No luck! Argh! A train strike — there went the plan to take the TGV and be back to Paris in a few hours. It took us nearly two days.

The Musée de l’Orangerie is full of beautiful Monet’s larger-than-life water lilies murals, except I never saw them because l’Orangerie was closed every time I was in Paris.

However, we had our share of good luck. We had perfect weather in nearly all our trips and overcame hardships with unexpected kindness from strangers.

On the first day of our trip from Toulouse to the Atlantic, we drove the sagwagon into a low bridge and destroyed the bike roof rack. A Toulousean good samaritan saw the accident from his home and offered us his bike rack so we could continue our journey.

Good Samaritan Livet Bruno helped Eric Jorgensen to install the loaner bike rack

At the end of our epic ride from Geneva to Nice over the Madeleine, Glandon, Croix de Fer, Galibier, Alpes d’Huez, Izoard, Var, and Cayolle, we took an easy day to stroll along the beach and to visit the beautiful Marc Chagall National Museum. Once at the museum, a large crowd gathered at the gate with a podium. An explanation ensued that the museum was closed momentarily so that the Chagall family could thank the Pablo Picasso and Fernand Léger families for their contribution of personal letters and paintings for a special exposition. After the presentation, the museum would be opened and the entry fee waived — we were on cloud nine. Granted, if French is not your language, skip the talk and wait it out at a nearby café. No one in our ACTC group is fluent in French but we all stayed and knew the significance of this historic grouping of Chagall, Léger, and Picasso. On trips, we accept everything graciously and count our blessings.

Marc Chagall National Museum, Nice France

Good or bad luck?
At the museum ticket counter, an American woman was pounding at the table demanding that she and her daughter (who was calm and collected) be allowed to pay and enter the museum now! The ticket agent was very patient and polite but firm. It was not a communication problem because the ticket agent spoke English. I made an U-turn and did not want to witness the rest. Later, she left in a huff and her poor daughter was in tears, pleading with her mom to stay. They did not and I felt very sad for that young girl, mature beyond her age.

Same day, same event — sometime we make our own luck.

Best,
Tony Le, ACTC President