2 Highlights of the week

So the 100th Tour de France finished last Sunday with another victory for the UK as Chris Froome and The Sky Team showed the world once more that they are the champions.  If you watched any of the TDF you could not help but be impressed with the stunning scenery and aerial photos of Corsica and the rest of France.  I am going to Corsica with Dave and Alanea in October for Alanea's birthday.  The photo of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris was taken by Dave right off of the TV screen.  Note riders between 1 and 5 PM.

The other photo was the second highlight, a Jazz concert that Alanea and Dave went to see on Wednesday with Chas and Di their neighbours from the UK.  Alanea said that the concert was extraordinary and Dave agreed that it was a masterpiece by the sea.  Indeed the concert took place in a little park in Les Issambres, a village close to our house.  I could not go to the concert but Dave told me all about it.

There were 6 musicians called the Hot Antic Jazz Band.  There was a Banjo player, a piano player, trumpet, tuba, clarinet and saxophone.  They were incredible and played a  lot of old classics including "3 little words, St. Louis Blues and Horse Feathers.  When Dave was 17 he worked with a guy named Johnny who played Jazz music and sang words to St. Louis Blues that were not suitable in mixed company so Dave had fond memories sort of.

Imagine a fabulou

s jazz concert in a beautiful private park setting, under a full moon, surrounded by Parasol Pin and Palm trees 100 metres from the Mediterranean.  If I had been there it would have been the best concert in the world.     

Whooo what a nice car ride

Alanea and Dave took me for a car ride to Italy because they know that I like salami, gelato and scenery.  We went to Lake Como for 5 nights.  We stayed in a nice little hotel called Orso Bruno (Brown Bear) in Carate Orio, Italy.  It was very nice because we had 2 windows, 1 looked down the road and the other at Lake Como and Sylvio Berlusconi's house, Dave thinks he is nuts but would not pass up a "bunga bunga" party especially if there was Coors Light on tap.  George Clooney, he's an actor, owns a house right beside the hotel and we almost saw him at Villa d'Este, the problem was that we went there at lunch time and old George did not come until night time for the July 4th party and fireworks.  There would have been fireworks for sure if Alanea had met George YIKES.  Alanea was devastated to discover that George was so close and she missed her chance to see him, she went and sat on a bench beside his house and we had to get her or she might still be sitting there.  She had to explain to Dave who George is, Dave is good for driving and stuff like buying gelato but not too bright.  The bus and the ferry boat stopped right outside of the hotel.  The boat took us to Bellagio where we had lunch and looked at everything and walked in a little park.  Como is a nice city full of shops and old historic sights, Dave carries me sometimes because there are too many people and I get tired, which is why I need gelato.  We and then drove over the top of the lakes through Locarno to Lake Orta where Alanea quickly got over George and was very happy.  It was a beautiful small lake with an island in the middle. We took a little boat to the island but it is protected and I could only walk around the perimeter on a path.  Lake Orta was smaller but better for me because no cars are allowed to drive in Orta San Giulio, the town where we stayed.  The hotel was managed by 2 sisters that looked nasty but are very nice.  I really liked this trip because it was only 1050 km of driving plus lots of walking, food, sightseeing but no George Clooney.  Alanea took lots of photos.  If you want any info let me know and I will ask Alanea to send you a photo.