CSC Had an Amazing Tour

It was truly amazing to watch Carlos Sastre run today, and although Schleck paced him quite well at the end tv-commentators often destroy the amazing sport of cycling. Let’s face it: the Tour de France is a sport for REAL men who DARE to set their own needs aside for some wonderful four weeks of exhausting bike riding.

All commentators need to learn the lesson of setting their own speculations aside and let teams play THEIR unique way. All the discussion about what so-and-so should do in such-and-such a situation is speculation and worthless. What truly counts is that those who complete this race – free of drugs – have shown to the entire world that they KNOW what bike riding is all about.

Gold for Sastre, and two top-ten positions for CSC is amazing. Well done, boys! 🙂

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Video Impressions from France

Some nice videos from Val de Loire – one of the truly most beautiful areas we enjoy visiting:



Amboise and Leonardo da Vinci

Amboise and Leonardo da Vinci are irrefutably linked. The artist and inventor spent the last years of his life here. He lived in Le Clos-Lucé, a country house just outside the centre. He is said to have been buried in St Hubert’s chapel at Château d’Amboise. The country house is open to the public. It contains reminders of da Vinci and there is a small exhibition. St Hubert’s chapel is one of the most beautiful chateau buildings and was spared after the loss of the chateau.
A castle we have decided to visit next time we arrive in France – in 2009.




For those with good sense of humour, I thought it funny also to share this regarding the debate about cork vs. screw-cap for wine bottles:



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Looking Forward to France

I hope some of you readers are preparing for vacations in France this year. We have made a decision to wait until next year due to my wife Henriette turning 30 in October. I miss France, and I do apologize for not having written since June 4th, but hope you enjoy the fact that I only write when there’s something new and useful to tell. It would be wrong to clutter this blog with useless information when you should be getting high quality content when you follow MY blogs.
Enjoy summer, the sun and one another. 🙂



Want REAL Luxury You Will Remember For Long?

Whether you’re going to France, Costa Rica or Thailand, there is one site that could help you rent a luxury vacation you will remember for long. See more in this video below, and visit their site at: http://www.freewebs.com/vacation-rentals-luxury/.



We personally prefer more modest and more personal accomodations, but thought it was nice to share what real luxury is also available if you want to give a present to people who might otherwise be difficult to shop for. 🙂

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Danes’ View of French Foreign Legion

In Denmark we have a magazine called “Historie” [in English: “History” or in French: “Histoire”] published by the big danish magazine series “Illustreret Videnskab”. Their website is found here: http://www.iv-historie.dk.

What angered me today was receiving their number nine issue for the year which described “De fortabtes legion” [“The legion of the lost”]. I would have chosen “Ærens legion” [The Legion of Honour], but that is not the main issue.

In the article the author of the article has included the fight in Camerone and the fact that ever since 1861 the 62 men lost in that fight had been remembered every year since on that fateful day of April 30th. Susan Travers is also mentioned positively — and rightfully so as she is the only female to have gone through full training in that Legion. Their new role as peacekeeping force is also mentioned, but what angered me was that in the front paragraph — introducing the article — the words are written:

“Fremmedlegionærerne var rodløse udlændinge, som var villige til at ofre livet deres nye fædreland – men de blev for altid betragtet som Frankrigs uægte sønner.”
Bear in mind there is a missing “for” in between “ofre livet” and “deres nye fædreland”, but never mind. Here’s an English translation of that introduction:
“Foreign Legionnaires were rootless foreigners who were willing to sacrifice their lives for their new homeland – but they were forever considered illegitimate sons of France.”

My translation is, sad to say, even polite since “uægte sønner” [illegitimate sons] is the same word that was previously called “bastard sons”, and NOTHING could ever be further from the truth when it comes to the respect a person coming out with fine papers will meet.

Of course, pacifists may look down upon a military career, but one has to be a virtual illiterate to ever believe such nonsense. I applied for the Legion in 1999 but was denied acceptance due to my vision being too poor for their military requirements, and that is perfectly fine. We have kids today and I don’t ever regret any of that. But it DOES anger me that people who want to present neutral information in a historical magazine show so little talent for the culture and traditions they try to describe.

One can either love or hate what any military group stands for, but the honour surrounding the military training of French Foreign Legionnaires is well-known in most areas, and should rightfully be so acknowledged.

PS: I realized this wasn’t about travels as such, but it is very telling about French culture. Those of us with a love for French ideals don’t make any excuses for loving France – despite flaws in other aspects… 🙂


For those who want to read more serious materials about the French Foreign Legion, let me recommend the following titles:

And for those who don’t read all that much, a DVD is also available, entitled:

  • Foreign Legion — Secretive – Ruthless – Feared. On this DVD British recruits are followed as they join one of the toughest training programmes in the world. You can see more, and even order the DVD from this website: http://www.kortlink.com/free/dvd-legion
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Portals in English

Vacation planning is somewhat easier when you can prepare your vacation in your native tongue. Most French-speaking people will have no problems in finding the information they need, but I felt it necessary to present to you how you can get about your vacation planning as easily as possible, and thought I would share some links with you:

Have fun planning, and remember you are all free to leave comments if you wish… 🙂

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