Paris: Hot and Sunny...27C

Last Evening:

No matter where I travel, a visit to Paris with it's wide boulevards and busy cafés is always a special experience. Nothing quite matches up and I think back to my first visit in 1975 when I walked the Champs Elyesee for the very first time. To this day I remember the feel of the heat, the flowers as I approached the Louvre and the deep blue French sky. My old friend followed from Spain, so I have company!

Sitting here on the grassy verge along side the approach to the Louvre I have the pleasure of watching families enjoy an evening picnic on the grass, wine included! It's one of the special places and evening occurrences that makes this city what it is.

Tomorrow I've reserved the pleasure of an early morning walk along this famous way, where conquering armies have paraded and where the Tour de France has concluded the last 101 years. I'll be home in time for the excitement of the start of that annual race! It will feel all the more real this year, having just returned from here. 

This evening I left my dark little hovel and ventured out to find the World Cup, a glass of good French wine and some dinner. I found all three. The Orange from the Netherlands were brilliant in their win over Chile and Spain finally won as well (sorry my Aussie friends!). Ariel and Puck...wasn't that a great game?! I'll be home for the round of 16, and looking forward to it. Although it will mean that I have again departed these shores. Next year will come soon enough and time to think about what that will look like. Will it be cycling or walking...or maybe even both? One is only young enough to do these things for so long, so I intend to make the most of it while I can...ready Amnemarie?

A never ending stream of people parade by...it's amazing. I've been out walking and seen almost no one for weeks. Now I understand...they were all here!

Still on a Pilgrimage...Of Sorts:

This morning with a plan in mind I put my Camino Boots back on.  I had a walk to do...a pilgrimage of sorts. Something I have thought of doing for many years. Now on my own in Paris for the first time, I have the time and the opportunity. For the past 2 hours I have walked from the Louvre to the Defence Arc...the length of the three arches down the Champs Eleysee. 

Along the way I've seen many things...most of what stands out is the different people...some have more, most have less. In the background, or depending on your perspective, perhaps in the foreground is the stuff. Stores and stores of it...brand name stuff. Stuff I wonder if we really need, but it's the way it is. Mostly just regular folk out to see and walk a famous land mark. Quite a few street people tucked into the landscape as well...something a bit newer, or perhaps more visible than last time I was here...maybe I'm just more observant now. It was great, and frightening at the same time. Having come from a journey of simple walking, it is an intensive experience. 

I found myself passing through a number of zones as I proceeded. The tourist zone, then that mixed with the Armani zone which then transitioned into an area of the expensively dressed and the tres chic. A fellow walker...

From there it was back into the tourist zone as I approached the Arc de Triumph...the Asians are pretty funny with the photos they line up in the middle of the road in front of the Arc to take of each other. I haven't seen that one before:-)

Then it was into a no mans type of land scape. No wealthy, no tourists, just local people going about their business. A tremendous amount of traffic, noise and pollution from the traffic.

At this point with some kilometres to go I pulled out my iPod and put on some soothing music, turned it up and turned inward. Amazing, I was back on Camino. My stride lengthened, my vision cleared and I was looking far ahead. I was back into my walking pace and in the zone.

When I arrived the whole area was pretty futuristic...cool but not my favorite. The Arch is very cool!

I walked the Seine back to the Louvre spending as much time on the lower embankment as I could...the usual sights plus a few...

I had a bit of fun with a woman who tried to play a scam on me...must be my hat? An oldie but goodie...she appears to pick up a nice heavy gold ring off the walk way and then insists that because it's much too big for her finger that I take it. We shake hands (I check...all fingers attached), I say good bye and walk off at my usual brisk pace. I hear her call me from behind...she is running by now to try and catch up. I turn and smile then leave the ring on the guard rail and walk on. I've seen it before in Egypt. It's the I give you a gift...you give me a gift game. It was more fun the way I played it:)

Annemarie...our fountain! Where were you?

A major Camino route begins in Paris as well. Walk on...

Bordeaux: Hot and Muggy

Bordeaux, An Afternoon to Wander:

I'm so confused. After checking in to my nice little hotel and answering emails and stuff, off I went to find that I'm in an area just off the sex shops and places like that, but far enough outside that I think it's fine and as I said, the place is ok. I walked along the river and into town...the river is very high and very brown. We never found the centre of town last visit, but I have this time. My body is still on Spanish time after all those weeks and off I merrily went looking for lunch only to find that at after 2pm the restaurants won't serve you. No luck any where along the river...and the prices! So I head into town and find a place full of young folks meaning cheap, but it's €20 but for a massive brunch...so I'm set. No need for an expensive dinner tonight, so I can a average down. The life of a pensioner! So far bread and jam with water, tea and a nice glass of white wine has founds it's way to my table, and there is promise of much more.

I'll be stuffed, but I haven't had more than a banana and granola bar this morning before the train, so I'm hungry. It's great! The only unfortunate issue is that all these young people, particularly the women appear to smoke. So much of that here...so deeply embedded in the culture...sad. 

It's very hot here, I'm surprised. And the humidity level this close to the ocean is high as well. Good news is the heat has little effect on me after all the weeks in it and I'm well tanned now, so less issue with the sun. I'm enjoying each day so much now that I've found my way into the travel zone. I realize home is on the horizon, but new adventures await and I know I don't have to wait a full year until I can fly again. I can go whenever it's time to go. Such freedom! It's great!

After lunch I'll wander a bit more and see what the centre of town holds. So far just lots of mono colour buildings which don't hold much interest. I think I'll have to get inside some of the buildings and see what I see, but that may not happen this visit. I feel like walking. Later I'll look for wifi and skype Annemarie who is going for dim sum with old friends. Then I'll find a gold drink and just enjoy some people watching. A nice way to spend a day.

That was excellent! Scrambled eggs with herbs, salad, real potatoes and bacon...it was after all brunch on a Sunday. Dessert is still to come. Funny how the world is the same all over. I have two tables of young women my daughter's age on both sides of me...a young healthy fellow runs past with just jogging shorts on, and all four sit up and say something like..."wow". We all laugh. It's a small world. 

Feeling much better now and this is a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon, I must say! But those who understand, know this is my favourite day of the week...and now every day is Sunday:) can't get much better than this...can it? This has been an excellent retirement entry, and looking back I had to do this journey. It's opened the door to so many other possibilities. I can see us living in Europe for a year as we have always planned. It seems so doable now. Having travelled more with Germans has opened my mind to travel in  that country, particularly Bavaria, something that has been closed in my mind since a depressing visit to Dachau in 1975. There are new generations in Germany now, with new ideas and and perhaps more open minds than in past, or perhaps my mind has opened? I found stereo types of each country during my wanderings, but was more impressed with the commonalities I found, particularly between the younger ages. I must be getting old!

Spent the rest of the afternoon just walking the streets being in the moment. Walked into three large churches, each different, and yet the same.

The Cathedral was pretty good I thought. A few photos, then more walking as I found my way through town with a visit to a food store...a good one. 

Then back to my little place to connect home and to write some more.

Hotel...

Pensioner's meal to average down brunch...oh and breakfast is in there somewhere too!

Neil, I really liked your story about your staff...it must have broken your heart. It would have been one of the most difficult things to leave behind from your journey. Thanks for that story. Was it here?

Had I known, I would have spent more time finding the location for you.

Today I've travelled the rails to Paris and I'm staying in a small flat that takes me back to my student days. Annemarie found this for me...not sure what I did to her? ;-) sure hope she is more happy than that to see me home on Thursday! 

Only kidding, the price is still too high, but it's Paris so the price is good on that basis and it's an amazing location with no check out time from my room. This gives me a full two days to wander aimlessly, my favorite way to see a place I've been to many times before. Just a couple of blocks to the Louve and the River. On Wednesday evening I'll head out towards Charles De Gaul airport where I think David fixed me up with a hotel room that has a flush toilet;-).  I can vouch for the comfort of the bed as I just woke up from an hour nap...massive lightening and thunder stormed all night in my tiny hot room last night, so I was awake most of the night watching lightning flashes on the walls and covering my ears. The run up to Paris was interrupted by a police incident for several hours. We sat in Poitier and waited it out...while I wrote onwards. My ear is tuning to the new language, not to much of a reach considering my travel companions the past four weeks!

It's 6:20, time to go out and find a bar to watch Neil's football team get a thrashing from the frustrated Spanish team...and have a glass of good French wine too...Mais oui!!

Santiago Train Station: June 21, 2014, 24C: Bordeaux, France June 22nd 26C humid

The Peregrino...

becomes a traveller. As you can see by the date above, yesterday while sitting on the train from Santiago to Urun I wrote a long, interesting, and if I do say so myself, witty blog entry. It was great. At about midnight while sitting in the oddest bar in Irun I added photos and tried to post because my really, really nice hotel was too cheap to have wifi....actually i stayed in a rather seedy, but clean hotel last night... close to my next departure point, Hendaye, France. I'm sitting on the train waiting to depart for Bordeaux as I write this. 

So when I went to post I lost the whole thing. Such is life, that was yesterday, this is today. I won't repeat everything, but will post a few photos from my last day on the coast and in Santiago, plus a few from the train. First the sunrise, my last sunrise from Santiago...

My day off in Fiesterre was pretty much spent in or on my bed writing, reflecting and sleeping. I guess having made the decision to stop walking for a time provided my body with the message that it could click into neutral, which it did. I left my room for breakfast, and to take a walk before a late lunch of seafood, but otherwise I just hung out in my room decompressing and then recharging.

Ah, we are on our way...French high speed trains! Smooth as glass and fast...when not on strike. I just have to get myself to Bordeaux today and hope to get to Paris tomorrow. There is a major train strike happening which has caused quite a mess here. To top it off, the air traffic controllers are striking this week as I try to depart for home, but it's ok I like Paris:) just have to get there first. At least this train is much more comfortable than the slow 11 hour ride I had yesterday, but I like train rides, so it was ok.

Looking out the window it's easy to see how much difference there is between the two countries...France so much wealthier, and expensive, than Spain. Spain has my heart, but I do like France! Annemarie as usual has found me a private apartment in Paris and we have had fun connecting with the owner, but that is complete and it will be interesting to see what it looks like...could be a great find just a couple of blocks from the Louve and half the price of hotels. We shall see what €85 per night provides.

I took the slow bus in to Santiago and it was odd to retrace some of the ground I had walked ...and to see other peregrinos working hard to complete. Back in Santiago I was pleased to find an email waiting for me from Ela inviting me to join her and Deb for the evening...they had just arrived and responded to my email wondering where they were. And I thought I was going to be alone this time...so fortunate. We were three of four who started together so long ago in Sevilla and I thought I wouldn't see them again having left their company many weeks ago and arriving a week before them. Birgit departed for Germany in Salamanca, but I was fortunate to say goodbye to her a week before that. It was a very pleasant evening with much reminiscing and laughter, and yes Ken we went to...

 with out a doubt, the best tapas bar in Santiago...certainly the best I experienced on this journey.

After dinner we wandered to the Plaza to listen to the street performers...it was pretty wonderful, I would say perhaps even magical. Remember the guys who win ribbons for romance and play their guitars travelling through Europe? They were there in force and together played some beautiful music, but I'm still a bit confused why this nun was presenting them with ribbons?

Being with people who one has become close to on a journey of this type is a very fitting way to finish in Santiago, and I have been most fortunate to experience this on three separate evenings this Camino.  I thought perhaps I'd be alone and a bit down on arrival...how fortunate I've been:)

We have arrived in Biarritz, so that means Bayonne very soon, where Annemarie and I had a brilliant beginning to our Camino...remember the cassoulet? We will return to have that again I think. I'm joined by a man who has previously walked from Le Puy to Santiago, and to my great relief we can carefully communicate in French...those lessons and kidding with Didier have paid off. He tells me the Le Puy route is much more beautiful...that remains to be seen. Oh, we are now in Bayonne! Yes a familiar train station with peregrinos preparing to train to St. Jean...hard to sit here and not join them...it would be so easy to just jump off...but how would I explain that to Annemarie who has been so patient? "A funny thing happened on the way to Bordeaux...you won't believe it! I got on the wrong train..." I may as well not return home again!

Yesterday the train took me back in time as it retraced many of the Camino Frances stops. I had no idea of the route, only that it would eventually get me to Irun on the French frontier, which of course is no longer a frontier, but just a short walk over a bridge. 

Then the northern Meseta...I now know the differences between the two ends of the Meseta...so very different, but both beautiful. I liked the south for its simple trails and minimal gravel road walking, and the north for it's sweeping vistas. It's all good.

Bye bye Bayonne...I stayed on course...1 hour, 40 to Bordeaux. Here are photos of the bridge to France and looking back at one of the first flecha for the Camino Norte. Those mountains in the distance are the first climb of several on Stage 1 to San Sebastián. Note the rain clouds! We had the lightning storm of storms last night for many hours...it was dazzling!

Perhaps one day I'll get some really good water proof boots and give it a go, but I have other drier destinations in mind for a while. Having only experienced a couple of hours of rain the past weeks has been a revelation and confirmation that I like to walk dry and on sunny days. Such a wuss!

This afternoon a simple walk through Bordeaux to scout it out for a future return. I'm in search of an area to centre in for an extended period, so a good opportunity to have a look around. We still talk of living a year in France and moving to different areas for 2-3 months at a time. Perhaps we will be looking closely at this possibility in the next few years as something to do in our mid 60's. First I need a train ticket to Paris.

Trains will run tomorrow, or so I am told. I will be in Paris by noon! So time to walk into Bordeaux and find a good plate de jour and some good regional wine! Bien!