I start many of our trips with a post on “why xyz?” France doesn’t really need an explanation, but the root of this trip is a little unusual. We are basically following our sculptor friend, Judith Modrak, to her artist residency in northeastern France.

We were intrigued by the idea partly because it would bring us to an area that isn’t part of the standard tourist trail. We will be based in Nancy for five days with side trips to Verdun, Metz and Chaumont. That said, we will also be in Strasbourg, popular with river cruisers; Paris, which is, of course, Paris; and the Loire Valley. So we will treasure our days in the less touristy Grand Est region.

But we do have a major goal for this trip. In three visits to Paris, Jim has never made it to the site of the Eiffel Tower. We plan to remedy that this time, with tickets to the top of the Tower. But we are dependent on the weather. Apparently the Tower has been closing early due to the “heat dome” causing temperatures in Europe to top 100 degrees. Ironically, our 2018 trip to Paris was cut short by a “bomb cyclone” that dumped snow and ice on Philadelphia and delayed our flight. Mother Nature is always the boss.

But at the moment, they are predicting a return to normal temperatures. Let’s hope the fourth time is a charm for Jim!