Our "no-fly" trip to Paris

[FritzS]

Now that we are retired, we have realized a magnificent truth: vacations need no longer be limited to two or three weeks: they can be two or three months if we plan carefully! We put this idea in action by planning and carrying out a visit to Paris from California without ever setting foot in an airport. Our overall itinerary was:

• Drive from California to my brother's home in New Jersey.
• Cruise from New York to Amsterdam on M/S Prinsendam
• Take the train to Paris
• Spend two weeks in an apartment in Montnartre.
• Take the Chunnel to London
• Go down to Southampton on the train
• Cross back to New York on the Queen Mary 2
• Drive back to California via Vermont, Williamsburg, Galena Illinois and the Black Hills.

Summary:

• Leave home May 7, 2011. Return home August 2nd.; away for 88 days
• Drive 9,583 miles in our 2005 Prius, using about 212 gallons of fuel (45.2 mpg)
• 27 days at sea
• Visit 26 states and 7 countries
• Took over 8,000 pictures

It has taken me two months to organize the pictures and build web sites for the various segments. Those of particular interest to RTA fans are:
http://www.peacham.com/eastbound
http://www.peacham.com/westbound

The whole trip is shown at:
http://www.peacham.com/nofly



Enjoy!
Fritz & Marie

[Mark Sedenquist]

Yep, you put a lot of time in this report. We generally prefer that comments about road trip reports be posted on this Forum, so hopefully you'll be back and can share some of your observations here.

But thanks for the post!

Mark