oct 17 - major milestone

wait, where did the picturesque go??? this is seriously urban. i'm not sure what La Defense is, I really have to get a travel guidebook for some of this rather than relying just on google earth and wikipedia. La Defense appears to be the business district of Paris judging by all the towers. Great architecture, there's some really interesting towers here.

I found this shot online, it's a view of La Defense from the second level of the Eiffel Tower. That's how close I am now!!!

so today I began just south of La Defense, ran around this, back across the Seine and then onto a major highway. well that highway turned out to be the Champs-Elysees!!! And my 6.5 km today finished here!!! I'M IN PARIS!!!

It's taken a lot longer than planned as I find it hard to squeeze runs into life most days. But I've now run 434 km and I've made it to Paris (virtually at least!). Oh boy!!!

distance today: 6.5 km
distance to date: 431 km

oct 13

back across the river Seine again, this is a daily event. Just up from the bridge is this Ecluse de Chatou et Chute d'eau. I'm assuming that means dam although I can't find my dictionary right now. Across the river there's a major highway heading to Paris (oooohhhh!!!! I'm almost there!) so I'm trying to stay on smaller roads as long as I can. It definitely feels like I'm approaching a city. The sprawl has begun.

distance today: 6.5 km

distance to date: 424.5 km

oct 9

people. lived. here.

this was someone's home. their cozy little pied-de-terre. look at the size of this place!!! WOW!!! when i actually get to france this is absolutely on my must see list. i do hope the interior is restored and full of lovely gilt mirrors and dining tables that seat 100. i just can't imagine getting up, putting on ratty slippers and schlepping down to the kitchen for morning tea. i also can't imagine waking up and ringing a bell to have morning tea delivered to me in bed.

Saint-Germain-en-Laye was founded in 1020 when King Robert the Pious (ruled 996-1031) founded a convent on the site of the present Church of Saint-Germain. Prior to the French Revolution in 1789, it had been a royal town and the Château de Saint-Germain the residence of numerous French monarchs. The old château was constructed in 1348 by King Charles V on the foundations of an old castle (château-fort) dating from 1238 in the time of Saint Louis. Louis XIV was born here.

once i'd oogled the chateau i continued and ran across the river Seine again to a big roundabout. I'm on a rather boring straight stretch, the D186 or better sounding Boulevard Carnot.

distance today: 5 km

distance to date: 418 km

oct 7

i had thought that i'd follow the river seine in all it's curves and swerves into paris however i jumped ahead on the map and realized that i'd miss out on St-Germain-en-Laye. I'm officially in a suburb of Paris!!! I'd hoped to get to Paris by Oct 5 (my birthday) however life just keeps getting in the way and i'm not getting in as many runs as I'd like. How do people manage to run 5 days a week? Since I'm currently running outside I've missed a few due to rain. I am a complete wimp who refuses to run in cold rain. And this is Canada, the rain is cold. So I missed my self-imposed deadline, whatever. St-Germain looks lovely!

distance today: 5 km

distance to date: 413 km

oct 1

one of the details that i'm really liking is the texture of everything i'm seeing. there's a patina of age that we just don't have in north america. it lends an air of history, of depth. i finished the day in Poissy.

distance today: 6.5 km

distance to date: 408 km

sept 26

today was a longer run than usual. it was one of the toronto marathons and i ran along for a few kms, just to see how it felt on the track. next year people, next year i will be in the event although i want to do just the half marathon. i'll get there. my 9.5 km felt really good. this is actually getting easier.

on the french side today's 9.5 took me through Triel-sur-Seine on the north side of the river. I crossed over to the south side of the river on a bridge on the D1 which is quite disappointing. It's a very modern ribbon of concrete not the lovely picturesque bridges that I've been seeing. It left me wondering about the clash of modern homogenous highways and urban sprawl and the typical french countryside. Will all this charm one day disappear? And then I came into Villennes-sur-Seine. Swoon.

distance today: 9.5 km

distance to date: 401.5 km

sept 23

Through Meulan, Vaux-sur-Seine. Oh the view by this bridge makes me swoon. And seems remarkably similar to some of my jewelry.

distance today: 6.5 km

distance to date: 392 km

sept 20

From Mantes-la-Jolie the straightest way to Paris is on the autoroute however it is most likely the least scenic. I'm choosing to follow the River Seine which is winding and twisting. Yet the water always calls me and there's 4 towns today in a mere 6 km!!! What do Europeans think when the get to North America and drive for 1000's of kilometers of flat open space? I begin in Issou, through Gargenville to Juziers to Mezy-sur-Seine.

Distance today: 6 km

Distance to date: 385.5 km

sept 17

Limay is across the Seine from Mantes-la-Jolie and I'm going straight through the back of it. There are some things that are worth stopping for, la boulanger - the bakery, perhaps un croissant for the road?

Distance today: 6 km

Distance to date: 379.5 km

sept 14

I'm on the north side of the River Seine however I zipped across le Pont Neuf to Mantes-la-Jolie to see this. Seriously. Wow.

And these towns. Seriously. Wow. I love the small scale of everything. So human.

Distance today: 6 km

Distance to date: 373.5 km

sept 11

Less than one kilometer into the run I am running through Vetheuil and just look at this place! That bar is screaming "SIT, have a glass of wine, or a coffe and look around". However I've not run in a few days and I have to continue. After all, I want to be in Paris soon and there's still some distance to cover. So I push on through more picturesque countryside. I wonder, according to the map I'm only 50 km outside of Paris, yet there's still green space and quaint villages. 50 km outside of Toronto is nothing but suburban sprawl.

Distance today: 6.5 km

Distance to date: 367.45 km

sept 7

I do love these days where you pass through several towns in the course of a few kilometers. It's hard to get bored. Haute-Isle has a trogolodyte church.

The Seine is curving all over the place however from here on it is almost a straight line into Paris. As the crow flies I have 52 km to go!!! With some detours that will be close to 60. I should be there for my birthday!

distance today: 6 km

distance to date: 361 km

aug 30

today je cours (i run) though a quiet stretch of road. i conjugate a few verbs (courir - to run, je cours, tu cours, il/elle court, nous courons, ils/elles courent) in my head to pass the time of day. and before i know it, i've finished my short run and i'm back in full view of the River Seine. Paris is getting closer!

distance today: 5 km

distance to date: 355 km

aug 27

I've detoured off the straight line to Paris to follow the curves of the River Seine. This also led me to Giverny where Monet spent the better part of his painting career. Gardens, water lilies, trees and flowers. One day I shall wear my Monet pendant and earrings and sit in his garden communing with nature.

My handmade glass pendant (by ME!) is available in my shop.

distance today: 6 km

distance to date: 350 km

aug 24

can one become jaded to this much beauty if one is exposed to it daily? do the people living here just look at this and think, huh, there's the church. or do they see spend their days walking around with their mouths open like me? this is the Collegiale de Vernon. I ran through Vernon then crossed over the Seine on le pont (the bridge) and finished in Vernonnet.OOOHHHH!!! and look where I end up! Cafes! Gorgeous streetside cafes! So perfect for un verre du vin while doodling in a sketchbook. Or looking literary with a thick book. Or just staring into space.

distance today: 6 km

distance todate: 344km

aug 21

Halfway through my short run today I pass through Le Goulet and there it is again, the River Seine. I will be following the river all the way into Paris which I hope to reach by Oct 5, in time to celebrate mon anniversaire- my birthday.

distance today: 5 km

distance to date: 338 km

aug 18

O.M.G. This is just too much!!! It's so fantastic!!!

this is real??? Gaillon is like a postcard, like a Disney version of what a "typical old French town" should look like. Do people actually live here? Where's the old guy in a beret on a battered bicycle carrying his baguette? Speaking of baguettes, it's time to find a boulangerie(bakery).

distance today: 5 km

distance to date: 333 km

aug 15

OOOHHH! I want to live here! This is in Gaillon where I finished today. I left Fontine-Bellenger, ran through Gournay, Vieux-Villez and le Mesnil Benier. It was hard going today, the sky is heavy and a thunderstorm is on the way. The humidity is so thick it's like running through jello. I'd rather really be in Gaillon where today there's a light rain and the temperature is only 16. Great weather for running although lousy weather for sitting in an outdoor cafe.

Distance today: 5 km

Distance to date: 328 km

aug 12

This is the vallee de la Seine, I'll be following the river all the way into Paris. I should be adding some hills to my run along the bike path in Toronto to mimic the gently rolling slopes of the vallee, however I'm lazy. And there are no gently rolling hills around. At least I ran.

Distance today: 6 km

Distance to date: 323 km

aug 9

I'm sticking to side roads as much as possible. As I'm nearing Paris there is a major highway that is rapidly increasing in size. Although even if i run on this as a 2 legged vehicle I'm not subject to paying le peage (the tolls).
I won't even try and explain why it's been 2 WEEKS since I've run. I feel horrible and this will not happen again. I need to get to Paris by October 5.

Distance today: 5 km

Distance to date: 317 km

july 26

Across the Seine again, through Pont-de-l'Arche. Then a long stretch through the Foret de Bord. Trees, trees and more trees.

Distance today: 6 km

Distance to date: 312 km