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
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
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
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
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
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
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.distance today: 6 km
distance to date: 350 km
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
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
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
