jan 25

it's a mix of civilization and farmland. i decided to take a bit of a detour north so that I can run alongside the river Seine yet again. Also because there's a couple of towns which are a lot more interesting than just running through more fields. 

distance today: 6.4 km
distance to date: 549 km



word: interesting - intéressante

jan 28

There was a bit of a detour today as I wanted to see something more than fields. I'm back beside the river Seine! Today I ran through Varennes-sur-Seine to Montereau. Oh I do love the cobblestone streets and fabulous doorways. 

distance today: 7.25 km

distance to date: 556.25 km


word: the gate - la porte

jan 23

oh boy, more trees! at least today i skim the outskirts of moret-sur-loing

distance today: 6 km
distance to date: 542.6 km


word: boring - ennuyeux
running on a treadmill is boring. course sur tapis roulant est ennuyeuse

jan 21

oh my. this is on my list of absolutely must see in person. such a history. such a library. wow.

Through Fontainebleau. this is considered a suburb of Paris, after all, I'm only 56 km away as the crow flies. Feels like ages ago. 

The palace of Fontainebleau is so absolutely stunning. Home of kings and queens, can you imagine living in something like this? Or calling it your "second home"? 

distance today: 6.4 km
distance to date: 536.6 km


word: library - bibliothèque

jan 18

trees trees and more trees. the famous forest of fontainebleau. finish at western outskirts of fontainebleau. good. can have a hot shower and a bed after last night in the forest. 

distance today: 6.4 km
distance to date: 530.2 km


word: shower - une douche
i need a shower. J'ai besoin d'une douche. 

jan 16

Through Barbizon and turn east at Macherin, finsih in a forest. Good thing I'm not scared of the dark.

distance today: 6.4 km
distance to date: 523.8 km


word: hungry - faim


i am always hungry. je suis toujours faim. 

jan 14

It looks like corduroy, I stop at the beginning of Chailly-en-Biere

distance today: 5.6 km
distance to date:  517.4 km


word: straight line - ligne droite


today i ran a straight line. Aujourd'hui, j'ai couru une ligne droite. 

jan 12

A lot of forests, through Saint-Fargeau-Ponthierry then Pringy

distance today: 6.8 km
distance to date: 511.8 km


word: cooking class - cours de cuisine
I want to take a  cooking class. Je veux prendre un cours de cuisine. 

jan 10 - 500 km!!!! milestone!!!!

Oh boy oh boy oh boy!!!! Today is a major milestone, I've passed the 500 km mark!!! OK, so it took a long time. That's not the point. The point is that one step at a time, one day at a time, one foot in front of the other adds up. No matter how big the goal is, one step at a time you can do anything. 


I've been a bit malade (sick) this week so I missed a running day. While I wasn't quite up to the task today I really wanted to hit the treadmill so that I could make this goal. Yippeeee!!!! For my milestone run I took a turn further south. The Seine is just east of me as it meanders along. More suburbs although they are dotted with just gorgeous bits of history. I love this old paper mill - papeterie. 

word today: I write a letter - Je vous ecris une lettre. 


distance today: 6 km
distance to date: 505 km

Jan 5

Oh today I did not want to do this at all. Felled by flu and drearyness outside the idea of staying in bed was mighty tempting. The first 3 km was not fun and I promised myself that I could stop at 5 km. Yet at 5 it all clicked into place and I began to feel good. So good that I continued. Yay for me!!!


I mentioned in my last post about all the normal (meaning boring) suburban landscape. I know it can't all be fabulous old castles and cute little cafes. I wish it were. This is a photo of the cathedral in Evry, not quite the gothic masterpiece of other cathedrals. Although I really love the shrubs on the roof. 

word: sleep -
I sleep, je dors. He/she sleeps, il/elle dort. We sleep, nous dormons. They sleep, ils dorment.


Today I did not dors. I ran. I am very proud of myself.
distance today: 6.8 km
distance to date: 499 km!!!!

Jan 2

Wow, there's just loads of fairly uninspiring bits around here. I'm sure if I looked closer then they'd be better. It's where people live. Blocks of apartment buildings, tracts of housing, I'm sure the cafes are still fabulous. And there's lots of flowers to look at. 

word: bakery - boulangerie. I deserve a visit to a boulangerie. 


distance today: 6.4 km
distance to date: 492.2

Dec 30

I'm parallel to the Seine again, through modern sprawl. the quaint historic town centres are surrounded by modern life. 

word: to cook - à cuisiner

The dictionary gives several different translation for this, faire cuire is another. this is a word i really have to know. After reading Julia Child's book My Life in France I must move there and become a Cordon Bleu chef.

distance today: 6.8 km
distance to date: 485.8 km

Dec 28

Through Epinay-sur-Orge, lots of lovely gardens. Everything is just dripping with gorgeousness.

word: to eat - manger
I eat. Je mange. I eat a lot. Je mange beaucoups. We eat. Nous mangeons. We eat cheese. Nous mangeons le fromage.
It is because of le fromage et le vin that I am running on this treadmill. And it is worth every second of it.

distance today: 6 km
distance to date: 479 km

Dec 26

I'm opting for smaller roads that parallel the Route de Soleil. Farms (les fermes) are creeping into the landscape.

word: the house - la maison

OK, it's an easy word today. I would like a lovely little maison in a small town. Every morning I will ride my bicycle to the bakery for a fresh baguette which I will eat with my morning cafe au lait.
distance today: 6.4 km
distance to date: 473 km

Dec 23

I'm heading south east now on the Route de Jouy. I run through the town of Igny and finish just outside of Palaiseau. 

Word: farm - la ferme
to farm - cultiver

Distance today: 6.4 km
Distance todate: 466.6 km

Dec 21

It's not as densely populated now, kind of suburban sprawl but in a lovely French way, not a North American mall way. Lots of green to look at. 


Word: urban - urbaine

Distance today: 6.4 km
Distance to date: 460.2 km

Dec 19 - Versailles

A romp through the Palace of Versailles. When the château was built, Versailles was a country village; today, however, it is a suburb of Paris, some 20 kilometres southwest of the French capital. The court of Versailles was the centre of political power in France from 1682, when Louis XIV moved from Paris, until the royal family was forced to return to the capital in October 1789 after the beginning of the French Revolution. Versailles is therefore famous not only as a building, but as a symbol of the system of absolute monarchy of the Ancien Régime.


Word of the day: fast - rapide. 
I run fast. Je cours rapidement. 

distance today: 5.6 km
distance to date: 453.8 km

Dec 16

Down the Grand Rue to Av Roger Salengro and I finish just outside the parking lot of the Palace of Versailles. Today I've decided to add in a new feature, everyday that I run I will add a new word to my vocabulary. 
the shoes - les chaussures (f, la chaussure)
the running shoes - les chaussures de course


Today I decided I need new chaussures de course. These ones are worn out. 

distance today: 6.4 km
distance to date: 448.2 km

Dec 14 2011 - ahhhh Paris

Lovely lovely urban streets. The temptation to stop at a cafe is so tempting. Shop windows, cheese stores, and gorgeous buildings. Swoon. South on Rue Michel-Ange, through Place de la Porte de Saint-Cloud. Wide boulevards, classic 5 & 6 story buildings. Again, over the Seine. 

distance today: 5.6 km
distance to date: 441.8 km

Dec 12 2011 - time to run again

Well well well. Time flies when you're having fun doesn't it? It's not that I haven't been running, it's just that it wasn't as consistent as I'd hoped and I forgot to blog it. So it doesn't count. I'm considering this a year in Paris. That's it, yeah, I've been wandering the streets of Paris instead of slogging away making glass beads and sailing to the Bahamas. So let's just leave it at that shall we? And now I shall pick up where I left off. 


I debated on spending some time running around the streets of Paris, it would be a good way to virtually learn the city before I actually get there next September (fingers crossed!!!). However I really want to finish this virtual run in 2012 so I shall just push through. My goal is Marseilles, here I come! 


Picking up where I last finished at the Arc de Triomphe, today's run is a modest 5.2 km across the river Seine, past La Tour Eiffel and back across the river and south. As a side note, Google Earth has some amazing 360 degree panorama shots, check out the ones at the Eiffel Tower!!! Awesome. 


distance today: 5.2 km
distance to date: 436.2 km