New York, New York!

 We finished our last day in London in peaceful gratitude and with no additional bites- so far, so good! We were excited to head back to Heathrow because remember we’d learned about the first class entrance last week on our flight to France- so we cruised right on in there this time. No lines, no fuss. And in just a few moments, we were back in the super cool first class lounge ready to eat some lunch. 

Once we found a place to camp out and got some food and drinks, we realized that we really didn’t have as much time as we thought. I’m not sure how this is possible because we were, of course, traveling with me. But whatever. Soon we headed for the gate- and BTW, we continue to love that other countries don’t tell you the gate until it’s pretty much time to board. This keeps people from doing the thing we love to do here in the US … get all crammed up like we’re going to board even though we’re in group 9 and no one is boarding for another 45 minutes. 

We had great seats again thanks to our constant hoarding of airline miles. We were across the aisle from each other with the stellar business class lay flat seats. The flight was awesome because we left at 7 pm and got there at 4 pm or something like that. By the time we did the whole Manhattan in a taxi situation, we got to our hotel around 7. Unfortunately, we had to repeat the bed bug protocol because we wanted to be SURE we weren’t importing the little demons so once again…there we were ironing things and putting everything up off the ground.

We didn’t need dinner since we ate well on the plane so we just grabbed a bottle of wine from the hotel lobby’s amazing selection (said in sarcasm!) and that was good enough. As we sipped our wine and tried to get settled in and ready for bed- which is funny because at that point we’d really been up for about 24 hours but it didn’t feel like it- I had a great epiphany. 

“This is New York! I believe you can get anything done at any time in New York!” Jason was like…ok??? I said, “I bet there is some app for a laundry service who will come get all of our clothes, get it all washed and dried, and bring it back.”

And wouldn’t you know, there were several?!

The next morning, however, was Saturday. It appears a lot of New Yorkers use laundromats and laundry service AND do their laundry on Saturday. So, the same day service options were limited. But, there was a laundry mat just around the corner from our hotel so we walked over there to inquire and they said if we had everything there by 10, it would be ready by 3. It was 9:20. We ran back to the hotel, crammed everything into every bag we had, and then had a very real New Yorker moment of running down the streets with all of our dirty and clean clothes in bags to the laundromat. Another round of very high heat washing and drying coming up! AND- we didn’t have to lose a day doing it ourselves. Take my money. 

With that done, we were ready for our favorite NY activity, which is a walkabout. We have our list of favorite places so we set off walking in their general direction. Oh, one interesting thing happened right when we left the hotel. Immediately upon exiting the hotel, it’s like we walked into the world’s largest garden center. Every plant, tree, and flower. Every direction. None of it was there the night before. Pure magic. I’d never stayed in this particular area of Manhattan before- and what a delight to discover the flower district! 

We started walking north and eventually found the anarchy that is Times Square, but not before running into the end of what was a Puerto Rico parade of some sort. I love this about NY. You never know what’s going to be happening. Jason was somehow being hugged by about 7 Minnie Mouse’s and I realized we needed to get out of Times Square so we went up to this bar I like that sits above the craziness but allows for great people watching. After that, we weren’t quite ready for dinner at our favorite pizza place so we cruised back over to the other side of Times Square to our all time favorite bar - The Blue Bar. And this is where our hopes and dreams were crushed.

The Blue Bar is in the Algonquin Hotel, which is the cutest old hotel ever. However, the pandemic took its toll on our favorite hang out. The manager said, “come on, I’ll show you,” and he unlocked the door between the hotel lobby and what was the area we knew and loved. It is now a, gasp, empty room where they store luggage. Sigh. What is this world anymore? 

So, they “relocated” the blue bar into the hotel lobby. It also doesn’t have the cool blue lights anymore. We were delighted to hear our favorite bartender was still there but then crushed to hear he was on vacation. Even my French 75 was warm. We were beside ourselves at this point. Down in the dumps. Only our favorite pizza in the old church would help now. And so, we were off again back across town. Determined to make this right!

And, right it was! The pizza was still great. The place is still rad. But also, why was it so hot? Jason once again hanging napkins from his face!! Despite us ordering a small, the pizza was very big, so we had half of it to bring back, which is a great problem to have! We then had to walk the 14 blocks or so back to the room to drop the pizza so that we could walk back to the laundry mat to get our freshly laundered clothes, and then back to the room again. That was an insane amount of walking for the day but we loved it.

And, it turns out our hotel has its own rooftop hangout spot so we spent the rest of the evening chilling up there and watching the sunset. Minus the sadness of the Blue Bar’s demise, it was a solid day in the city.

Leaving Antibes: Why Am I Again Ironing My Underwear?!?!?!

 Sadly, we woke up the day after the wedding knowing we had to pack up and head back to London. Almost a full year ago when we first found out about the wedding, we’d immediately booked this apartment for 9 days. Mostly, that was because we weren’t sure exactly what day the wedding would be yet so we were just holding space. Once the plans solidified, we shortened the time in Antibes to allow for more relaxing time heading home.

Now, our preferred mode of travel is cruising. We were making some comparisons as we packed for this trip because it’s been awhile since either of us has done a long trip on land. Some things that are just great about cruising v. Land:

• When cruising, you know there will be shampoo, conditioner, and soap
• When cruising, you know there is always access to a washer and dryer
• When cruising, you get to your cabin and your stuff stays put no many how many countries you see. You can pack all the things you want to because you don’t have to deal with carrying them too much.
• When travel logistics need to be logisticated, the ship helps. This doesn’t mean they aren’t annoying about it. Cause sometimes they are SO annoying about it.
• Sea days. Oh, how we love sea days. Early in my cruising life when I was only on the ship for 7 days, I hated sea days. Why would I want to lose a day staying on the ship?!?! But when you get on the 30+ voyages, sea days are a balm. Just that little break to slow down, regroup, take it easy. You cannot go go go and really still be enjoying every moment. You eventually wear down and then break down. And this is where we return to Antibes…

So, we decided to build in some sea days. We’d already been traveling for 2 weeks at this point and we had another week to go. As much as it didn’t feel good in the moment to leave this beautiful place and these super fun peeps, we needed a sea day.

Pete and Mandy being the amazing hosts they are, offered to meet us at high noon when we checked out to walk us to the train station. (Not a Yellowstone reference). I’d already looked at the map and also basically recalled enough that if we loosely skirted around the marina we would run into the station BUT we were happy to get a few more minutes with the bride and groom so we said let’s do it!

Our checkout process involved taking out the trash and putting all the linens in the bathroom. Well, we also washed and put away the dishes, but we did that the night before. The trash would normally not be an issue except remember the dreaded stairs! Also, someone in this apartment drank a lot of wine. While I’m not sure who, I was sure who needed to take the empties down to the trash cans. Interestingly, our apartment was at the intersection of our narrow little residential street and the Main Street that bars, restaurants, and the market were on. On that main road, there was a hedge around a bunch of dumpsters and recycle bins and everyone could just add their trash. They seemed to come by daily to empty them. As someone who drives my trash 4 miles down the road in my suburban every week, this was pretty rad. After that, Audrey magically appeared at noon and we handed her our key. She didn’t even go look at the place! Very trusting. 

The last chunk of foie gras, the last Amarone, and the adorable little clean kitchen as we left. In these cabinets are a fridge, washer dryer, and dishwasher. So efficient! 

And with that, we set off to the train station. If you know me, you know we were heading that way 3 hours early because I refuse to be rushed or stressed on travel days. I have traveled a lot. A LOT. And when I tell you that if it can go wrong, it will go wrong on a travel day. You need time to flex. You also need time for a cocktail. I mean. Priorities. 

When we got there, Mandy used the kiosk to buy our tickets and then we cruised over to the platform to wait. It seemed like we had just missed one train so the next would be there in 20 minutes. About an hour later, neither train had actually showed up. There was some messages being aired but we didn’t know what they said although the evidence told us it said - something was up and the trains were delayed. About this time I joked, “Maybe we should take an Uber.” Mandy said, “I think so.”

So, we walked out front of the train station and there was one taxi sitting there. Awesome. Problem was, there wasn’t a driver in said taxi. So, we waited. We looked around. We waited more. Hmmm.

Finally, the driver slowly emerges from around the side of the station. He’s very unconcerned. We asked about going to the airport in Nice. He considers it, slowly, and finally says, “Sure. Why not.” And you know, before that moment it never really occurred to me that he might say no. As we hug goodbye, Pete says to Mandy - maybe we should ask him how much this is going to cost them. Mandy asks. He says $55 euros. I’m willing! 

Now, we’re driving to the airport which is a gorgeous coastal drive. It’s about 14 miles which takes a lot longer by car than train. We finally get there and I am delighted to see that even in the airport there are outdoor cafes! We are starving and can’t wait to eat. We go to check our bag and realize Mandy wasn’t lying when she said sometimes it takes a long time to check in at Nice. By the time we get through that, passport control, and their version of TSA/security we now only have 1 hour to take off. KIDS- ARE YOU PICKING UP WHAT I’M PUTTING DOWN ABOUT LEAVING A LOT OF WIGGLE ROOM IN TRAVEL DAYS? Cause you know who still had time for lunch and rose? That’s right- the Thurmans did. 

You gotta love the food choices in the terminal being only wine and these gorgeous handmade sandwiches of tomato and ricotta. If only they had some Hope in Spades EVOO to drizzle. All this craziness had Jason sweating profusely as you can see from the fact that napkins literally hung from his face. Do we know how to party or what?

We fly back to London Heathrow - this time without Troy Aikman. We had a hotel right near the airport because- sea day. It only took us 5 minutes by taxi to get there and that was mostly just trying to get out of Heathrow. However, we couldn’t just roll in and relax because… bed bugs.

We were VERY worried that despite all my late night and early morning laundering and high temp shrinking of my clothing, we might still have a creature or two clinging to dear life in our bags. We had a plan. 

The plan was- get into the room and place everything up on the desks and dressers. Nothing on the floor. Strip everything off and also place it up high. Then, while standing there incredibly awkwardly and naked, steam iron whatever you are going to wear that night in the room (or wherever else). I can testify that never will you ever think so hard about steam burns as when you stand naked with a steamer in your hand.

So, once again on this trip, there I am ironing my underwear and honestly thinking about my life choices. How did I get to a place where I now regularly iron my underwear? From here out, before we wore anything, we used the steam iron on it first. 

For dinner, we went to the hotel lobby bar and had drinks and surprisingly great food. The hotel was a giant Renaissance so there were good options. We called it a sort of early night and hoped for the best as we crawled into bed. May there be no more bites come tomorrow! 

Antibes Day 4: The Yacht and the Wedding

 The day had finally arrived! It was wedding day! We were told to all meet up by this cool old fountain near the marina, outside a bakery. 

I was up early, as usual, and enjoyed my coffee and a croissant we had picked up the day before. It was ridiculous. Far better than eating a chunk of yeast. 

As I went to shower, I noticed a few more red bumps. I was getting a few bites every night. Or sometime. So annoying. Particularly annoying to have them on my face on a day where I KNOW I will be in pictures. Bah!

We cruised down to the fountain right on time and found our gang. The bride and groom were adamant that this was CASUAL. No need to dress up at all. After being super weird about what to wear for way too long, I wore a blouse and shorts. Bam. Casual is my love language. Everyone else was also casual thus far, except the groom’s brother, who appeared in a navy suit. He works in Dallas, so to be fair, maybe that was casual to him. Oh, snap.

We waited on “the other Rachel” who was the yacht/wedding coordinator. When she was late, we began to wonder if this was some elaborate sham. Like - surprise - no yacht. And also - surprise - no money! But, before long, there she was and we were off to board the ship!

As we waited to board, the crew was busy doing all their last minute preparations, which I’m sure were many but the most important of which, obviously, was pouring flutes of champagne for us to sip when we stepped aboard.

The plank came out and then two wooden boxes. And then a chair. Then, one by one, we approached, removed our shoes and placed into the wooden boxes, and then strolled on to our champagne! The moment my toes hit the ground it all hit me and I said, “Man. I really feel like I have arrived!” 

We all explored the ship like little kids would - opening every door. Going up and down every staircase and ladder. It was GORGEOUS. I’m not sure how many people it would hold if we maxed it out - but there were 4-5 levels, probably 7-8 crew and the captain and only about 12 of us. SWEET!!!!!!! 

The crew was impeccable - constantly around with more drinks, trays of pastries and snacks, quick to remove an empty glass or trash - but striking the right balance of not being too right around, ya know? 

We cruised out of the marina and headed north up the coast. We passed by Nice which I only know because it’s the only town large enough for an airport along that route! And then we came into this spectacular cove facing Villafranche sur-mer which I can pronounce much better after a few glasses of champagne. While cruising north, I found this sort of mid deck in the front of the ship, just above the hottub, that was nothing but the most comfy big lounge cushions. I climbed right up there, plopped down, and enjoyed the ride!

Once in the cove, we dropped anchor and for whatever reason decided to flip the order of the day and have the wedding first then eat. Hey, us yacht people don’t care. We’re over here living our best lives. You could have said there was no wedding and we were going to eat breakfast 12 times and I would have been like- GREAT! 

So, Pete and Mandy went to the main stateroom to get dressed while the rest of us continued jamming out to the music playlists I threw together the morning before. We also got to chat with the crew, which was cool.  Oh to be in our 20s again and just working on a yacht crew and experiencing the world a bit. But no, we all rushed to get office jobs. BORING! Anyway, before long, Pete came up the steps and not far behind there was the bride! Ah! So lovely:)

Pete had his suit custom made by a tailor in Nice and had their names and wedding date inscribed on the inside. Mandy’s dress was absolutely perfect- somehow both gorgeous and very wedding like but also somehow yacht casual appropriate. It all worked! Pete said when he was being measured for the suit, he asked the tailor to make it a few centimeters larger just in case he gained a pound or something and the tailor said, “no.” So, no. He did not gain a pound;) 

The captain came to perform the ceremony. Mandy told him if it was longer than 10 minutes she would be pissed. And also, that it needed to be funny. Mission accomplished! He was trying his best to read his script and speak English when all the sudden he accidentally said the word, “impotent” and man, no greater word has ever been said during a 6 minute wedding that was required to be funny. We were all like, “oh damn! Sorry, Pete! Actually, sorry, Mandy! Man. Whew!” HAHAHAHA. Immediately after we stopped laughing and hooting and hollering, the captain said, “Well anyway, if it doesn’t work out, there is always divorce!” And there were were screaming and laughing again. When it was time for vows, the captain gave up and handed them the script and said, “Read this!” Ha!!

If you know Pete and Mandy, this was 100% exactly perfect. Pete kissed his bride, we all took pictures, and then it was “time to party,” according to the bride who had also been trying to ensure she would fit in her dress!

The crew then kicked up all the food and drinks, cranked the music, pulled out all the water toys and soon people were diving and jumping off every possible spot around the yacht into that perfectly clear, somewhat chilly, Mediterranean water. 

Sadly, all things must come to an end and before long it was time to head home. Jason and I enjoyed a Heineken together (IYKYK) and then I quietly slipped around to the front of the boat and climbed back up to the lounge cushion deck. For part of the ride home, I laid flat on my back looking at the perfect blue sky and white puffy clouds. What a dream.

Once back at the marina, we all hopped off and let Pete and Mandy settle up with the crew. We weren’t entirely sure what the evening would hold but my hair was tangled in 18,000 ways, I needed to drink a lot of water, and I at least needed a sweatshirt for when the sun went down so off to the apartment we went. 

As it ended up, we stayed in the rest of the night. Parts of the group went to different places. We’d pretty much decided at this point that we’d encountered bed bugs and the best way to get rid of them is to wash and dry on extremely high heat for a long time so I set about washing everything we had, just to be cautious.

We enjoyed our balcony, finished up the remnants of our wine and food, and just sort of basked in the glow of the most perfect day (minus the alleged bed bugs) Thanks for including us, guys! May your impotence be short but your love be forever!