"The dog days of summer" - those hot, muggy days when you just want lie down and do nothing. Well, I'm waiting. This has been the chilliest summer in a long time. And it hasn't been muggy - it just keeps raining.
Today looks like it might be nice - the sky is blue and the clouds are the fluffy cotton kind. But it's really chilly for mid-August. This is back-to-school weather, more like mid-September. It's great tourist weather, though.
On the bright side, we haven't had to water the lawn all summer. Even if summer rain is not as effective a melting snow, the water tables have gone up a little. They are already starting the grape harvest and are predicting a good year for wine. When it's not raining, it's excellent walking weather - you don't get all hot and sweaty.
In a couple of weeks Claire and I will be in California for a wedding. So far, it looks like bright sunshine and warm temperatures in store.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Provins
Our first outing with the Ile de France walks (iledefrancewalks@yahoo.fr) was a day trip to Provins two weeks ago.
The e-mail said to meet Daniel at the Gare de l'Est before boarding the train to Provins so we caught the RER on one of the first really nice days of this summer. Shortly after we arrived we noticed a small group forming - a bunch of people about our age, with little backpacks. They looked just like us! And they were speaking a mix of French and English, so that confirmed the identification.
The trip to Provins was our first trip on the Viaduc de Nogent. We've lived in Nogent for almost 30 years. We've admired the bridge; we've read about the bridge; we've seen the bridge in paintings. (If you're ever in Nogent, visit the town museum: http://www.actep.fr/Musee-de-Nogent.html)
I just love meeting new people and spent the entire trip in conversation. Once we arrived in Provins, it took a little while for us to actually get started - just like kids. We were all more interested in our new friends than walking. But Daniel finally managed to herd us together and we strolled through the center of Provins to the other side of the town for lunch.
The first time we visited Provins was about 12 or 13 years ago, when it was the destination for one of the kids, who was learning to drive. It was cold, then. The town became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001 and I was afraid it might have turned into a real tourist trap.
After our picnic lunch just outside the wall, at the Porte de Jouy, the group split. The courageous half went off with Robert to hike in the countryside around Provins and we stayed with the others to explore the city.
We opted out of the visit to the underground galleries; we remembered it vaguely from the last time. This time, we went to the top of the Caesar Tower and visited the Tithe Barn, where they've set up scenes of the town's industry when it was a major stop on the trade fair route. We didn't take many pictures and they're not all that great. We got more involved with looking at the sites: farm buildings within the midieval walls - and it's still a working farm because we could see all the equipment in the yard; half-timbered construction (colombages, in French); the shops; and more.
The e-mail said to meet Daniel at the Gare de l'Est before boarding the train to Provins so we caught the RER on one of the first really nice days of this summer. Shortly after we arrived we noticed a small group forming - a bunch of people about our age, with little backpacks. They looked just like us! And they were speaking a mix of French and English, so that confirmed the identification.
The trip to Provins was our first trip on the Viaduc de Nogent. We've lived in Nogent for almost 30 years. We've admired the bridge; we've read about the bridge; we've seen the bridge in paintings. (If you're ever in Nogent, visit the town museum: http://www.actep.fr/Musee-de-Nogent.html)I just love meeting new people and spent the entire trip in conversation. Once we arrived in Provins, it took a little while for us to actually get started - just like kids. We were all more interested in our new friends than walking. But Daniel finally managed to herd us together and we strolled through the center of Provins to the other side of the town for lunch.
The first time we visited Provins was about 12 or 13 years ago, when it was the destination for one of the kids, who was learning to drive. It was cold, then. The town became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001 and I was afraid it might have turned into a real tourist trap.
After our picnic lunch just outside the wall, at the Porte de Jouy, the group split. The courageous half went off with Robert to hike in the countryside around Provins and we stayed with the others to explore the city.
We opted out of the visit to the underground galleries; we remembered it vaguely from the last time. This time, we went to the top of the Caesar Tower and visited the Tithe Barn, where they've set up scenes of the town's industry when it was a major stop on the trade fair route. We didn't take many pictures and they're not all that great. We got more involved with looking at the sites: farm buildings within the midieval walls - and it's still a working farm because we could see all the equipment in the yard; half-timbered construction (colombages, in French); the shops; and more.
Friday, August 3, 2007
Not working? Go for a hike
July 31st was the last day on the job. August 1st, I went for a hike.
If you are looking for hikes in the Paris area, then ask to be put onto the recipient list at iledefrancewalks@yahoo.fr. It's just an e-mail list, no website to see. Volunteers scout out a walk they'd like to do, get in touch with the list coordinator who sends out the invitation to the group and everyone meets a the announced departure point. It seems to be mostly anglophone residents, some long-time residents, some short-term expats, and a few French hikers, too.
For a first hike, it was, perhaps, a bit ambitious. It was a 16-km. walk from Villenes-sur-Seine to Mareil-sur-Mauldre. On this map, Villenes-sur-Seine is in the upper right hand corner and Mareil-sur-Mauldre is in the lower left. Our route was the GR1, which formed a rough half circle, along the the limits between Orgeval and Bures, then Morainvilliers.
On the way, we picked a few plums, stopped to find apples on the ground in an orchard, and ate a few blackberries, too. If we'd known we were going to find so much fruit, we might not have bothered loading ourselves down with lunch. We had a great little picnic near a pond on the edge of Orgeval. It was a hot and sunny day, but we were well protected in the woods most of the time.
It was a great day out, a perfect way to celebrate not working. There was always someone interesting to talk to. As we all kept changing pace, we kept moving from one conversation partner to another. The only thing missing was sites to see. Walking for walking's sake has its limits. I need some point of interest as an objective to keep my feet moving.
If you are looking for hikes in the Paris area, then ask to be put onto the recipient list at iledefrancewalks@yahoo.fr. It's just an e-mail list, no website to see. Volunteers scout out a walk they'd like to do, get in touch with the list coordinator who sends out the invitation to the group and everyone meets a the announced departure point. It seems to be mostly anglophone residents, some long-time residents, some short-term expats, and a few French hikers, too.
For a first hike, it was, perhaps, a bit ambitious. It was a 16-km. walk from Villenes-sur-Seine to Mareil-sur-Mauldre. On this map, Villenes-sur-Seine is in the upper right hand corner and Mareil-sur-Mauldre is in the lower left. Our route was the GR1, which formed a rough half circle, along the the limits between Orgeval and Bures, then Morainvilliers. On the way, we picked a few plums, stopped to find apples on the ground in an orchard, and ate a few blackberries, too. If we'd known we were going to find so much fruit, we might not have bothered loading ourselves down with lunch. We had a great little picnic near a pond on the edge of Orgeval. It was a hot and sunny day, but we were well protected in the woods most of the time.
It was a great day out, a perfect way to celebrate not working. There was always someone interesting to talk to. As we all kept changing pace, we kept moving from one conversation partner to another. The only thing missing was sites to see. Walking for walking's sake has its limits. I need some point of interest as an objective to keep my feet moving.
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