfront, but we did get great views of the ocean. After walking through all of the mural zones (as noted on our map), we started to venture back towards Miraflores.

No altitude sickness yet!

Checking out the views on the walk back

No tsunamis today

Along the way, we walked along the paths above the coastline as much as possible. Pretty much the entire way was gardens and parks we meandered through. One of these parks is called El Parque del Amor – The Park of Love. There are windy low mosaic walls surrounding a giant statue of a couple in an embrace. We also saw surfers riding the waves below, and paragliders launching off to ride the wind.

Get a room

Mosaic bench

By the time we made it back to the hotel, 6 hours and 11 miles had passed. We drank our free hotel beers and relaxed for a while before heading back to Poke 51 for more delicious dinner.

Cervezas Premium Peruana after 11 miles are pretty tasty

Neighbor building is hopping after 7pm

Another delicious Poke 51 visit

Tomorrow we are scheduled for a market tour/fruit tasting/cooking class. I’m pretty sure they will show up. After that, we take a short flight to Cusco for the night.

Day 2: Lima

by Joanna

Updated: August 1, 2022

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After getting some sleep, we went to the hotel restaurant for a breakfast of omelette, pancakes, and fresh juice. Once we were full, we went back up to the room to relax, get ready for the day, and to pack back up. We checked out right at noon and took an Uber to our next hotel which is located in the neighborhood of Miraflores.

Good Morning, Lima.

Hello, Miraflores. Welcome to the center of the maze.

Off to seize the day

We were lucky and a room was ready, so we were able to check in early, get settled, and plan out the afternoon’s adventures. I had an idea of where to go and what to see, but we ironed out the details. We took another Uber to the Historic District to see some of the famous sites. We started the the Plaza de Armas where we also saw the Palace and Official Residence of the President of Peru. It is also the oldest Spanish palace in Peru, but definitely not the oldest building (see below). Next stop was the Case de la Literatura Peruna. This building is an old train station that is now a library and museum with huge portions of the ceiling made from stained glass.

Government Palace. Not the oldest building in Lima.

Plaza de Armas

Roaming street cleaning gangs of Lima

Stained glass ceiling in the former train station/current museum

From there, we walked just a little further and went in the Museo Municipal Prehispanico where we saw collections of ceramics from the 5 cultures in Peru after the Incas, ranging from 1500 BC to 200 AD. We continued walking and attempted to see the Museo Convento de San Francisco (a giant church and monastery with catacombs), but it was very under construction and pretty well blocked off. The barriers did have pictures of what it looks like inside, so that’s basically the same.

Finding ancient kettlebells

The most concerned pots you’ve ever seen.

By this point, we were getting hungry and looking for a quick snack. Working off the axiom that we should eat where the locals eat, we figured one of the two churro places with the world’s longest lines should be the spot. We finally figured out that there are actually 2 lines — one to pay for the number of churros you want, and one to receive the churros. By the time we we able to pick up the churros, there was only one flavor left — dulce de leche cream. Turns out the wait was worth it as the churros were delicious and plenty of food to hold us over until dinner.

World’s longest churro line

Delicious churros worth the line

We ventured over to the Parque de Murals, which should be a park with flower murals, but we were reminded that it is in fact winter here, so that’s a no go on the flower blooms. We did see a police band playing (actual police officers, not a Police cover band) and the remnants of what was the city wall in 1684-1687. We were staring to head back to Miraflores when we passed the Bodega and Quadra House and decided to go in. This was an old house that went pretty much unnoticed until archeologists found it and the remains of some of the oldest settlements in Lima. We walked through the museum to see some of the artifacts up close, and we were able to walk on paths around the dig site.

Map of Lima from 1685. Note the walls.

The walls.

Has good bones, but is a real fixer-upper.

Also on our way toward getting an Uber, we stopped in the Cocoa Museum and shop where we tasted a chocolate cream pisco (delicious, 12%) as well as a passionfruit chocolate pisco (very delicious, 45%). We managed to only taste and not buy, and continued to head back.

Can I get more of that chocolate pisco?

Back at the Plaza de Armas, in Lima.

Getting too crowded. Let’s head back

We made a quick pit stop back at the hotel and decided where to look for a restaurant for dinner. Yes, you read that right, we went out to find a sit-down restaurant. We considered a few places near the hotel, but decided on Poke 51, a casual Peruvian and Asian fusion place. Our server provided some recommendations and we ended up sharing scallops, beef cheek, and octopus nori tacos. We also had a Pisco punch and fresh fruit lemonade. It was all amazingly delicious and we will probably go back tomorrow to try more of the menu.

Scallops on edamame puree

Octopus nori taco

Day 1: Chicago to Lima

by Joanna

Updated: July 31, 2022

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First item on the Peru agenda is getting to Peru. With no direct flights from Chicago to Lima, we had to have a layover somewhere and decided to take the earlier flight to Dallas to ensure we had plenty of time for a stress-free layover. We were out the door and on the way to O’Hare at 9:00 am. Once we arrived, we were able to quickly use the bag drop kiosks to check our bags and breezed through security using TSA Precheck. The only other people in line in front of us were people who did not have Precheck and were sent to the other security line.

The blog is in good hands with these trusted handypeople

The Addison blue line is just like Geneva

With plenty of time to spare before the flight, and with the gate right next to the food court, we ordered breakfast and relaxed at a table until it was time to board. Take-off ended up being a bit delayed, and there was some weather we thought we were going to have to go around, but we arrived in Dallas not much later than expected.

Flying away

Let’s not stay in Dallas/Fort Worth

The gate for the flight to Lima was in a different terminal, so we found the skyway tram to get there. What they say is true: everything really is bigger in Texas. Especially the airport. Once we were in the right terminal, getting to the gate was a breeze. We arrived around 2:30 and were getting hungry. What about lunch? Whataburger! Opting not to go for the fancy lounge, we made the time useful by enjoying our food and planning a few activities and tours to do over the next few days.

Finally, it was time to board the flight to Lima. This flight was also a bit late with boarding and taking off, but otherwise went pretty smoothly. We arrived at about 1:00 am, deplaned and waited in line at customs. We had to show our vaccination proof, which they totally looked at very carefully. Definitely didn’t just glance at a phone screen with a QR code. By the time we got through, our bags were on the carousel waiting for us and we walked out of the airport and across the street to the hotel we are staying at for the night.

Made it through customs at 2:00 am.

Things are helpfully labeled in English in Peru

We checked in and were welcomed with our first official pisco sour. We also had concha, a delicious Peruvian roasted corn snack at the hotel bar. Tomorrow we will venture to Miraflores, where we will stay for the next two nights.

The first of probably many pisco sours

New favorite snack: concha

Getting Ready for Peru

by admin

Updated: July 31, 2022

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We are off again! Next stop on the recover-from-lost-Covid-time tour is Peru. We leave Chicago on Saturday with a layover in Dallas. Depending on how much time we have, we might try out the lounge life for a few hours. We will then take a flight from Dallas to Lima. The flight arrives at 12:30 am, but there is no time difference between Chicago and Lima, so the plan is to stay at the Lima Airport hotel for the night in order to get some real sleep. We will be able to have some breakfast before officially starting our adventure in Lima.

If you skip London and France Again, we are still in alphabetical order!

After a couple of days in Lima, we will head to Cusco for the night before Explora picks us up the next morning. We will stay in Valley Sagrado for 6 nights of hiking, biking, and of course a day trip to Machu Picchu. The last night of the trip will be a fun cliffhanger before we go back home.

Day 8: Col de la Loze

by Joanna

Posted: July 16, 2022

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Today is the last day of biking. We didn’t have too much of an early start today, waking up at 8:00m for a delicious breakfast of coffee, croissants, and cornflakes. We got ready for the day’s ride, which had a few options. While some people started right from the chalet, Matt started at Courchevel 1850.

Off for the last ride of the trip!

Smiling before the hard part starts

Jo has the easy job of sitting near the sign rather than riding the route

The ride started with a few kilometers from 1850 to the start of the grueling 6km up to Col de la Loze where part of the route was an insane 20% incline.

Halfway there!

Restaurant along the way at the top of a gondola

Still going up

Matt, you’re supposed to be celebrating!

At the top, there was a giant polka dot bike, aptly placed after a tough mountain ride. All of the bikers stopped and met for refreshments at the only cafe open. The next part of the ride was a steep and technical decent down to MÃ©ribel, then on to La Tania, and finally a few kilometers back to La Praz.

Success!

Matt’s reward for making it to the top

Relaxing before the ride back down

The bikers! (Minus Jim)

Starting the ride down

While the bikers were riding, I stayed in the support van until the start of the Col de Loze, where there is no access for cars. Once the riders came through and got their snacks, we went back to La Praz and had some time before the riders finished their day. I went for a run along the lake and dirt bike trails, then met Eileen for lunch.

Right as we were finishing lunch, most of the riders returned to the chalet. Matt and I relaxed in the living room, caught up on the blog, and watched the Tour. We leave very early in the morning to get to the airport on the first transport, so part of the day was spent packing up and getting ready to leave.

There are some wild windy roads here

Thanks trusty bike!

Blogging and Racing

Our final meal together was a fancy steak dinner with a smoked salmon appetizer. We had a cheese board for dessert, that included the local specialty, Beaufort d’Ã©tÃ©. This is the summer Beaufort cheese, which tastes a bit more sweet and nutty than the winter cheese since the cows can eat flowers and grass instead of hay. Dave joined us for dinner and we had a great time talking and laughing throughout the night. I was very happy to eat all sorts of cheese and drink port, thus completing my Tour de French food.

Jo’s reward for finishing the blog

It was an amazing whirlwind week and we went to sleep early, ready to travel home tomorrow.

Day 7: Pralognan-la-Vanoise

by Joanna

Updated: July 16, 2022

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After a very long day yesterday, we got a bit of a reprieve today. We had a relaxed breakfast and left the chalet at 9:30. The plan for the day was to bike right from the chalet and ride down towards Bozel. Jo and Eileen rode the support van and enjoyed the views of the surrounding Alps, and Matt got a head start in the van and started his ride in Bozel.

Heading right out from the chalet

From Bozel, we went through Planay to Pralognan with the support van stopping along they way to provide snacks and water to the riders if they needed anything. Once everyone arrived at the main road in Pralognan, we went through the side streets of the small ski village for cappuccinos and to prepare for the next part of the ride.

If we don’t get coffee in Le Planay, we can always go with Plan B

Plan B

Cappuccinos always make me smile

Matt left the cafe about 10 minutes early to get a head start on the 6km, 3-7% ride to La Bergerie, the restaurant and inn where we had lunch. Once everyone arrived, we got a table outside to take in the amazing views as we ate.

Matt is having a great ride

Beautiful scenery exhibit A

Exhibit B

Exhibit C

Walking up to lunch

Lovely little lunch spot

Having reached our furthest destination for the day, and with plenty of time to spare, there were a few options to get back after lunch. Matt decided to bike the entire route back to the chalet, including the 6 switchback turns at 7% up to the chalet.

Looking at pictures before food arrived

Getting ready to head back to the chalet

Nice views for the ride back

It’s hard to have a bad view here

Climbing up to La Praz

Jo and Eileen took the van back and picked up a rider just at the start of the 6 turns. We arrived at about 2:00 (much better than the 11 pm last night) and took the free time to relax and watch the Tour on the chalet TV. Matt arrived less than 2 hours later, in time to recover and watch the end of the race.

Recovery and Tour de France

The other guest were trickling in as it got closer to dinner time and all spent time together in the living room. We had a great dinner and prepped for tomorrow — the final day of biking before we fly home on Sunday.

Day 6: Alpe d’Huez

by Joanna

Updated: July 29, 2022

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Alpe d’Huez day! Alpe d’Huez is a very popular climb and has been a stage end quite a few times. There are 21 switchback turns, some of them themed, leading up to the top. The town at the bottom of Alpe d’Huez is about 2 hours away so we left the chalet at 7:30 this morning.

2022 Tour de France stage 12

I think the drive there went well, but I slept most of the way. We found a place to park about 3/4 of a mile from town and got ready to head off for the day. The bikers took the road leading to the start of the climb, while Jo and Eileen walked into the town. We wandered around for a while, keeping an eye out for both sandwich shops and a place to sit.

Heading out from the parking lot

Mission: find food and shade

Le Bourg d’Oisans all dressed up for the tour

It was about 85 degrees at 10:00 am so we knew that shade was a must. Last time we came, we sat on turn 2 in the sun all day, and we learned from that mistake. As we were walking, Nick messaged that he bike was not working for him, and so he met up with us. We found a bakery and picked up sandwiches for the day and started looking for a spot to sit along the route. We found a spot under a tree just before the 15 km banner. As luck would have it, we were also right across from a bar.

As we were waiting, Matt biked up to the top of Alp d’Huez. Along the way are a few notable turns, such as Beefeater Corner and Dutch Corner. It’s a party all day on the mountain, but I think Bastille Day added even more flair.

Beefeater corner

Friendly fans

After making it to the top (or as close to the top as was allowed), he made his way back down. The decent was a bit slower than normal due to the giant crowds. At the bottom, Matt ran into Paul, one of the riders from our trip on 2018. They chatted for a bit, then Matt met the group under the tree. Bob and Phil had already joined. We all are our lunches with refreshments from across the street (in souvenir cups!).

In case you forget where you are

It’s hot here. Shade would be nice

This guy prepared for the sun

The horses found a good place to watch the race too.

Beefeater Bend was rocking

Hi Paul!!

Made it back to the shade to watch the race

We relaxed and waited for the caravan to pass. Because the crowds were up on the mountain, there weren’t too many people on our area. We were able to get more swag and were entertained. Abut an hour later, we cheered the riders as they came through. After the peloton had passed, we packed up our bags and beelined back to the van. As we were walking back, another group of riders passed by and one of the members of Asana threw their water bottle to Matt – great souvenir. It can get crowded and heavy traffic getting out, so we wanted to be able to leave while the race was still going up the climb.

Sweet spot

At first, the police were guarding the exit of the parking lot and were not letting people leave. Though, we were also waiting for Marc, who had gotten stuck at the top. Once the roads were opened, one van left with some of the group while the others (including me and Matt) waited for Marc. We ended up on the road with the caravan cars and saw many people waving from the side of the road. Our chef was sick, so we stopped for dinner at an a American themed BBQ restaurant called Buffalo Grill. they had some burgers and such, and also peanut butter cream brÃ»lÃ©e and cotton candy.

We made it back to the chalet at 11:15 and went to sleep. Tomorrow will be a later start (yay!) to bike around the chalet area.

Day 5: Col du Télégraphe

by Joanna

Updated: March 23, 2023

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The plan for today was to split in two groups. After breakfast, Jo and Eileen stayed in Courchevel to see the views and do some hiking while the bikers headed off early (at 7:30) to get to Col du Galilbier and Col du Télégraphe, where Stage 11 of the Tour will be going through.

2022 Tour de France Stage 11 map

Australian Marc representing

Onward!

The two climbs for the riders are both difficult. The camper vans and crowds make it even more technical, plus the concern of finding a place to watch the race without getting stuck, but all this makes for an exciting ride and they certainly had fun getting there.

Dedicated fans got here waaaayyy early

Trumpet Man warming up

Not a bad view for a bike ride

Matt ride up the first climb, the Télégraphe, and started the decent towards the next climb when he realized it was a better idea to stay at the top. He got swag from the caravan and a good view of the race.

Bike riding is really big here.

All sorts of fans are coming to town.

More free polka dot shirts!

Lunch provided by the caravan

Allez Rohan!

After the tour had passed, Matt rode back down to where the van was parked, but the rest of the group were in a different area watching the rest of the race on TV. Matt rode to a bar in St-Michel-de-Maurienne, the nearest town, for lunch. There was no TV in the bar, but he found a friendly French man who shared his phone screen.

Looking down on St-Michel-de-Maurienne

Thanks friendly man with a phone!

While Matt and the others were biking and watching the tour, Eileen and I started our day a bit later (9:30, woo!) by walking through La Praz towards the gondola. On the way, we stopped at a farmers market and bought pan au chocolate for second breakfast and saw some ski jumpers practicing on the courses. We took the gondola up to Courchevel 1850 (to indicate 1850 meters) and walked around the town for a few minutes. It is a very popular (and expensive) ski resort in the winter, but since its summer, there a few people wandering about and a few stores open, but mostly empty.

View of La Praz from the gondola

From there, we took the next gondola, called Vernons, up to the next area. Each gondola stop has it’s own name to help the skiers know where to go, even though they are not towns. We ate our pan au chocolates while enjoying in the view before taking the next gondola up to Vizelle, the highest point you can get to with the (working) gondolas at 2,659 meters. We admired the amazing view of Mt. Blanc, the surrounding mountains and glaciers, and of course, a giant gorilla Captain America statue.

Giant Captain America gorilla at the top of a mountain, obviously

We took the gondolas back down to Courchevel 1850 and started to hike from there to our lunch reservation at Le Bouc Blanc at 2,000 meters. We walked along a small dirt road between the ski slopes to get there. While the walk was only about 3.5 kilometers, there were some up and downs as we went around the hills. The last kilometer was pretty steep as we walked up from the base of a chairlift to the top of a gondola route (but a bit below the chairlift end). We had a lovely leisurely lunch with spectacular views.

This lunch view will do

Once we had our fill, we took the gondola that is right next to the restaurant down to La Tania, where the 1992 Albertville Olympics were held. The town was built for the Olympics and has been growing into a destination ski town ever since. From there, we decided to forgo waiting 30 minutes for the bus and would walk instead. We started walking along the road, but quickly came across a path with a sign pointing to La Praz. We started on the trail, which became canopied by trees and surrounded by a variety of plants — including raspberry bushes! The 3 km walk through the trees was perfect and the trail ended just past the ski jump routes in La Praz.

We found the secret trail!

We took a quick walk around the lake where they were setting up a firework/pyrotechnic display for tonight in honor of Bastille Day tomorrow. Back at the chalet, we agreed that we needed to test out the hot tub. Yes, it was 80 degrees outside, but the hot tub was pretty nice.

80 degrees out? Relax in an 85 degree hot tub!

After we were cooked, we came back in the chalet to relax before dinner and the bikers were soon on their way back as well. After dinner, Matt and I walked to the lake in town to watch the aforementioned fireworks show. After a rocky start, it turned out to be pretty cool, with the display telling a story more than just making a bunch of colorful explosions.

Bastille Day firework and light show

Tomorrow will be another long day – Alp d’Huez on Bastille Day. It should be a blast!

Day 4: Megève

by Joanna

Updated: March 23, 2023

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Today’s plan called for an earlier wake up call in order to get a head start on biking in and around Megève the location of today’s finish of Stage 10 the Tour de France. We fueled up on breakfast and hopped in the van for the hour-and-a-half drive. Parking just outside of the village, the bikers set off while Jo and Eileen walked to town.

2022 Tour de France Stage 10 map

Make sure those bikes are secured!

Domestiques doing their job

Starting in Megève, the bikers rode downhill 12 kilometers to Saint-Gervais-les-Bains. Once everyone arrived at the bottom, they met for a cappuccino break. After re-caffeinating, they started the route back back up the hill to the base of Megève, and onward to the end of the stage at the top, about 8 km up at 7% incline.

Tour flag bikers

Camper vans parked and ready!

Good thing Hirschi didn’t drop out before this stage

While the bikers were riding, Jo and Eileen wandered around Megève, finding shops, bakeries, and official tour merchandise. There were shuttle buses to take spectators up to the top of Megève, but we did’t want to get stuck when they closed the roads. Instead, we chose one of the many (and appreciated) boulangeries to pick up sandwiches for lunch. With our picnic in tow, we scoped out a few options to watch the caravan and race and found a great spot along the route to park ourselves for the rest of the day.

Found a shady spot

Meanwhile, Matt had biked back up the same hill he went down and briefly stopped to see Jo and Eileen before continuing up the road to the finish line on the Megève Airport runway. Having reached the top, he biked back down all the way back to the van to get his day bag and regular shoes and finally stopped back along the route with Jo and Eileen.

Almost there!

View from the top

Airport finish line

Matt made podium!

Phil had also finished his ride and met us on the route as well. By that time, more people had also claimed their space and it was started to get crowded. We spread out as much as we could and had our lunch. We met a few women standing next to us who were from BYU and were studying abroad. They came to watch the stage because one of their professors was a “diehard biker” and talked about it, but they had almost no knowledge about the Tour or what was about to happen. We tried to be helpful by telling them about the caravan and where to stand for the best chance at the freebies (namely, away from us). Eventually, the caravan came through and we had fun grabbing as many goodies as possible — including a can of non-alcoholic beer right off the float.

Well earned lunch treat

On the shoulders of giants

The Earth is flat… On an incline.

Thanks for the drink!

The Tour was about 35 kilometers away from the finish when there was a demonstration taking up the road. The race was paused until it was cleared and safe. The race officials had to make sure that the same time was kept between riders once they were able to start again. Soon enough, everyone was back on the route and racing towards the finish. We had a great view when they passed us about 25 minutes later. Pro tip- if you are a young cycling fan you want to get a good view, convince your parents to take you to the route more than 5 minutes before the riders pass.

Once the main peloton went by, we started making our way back to the van. Everyone else was already there finishing getting their bikes secured. Matt and Phil added their bikes and gear and we were quickly on our way back to the chalet.

Tomorrow will be an early start (at 7:30) for the bikers to get enough time to climb a couple of routes before the tour passes their route. Jo and Eileen will stay in Courchevel to hike around and go up to 1850 for lunch.