Karin and I just returned from three weeks in France, and there are stories to tell! This long-anticipated trip went smoothly, and we fell in love with the south of France. The people we met ran counter to the stereotypes. We were treated with warmth and friendliness by everyone except for the conductor who issued me a 50-Euro fine for buying the wrong ticket and, apparently, trying to defraud the rail line of 1.70, which I offered to pay on the spot.

Oh well.

I didn’t get a ticket after being pulled over for driving on the sidewalks of Marseilles, so I suppose I had some karma payback coming. Now I know it’s best to buy an all-day rail pass if you’re not quite sure where you’re going and that it’s also best to deal with a live rail-agent rather than trying to figure out their electronic vending machines.

So, look for more posts here and on Medium about travel, travel tips dos-an-don’ts (don’t believe everything GPS tells you), and even some new ventures on my passion for wheeled objects that move fast and the lessons we can learn from cars.

In the picture above, we’re ordering drinks. Mine was a “sex on the beach,” but, alas, the drink did not deliver on its promise.