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...