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