Category: France

Sainte-Mère-Èglise ~ June 22, 2016

  • Wednesday, June 22, 2016
  • Day 53
  • SSainte-Mère-Èglise, Normandy
  • Weather: 60-68 degrees overcast and rain

On D-Day many, many parachuters of the USA 82nd Airborne Divisions unfortunately landed beside this church, Sainte-Mère-Èglise. They suffered direct gun fire from the German soldiers.  It is said the church saved the life of the 82nd parachuter whose shoot got caught by the church’s steeple.

  1. Sainte-Mère-Èglise
  2. Sainte-Mère-Èglise
  3. Sainte-Mère-Èglise

Parisian Pigrims ~ June 21, 2016

  • Tuesday, June 21, 2016
  • Day 52
  • Orsay (14 miles from Paris)
  • Weather: 60-68 degrees overcast

Is it any surprise my first stop in Paris is the premiere cooking equipment shop, E. Dehillerin.

We saw a woman walking down the street with a shell swinging from her backpack. All the markings of a pilgrim. We introduced ourselves as two former pilgrims. To her great relief, the South African asked directions to the metro station. Being a pilgrim it’s like being in a sorority or a fraternity. We share a bond. We walked the woman to the metro stop and help her purchase her ticket. Camino magic.

  1. Paris – E. Dehillerin
  2. Paris – Pont des Arts with the Eiffel Tower
  3. Paris – Pantheon on Rue Soufflot

French Fashion ~ June 20, 2016

  • Monday, June 20, 2016
  • Day 51
  • Orsay (14 miles from Paris)
  • Weather: 60-68 degrees overcast
  • After the life of a pilgrim, this pilgrim wanted some French fashion.

My first purchase was a French rain cape. Unlike the American poncho, it has sleeves and closed sides seams.

Next purchase was a couple pairs of trousers and a blouse to augment my pilgrim outfit. Master quilter, Christine, kindly hemmed my trousers.

  1. Orsay
  2. Orsay
  3. Orsay

Reunited ~ June 19, 2016

  • Sunday, June 19, 2016
  • Day 50
  • Orsay (14 miles from Paris and 603 miles from Bilboa, Spain)
  • Time: 1 1/2 hours
  • Weather: 60-68 degrees, overcast becoming blue skies with clouds

After walking 625 miles, I made a smooth transition to traveling by airport bus, plane, and train.

Reunited with Christine, dear pilgrim friend I made the first night of my 2014 Camino.

French pastries served by Christine’s future daughter-in-law.

  1. Orsay – Map Bilboa and Orsay
  2. Orsay
  3. Orsay

Bandit in Paris ~ April 6, 2014

50,000 Paris Marathon runners plus one bandit, me. To run a race without paying the entrance fee is to be a bandit. Racing or simply running a marathon on the eve of 1,000 walk would be to invite trouble; so, I ran the first 25km for the joy of experiencing Paris as centuries of heroes may have experience the Champs-Élysées with cheering crowds and the unique splendor only Paris can claim.

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All but the Kitchen Sink ~ April 4, 2014

All but the Kitchen Sink

Luxembourg Garden has all but the kitchen sink…huge water fountains with model sail boats for children to sail with pushing poles, tennis courts, pedal go-carts, competition chess games with both the traditional hand-slapping analog clocks as well as cell phone stop watches, bocce ball, Shetland pony rides, climbing walls, play structures, statues, flowers, topiary trees, sun bathers, picnic baskets, readers, bee hives, and runners.

Trees planted like spokes radiating on a wheel continue to fascinate me.

Versailles Garden ~ April 5, 2014

How would you get around a garden 608 acres or about a third the size of University of Virginia’s 1,683 acres? At Versailles Segways, auto-trains, golf carts, bicycles, and various boats are available for hire. As for me, I walked.

Gardens made of trees helps give concrete form to the scale. From a high perspective the symmetrical patterns created by the trees, some clipped into precise shapes and others let to grow in their natural forms, can be seen.

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