Once again we are off on a Vermont Bicycle Tour (VBT) and our destination this time is Bordeaux, France. We bicycled in this area in 2013 but think this differently configured trip includes more routes along the Atlantic. Our vacation includes a few days in Bordeaux sans bicycles at the beginning, and a few days in Paris at the end, with six days of bicycling in the middle. As usual though, nothing goes as planned.

First, and once again, we are ill-prepared. Not only has the combination of wind and rain at home limited “training” time, but husband and travel companion Ross got sick two weeks before the trip. He was convinced at the time, and all symptoms suggested, that he had Covid. But three tests came back negative and we decided he suffered from allergies/flu/sinusitis. The main symptoms were congestion, a bad cough, and fatigue. So, not much bicycling two weeks before the trip, certainly none for him, and a couple of short rides for me. And I am still carrying my Covid 15 pounds which is an added drag.

But we pack and try to think positive. Our flight departs from O’Hare Airport in Chicago and right away we notice that the International Terminal is much, much busier than last year. In fact it has returned to its regular chaotic status. And now that mask-wearing cannot be mandated in U.S. airports, we hardly saw one although nearly all passengers on the plane were masked most of the time. Anyway, for this trip we splurge and go business class – I am too old for a lengthy flight in economy now – and maybe too old for any long flight, but at least in business class I can put my feet up and actually sleep for a few hours which makes a world of difference on the body clock.

Our flight across the Atlantic on KLM Airlines goes smoothly and we arrive at the Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam in the morning and await our connecting flight to Bordeaux.

Then we are told the flight will be delayed because the plane has two flat tires. Then we are told the flight will be cancelled and we notice that quite a few flights are cancelled or delayed and can’t figure out why because while it’s a little rainy, it’s not heavy enough to preclude flying. We are sent to a “Transfer” line which just happened to be a couple of football fields long. After standing in line and not moving for 15 minutes, Ross finds a kiosk, checks our tickets, and learns that we are already rebooked for the next day. Now the issue becomes what to do for the rest of this day – and we are very tired – and night. Because we traveled business class, we go to one of the KLM airport lounges and this is a godsend. First, there are a multitude of comfortable chairs with charging stations, plus snacks, meals, and drinks and most importantly, staff to print out our boarding passes and help us find a hotel room for the night. We hang around, eat lunch, and then catch a shuttle to our hotel when we can check in at 2 pm. Then we sleep. This experience made the cost of our tickets so worth it not only for the comfort on the plane, but for the comfort of the airport lounge, and help in rescheduling our trip.

The next morning we leave the hotel well in advance of our flight and the length of the ticketing and security lines at Schiphol were unbelievable. In fact, the security line was so long, it meandered through a series of tents that went outside the airport. Once again, however, our business class ticket allowed us to gain access to somewhat shorter lines on occasion as well as grab breakfast in the lounge.

Schiphol Airport faces the same problems that most of Western Europe and the U.S. faces and that is a shortage of staffing. At the airport it affects ticket agents, luggage handlers, and maintenance staff to cite just a few job shortages. As a result, airlines have to cancel and reschedule flights. Schiphol made international news about a week before our trip when it cancelled all ticket sales for four days. This was done because there were so many people stranded at the airport, time was needed to clear them out before booking additional travelers. So another interesting byproduct of Covid. While apparently just as many people are traveling now as pre-Covid, not as many people are available to support the travel industry. Airlines laid off about 80 percent of their workforce during Covid when very few flights were scheduled and many of those workers did not come back. Instead, some took the opportunity to retire and others found other jobs. This is now an added burden of traveling and makes us rethink the desirability of international travel.

But our flight to Bordeaux goes smoothly and we meet up again with our luggage and check into the Hotel Mercure for the next couple of nights. We join our bicycling companions for dinner along the Garonne River. They arrived the previous day as scheduled except for Debby who, like us, got to spend an extra day traveling after being stranded overnight in Washington, D.C. Her luggage also went on hiatus and took even another day to catch up.

We didn’t do much in Bordeaux; been here before, recovering from the allergy/cold influenza, and just tired from traveling. During our one full day here we checked out the river which in Bordeaux is 1,800 feet wide, and had several large cruise ships and yachts docked along the bank. The river flows from the Pyrenees in Spain to the Atlantic by way of the Gironde Estuary – which we are to see in a few days – for a distance of more than 350 miles.

We also walked the streets and I found an Antiquities shop that sold old postcards. This is one item I was looking for to use in my hobby of making junk journals.

And it wouldn’t be France without the Oleanders.