Tag: Paris

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September 5 – 6: Paris, France to St Jean-Pied-de-Port, France (SJPP)

September 5th, Thursday

Paris Airport – EasyJet Gate

Backpacks and hiking boots galore! All heading to the Camino.

Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port

Arrived around dinner time after flights from Paris to Biarritz and then a one-hour van ride to the B&B where I stayed the first  night. Waved to the pony living on a small, triangular patch of grass and flowers across the street and walked a half mile up the hill to old town.Evening walk to Old Town

The walk down the driveway of the B&B on my way to explore the village for the first time. The Pyrenees mountains await in the distance. I will walk over those mountains in a couple of days.
This Entity watched me the entire time I ate dinner!
Tens of thousands of Pilgrims walk through these cobbled streets each year on their way to Santiago de Compostella.
Walk through the gateway to reach the path of the Camino Frances along the Camino de Santiago
Overlooking the village of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
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September 4 – Paris

Stalking Hemingway 

Posting this entry while sitting near the window view of mountains, meadows, and silence is making it nearly impossible for me to relive the energy that kept me moving through miles of Paris city streets. I couldn’t get enough of the vibrancy- had to keep looking around the next corner. I’m grateful for the two days. We’ll return!
  • Another late start but still got in over eight hours of sightseeing and nine miles of walking. 
  • With only two days in Paris I decided to forego museums. Next trip! Instead, I wanted to walk the streets and alleys, take my breaks in the bistros frequented by  Hemingway and friends, and catch whatever standard tourist spots in my path. 

La Palette 

  • Lunch: tuna and toast. Red wine. 
  • La Palette began as a gathering place for fine arts students and was frequented by Cezanne, Picasso and that crowd. 

Les Deux Magots

  • Break: a glass of red wine 
  • Founded in 1812, is “A café synonymous, with literary and artistic life, (Wiki) and was frequented by the likes of Elsa Triolet, Louis Aragon, André Gide, Jean Giraudoux, Picasso, Fernand Léger, Prévert, Sartre, Beauvoir, and Hemingway.

Brassiere Lipp

  • Fancy dinner of pot roast and a glass of wine
  • Across the street from Les Deux Magots on the Boulevard Saint-Germain in the 6th arrondissement. 
  • Walked around for about an hour after my break before dinner. 
  • Another hang-out for the artist crowd. 
  • Next to Louis Vuitton where people were lined out the door to spend thousands for their handbags. 

Notre Dame

  • Cordoned off by police trucks and construction barriers. 
  • Small groups of military men with assault rifles walking through the tourist melee. 
  • Scaffolding up the cathedral walls. 
  • Can’t get close to the place since the fire. 
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September 3 – Paris 

Got a late start recovering from the seven hour time difference. Today’s goal was the Eiffel Tower since it isn’t located in an area where most of my wanderings will be. Rather than take public transportation all the way to the Tower, I opted for a train ride to a point about 3.5 miles from the site and enjoyed a walk through the markets, neighborhoods, and city shops.
So! What reminded me I wasn’t in Kansas anymore?

  • Moms and dads riding their children through the traffic on bicycles. Bikes are a primary mode of transportation for old and young – not just for those in high-dollar REI cycling outfits out for a little exercise.
  • Walking. Yes. People are walking – as a mode of transportation. And at a pretty good clip! 
  • Jackets worn on a warm day. Why weren’t they a melted mess!

And, hey. People were nice and helpful. Not what I was given to expect.